Reflection of my Trip

Greetings from Boston! I am happy to say my trip was successful, and it left me tired after my jam-packed days (and watching Michael Phelps win all of those metals!). Anyways, for those of you who don't know, I am a graduate student in psychology, and this trip to Boston was to attend the American Psychological Association 's National Convention. And although I didn't spend a ton of time at the convention (I'd rather be sight-seeing), USA Today wrote an excellent article on what psychologists believe is means to "be green" based on studies presented at the convention. It was addressed in the article that psychologists find that the idea of "going green" may seem overwhelming or confusing to most people. When we think of going green, some people may believe that it requires a HUGE lifestyle change, when in fact, it doesn't always have to be that way. When starting this journey at first, I thought myself that this can be a lot of work to help the planet, but it is really worth it. I have come to find this experiment as well as blogging on here has taught me the value of energy and money. People may get a tendency to feel helpless among a sea of people who do not contribute or live similarly. Everybody thinks they need to go out and buy a hybrid car to save the planet, when there are little things (as with the purpose of this blog) that can help save the Earth one step at a time. People may also feel no guidance when approaching a green lifestyle, and find it overwhelming in itself. As we all know, there are no real instructions to going green, its all up to you, and how far you want to go with it. I generally agree with these insights, and believe it is a major reason to the barriers of more people going green, the lack of education, awareness, and resources to such a lifestyle.

For more information, USA Today also has a great bunch of articles and tips on green lifestyles, as well as testing your knowledge about what helps the environment. I actually didn't score so high on their Environmental IQ quiz, and learned something. Another interesting article talked about feeling the "green guilt" (adapting to green lifestyle habits out of feelings of guilt), which according to USA Today, 20% of Americans feel.

Beyond my reflections from above, I also wanted to mention things from the trip I have learned regarding travel, as a previous entry on the subject seemed useful to readers. Tips that I learned from my travels are as follows:

1. If a city has a subway system, USE IT! This is by far one of the cheapest methods of transportation, and fairly quick. Get a map either before you go or as soon as you arrive so that you can find transit locations in the city. I only wish I had one where I lived and I wouldn't need a car.
2. I actually ended up packing food in a large suitcase. I travel light, and I used half of my checked bag for food to eat when needing that snack for the morning at the convention so I wouldn't have to pay for expensive food there, or even from the hotel cafe. I even packed some zip-loc bags to put cereal in for the morning.
   
3. Again, look for the free activities in the city. Boston's Freedom Trail was a big hit for us, not only because it was free and took up the majority of an afternoon, but it also let us to small admission priced to free historic attractions.
4. In addition to packing food, we also looked carefully for the local OSCO drug store to buy things like milk or soda that we couldn't pack in our bag, its much cheaper to buy a 6 or 12 pack of soda then to buy an individual drink every place you go. Bringing a water bottle may also not be a bad idea.
   
5. Look for alternatives. We wanted to see Fenway Park, but instead of going to a game (which can be quite pricey for Boston - around $50-$80 a seat, and not including their $4.50 hot dogs), we took a $12 tour instead. That way we also saved time by only being there for an hour instead of 3-4 hours.
   
6. Students - bring your college IDs with you, they will get you discounts everywhere!

I am still getting settled here (catch-up at work), and school starts in a few days, so I hope my entries will still be daily, but I can't make any promises. Busy-busy as I am sure you are as well. Have a great week!

Travel Planning

In the upcoming days I shall be quite busy, so my apologies for less frequent entries should that be the case.

Right now I am in the midst of planning an upcoming trip to Boston. Planning for a vacation or a trip can be essential when you are trying to save some money, and here are some tips I plan to offer as guidance:

1. If you are going to a big city, like Boston, check out the museums online ahead of time, in particular, look for their free days. For example, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts has a free admission period from 4-9pm on Wednesday evenings.
2. Pack as light as you can. If you have a plane leaving past your hotel check out time, and you aren't going directly to the airport, you may have to pay to check baggage at the hotel. Right now my plan is one duffle bag and one carry-on.
3. Check out what restaurants and grocery stores are around your hotel. These can save you BIG on money. Some times on business trips I am reimbursed for meals per diem, and I will end up getting extra money back since I went to Jimmy John's every day or stopped by CVS for some things to eat. In addition, consider packing any small food that may fit. I know I have a friend who survives most of her trips on protein bars.
   
4. Big cities like Boston have various ticket or pass deals that allow you into numerous attractions for one low price. The Go Card and City Pass are examples of programs that run in multiple major cities and can provide a lot of value for your dollar. However, be aware of what you want to see and do in your time limit so that you do get your money's worth, especially with the Go Card which can be around $55 for a one day pass.
   
5. Forget about cabs unless they are an absolute necessity. Cities like San Francisco and Boston offer great transportation on their subway system, which is usually a great money saver, or public bus services.
6. Along with using the subway or bus systems, consider looking for hotel on the outskirts of downtown. Hotels in the center of downtown will likely be the most expensive (and also the most luxurious :( ) I found a much cheaper hotel that can shuttle you into the city or is very close to a subway station.
7. If you are open to options of where to stay, I have done a previous entry (July 11) on the Couch Surfing Project. Stay with a local for free instead of paying out the wazoo for a hotel room. Stay with friends or relatives if you have the opportunity to do so as well.
   

Those are my top tips for now, and you will probably hear some more as I pack this week. Happy traveling!

Transportation across the country

As a tip I have been giving away to friends and family lately (since I live so far from them), there are 2 other forms of transportation that I am aware of for long road trips that do not involve flying (expensive) and driving yourself (tiring).

First, consider taking the train! Amtrak is a system that provides transportation to many major U.S. cities at about half of the cost of flying. See the sights, or just relax while you travel. Traveling by train, I have looked, typically takes about as much time as it would if you were driving yourself. The delays come from making stops along the route.

Secondly, there is also megabus.com. Megabus provides a bus system with extremely cheap fares ($5-30), however, there are some limitations here. A) It only goes to MAJOR U.S. cities. So if you don't live close to a major metropolitan area, this could be a problem. B) Since you are going by bus, can take much longer than it would than driving yourself or by the Amtrak system. If time is of the essence, this might not be the best option.

If you are taking an upcoming trip, or would like to but do not have the money to fly and/or can't drive, there are some other options out there. If any readers have some additional travel shortcuts, send them my way or post them in the comment section!

Traveling Hotel-free

Looking to travel the world but don't have the money to pay for hotels and lodging? If you're feeling brave and desperate, give the Couch Surfing Project a chance. I have a friend who traveled through Europe this summer for 3 weeks by sleeping on spare couches and beds of people he met through this website online. Simply log on, create a profile, and search for people living in your destination. I was even tempted to cancel my hotel for my own trip next month knowing it could save me $500. My friend told me it was a good experience, he and his girlfriend stayed with various people, and said there was the occasional weirdo (but not in a horror movie way), but it is definitely an experience that will give you memories of your trip (and my friend is obviously still alive). Profiles give extensive information about the potential person you will be staying with, reviews of other people who have stayed with them, and photos of what they even have for you to sleep on. So instead of staying at the Hilton on your next trip, give a local a chance to show you the town.