When researching before leaving for this long trip about unusual things to do in Israel, I stumbled upon this experience in Holon. It takes about an hour to get there from Tel Aviv (via bus) or about a 20-25 min taxi ride.

At the Children's Museum, you are given the opportunity to experience what life would be like as a blind person.

Because I was blind, and of course phones are not allowed, I was not able to capture anything to show my experience. However, it was truly a remarkable one.

For an hour and fifteen minutes, you are in pitch blackness, experiencing just "routine" situations for the everyday person. Going grocery shopping. Crossing the street. Eating at a café. Riding a boat. Walking through the rainforest. Being a guest in someone's else home. Listening to a symphony.

This entire journey is guided by someone who is blind. So in order to really enjoy your experience you have to put a lot of trust in yourself and in your guide.

I've held off on writing for the past few days because I knew that I wanted Dialogue in the Dark to be the first thing I talked about in Israel.

This experience was truly life-changing for me. As an able-bodied person, I have lived a much easier life than those with physical impairments. Through DITD, I was able to really understand how life is for others who are not sighted.

Yes, senses do heighten. I feel like the music I listened to while blind was some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. I ate in the dark, ordered food, and paid in the dark. I only enjoyed chocolates and water, so I can't attest to how eating normal food would be. But it was truly an amazing experience. When at the café, my guide sat us down and gave us the opportunity to ask him any questions.

When I asked, "What do you wish sighted people could know about your experience?" He responded, "I would want them to know that without sight does not mean without knowledge."

My guide was not only blind, but was also half-deaf. His only education was attending a specialized elementary, middle, and high school for the blind. He described many difficulties in finding work as a person visually-impaired. But he is hopeful through more education, that more and more employers will begin to hire visually-impaired people in the workforce without seeing their impairment as an one that affects their capabilities as an employee.

i seriously recommend this experience if you're ever in Israel. It's worth it.

Amsterdam is really a city for four different kinds of people.

1. Bachelorette/Bachelor party
2. Young couple on a weekend getaway
3. Friends just wanting to get trashed
4. Business person just passing through

This culture is pretty obvious. Most people who come through are looking to party. It's funny--- the locals are actually pretty mellow compared to the tourists coming through. I can't tell you how many times I saw tourists passed out or drunk out of their mind on the streets. And the police and locals literally have to put up with this behavior every day. On every commute to work in the morning, there's always some halfway-drunk guy getting in the middle of the road and stopping traffic. It's pretty ridiculous. I was there five full days. And trust me, that was enough for me. I actually didn't go to any major clubs while I was in the city. Even though I love that scene, and dancing, I didn't want to be around all of those kinds of people. Any time you have a place where prostitution, marijuana, and drinking on the street are legal, you're bound to have a mess to clean up. Fortunately for Amsterdam, the people who are in charge of cleaning up all of the tourist messes are really phenomenal at their jobs.

You would never know, walking through the city, all of the shenanigans that the tourists are getting themselves into.

It's also a very fast paced culture. Practically everyone has a bike that they use for commuting to work. Bikes are deadly weapons in Amsterdam. They come flying at you out of nowhere. But the biking system in the Netherlands is so accommodating. Bikes have their own roads. And there are bike stands literally everywhere. I think I could definitely live in Amsterdam, but not in the city center. Commuting could be quite manageable. The neighborhoods outside the city are so quaint. Life moves much slower outside the center. And I loved getting a glimpse of that while staying with a local.

I ended up staying with a CouchSurfing host who lives in an old school building. About ten people live in the building, each with their own "classroom". The bathrooms and showers are communal, but separated by gender (because it was a school). It was a super trendy place to stay in my opinion. It was a 20 minute bus ride from Centraal Station. And my host explained to me "This is how real Dutch people live." The city is deceiving because most people commute in for work.

COSTS FOR MY TRIP TO AMSTERDAM
Overall, I spent just about $175 for five full days of fun.

This included---
$21 nice Italian dinner downtown
$20 admission to the A'DAM tower and ride the swing
$10 admission to the MOCO museum
$10 Indonesian noodle bowl
$5 sushi hand roll
$8 panini
$2 stroopwafel ice cream
$5 fries from Mannekinpis
$3.50 cappuccino
$3 macaroon
​$5 carrot cake
$3 (x2) mango juice
10 bus/tram passes
2 train passes
$12 Über to the airport
$11 Pedal-boat rental

I'm sure I'm missing a couple things. But don't hold me to the pennies.

