Gettin’ Carried Away

I find that, when people make plans to visit the UK, they tend to talk to me about London, Dublin, Glasgow, etc. No one ever mentions Wales! I think it’s a shame because, for one, I have several friends from Wales and two, I’ve been there and it’s gorgeous! I was lucky enough to be part of a student bus trip from London, England to Chepstow, Wales and the Wye Valley. It only took a few hours to drive there, so it’s a perfect day trip for anyone.

I had never seen such greenery in all my life. Of course, I’ve seen empty lands. But being from Illinois (USA), all I’ve seen is corn fields. But in Chepstow… vast, verdant lands stretch out as far as your eyes can see! You won’t see herds of cows, lost in countless stalks of corn. You will enjoy breathtaking views of warm, green planes that glimmer in the sunlight.

We headed to Wye Valley, a section of the Royal Forest that runs from Hereford to Chepstow and forms the borders between England and Wales. It has been said that this exact forest inspired J.R.R. Tolkien’s descriptions of Fangorn Forest in Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of the winding road we took through the enchanting archways of trees. It’s not just because we stayed on the bus the whole time. Unfortunately, I sometimes get a little bit of motion sickness, and it happened to me on this journey. A bit of advice: If you don’t have any medicine, cold water and a fan work wonders… and will get you through the bumpiest, wildest rides.

After we drove through Wye Valley, we visited the ruins of the Tintern Abbey and Chepstow Castle. One of my most memorable experiences of this trip was when I got be in two places at once! I’m serious, too. Just up the road from Chepstow Castle, there is a tiny bridge that features two seemingly out-of-place squares. You are meant to put one foot in each square, thereby being in both England and Wales at the same time! Just take a look at this photo:

Another place I suggest seeing in Wales is Cardiff. Stay on the water near the River Taff and tour the luxurious Cardiff Castle. You can even grab a Mega Bus for under £20!

I’ve been to Las Vegas twice. In all honesty, if you wanted to avoid a mob of tourists, you wouldn’t have picked Vegas as your vacation spot in the first place. But if you really want to live it up in Sin City for a short time, I’ve got the scoop on the best time to go!

The first time I went to Vegas was in March 2006. Not a good time to go…

~* Carrie and friend (Sara) with Paris in the background! *~

March/April = Spring Break for college kids across the nation. Many kids like to plan trips to a warm climate/a party place. Although we got a fairly decent price for a hotel room, we stayed at the end of the strip and it took us over an hour to check in. Thankfully, the Tropicana has a quick check-out dropbox for your room keys (if you don’t acquire any extra charges, of course).

The second time I visited Sin City was in August 2008. Perfect time to go…

~* Carrie (center) and Chili’s Karaoke in Vegas!*~

July/August = hot summer days and fewer tourists. Don’t get me wrong. Vegas is still pretty crowded during the summer. However, the hotel rates drop as the temperature rises. Because the strip is so big, there will be a lot of travelers roaming around, even if each of the hotels on the strip was only half full. So if you’re planning a summer vaca, consider Las Vegas. You’ll thank me later when you’re sipping a cold drink, laying out beside the pool at the Mirage.

What happens in Vegas does NOT have to stay there… share your stories with me!

Times are tight. Money isn’t easy to make. Hopefully, the state of the economy in 2009 (and beyond) will improve little by little. Until then, we have to work with what we’ve got.

I have even neglected my own blog in order to devote more time to work. And while I’ve been making more money, I realized that I lost sight of my passion: traveling. So what do we do when we’re struggling to make a buck, but we still want to travel? I’ve got a few ideas…

Explore your city: If you live in (or near) a big city, get out there and do some exploring! Chances are, you have not visited every square inch of your neighborhood. Even if you live in a small town, there might be a local bar or a family-owned restaurant close to your home that has never been graced with your presence.

For me, I headed up north to Wrigleyville. As a White Sox fan, I don’t venture over there too often. However, I made some amazing discoveries, like the Horizon Cafe. Here, you can get a $5.99 breakfast any time of the day. For me, the Teriyaki Chicken Pita ($8 with fries and soup) was a the most perfect afternoon meal I could ask for.

Take day trips or 24-hour trips: I live roughly 20 minutes from the Illinois/Indiana border. I also live about two hours from a friend’s cottage in Michigan. If I just do a little net research, I can find endless ways to fill my days.

Lucky for me, though, my friend Sam has invited me to his cottage  in Michigan the weekend of April 24. My plan is to go for just a day, as I work on Sundays. However, I also need to save money, so this little 24-hour getaway is perfect for my budget. Where do you live? I’m willing to bet that with some good research, I’d be able to find something exciting for you to do in a span of 24 hours.

Plan inexpensive weekend getaways… and bring friends: It’s always easy to travel when you split the cost with a few people. When you’re going away with, say, three people, a $300 hotel stay becomes $100 and a $150 worth of gas pumping becomes $50. The rest of the expenses left to you will include fun and food… and you can always find affordable activities and cheap eats.

I have a few baseball road trips in the works, including a day trip to Milwaukee and road trips to Cleveland, Kansas City and Minneapolis. I think I have one or two spaces left in the car… who’s in?