Random Opinion Time

[eurydicebound]

So, the trip to Hawaii I was planning is out, I think, primarily because my place to stay when I got there has evaporated and I'm not going to be able to swing a hotel stay for a week in Hawaii on my own. Not in the next year, really; I've just got too much going on.

This begs the question: what should I do with the airline miles I have?

I have more than enough to get a round trip ticket in the continental US/Mexico/the Caribbean. With 5k more miles (another $150 or a couple of trips) I could afford a flight to somewhere in Europe (or South America, but really, I've got very little interest in South America).

Of course, being a poor college student/single mom, I have to be able to live cheaply for a week on the other side, which in the past has meant doing the student equivalent of crashing on couches for a night or two and paying for dinner/wine in return. I don't know how feasible that is these days. Honestly, I don't know how feasible any of it is for the next yar or so. But I wouldn't mind doing some sort of hostel thing if I got the chance to go abroad.

So, in short, I'm dreaming of cheap vacations. Got anywhere to suggest?

Comments

[elissa-carey.livejournal.com]

You could come visit me on a weekend. :p Bryan/College Station isn't a metropolitan area by any means, though.

Aside from that, hmm. I'm biased toward places on either coast, really, like Philadelphia or Monterey (CA). Great places with lots of stuff to see and do.

[anaka.livejournal.com]

I love you dearly, but South Texas in the summer is more love than I bear any of my fellow man. :) But it is a good idea.

[daydreamweaver.livejournal.com]

We've got a spare bed in Bristol. It's an easy train or bus journey to:

London
Cardiff
Bath (Roman baths)
Glastonbury
Stratford-upon-Avon

...which would be plenty to fill up a week.

[anaka.livejournal.com]

Oooooooh. Really? Really really?

[daydreamweaver.livejournal.com]

Really really really. *laughs* When do you need to use your miles by?

[anaka.livejournal.com]

Well, as it turns out, I don't have a deadline. It would be completely awesome to do next summer, though.

[daydreamweaver.livejournal.com]

In that case, may I suggest July or August? June is really busy at work so I'm not likely to be able to take time off.

[anaka.livejournal.com]

You may indeed! I shall begin planning accordingly. OMG. *grin*

[daydreamweaver.livejournal.com]

Eeeeexcellent. :-)

[metallian.livejournal.com]

Assuming you can stay with friends or another inexpensive place, New York actually isn't too bad if you don't insist on fancy restaurants or drinking all night. It helps if local friends can point you towards cool stuff and give you tips like "only suckers pay the suggested donation at the museum."

[anaka.livejournal.com]

huh. Good to know. Thank you.

[metallian.livejournal.com]

No prob, I learned this firsthand a few weeks ago.

Just to back my statement up with some concrete examples...

I paid $5 to get into The Met (shamefully, I had never been before) and it was great! Sadly I didn't have time to stay long, but in terms of what you can see in a day, it had a similar vibe to the Louvre or British Museum. You could surely spend a satisfying day just at The Met.

One night, we went to some avant-garde musical comedy show (that I actually didn't dig, but it was...interesting) with a 1-drink minimum ($7) and a burlesque show at another bar for free.

I did go out for at least one fancy meal, but I also ate Gray's Papaya Hot Dogs (famously cheap) and pizza...excellent pizza abounds in NYC.

A bunch of us also rented a karaoke box for $8 per person per hour, and that was a lot of fun.

Massive amounts of dim sum were not too pricey, though I figure you can probably get that in Seattle anyway.

I forget how much the subway costs ($2 per ride, maybe?) but it beats a rental car.

I think it helps immensely to know a lot of people who live there, though, so they can direct you to fun and inexpensive things. I would not have found these things on my own. Also it's of course better to experience them with friends.

I love New York, though. It's funny, I spent on average one weekend per 1.5 months during the 5 years I lived in NJ in NYC, but I didn't really approach it like a tourist would approach it (mostly I just visited friends with no particular agenda). It was weird to re-experience it from that angle.

[anaka.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sounds really cool. I shall have to cultivate some friends in New York. *grin*

[hasturcts.livejournal.com]

You know that Mickey and I always love it when you come to Houston. If you do, stay with Stephen and I, visit with Mickers and Michelle, go to Galveston with whomever is handy at a given time, etc.

But you should already know that routine.

I don't know, though. Great Britain trumps Houston any day of the week. They have history. We have... american football?

[anaka.livejournal.com]

I know that, and I do thank you. I do want to come down and visit again this next year. But I think I have to agree with you about the whole trump card thing. :)