Why Don’t You Go Down To New Orleans

Home to the smoothest jazz, sweetest daiquiris, and finest French influences, New Orleans captured and charmed our attention. From famed French donuts “beignets” from Cafe Du Monde, to urban outdoor art gardens, to traditional New Orleans cuisines (Order the Jambalaya. You won’t regret it!), to dim lights and live jazz, our brief time in the “Big Easy” was well spent.

Beignet, the sweetest think in all of New Orleans.

Bourbon Street and the French Quarter offered everything we needed for our one and only night in the city. I was struck by the balconies that laced the streets with hanging plants, decorative railings and fancy facades. New Orleans could have fooled me for Europe at times.

As late afternoon settled into dusk, shoppers, passerby tourists and cafe coffee drinkers turned into loud party goers and serious jazz enthusiasts. Mardi Gras beads rained down from every balcony as the streets were filled with the sight of chaos and the smell of booze. If New Orleans was a wild beast, than jazz was her victorious roar.

Bourbon Street

We entered Fritzel’s, a cozy German pub and jazz club, to experience live music. The place was packed with people from all ages. Truth be told, many of them were older folk, perhaps looking to be swept back in time by the the sweet sound. We all sat together in anticipation and excitement as the band set up to play.

As the music started, I learned that a trumpet, piano, double bass and a bit of percussion is all you need to make musical magic. As the people swayed to the familiar tunes, as a voice echoed the sweet sound of Louis Armstrong, and as a piano solo made the room come alive, you could the feel past mingle with the present. To me, this was New Orleans’ finest hour.

 

 

 

 

 

5 Tips to Help You Achieve a Budget-Friendly Roadtrip

I’ve had a lot of people ask me how Andrew and I can possibly afford to go on all of these crazy cross-country road trips when we’re both in between jobs and on a fairly tight budget. If there is one thing I’ve learned from my travel-junkie husband, it’s that travel can MOST CERTAINLY be achieved no matter your financial state. All you need is time and a few simple tricks up your sleeve! Here are 5 tips to consider as you plan out your budget-friendly adventure.

        1. Consider vehicle rental and relocation deals (instead of putting miles on your own car!)

• You’d be surprised by the kind of rental and relocation deals you can find online. Check out websites like iMoova.com and AutoDriveaway.com for affordable vehicle and RV relocation opportunities. Andrew and I recently relocated an RV from Iowa to Las Vegas through a company that reimbursed us for half of the fuel costs. Our brother and sister joined us, so the other half of fuel costs was conveniently shared between the four us. Not bad!

Our home for 6 days – 25ft, factory new Winnebago RV

You can also find some pretty incredible rental deals from states that are heavily populated during certain times of the year (e.g. Arizona, Florida, etc.). Rental car companies like Alamo,  who have an over abundance of vehicles in those states, offer relocation deals that are ridiculously cheap. In these situations, they often waive the one-way fees and offer very reasonable rates. This is our strategy for driving from Vegas to Philadelphia.

Coasting cross-county in a Nissan Versa (rented from Alamo).

• If you decide to rent a vehicle, do some research on the type of car your driving. Does it have good gas mileage? Cars like a Toyota Prius or a Nissan Versa (pictured above) are great options for road trips. Both give you the fuel efficiency you need for long distances as well as plenty of space for luggage and traveling gear. For those that aren’t too keen on taking their own car on the open road, a rental car may be a great option for you. It was certainly a great option for us!
  

  2. Download the GasBuddy app to save a few extra bucks on fuel

• This app is AWESOME. GasBuddy pin points gas stations and their prices from all over the country. We use it to find the cheapest gas in any given area we’re in. I know saving $0.05 a gallon at a station may seem pointless, but those savings add up by the end. We’re always pleasantly surprised by how much we end up saving on fuel costs after using GasBuddy. Give it a try and reap the benefits!
  

  3. Consider booking accommodation through Airbnb

• Andrew and I are huge supporters of Airbnb. Airbnb is an online service that allows you to book accommodation anywhere in the world, but instead of booking an expensive hotel room, Airbnb is hosted by anyone who is willing to lend their space (guest room, guest house, air mattress, tent, couch, etc) at reasonable rates. It’s an intrinsically unique experience where the guest can choose accommodation based on past reviews, photos, pricing, and communication with the host.

 

Living the tepee life.

• We found that staying in Airbnbs gives us a richer cultural and social experience. We’ve stayed in beautiful guest houses, urban flats, single bedrooms, authentic tepees and even decked out tents. We’ve had hosts share meals with us, engage in meaningful conversations with us, or just simply give us privacy. No matter what personality type you are or comfort level you possess, there are amazing and cost saving Airbnb options out there for you.
  

  4. Purchase a National Park annual pass

• If you ignore everything else but THIS tip, that would be fine with me! I can’t articulate enough the benefits of getting a National Park annual pass. The pass is only $80, gives full access to every National Park in the country for the entire year and can be purchased either online or at any of the 59 parks. After three or four visits to a National Park, the pass pretty much pays for itself. For long road trips where you think you might be visiting several National Parks, the annual pass is a MUST. We love it!

