TRAVELING TIP #10 Spend money wisely!

Folks, I’m not doing a great job meeting my self imposed Friday blog deadlines. Yesterday was so beautiful, my husband and I HAD to hit the rail trail on bicycles. Gorgeous day. Love the natural warmth of sun. Indoor furnaces do not do the trick. Outdoor sun-heat in moderation is the best source of warmth. Biking in the sunshine is a good day’s goal.

Nevertheless, I’m beginning to scramble for travel tip ideas for this crazy blog. Can I go a YEAR with suggestions? We shall see.

Today let’s take a long look at a matter of great import to everyone: managing finances. In some ways I’m cheap. In other ways I’m incredibly extravagant. The point is, I save my money for special moments and special treats while traveling.

Here are a few thoughts on money and travel.

1)Never buy a new car. As soon as you drive that shiny new car off the dealer’s lot, it depreciates by hundreds/thousands of dollars! Why don’t you just get $1,000 cash and flush it down the commode? Well, let me back up a bit.

The benefit of a new car is that it generally can be counted on to run well with few mechanical problems. As the miles add up on used vehicles, the likelihood of
breakdowns happening in strange locales increases substantially. That is certainly problematic when we are aiming for a fun vacation. My husband and I try to take good care of our vehicles, but after 100,000 miles, we make extra efforts to check hoses, brakes, fluids, tires, etc. I have to give my husband so much credit for readying my van for travel. We have a AAA membership with towing service available, and as I have said before, I carry a tool box equipped with a number of items that may come in handy. I’ve never used the Fix-A-Flat, but it’s there if I need it. Duct tape MAY come in handy.

Despite many good reasons to invest in a new car, I am still sold on the idea of owning a well maintained used vehicle. Many new car finance terms are so draining,
people spend much more than the original cost of the car by the time it is paid “off.” Once the loan obligation is met in full, it’s time to go into debt again.

In 2003, I bought a 1995 Ford Windstar for $1,995. It is still on the road as our backup vehicle. The average yearly car ownership cost is $133! OK, if I finance a new car for $20,000 at 6.86% with 6% sales tax and $2,000 down, the monthly payment would be $363.78. Multiply that by 12 months and the yearly cost would be $4,365.36With my Windstar, I am saving $4,232.36 annually which I can spend on gasoline, hotel rooms, meals, souvenirs, national park admission, etc. Monthly payments of $363.78 over 63 months (the average term of car loans, according to AAA) also means that the new car expense is $22,918.14. But the vehicle market value after two years alone is $12,000. It’s all downhill from there. Bankers love our money, and they are in business to take it! I know. I am a former bank loan officer.

Buy a good used car with cash.

2) Camp in your van WITH CAUTION. I am not sure that I am sold on the safety of camping alone in a van. We remove my back seats and I stretch out a sleeping bag with piles of warm comforters and my favorite pillow. I also rig three rows of curtains on light weight rods so that I have some privacy. They can be “installed" in less than 30 seconds and come down just as fast.

I have slept beside RVs in Walmart lots, but many Walmarts are moving toward disallowing overnight parking. Personally, I think it is a mistake. The few times I have “camped” with RVers, I ALWAYS buy something from the host department store. It is a win-win situation.

Nevertheless, be careful. Generally I opt for a deadbolted hotel room.

We do have one state park where I camp in the fall. It is patrolled regularly. Yet I do not sleep very well. At another park I woke up abruptly one night. I sensed that something was awry. With my eyes wide open I lay perfectly still and listened to the sound of footsteps at the rear of my van. I clutched my bear spray in one hand and my car alarm fob in the other. I would have triggered the blaring car horn alarm first and resorted to searing bear spray as a last resort. Fortunately the snooper moved away. The next morning I realized that I had not placed the reservation card in the proper slot of my camping space. A patrolling ranger may have been writing down my license plate number to check his “guest” list. I never knew who was outside the van, but I hoped it was a park employee doing his job.