Things I didn't pay for---
15 croissants from local bakeries (given out at the end of the night)
Heineken beers with friends on the canal
Drag show at Club Church
Visiting the red light district
People watching at the IAMSTERDAM letters
A bike to ride around (my CS host gave me one to use)
Exploring the gardens of Amsterdam
Accommodation - my Couchsurf host provided me full accommodation and daily breakfast FOR FREE.

I enjoyed a really fancy meal, a very nice museum, and a ride on Europe's highest swing. If I didn't do these things, I would have saved over $50. I saved about $100-116 by not staying in a hostel.

Even with some splurge-y components of my trip, in one of the most expensive countries in the world, I spent just about $35/day.

Visit the red light district. Exploring this part of town made the people that I was walking the town with pretty uncomfortable. I really wanted to go and see it for myself. The locals don't like this part of town. And even most tourists are pretty uncomfortable going through the narrow side streets. What I saw was definitely not what I had expected. Maybe I'm sheltered and haven't been exposed to much, but... watching stereotypical older men negotiate with these women and then go to the back... it was super interesting to say the least. Honestly I would have loved to just people watch those streets for a couple hours. I'm interested to see how the women are treated. Many tourists who aren't interested in hiring someone just go to look, which is essentially what I did too. But it feels very much like a circus or a zoo, where these women are treated other than human. Sex tourism is a major draw for Amsterdam. And because it is so profitable, it's probably not going anywhere.

Cost: free

Swing at Adam tower. On my last day in the city, I stumbled upon the Adam tower. Taking a ride on Europe's tallest swing, worth it.

My CS host, Izaak, explained to me this morning that most tourists who visit Amsterdam and the Netherlands never truly get to see what life is really like. He said "Take my bike and go see for yourself." What a trusting soul!

He advised me not to brave the city downtown by bike yet until I get used to the way the Dutch move. There are 1 million people living in Amsterdam, but more than 2 million bikes. To put it in perspective, the Dutch ride with a purpose. They move fast. He told me the trip to Durgerdam for me would take twice as long as it would for a Dutch person.

After riding fifteen minutes in the wrong direction and then turning around, I rode another 20-30 minutes to the small village of Durgerdam.

i stopped at an old Dutch inn/restaurant called "De Oude Taveerne" off of Pier 73.

The capuccino was recommended. And it was delicious!

After going through two hours of lines in the AMS airport, I was ready to explore the city. I hopped on one of the trains for the city center and walked around a bit. I ran into a few friends for lunch and then headed to meet my CouchSurf host for my stay in the Netherlands, Izaak.

If I had any expectation about what Amsterdam would be like, sitting in a field full of flowers pretty much sums it up.

I had the opportunity to explore a suburban area a bit (where I'm being hosted in North Amsterdam). I stumbled upon a little shop with lines out the door.

This was the first time I had kapsalon. And it was delicious. Only cost me $3.

Today was a bit more expensive because I was running around on public transport, trying to figure out where I was going.

With a train, a couple trams, and a long bus ride (8 EUR)...
And a nice pork panini with a ginger ale at a café downtown (8 EUR)...
Plus my kapsalon ($3)...
Include the fact that my accommodation is free because I am Couchsurfing with strangers...

My first day in Amsterdam--- I spent $20.38.

If you can book your travel from a major international airport, your ticket fares will be much cheaper. All you have to figure out then is how you will get to that airport. Flying would be the most convenient, but also the most expensive. Therefore to cut costs, I have chosen to use alternative methods to get to the airport of my choosing, Chicago O'Hare.

To save money, I have chosen to ride the Amtrak train from Kalamazoo to Chicago. For $29 ($26 Amtrak + $3 metro), I will be able to make my way to Chicago O'Hare Airport. Flying to Chicago from Kalamazoo, would easily cost me $150. I could Über/taxi to the airport from Union Station for $22-30. Or, I could brave the public metro for $3.

Night #1 is going to be spent on the floor of the Chicago airport. I packed a couple bananas and roasted butternut squash. And I have a pillow and a travel blanket.

Set up travel alerts for your bank account. I made this mistake on my first solo trip in Panama. I didn't set up travel alerts for my debit card. When I went to withdraw cash from an ATM, I was rejected and unable to withdraw any money my entire six week stay in Bocas del Toro. I ended up just getting a job down there and I made it work. But, save yourself the trouble and set up a travel advisory. All you have to do is go into your bank and notify them how long you will be gone, and where you will be traveling to. 

Switch to international phone plan​. This is the first time I will have set up an international phone plan before my departure. If you aren't interested in paying a bit extra, I would just stick to messaging and video/audio calls over WiFi. The platforms that I most utilize are Apple's Facetime audio/video and iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook's Messenger and audio/video calls. 

Withdraw cash. In order to exchange on-site, you will need to have cash on hand. Withdraw cash. 

