Come fly with me

I’m usually super-frugal, but travel is the one thing about which I will reliably say, “What the hell, it’s only money,” and I’m never sorry. Last week, I met up for coffee with someone who shares that philosophy: the awesome Audi, who writes the blog Fashion for Nerds. I had a hunch we’d get along, and not just because she has an enviable sense of style — Audi had recently made a series of posts about traveling on a budget, which is one of my favorite subjects as well.

Sure enough, we immediately leaped into a discussion about cheap airfare, hostels for grown-ups, affordable destinations (and ways to make expensive destinations more affordable), and the delights of hanging out with the locals instead of spending all your time in the known tourist hot spots. She told me about flying to Europe via Iceland Air, which lets you stop over in Reykjavik for several days for no additional charge. I told her about London Walks, my favorite way to get to know one of my favorite cities better for very little money. We have the same approach to travel: Yes, it’s only money, so why not stretch it as far as possible?

We also agreed that traveling alone is one of the great pleasures of life — you can go wherever you like and linger as long as you please without worrying that someone else is bored, hungry, broke, or in a hurry to get somewhere else. Bliss! Of course, you don’t have anyone to debrief with at the end of an experience-filled day, but if that’s a non-negotiable part of your travel experience, you can spend your days solo and meet up with your travel companion(s) for dinner later, or chat with the folks you meet at your lodgings or at the neighborhood pub. Both of us have met people while on vacation with whom we’re still in touch, sometimes years later.

I’m posting about this because it fits into the topic of this blog in two ways:

First, while I’m no shrinking violet, it’s still an act of real courage for me to invite a total stranger out for coffee for no other reason than that I liked reading her blog and realized she lives in my city. It could have gone any direction at all. She could have said no. She could have ignored me. We could have met up and taken an instant dislike to each other! But none of that would have killed me. And because I extended myself, I now have a new pal I wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Second, travel is the very definition of wing-building. Especially budget travel, which takes a lot of us (even the frugal ones) far out of our comfort zone — and solo budget travel even farther out of it — and traveling alone to a country where you don’t speak the language, farther yet. Travel has brought me some of the most satisfying, enlightening, and joyful experiences of my life; it’s also given me some of the most frustrating, frightening, and sad moments.

Since I’m currently planning my next solo international adventure, the topic of travel is much on my mind. So look for more posts about it. And if there’s anything in particular you want me to discuss, whether that’s my favorite guidebooks, my tips for packing light, or my thoughts on how to plan a short or an extended trip, let me know in the comments! I’d love the ideas, input, and feedback.

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