Camping fees begin around $15-$20, so it’s a huge savings over hotel cost. If you are traveling alone, think twice about camping alone. Your safety is worth the cost of a locked room. Remember, your safety is your responsibility. There are dangers lurking everywhere. I wish I could protect the world from assailants, but of course, I can do no such thing.

3)Eat economically. I shop at Walmart for little containers of applesauce, nuts, crackers, water bottles, and ice. In the mornings I drive through McDonald’s where many times I can pick up skim milk. Not all McDonalds carry skim milk but some do!

I carry my own cereal and disposable bowls, so that I can control what I eat, when I eat, and where I eat. I also carry plastic drinking cups. A small portion of rich dark chocolate can be melted in the cups using a hairdryer. Stir in 1/3 cup of high fiber cereal and --- Voila! You can crunch a chocolate covered healthful treat with a touch of heart-healthy dark chocolate.

Often I stop at Cracker Barrel for lunch where I order from the Kid’s Meal Menu. Two servings of vegetables cost less than $5.00 and is a healthy midday meal. I also buy whole grain bread and order grilled chicken sandwiches with no bread.

Top off the day with a grilled chicken salad from any number of family restaurants, and you can lose weight on the road. I did. Save money and lose weight! A winning combination.

4)If you smoke, stop TODAY. Even moderate smokers can save $10.00 a day ---
Often more. $2,000, $3,000.00, or $4,000 at the end of the year will give you an opportunity for a great vacation. And you will probably live longer to enjoy more vacations down the road. Be smart. One couple I know gave up smoking and saves enough to go to the Great National Parks of the West for six weeks every year. Where could you go with a little extra money in your pocket?

5)Do you need to pay those high monthly cell phone, I-Phone fees? How much
could you save if you had a pay-as-you-go phone? Our cell phones are intended for emergencies and immediate family contacts. That’s all.

6)Cut back on movies in theaters and you will save a bundle. We have noticed that
with our High-Def TV we enjoy Blue-Ray movies more in our home than we
do in a theater. We peruse $5.00 standard DVDs and buy a movie for “movie night” at a price less than the cost of one theater ticket.

7)Read all about hyper-miling. Get your heavy foot off the gas pedal, slow down,
and cruise as you approach red traffic lights. Start out from traffic lights
s-l-o-w-l-y. Gunning the motor to race toward the next light is a waste of resources and a huge hit on your pocketbook. Avoid traffic jams during rush hours; plan your itinerary accordingly. I have been told that UPS plans deliveries with only right turns as much as possible. Stop, look all ways, and turn right on red. Coast downhill and do not ever idle your vehicle for the purpose of running the air conditioning or the heater.

Easy on the air conditioning! If the air outside is cool, do not use extra gas running the A/C. Roll down your window. You will also lose a lot of time and money waiting in line at drive-through restaurants. If there are more than two cars ahead of you, park and walk inside. There are systematic ways to get gas costs DOWN. Once you learn the “art” of hypermiling you will cut your vehicle operating costs by hundreds of dollars each year.

Walk when you do not need to drive. Make a conscious effort to THINK about how you are wasting gasoline.

8)Lots of folks throw loose change into a plastic bucket or coffee can and cash it in periodically. Personally, I have never found the process to be rewarding. However, it DOES work for some people. But, listen friends. Listen up. If you
do save loose change, be sure that you do NOT dump your coins into one of the electronic counters that are positioned at various public sites. You are LOSING money, because the machine keeps a fee for the owner’s profit. There is nothing wrong with making money. There is something wrong with throwing it away --- in my humble opinion! Your bank will count the coins for you and probably not charge you an extra fee. Your bank will also give you coin wrappers. If you roll coins while watching CSI or Lost or American Idol, you will be ready to “cash in” and
pay YOURSELF instead of paying someone else.

9)Cook at home and only eat out on special occasions. You will save lots of
money and will really enjoy the treat of a restaurant meal so much more if you
only partake of fine cuisine intermittently.