Tip: If any of your bills are particular crinkled, bent, or have a rip of them, your money might not be taken. So when withdrawing cash, you need to inspect every bill to make sure they are perfectly crisp. Otherwise, there is a chance you won't be able to use them. 

Pay bills. Honestly, if you can pay some of your bills ahead of time, that's just one less thing you have to worry about when you're away. 

Clean out fridge. Although this isn't a "must-do", you will thank yourself when you come home to a clean fridge. Otherwise, you will find some gross surprises of leftover and/or spoiled food that you forgot about. 

Print out all travel documents. Save yourself the trouble of relying on your memory and/or your electronic devices. Print out all documents you need for your trip, flights/accommodation/directions. 

Send a copy of travel information/documents to your homebase. ​Someone needs to know of your whereabouts. Make sure they have all necessary documents before you take off. 

Do laundry. Obviously, in order to pack, you have to do laundry. 

Upload all pictures from all devices (GoPro/cell phone), then wipe out
the memory. Without cleaning out your devices, you might run out of storage during your trip and be forced to start deleting things as you go. Save yourself the hassle and just wipe it out ahead of time. 

Pack. You need to pack. Take your time. If you try to do this the night before, you will probably forget something. I spend almost an entire week thinking about what I'm going to bring and packing slowly.

Tip: Write down everything you put into a bag--- to ensure you don't have to unpack just to double-check that you've already packed something. 

Start wearing your safety equipment. If you plan on using any safety equipment on your trip, I suggest you acclimate yourself. to it before you takeoff. I use a safety alarm, a PacSafe purse, and a money belt. A few days leading up to my trip, I switch over my purse, wear my money belt, and get used to wearing my safety alarm. If you get used to using them before you leave, that's just one less thing you need to think about or worry about when you're on the road. And you are much less likely to make a mistake with securing valuables if you're comfortable with the equipment you're using. 

Every trip is different. Some things are most pressing than others. But hopefully this at least provides you with a starting base to prepare for your trip. 

Many people have this perception that you can only travel if you’re rich. That is certainly not the case. And I would just like to provide a disclaimer--- these are not easy changes to make. But for many of us, to achieve the things we want, we have to make sacrifices. After saving and budgeting for four major trips, I have adopted a particular lifestyle that facilitates a more intense way of saving. Although I have not completely embraced all of these opportunities, I do feel like these provide a good starting block for those of you who would like to travel, but "just don't know how" to pay for it.

Here are 14 changes you could make in your life, right now, to help you towards your next adventure.

Air-conditioning / heat. Believe it or not, it is possible to live in a winter climate without heat. Call me crazy. But I went the entire fall and winter seasons without turning on my heat, except for two days (when I had the flu). Living solo and not being able to split utilities, made this one of my bills that I knew I needed to reduce. During the winter, I survived by sleeping with a heated blanket type of contraption. Some nights got down to 50F in my apartment. But it was doable. On these nights, it was so cold that I slept in triple layers, with a knitted hat and gloves. Call me crazy. But I prefer to say- it’s dedication.😊 My utility bill has not gone above $70 since I cut heat/AC out. My friends and colleagues were paying upwards of $400 a month on their heating bill this winter.

This is a rolling savings of about $80-100 per month. 6 months later - $480-600 saved.

Transportation (gas). Gas is expensive. Carpool or take public transportation. Although this was not a strategy that I particularly used to save money, choosing to ride a bike, walk, or carpool can definitely save you money.

I fill up my car 2x/month for $50.
$50 x 4 = $200 a month
$200 x 6 months = $1200 spent

Anything that reduces this number is fantastic. Personally, I carpool a lot. I am lucky that many of my friends live nearby. I would say I am ride-sharing for at least five rides each week. Even though saving gas wasn't one of my major goals and hasn't been an expense I particularly tracked, it has worked out to be an area of savings.  

Eating out. I could go on a soap box about eating out. You don’t realize how often you “eat out” until you cut it out completely. Let me tell you--- for me, this wasn’t an easy sacrifice. Why? I don’t mind cooking for myself. That wasn’t my issue. My struggles came from when friends and colleagues would ask me to grab lunch and I would have to decline. This was more of a social sacrifice, than anything. Now, I did have a few exceptions that I do not want to be hypocritical about. As a graduate student, there were some events when I was required to attend a business lunch or workshop/training and had to provide my own lunch. For these instances, I did succumb to purchasing my meal.

Most people eat out 2-3 per week. For each time you cut, you save at least $10. That’s about a $40 savings per month, if you were only eating out one time before you decided to make the change.

