Don't be caught with your pants down when you travel. Always have lodging booked for at least the first night. I learned this lesson in 1973 on a family cross country road trip in the days without cell phones or internet. In the 1960s it was not uncommon to fly to a car factory in Detroit and drive a new car home. I enjoyed this venture with my grandparents in their new Cadillac. They didn't have a specific intinery for our return home, but that all changed after one night of driving until 1 a.m. during a Kansas thunderstorm, stopping at evey hotel for 200 miles in search of vacancy. Being from sunny California I had never experienced a full on mid-west thunderstorm, complete with train crossing arm bouncing off our car. What a wild ride! After that night, we had Travel Lodges booked all the way back to California. In the days without cell phones it just wasn't so easy to wing it. If you didn't want to spend a ton of money making long distance calls from public phone booths, you would stay loyal to one motel chain and let them book the rooms.
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We are just not at the point in our lives where we can haul luggage all over town in search of lodging. In my 20s, that's exactly what I did, and maybe you did too. My sis and I toured Europe in the summer after college in 1983. We moved to a new town every 2 nights and spent at least half the first day searching for lodging using our Go Europe book and public phone booths, all the while hauling luggage. I swore I would never do that again. I may be a budget traveler, but I'm a step above the youth hostel days.
As mentioned in the last post, we had an unexpected overnight in Mexico City. Our connecting flight was cancelled and the airline put us up in a hotel there, hence, I paid for a night at Hotel One that I did not use. I contacted the trip insurance and they actually agreed to reimburse me
The Oaxaca airport consists of two rooms and no gangway. The plane lands right on the tarmac where we're met with one of those ladder trucks like you see in "Arrested Development". As soon as we leave the plane and claim the luggage, everyone is shuffled into the transportation line to purchase a van ride to our lodgings. I like this. It's stress free and it has a set price.
As we journeyed in the van toward our lodging, I was becoming increasingly concerned about the neighborhood. All the buildings looked run down and were covered with graffiti. We were in the same type of neighborhood last night in Mexico City where our plane had been delayed and the airline put us up in a hotel. We didn't take advantage of our free day of exploirng Mexico City, because were afraid to walk about the neighborhood. Don't be fooled by the modern look of this inexpensive, beautifully painted hotel that I booked on Hotels.com. Virtually every other building in the neighborhood is old and covered in grafitti.
Tip: Budget travelers don't get to hop into a taxi and tell the driver, "Take me to the nearest hotel." Have at least one night booked before you arrive.
Did you have any challenges relating to landline phones and phone booths?
Day 2 The Oaxaca Learning Center volunteer
This ain't no tourist journey
What guided me to Oaxaca was the opportunity to immediately get involved with the local community. Like I said, I will not be planning to hop to a new country every 2 days like in my 1983 post college back-packing run through Europe. This journey will consist of staying in each place for 1-6 months and living like a local. My first indoctrination in the Oaxacan culture is by volunteering at The Oaxaca Learning Center. An American friend introduced me to the owner of this center. We have been emailing and I have an appointment to meet him today. By chance, it is located on the next block so we walk there this morning and introduce ourselves. The center was founded in 2005 by Gary Titus, a retired community organizer from San Francisco, USA and also the tallest man in town. Most of the funding is provided by the bed and breakfast portion of the center. Along with offering homework help, English speakers are paired with Spanish speakers and engage in intercambios which is a language exchange that benefits both English speakers and Spanish speakers. Arin and I were paired with two college girls, Beatriz and Teresa. We decided to meet every day for 2 hours. Next month I will also teach an English language summer school class to kids who can not afford to pay.
Tip: If you want to be more than just a tourist, volunteer.
Would you like to volunteer in another country?
Day 3 The Lending Library supports the 1500 strong English speaking ex-patriot community as well as facilitating bilingualism through a language exchange benefiting both ex-pats and local residents. Show up on Mondays at 11am for an introduction to Oacaxa facilitated by an American who lives in Oaxaca full time. This is the main reason I recommend Oaxaca for first time travelers. The Lending Library is the hub for I have done my research before traveling to Oaxaca. I found out about the Lending Library from my sister when she came to Oaxaca for a 3 week intensive Spanish course earlier this year. I see all sorts of posters advertising where Bridge lessons are offered on Tuesdays, along with monthly hikes, talks, and various cultural events. Today is Tuesday, which is bridge lesson day. Having no specific plans, Arin and I decide to join in the bridge lessons. Little did we know how prevalient the game of bridge would play into our Oaxacan lives. We each won a hand with our partners and will probably play again.
Day 4 Finding an apartment
HOUSE SEARCH mention graffiti
travel insurance
1ST POST
How can you and I afford to travel?
You can stay in most foreign countries for
Do you realize how expensive your country is compared to most countries in the world?
Think about how much it costs to live where you are now. Housing, food, utilities, medical, taxes and transportation are 10X more expensive in your country than in 90% of the countries throughout the world. For one month of your current living expenses, you can finance an airline ticket to another country and live anywhere from 3-6 months. I decide to take the leap and do it. Follow my blog and find out how you can do it too.
As I begin my journey, I start close to home in Mexico. One of the Mexican airlines flies out of my city so I use that instead of a higher priced branded airline. I purchase cheap trip insurance too. I don't have money to waste if anything goes wrong. I begin the journey with a nest egg, but if I want to continue traveling for a long time, I will need to produce income along the way. There are plenty of opportunities and I plan to take advantage of them. Follow my blog and see how you can do it too.
Come along with me as I travel through the world on a budget.
If you can't afford an airline ticket, apply for a job teaching English. Lots of countries will pay for your airfare, and housing along with paying you up to $20/ hour USD. They don't care about age, gender or even English ability. They just need English teachers.
POST ON TTPF I am flying to Mexico via Seattle, Washington and am scheduled for a 10 hour, overnight layover. Right now I am at the Seattle airport and the plane is late. I am saddened that my 8 hours of sleep will likely now become 6 hours of sleep, but at least I have a hotel room booked. You may wonder why a low income traveller would work a hotel into the budget instead of just sleeping on the ground, or across some airport chairs. I did that in my 20s when my sister and I traveled to Europe, but at 50 plus, I need a bed and a good night's sleep. Health is more important than money, don't you agree?When I arrive at the Mexico City airport, I discover that the hotel is in the terminal as advertised, but not in the one I am in. Normally, a shuttle runs between terminals, but I arrive after hours and need to pay for a taxi.Mexico City Airport Tip #1: Both terminals contain hotels. Do your research before booking.Mexico City Airport Tip #2: Arrive before the free shuttles stop running.The next morning: Mexico City Airport Tip #2: Check on your flight time before checking out of your room.At the ticket counter, I am informed that my flight is overbooked and I'm going to Oaxaca tomorrow instead of today. Not a problem. I have no schedule to keep in Oaxaca. After all, I am going to be living there for at least 3 months so what's the rush.This is the way to travel folks. No schedule to keep. No frantic rushing about. Plenty of time to see everything. I do have a hotel room booked in Oaxaca, but my travel insurance should cover that loss. Tonight's hotel is free. After enjoying my complimentary breakfast, I take my transfer to shuttle to the hotel. The airline has placed me in a 4 star hotel, but the area is scary. As we make our way through town, all the buildings are tagged with graffiti and I'm afraid to venture off campus. It's too bad I can't take advantage of my free day in Mexico City but at least I have seen most of the tourist areas. I came here in 1992 for a two week Spanish language school. It was a rewarding experience but it was also 8 months after my first son was born. Of course I'd never had a child before so I did not realize how terribly I would miss him! I never did that again. Matter of fact, he's with me now.
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