10)Clip hotel/motel coupons and walk in with your coupon in late afternoon. You
will save $50 or more per night with hotel coupons.

11)Personally, I like AAA, not only for the towing service but for the hotel
discounts. The money I save with AAA in one year more than pays my annual membership.

12)Do a lot of comparative shopping. There has been a trend in recent years to go to
online hotel discount sites, and often they do offer the best deals. BUT --- in recent months I have found that calling the hotel directly will save you more money than online booking services. The patterns change. You will have to keep
checking options to see who is REALLY making the best offer!

13)Personally, I love Marriott Rewards. The Marriott membership is free. The
Rewards points never expire (many hotel points offer relatively short term benefits), and all Marriott hotels are smoke-free. My costs are higher than many
discount hotel rates, but that is a trade-off that works well for me.

14)If you have friends or family along the way, they “may” put you up for the night.
Free is good. Be careful. Not everyone wants to run an inn for wayward travelers. Personally, I shy away from imposing on others. Although I was raised by a family who ran our home as though it were a boarding house for transients, I am not comfortable staying with friends/family. I rest better in hotels and I never feel guilty about overstaying my welcome!

A few years ago friends of ours in a magnificent, luxurious home insisted that we stay with them. Even though we insisted on staying at a hotel within a couple of miles of their home, the message we received was basically, “We will be expecting you!” So we stayed and later sent a thank-you gift basket for the lovely accommodations. We still saved LOTS of money, but would never take a chance on imposing.

Benjamin Franklin said that fish and house guests have one thing in common: after three days they stink! I choose not to stink, when possible!

15)Share trip expenses with a friend, if you REALLY know you are compatible.
Beware! Travel for two can be stressful. Some people cannot pull off the delicate
balance of sharing time with friends, regardless of how much money it saves them. Have you ever heard of guys getting into a row on a hunting trip? Not only
guys have trouble sharing living space with pals. I admit, I can count on one hand
the people I am willing to travel with, and generally, I prefer my own company.

16)Have a yard sale. Get rid of old books at a flea market. Sell cosmetics. Master the possibilities of EBAY. Do what you can do to generate a little extra income. Be creative when it comes to money. Be legal. Be ethical. Most of all, stop throwing away money you can keep for yourself. And, stop buying “stuff” you do not need.

17)Pull all your clothing items out of drawers and closets, lay them on the bed, and mix and match them for a variety of sharp travel outfits. If you have clothes you will NEVER wear again, pay a visit to Goodwill or the Salvation Army Thrift Shop. There are times when we simply need to share with others. But if you are strapped for travel money, you may be able to sell clothes at a flea market. Maybe.

18) Go to a travel agent and tell him/her what your budget is for a trip. He or she will save you hours of planning, and charge you nothing for the service. A good
agent may be able to save you hundreds of dollars. If I am going into an
unfamiliar area or out of the country, I often rely on the expertise of the pros.
I have talked to African safari travelers who never saw an animal on their
“safaris.” Let the pros watch out for your best interests while they save you
money.

19)Save your money in a bank, in a coffee can, in a sock. Just save it.

29)Avoid high risks such as gambling, lottery playing, and penny stocks.
Everybody in the money business is happy to take your money. Pay yourself
with a memorable, safe vacation!

SAFE TRAVELS, FRIENDS!

Travel Tip #2-Pack Clothes Based on Comfort and Need

Travel Tip #2 - Clothes for the Road
(c) 2010 Lea, the Traveling Novelist



2. Pack clothes according to comfort and need. Travel in stretchable knit sweat pants and tee shirts covered with a microfiber hooded jacket. Driving long distances comfortably requires flexibility. Tight fitting slacks or jeans will work against your movements as you change gears and turn to double check lane change safety. A cozy jacket will break cool winds in gusting moderate temperatures and will yield to arm motions as you maneuver the steering wheel, turn on lights and wipers, and change gears.