Choosing to eat out one less time per week $40 per month. 6 months later - $240 saved.
​
Drinking out. I love to go out, especially to bars/clubs. This was a particular struggle for me over these last six months. If you can cut-out “drinking out”, you will save so much money. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go “cold-turkey” on this one. So, I gave myself some rules instead. For those of you who do not drink alcohol or coffee, good on you. You’re already saving money.

            Alcohol. My rule: You are allowed to have one purchased drink per week. It has to be under $5. If the drink is $2 and you could get two for under $5, sorry. You can only have one. That’s it. End of story. If someone happens to buy you a drink, that doesn’t go towards your count.

            Coffee. I am a coffee-holic. I love coffee. Immediately, I cut out buying coffee at coffee shops. This means no more lattes at Starbucks. ☹ I tried to think about how I could spend the least amount of money and still enjoy coffee. I use a drip coffee maker and buy ground coffee. I do not throw away coffee, ever. Old coffee- I turn into iced coffee. As a reward, I occasionally allow myself to buy a coffee/tea from Starbucks. But my rules are that I am not allowed to buy anything fancy. So plain coffee or unsweetened tea. That’s it. No exceptions. Once again, if someone happens to buy you a coffee, that doesn’t work against you. Good for you! 😊 As my trip neared and I approached the 90 day mark, I realized that although I wasn’t spending a lot of money on my coffee habit, I was still spending money. And a little bit does add up. I stopped buying the flavored creamers. I stuck to buying half-and-half and blended coconut-almond milk. Combined, this would cost me $6 and would last me two weeks. So, my coffee habit was essentially costing me $12 for creamer and about $6 for a bag of coffee, per month. Even though this is under $20, my last month and a half, I cut my coffee consumption too. So instead of having 2-3 cups per day, I switched to about 5 cups, per week. Like I said, although it may have only saved me a few dollars. Dollars do add up.

Switching to drip coffee at home:
($6/bag + $12/creamer) = $18 a month.
$18 x 6 months = $108 spent.

Drinking "coffee shop" coffee, like Starbucks:
Average 5$/drink x 5 days = $25 a week
$25 x 4 weeks = $100 a month
$100 x 6 months = $600 spent

Processed foods. Many people think that processed foods are cheaper, so stick to those to save money. And although this is true to an extent and most processed foods are in fact cheaper than non-processed fresh foods, you end up spending more money on processed foods in general than you would fresh ingredients. Let me explain myself. Pasta, practically without any nutrients, is very cheap. It’s cheap, but it doesn’t really fill you up. There’s no fiber. No protein. No nutrients. So you’re paying for food, but that food isn’t fueling you. Instead I suggest choosing foods that fuel you. And this isn’t easy. Buying a couple pounds of celery for the week and telling yourself that when you’re hungry, you’ll eat celery and peanut butter (among other things) isn’t fun. And I’m not saying that I lived off of celery and peanut butter. I ate very well. Following my snapchat would prove that. But, I stopped buying the empty calories. If it wasn’t going to fuel me, I stopped buying it.

Go grocery shopping with no plans. Okay. So what do I mean by this? Well, if you go to the store with a plan and a grocery list, I guarantee you that you will spend more money than you need to. Why do I say this? Unless you are a coupon counter (which I am not, and would also be great for money-saving), you aren’t going to know what’s on sale and marked-down until you get there. Prices change all of the time. How are you supposed to know when something has been marked up? Obviously, there might be a couple items that might be regulars. For me, (lately) those are bananas, unsweetened blended coconut/almond milk, half-and-half, and non-fat Greek yogurt. That’s it. Other than that, I have no plans with my meals. I go to the produce section. Whatever is on sale, I buy it. I don’t care if I love it, have never eaten it, or have no experience cooking it, it’s going in my basket. You can figure out what you’re going to cook later.

***Side note*** Although I am not making this one of my "must try to save money" options, switching one meal a day to a banana smoothie (liquid meal) is money saving. I spend 50 cents per smoothie I make, between a 1/2 cup of unsweetened blended coconut/almond milk, a banana, and two ice cubes. Making that simple switch, typically saves you between $21-35 per week, depending on what your food budget is. 

“Looking good” costs. This category includes haircuts, manicures, pedicures, waxing, buying cosmetics, tanning, buying new clothing. The list goes on and on. Don’t do it. You don’t need that dress or those shoes. Give it up. Stick to what you have and use it as long as possible. Only replace when it is absolutely necessary.

