I have a new obsession: travel hacking. I’m not sure how I wasn’t aware of this idea or community before, but there are a ridiculous number of travel bloggers that fly around the world, often in First Class, for almost free. They do this by using credit cards for their large bonuses of points and airline miles to receive free travel. Continue reading “Travel Hacking: The New Frontier”
Category: Travel
NYC to Seattle: A Revelation
I had a bit of a revelation today. For months I’ve been running numbers and scenarios as a result of our New York City to Seattle moving plans. I’ve calculated how much less we will pay in rent each month after moving. And on an abstract level knew that we’d save money by not paying state or city income taxes since Washington doesn’t have state income tax while NYC has one of the highest in the country. But today I looked at this information in a different light. Continue reading “NYC to Seattle: A Revelation”
My Vice: Fancy Foreign Beaches
Now to address another major money draining problem of mine: fancy foreign beaches. I remember almost all of my family vacations. And the overwhelming thing I remember is how unhappy I was compared to my normal life: despite being ‘on break’ from school, work or any other responsibilities. Despite being with various family. I have always been significantly more unhappy with life while vacationing. At first I just thought it was the company: people I avoid on a regular basis so a week in an isolated location (no matter how beautiful) became hell on earth. But now I’ve realized it’s more than that. Continue reading “My Vice: Fancy Foreign Beaches”
Seattle: The Emerald City
I’ve mentioned that my partner and I have been discussing moving out of New York City for several reasons and contemplating cities on the West Coast. We had our eye on several cities and I visited all of them to help evaluate if they met our criteria, which was the below:-
- Cost
- Job Opportunities
- Work/Life Balance
- Transportation/Walkability
- Weather
- Beauty
- Food and Bars
- Ease of Travel Home/Abroad
- “Gut Feeling”
New York City: The Land of Dreams…and Debt
New York City is the self proclaimed best city in the world. As a kid I loved watching movies and at the epicenter of most of these movies was New York City. It seemed that 90% of urban movies took place there and the remaining 10% was in a nondescript ‘American city.’ So from the beginning New York City seemed important and I was dying to go there and live like everyone in the movies.
My first actual visit to NYC was a bit of shock, but set the stage for me slowly realizing that movies almost in no way reflect real life. My first visit to NYC was for a school Drama trip. We drove all night in a bus and I ended up sleeping on the floor because it was warmer and more comfortable than the tiny seat. Continue reading “New York City: The Land of Dreams…and Debt”