Buy two-gallon ziplock bags before packing your bags and insert each day’s apparel, including undergarments into each bag. Place a paper label inside each bag, identifying contents according to temperature and needs. When I traveled through the northwest and circled down to the southwest deserts, I grabbed bags marked COLD, MODERATE, and HOT according to weather conditions. And to save space, simply squeeze out excess air by sitting on top of the bags before zipping them shut.

Stack the plastic wrapped apparel in a lid covered plastic tub, and pull out only the next day’s clothes as you check into your hotel. Leave the bulk of clothes in your car or van. If you have a trunk, store everything inside it. CAUTION. Thieves often look inside vehicles to make an assessment of a “take” while travelers eat lunch, walk to waterfall overlooks, or snooze in the comfort of roadside inns. So far, I’ve managed to thwart thievery by camouflaging moderately valuable items by “trashing” my van. I allow the old Windstar to get dirty and I leave clean empty soda cans on the seats along with heaps of newspaper and wads of fast food restaurant bags. (Caveat: DON'T LEAVE ANYTHING THAT EMITS FOOD ODORS INSIDE YOUR VEHICLE WHEN YOU're in BEAR TERRITORY unless it is stored in the proper airtight approved food lockers as required by the National Park Service! And----KNOW when you're in bear territory!) Anyway, a thief peeking inside my windows would probably assume that some destitute nomad with nothing worth taking is crossing country on a shoestring. In other words, look like you have nothing worth stealing.

On the other hand, I always secure irreplaceable valuables (cell phone, walkie talkies, GPS, and computer) in my hotel safe. I never leave easy-to-hock electronics in the Ford. All of my traveling clothes are cheap department store replaceable items, with the exception of some L. L. Bean/Cabella type gear that runs a little higher than average discount department store apparel. But even L.L. Bean is replaceable. My philosophy is simple: if somebody steals my clothes, I simply MUST go shopping!

Before packing, empty your closet of all the clothing you own. Match tops and bottoms. Casual, everyday slacks will suffice for traveling. It is not necessary to dress up for a five hundred mile drive along the interstate highway system. The advantage of traveling with twenty one changes of clothes on a three-week trip is that you lose no time in laundromats----time you could spend in an art gallery looking at magnificent works so much more worthwhile than ogling rotating clothes inside a stainless steel oversized mechanical box. You can do laundry when you get home. If you do not have twenty one changes of underclothes, buy some extras and save yourself the distraction of laundry. Compare the cost of a few extra undergarments to the cost of detergent, washing machine cost, and dryer expense. There are even biodegradable undergarments that you can purchase and throw away without guilt.

Women traveling solo should dress modestly. Leave short shorts and low cut tees at home. Dressing informally is not the same thing as dressing cheap. Convey an appearance that sends a message of self respect and the expectancy of the same from others. Don’t send any signals that could be construed as an invitation for sexual advances.

Remember to take two or three changes of shoes/boots. Good hiking boots are a good investment. For our wedding anniversary this year, my hubby got me snakeproof boots (at MY request). Now, when I travel into my favorite National Wilderness area with my camera, and where I KNOW timber rattlers await me, I am a little safer than I have been when trekking along stony pathways wearing "cute" sneakers. A snake "handler" at our State Natural Resources office also advised me to use care walking near rocky ledges and canyon walls. Slithering assailants lurk in dark shadows of canyon walls in anticipation of striking out at the heads of approaching idiots. Don't forget dress shoes. (Not for the snakes---for dinner!) Once I passed up an exquisite 5-star dinner at a gorgeous restaurant which had a fastidious dresscode. The closest thing I had to dress shoes were white flipflops. I had remembered to pack a long black travel dress, but forgot to pack appropriate shoes. I was not about to pay $80 for spikey heels from the resort gift shop. I have other ways to spend a travel budget! Walmart. Black flats. Dressy enough.