 “Necessities”. As mentioned in my previous post, unless it’s necessary, you don’t need it. If you make the decision today to only buy when necessary, you will be shocked to see what things you longer are buying. There are so many things that people think they “need”, but only have been accustomed to their comforts. Some of the things I no longer buy include paper towels (I use linen towels), makeup wipes, fruit juice, just to name a few. Literally, if you look at my spending each month. My expenses consist of--- groceries, gasoline, utilities (electric/gas), rent. That’s it.

I give myself about a $20 buffer each month to “splurge” on some item or combination of items to keep myself sane. It serves as a reward. If I were to cut out this $20 “splurge”, I definitely would save myself an extra $120 over six months. To me, a Starbucks iced tea, a piece of salmon at the store, and a celebratory dinner out are worth it.

Presents/gift-giving. Spending money is spending money. Gift-giving seasons can be difficult for individuals who are saving. There are definitely alternatives to purchasing gifts. For me, instead of a physical gift, I enjoy hosting friends over for a nice dinner. I have to feed myself anyways. So I might as well treat a friend to my good cooking. 😉 And honestly, if your friends aren't understanding, they are not really your friends.

Picking up side-jobs. Some people disregard side-jobs because they “don’t make much money”, “aren’t worth it”, or are uncomfortable/inconvenient by nature. Side-jobs are worth it. My side jobs are pretty diverse and I don’t turn down any opportunities for earning money. I have tutored, babysat, taught language lessons, taught Sunday school, coached, and found part-time employment from my university. Honestly, making minimum wage isn’t that intriguing for just a few hours per week. But, like I keep saying, little money does add up.

Tutor one time per month for an extra $25-50. You do that for 6 months and you are earning an additional $150-300 just from one hour each month. ​

Become a “mostly-vegetarian”. I would like to say that I am a “mostly-vegetarian”. I am not a vegetarian for any other reason than meat/fish is expensive. When you cut out meat/fish from your grocery each week, it becomes much cheaper. I can very comfortably spend less than $30 per week, eating well. But recently, I’ve been spending less than $15 per week. I call myself a mostly vegetarian because if/when I eat outside the context of my home, I do eat meat. I love meat. But when it comes to my kitchen, I am basically vegetarian. I buy tofu semi-regularly and eggs. Both of which are cheap.

Invest in hobbies that are free or practically free. Many people have expensive hobbies that require regular costs. Indoor rock-climbing, although really fun, costs no less than $40 month. Practicing martial arts or taking lessons at a dance studio, also really fun, are costly. Going out to the movies. Money. Going shopping. Money. Find hobbies that don’t cost you anything but time. For me, I love to dance. So, I go dancing regularly and go to clubs that don’t charge a cover. Hiking, running, meditation, journaling, reading, learning a new language, playing an instrument, talking with friends and family… the list is limitless. Find things that you love that are also free or practically free.

Stop being a “member”. Anytime you are a member of something, you are responsible for a membership fee, usually monthly. Gym memberships are the easiest thing to cut out. Yes, working out will be more difficult and you’ll have to be more creative. Go on a run. Do exercises/workouts that do not require equipment and that you can do at home. Buddy up and utilize some of your friend’s membership perks. Go to a free community center. Other than gym memberships, subscriptions to anything really do add up. Cut those out and you’ll be surprised how much you save in six months or a year.

Pets. This might spark some debate. But, this needs to be said. If you are a pet lover, good for you. I am not against pets, but pets/babies are extremely expensive. Between food, water, toys/accessories, veterinary costs, and vaccinations… It really adds up. Even keeping a fish requires constant care and cost. When thinking about adding another little one to the family, I would opt out if I were you.
.
Overall, there are a variety of different ways that you can make small changes in your life to save a little bit extra each week. Weeks turn into months. Months turn into years. Soon, it just becomes a lifestyle. For some you could make these changes and have enough saved after one month, others might have to go three years. Either way, a sacrifice is a sacrifice. Little money does add up. And eventually, you will have just enough to make your dream trip a reality. 

Happy saving!

So you've been stung by a jellyfish, or multiple in my case... What's next?

1. Remove the tentacles with a credit card. Literally take a credit card/room key and scrape as hard as you can take it. Just a few times per affected area is enough.

2. Apply tiger leaves. Take a few tiger leaves and mix it with some bottled water. Apply the paste and let it sit for ten minutes.

3. Wipe the area down with vinegar, lots of it. Let that sit for another thirty minutes.

4. Shower and then you should be good to go!

The islands of Phi Phi are beyond amazing. The nightlife, the vibe, and the water are difficult to put into words. Phi Phi is by far one of the best places I have ever visited. Diving in Phi Phi is world-renowned. Novice and advanced divers can each find sites that are suited for their needs. There are so many dive shops to choose from that you could literally roll the dice and end up happy.