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The Frugal Diva
These tips have served me in good stead both here and abroad. A little weird but bear with me. Save underwear that is past it’s prime and use as disposable underwear when you travel. By the end of the trip, your luggage is lighter and you have room for new purchases. Pick up water, snacks, and even lunches at local supermarkets. A protein bar will save you both money and time so you can keep exploring or relaxing on the beach through the afternoon. While you are in the supermarket search for souvenirs. Local candies, BBQ sauce, and…
Mount Rainier, the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, the very first Starbucks, the Boeing factory tour, beautiful scenery, and rugged coastlines. It does rain however when you’re eating crab fished right out of the water by friends and watching the sun set on Puget Sound who cares. For the first portion of the trip, The Frugal Diva and Dude stayed in Tacoma for easy access to Mount Rainier. Established in 1899,this national park includes an active volcano encased in over 35 square miles of snow and ice, old growth forests and sub alpine meadows. As we know…
Still savoring the moments in Seattle that are the memories of a great vacation – fresh crab, Whidbey Island, staying in with friends on a rainy day, and getting coffee from a drive through kiosk. The Frugal Diva loves her coffee and there is no more coffeecentric place then Seattle. Drive through miles of fields and forests and there will still be a small box of a place that sells freshly made espresso. Order on one side and pick up on the other side is a perfect concept for places with less then ideal weather. Seattle is home to the…
The vacation the Frugal Dude had been talking about since we first starting seeing each other was Mount Rushmore. It took him fifteen years to convince me and now I wished that I had acquiesced sooner. Fabulous does not even start to describe it. And frugal is the other great thing about traveling to South Dakota. For me sitting at the computer till I get the best price for a hotel room is fun. Some like to sit at the blackjack table in Las Vegas and try to win. The Frugal Diva likes to sit and be assured that she…
So many activities, so little time. City of Presidents is the nickname for Rapid City where there are forty life size statues of former presidents on the downtown street corners. That was how the Frugal Diva learned that she and President Madison were around the same height. The Journey Museum takes you on an incredible trek through time as it tells the story of the Black Hills through interactive displays. Try on old clothes and read original letters from settlers while seeing how the geology of the area brought gold miners from all over the country. If you watched Deadwood…
For years all The Frugal Diva heard was how expensive it was to visit Japan. It wasn’t even an option. Coffee was $12 and rooms were over $400. Indeed this is true if you stay at all four star hotels and buy your coffee at their cafe. However if you travel like a middle class Japanese person this country is very reasonable. Start with hotels such as the Hokke or APA chain and book in advance, way in advance since this is a busy town. The rooms are the size of postage stamps by American standards however they…
Getting off at the Kyoto Train Station, we walked through the ultra modern station marveling at all the shops and restaurants. In Japan the best hotels are near the train station and the most expensive one is actually part of the station. This shows how much trains dominate the mode of travel. We were lucky to get a place across the street since this part of the trip would involve many short hops around the area. Kyoto was Japan’s capital for over 1000 years and is the center of traditional Japan with over 1000 shrines. Plus there are beautiful…