TRAVEL TIP: SAVE MONEY AND VISIT MORE

STORY TELLING TIME ♥

Sit back and relax because I have several travel stories from you from which I've learned a lot and I hope you can also extrait something good from it.

Let's remember our crazy adventures together!

Anyways! This week's blog post is about a travel tip that is really attractive! And I also was practicing it when I was in NYC (but the picture of above is Boston, I just found it inspiring, hehe).

So, last year I spent 6 months in New Jersey, and of course I used to go a lot to Manhattan to hang out - gosh, how I love it! - but unfortunately it is not that cheap tho... The shops have a high price due to the taxes (compared to NJ), and I was working at the time, but I just couldn't spend it all once right? So, here are some "crazy" -maybe- tips I put into practice.. Let's see,

1. Packing my lunch on a box
   
   Okayyyy, yeah I got you, that "whaaaat?", and "girl, what about eating local?", I know, I know, it's strange, everyone I told that where like: "ummm I don't think I'd ever do that". 
   So the thing is that being in NYC, there's actually not a typical typical dish, I mean, it's like a great combination of the world's flavors. Of course I'd stop at the street carts to have a pretzel, a hot dog, a hamburguer, a treat or a hot beverage (sorry, I'm part of the 0.000001% who's not a coffee person).
   
   But sometimes whenever I have a day off-duty I'd want to be out there from the morning until the afternoon, like 4-5 pm -as I also wouldn't like to miss time to talk with my relatives- and, like as at 1 pm I'd be craving for lunch and not always I could afford to go to Applebee's or any other american restaurant, besides also saving money to go into cool museums such as Spyscape, then I'd rather be a total backpacker, so the day before I'd put in a box something like a sandwich or the leftovers of a peruvian meal I've cooked and then slide into a deli shop or mini market with seats and order a beverage in order to keep up with ma' meal :)) 
   
   Feels kind of weird as you think "omg what would people think about me", but to be honest, honey, always remember; you only live once, and normal is boring!
   
   
   
   
   And here's the proof. That's me in a restaurant in New York (it was a peruvian restaurant because of the chicha morada), and my lunchbox. They even gave me a fork!!!
   
   
   
   
2. Walk, walk, walk as much as you can 
   
   I've also read this tip in various blogs, and websites, and it's way SO true. But of course, it's also nice to experience once in a while how it is to take local transportation such as subways, bus lines, even taxis. But, in my case I used to walk a lot as most of my trips there happened during winter, so it was a nice way to warm up. 
   You can even rent bikes so you would be doing a little extra excercise, but hey! Always be mindful of the structure of your bike, or you'll end up falling like me... 
   
   So, it was winter and I decided to go around Central Park but a it's huge I rented a bike so I'll go to John Lennon's memorial.. Now, that bike was way different than the one I'm used to at home, mine is made for woman a you can hop on and off directly at the space in the front without the need of lift your leg all the way to the back (which was the case of this bike).
   
   Anyways, now you might imagine how the story ended... Well, I don't have a picture -because my laptop is not working and there are all of the pics- but I was in front of a monument and suddenly I decided to take a picture of it and the landscape too, as well as of me and the bike, but -big fail- I thought it was my bike and tried to just hop off from the front and splash!, directly on the floor.
   Of course as a first reaction, I checked to see if anyone had watched me and there was one lady standing by one side and she looked like: "O.M.G, Are you oOoOokayyy?" and I just smiled and said: "yeah, it's not that bad", but then I felt it as I couldn't hop on back again.
   
   At the end I just had to call the office and they'd come to pick me and the bike, but, oh! 
   When the guy arrived he only give me some bandaids to put on my wound and took just the bike (as he was riding another bike) after giving me instructions to go back by walking. Damn!
   
   
   
   
   This is the only pic I have -now- from that day. At the end even thought I still have my wound I kept walking, visited the American Museum of Natural History and then from the 77th street I made it all the way to the 41st to go to the station and take my bus back.
   P.S: the guy photobombed my street picture, haha
   
   
   
   

3. If you find yourself lost, don't panick, talk to others 
   
   This is why it's always good to get to know a little bit of basic words in the language of your destination. So, I remember this was in 2014 during my very first trip abroad by myself to New Jersey-New York too, I decided to finally take a tour at a hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus and the final stop I did was at the Museum of the City of New York along with a family of four of a brazilian family. We had little time as it was 3:45 pm and the bus would pass by our stop for the last time at 4:30 pm, so as I was so conscious about it, I checked very fast the whole area and end up having a hot beverage. Finally, as punctual as I always try to be,I was at the same bus stop by 4:20 pm -knowing that americans are also always on time-.
   
   Next thing is that the time passed... passed... and passed, and there was no sign of our tour bus. Then it was 5:00 pm... then 5:30 pm. I started to worry as I thought "gosh, what if i've missed it?" but minutes later I saw the brazilian family come out of the museum to join me on the waiting line (we were the only ones). We were freezing out and asking so many questions.
   At the end they just ended up taking a taxi. Oh yes, so clever, why didn't I just do the same?! - Well, because I barely had money!!

   Guys, please, always carry mostly cash, and even if you think you won't be spending that much, put a little bit more just in case of emergency 
   
    Well, at the end I took the risk and stop a cab (yes, my first ride in the famous yellow new york taxis, yayyyy!) and, SILLY ME, INSTEAD OF HOPPING ON DIRECLY I APPROACHED TO THE CO-PILOT WINDOW -JUST LIKE IN PERU- ASKING HIM HOW MUCH IT WOULD BE TO GO TO THE STATION, hahaha oh my, I must've been so nervous...
   
   He drove like a boss beating up the traffic and got me fast to the closest subway station. The machine calculated a price of 10 bucks... Oooops.... I only had 10 + 6 (for the return ticket to New Jersey) and if I spent it all I wouldn't have anything left for my subway ride to the station.
   I think the universe wanted to help me because the driver looked at my worrying and desesperate face and said: "it's ok, just give me $5", ohhhh thanks !!
   
   At the same time it was also my first time on a subway, I went down and after seeing an old man selling cards in exchange of cash I didn't even had to use the machine, I found a guy who would swipe his card in exchange for the 2 dollars fee.
   
   And continuing with my lucky strike I took just the first subway that came by and it did stopped at Times Square! 
   
   I was so thrilled when I got to my relatives house back again! I felt so alive, so blessed! I know this sounds kind of 'too much' but after almost sleeping i-don't-know-where I made it through!!
   
   I can say that my english knowledge saved the day (:
   
   
   

   
   With my hot cocoa in hand, and an "I'm freezing face", waiting for the tour bus.
   P.S: Another thng I must tell is that I tried to get into another tour bus so they can help me to return but they denied as long as I didn't have a ticked issuued from them.

   
   

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this blog post, and hopefully too, I made you smile -at least a little bit-
The truth is that I used to reject these experiences because it was too embarrasing and I didn't take so much advantage of my very first trip, but not anymore.... Memories can be good or bad but always they are going to teach something to us, or we can just look back and laugh, it's one or another.

So, always remember to embrace your throwbacks and, don't be so hard to your old-self. You were learning, and you still are! 

♥ Much positive vibes 

♥ Stay Safe, Eat healthy, wash your hand and keep up with safety protocols

thank you for reading.

Patsy.