Weekend getaways: Philadelphia

As I prepare for an upcoming weekend getaway in Maine, I thought it was time for another installment on the blog.

In June, my boyfriend and I took a quick trip down to Philadelphia. Not surprisingly, he thought of planning the trip because there was a Comic Con in Philadelphia that weekend, but it doesn’t bother me, because I’m not all that picky as to the catalyst of our travel plans, as long as there ARE travel plans.

I, of course, have been to Philadelphia before — I’m pretty sure it’s a staple in any child’s life who went to elementary school in New Jersey. You took a trip to Philly to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and all that.

Philly's Magic Garden

My love at the
Magic Garden

This trip, we specifically avoided those places and instead chose to wander around the city. We incidentally got a great deal at a very nice hotel in what we were told was the “posh” part of the city. Unfortunately, we happened to be there on one of the hottest weekends of the summer.

I had done a little bit of research before we left, so we had a couple of planned stops, including the Mutter Museum at the College of Physicians, which houses all kinds of medical specimens and samples and lots of things floating in jars; and the “Magic Garden,” a building and outdoor space covered in mosaic taken from all manner of “junk” for some, and treasure for others, including tires, bicycles, bottles and other such things.

South Street

Beyond that, we just wandered around exploring the city, mostly walking down South Street. Of course we partook in some Philly cheesesteaks for lunch and simply had a nice time being together.

Weekend getaways don’t need to be anything fancy or elaborately planned. Sometimes all you need is a little change of scenery and some alone time with a person you like having alone time with.

Can’t wait to tell you all about Maine!

Saving money is always a good thing; being cheap is not

With airlines consistently cutting back on their customer service, why the hell do prices keep going up? It used to be that you paid for the flight and got a free pillow, blanket, headphones and semi-decent meal (if you were flying far enough), or at least a snack. You were able to check two pieces of luggage and have a carry-on and personal item on board for no additional cost. I understand the airlines are in serious financial troubles — I get it, really — but if you’re cutting back on all the frills, then charge the same prices as no-frills airlines do. Why are we paying more than ever for no-frills flights and then paying extra for the frills on top of that?

In Europe there are several no-frills airlines that offer inexpensive flights to most cities. They provide a great way to save money on the actual travel part of your adventure, and you’re not sacrificing all that much comfort seeing as most destinations in Europe are no more than 3 hours apart. If you get particularly hungry, you can purchase a meal on most flights. But remember to factor in a fee for your carry-on. Don’t worry, the flights still cost WAY less than any major airlines flight.

RyanAir and EasyJet are two popular options, but prepare to be creative with your travel plans, since the two mostly fly through London to get to other destination. For example, there are far fewer direct flights from Madrid on EasyJet as there are from London. So, if partaking in these cheaper travel alternatives, allot yourself enough time for the catches.

Also, I’m a much bigger fan of EasyJet as it actually flies into the main airports of the cities you want to visit. RyanAir, with the exception of Dublin, flies into East Bumbfuck Nowhere — case in point, Reus, Spain. “Fucking Reus,” as it fondly became known amongst my group of friends, is a very small town outside of Barcelona. I’m sure it’s a fine town, but our experience at the airport consisted of a broken ATM (so we couldn’t take out Euros) and a closed down exchange booth (so I had to exchange our pounds for Euro at the café — you can imagine the exchange rate I got). The only way to get from Reus to Barcelona was on a bus — the bus cost us 11 euro each. That same 11 extra euro could have booked us a spot on an EasyJet flight that would have taken us into Barcelona’s main airport, from which it is possible to grab any number of modes of transportation to get to our location.

Another example is Amsterdam. I don’t know from personal experience because by that point I had learned, but RyanAir flies into Eindhoven, not Amsterdam. Have you ever heard of Eindhoven? I certainly hadn’t.

My friends and me waiting for a train in Italy

Trains are another possible travel alternative. Though train tickets can be pricey, many train companies have discounts for students and/or youth (those under 25), or other deals. Trains provide you with entry into city centers (whereas airports are usually far outside city limits), and less stringent baggage limitations. While international train stations still have customs and security checks, you can bring back a bottle of French wine in your carry-on luggage (which you obviously no longer can do on planes).

Basically, explore all your travel options to find ones that will save you money, but don’t be cheap — it’ll end up costing you.

What are some of your favorite methods of inexpensive travel?