Always pack a couple of dressy outfits, even if you are headed for the great outdoors. Conservative, loose fitting black slacks and a blazer over a simple tee can be accented with a paisley scarf for dinner when a restaurant or formal B&B shuns jeans and shorts. Keep in mind that the high end restaurants may expect more formal attire. And, ALWAYS check out dress codes of restaurants before embarking on your journey. Do not pass up an opportunity for exquisite dining because of a penchant for denim. Ringo Starr can wear denim to posh restaurants. Love Ringo. Love Ringo. The rest of us really cool, blue jean clad twits can expect to be turned away at the door. Not that Ringo is a twit. Ringo:COOL. Rest of us: QUASI TWITS wandering along the road of life.

And as you go down the road----dress well, travel well, be safe.

New Year as New Novelist

Hello World and hello New Year!

For many years I have taught Communication Studies in the college classroom, and have loved it beyond measure. Wonderful students have passed across the threshold of my Speech Comm classroom, and I've learned more from my students than they realize. I have given them the best of my knowledge and experience, but have chosen to shift gears professionally in 2010.

My passion is moving in the general direction of the open road! With an opportunity to travel, and with the convenience of modern technology, I have elected to write my way along the highways of the Good Old USA!
Most of the time I'll be at my home base, but adventure calls me to explore and grow with every new travel and writing experience possible. This is an exciting new direction. How much I look forward to 2010!

Some distant horizon beckons me to make wonderful new friends, ponder beautiful natural wonders, greet new people with each stop for a sandwich or photo shoot, and write about all of it.

In 2008 I took in many of the great National Parks of the West, and in 2009 I sauntered along an historic southeast USA vacation---had lip smacking fried oysters at Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, explored the entire length of the Outer Banks, ferried to Okracoke Island, photographed Jupiter Lighthouse in Florida, visited the boyhood home of Edgar Allen Poe in North Carolina, photographed the light house on Tybee Island off the coast of Georgia, revisited the breathtaking Thomas Jefferson home of Monticello in Charlottesville,
sang God Bless America at the annual July 4 celebration in Washington D.C., visited the National Zoo for the first time, camped in the exquisite mountainous terrain of Wild Wonderful West Virginia, and auditioned for American Idol at Walt Disney World.

Travel in 2010 is wide open, but, as opportunities present themselves, I'll intend to convey my thoughts via this blog. The goal is to post every Friday. (I just marked every Friday of my 2010 calendar: BLOG!) As time permits, or as inspiration presents itself, I may post more thoughts. Weekly posts "sound" manageable.

I have completed one historic novel and have begun research on its sequel. The story is about a newspaper feature story journalist who embarks on a personal quest to study a deadly tornado. But, she gets more than she bargained for as she finds a new perspective on life while tracing the path of the storm. Her inquisitiveness began with a traumatic memory conveyed by an old family story teller.

In the early twentieth century, a group of small children were walking to school along a country road in Appalachia when a tornado touched down. Their beloved one room schoolhouse was out of reach. Alone and terrified by an experience like none they had known in their short lives, the children have only their wits to save them. One little girl panicked and ran away from her companions who were left weighing risks of continuing on the road to school. Good neighbors go "on hunt" of the terrified girl. The story of the children in the storm is Part II of the novel. Part I entails events of other school children caught in the violence of the deadliest storm system of its type in the history of the United States.

The novel sequel will go beyond the lost children's story (which, by the way, is based on true events) as the newspaper writer explores further human interest stories related to violent weather. I'll be traveling to the site of the mid nineteenth century storm to research my new novel for 2010.

Novel #1 has not been published yet. My goal is to have it in print by Christmas 2010.

If you are intrigued by natural wonders and natural disaster,
I'm your gal. Once I publish Novel #1, I've promised myself a tornado vacation. Now THAT will be something to document!

Tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, floods, and other natural phenomena capture my curiosity. Meeting new people, visiting new places, and seeking new experiences are the foundation of living life to its fullest. I love every day. I love people. I am so thankful for every moment and every opportunity to explore!!!!!

And so----down the road----we shall go!