5. Eat out less and do your research

• I know this tip seems foolish given eating out on a road trip (or on any vacation for that matter) is often the most enjoyable part of traveling. I get it, really. However, eating out for every meal can become pretty costly, so Andrew and I found a few ways to save money on food costs without depriving ourselves from enjoying the food culture in places we visit.

How could we ever deprive ourselves from these crunchy delights? (Beijing, China)

• First, if you know you’re going to have a long day of driving, take the time to pick up some healthy snack options from the local grocery store. For our own trip we packed apples, bananas, strawberries, peanuts, protein bars, chips, and most importantly, bottles of water. Our snack food is always easily accessible and keeps us going on some of the longer driving stints.

• Once again, on days where you’re driving greater distances, consider a simple meal for lunch like a Subway stop or a picnic at a rest stop. Pack a small cooler where you can store sandwich items like bread, lunch meat, cheese, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, etc. Meals like this are healthy, easy to organize and far cheaper than most road side restaurants.

YUM (also, shout out to my Alma Mater, Taylor University!)

• Days or evenings where we know we are doing activities or checking out the downtown area are times we maximize to explore the local food scene. I think you’ll find that nine times out of ten, it’s the moderately priced local restaurants that will give you the best vibe and experience, so you don’t have worry about breaking the bank.

Montreal, Canada

• Give yourself time to research the food options in the area. Use apps like Yelp and Trip Adviser to sort through positive reviews and pricing that’s within your budget.

Don’t let money stop you from seeing and experiencing the world. Andrew and I have learned that there are always ways to cut costs and save money, while still having the time of our lives. The tips above have benefited us so much, and I hope they’re able to help and guide you too. Time is too precious to let it slip away before embracing the joy and freedom of traveling. So buckle up and get going!

 

Feeling Small in Utah

We were driving in our 25ft. RV coasting through the winding roads of Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park. Surrounded by a scaling citadel of red sandstone, the RV’s radio played “Shadow” by the Bleachers. As I took in the scene before and around me, a scene that almost left me breathless, the chorus of “Shadow” played over and over, “If you’re feeling small, I’ll love your shadow.” As I looked out the windows and scanned the horizon, I did indeed feel so incredibly and beautifully small. The song was perfect. And it was one of those moments that I wanted to remember forever. I wanted to remember how it felt as the RV shifted and moved as we went up and down the slopes of the canyon. I wanted to remember the way the dry, cool desert air blew my hair through the passenger side window as the music played. I wanted to remember the beauty and diversity of the pseudo-martian landscape, with it’s countless layers, rocks that jutted out likes waves in an ocean and spires of sediment that reminded me of the lost city of Atlantis. Capitol Reef, what an appropriate name.

Capital Reef National Park

My husband, brother and sister-in-law visited all five of Utah’s National Parks in three days. And like Capitol Reef, the other four National Parks, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonland and Zion, left our little traveling troupe awe-inspired. We were struck by Utah’s diverse landscape. Each park had its own unique characteristics and majestic complexities that set itself apart from anything we had seen the day before and the day after. From snowfalls to waterfalls, canyons to peaks, prickly cacti to bubbling brooks, the world that is Utah never ceased to amuse and excite us.

Zion National Park (aka Jurassic Park)

Beyond our 6 days of rigorous exploring and hiking, it was the quiet moments off the trail that also impacted me. On one of our last nights traveling with my brother and sister, we parked our RV on the side of a dirt path several miles off the main road. We were in the middle of no where and in the middle of everything. Surrounded by Utah’s rocky landscape and open plains, not a light from a car or nearby town could be seen, just the wide and twinkling expanse of the night sky. Mary and I bundled up, grabbed a few blankets, pulled out a bag of chocolate chip cookie dough (thanks, Mandy!) out of the RV’s freezer, and climbed the ladder to the RV’s roof. We laid down, stared up, and allowed ourselves to feel small once again. A few shooting stars streaked across the sky and we laughed as we ate our cookie dough because the moment felt unbelievable.

That’s what a lot of our RV trip felt like…unbelievable. From the National Parks, to Horseshoe Bend, to Antelope Slot, my view of beauty was expanded in the best way possible.

“Delicate Arch” from Arches National Park

Antelope Slot

After 6 days (from Iowa to Vegas) and 2,300 miles of road tripping in the RV, we bid adieu to Jarrett and Mary at Vegas’ airport. They flew home to New Jersey, but Andrew and I are going home a different route. We dropped off our RV, picked up a rental car and began our trek from Vegas that will take us down the southern coast of the U.S. and eventually back up to Jersey. If you know at least a little bit about Andrew and I, you know we prefer the long way home.

This is Brittany Ballinger reporting from Tuscon, Arizona. Stay with us.