Expenses for 4 weeks in Tobago (A "Yes You Can!" story)

OK, so I hear it often enough from my friends: how do you travel so much?  How can you afford it?  They think there is some great secret that I'm not sharing, or that perhaps I have a rich benefactress.  As lovely as either of those situations might be, it's really quite simple: we save, we plan carefully, and we stretch our money.

To illustrate this principle in action, I have tabulated every single penny that we spent getting to and from Tobago and that we spent while in Tobago.  Here we go:

2 round trip tickets:      $1,247.80
4 week cottage rental:     $1,000.00
4 weeks groceries:         $398.91    [Small disclaimer: we prepared most of our food at the cottage rather than eating out.  Further disclaimer: we powered through five 3-liter boxes of wine, which aren't cheap.  Thus, individual expenses may vary.]
1 week car rental:        $245.00
ATM withdrawal:           $245.84  [Disclaimer: this was for petty cash for food and souvenirs, and includes all ATM fees.]
Other expenses:           $39.48  [This includes anything not covered in the categories above.]

Total cost of trip:        $3,177.03
Per week cost:             $794.26
Per diem cost:             $113.47

If we look back at the daily cost of our trip, again remember that this is for two people.  To derive the actual daily expense per person, one need only divide by two:

Per diem per person:       $56.74

Remember, that this is the total cost per person when there are two people on the trip, but there needn't be two people for this to be affordable.  Some things, such as car rental and cottage rental, can't be split because they would cost the same either way.  So if one were to do this on one's own, renting the same cottage and same car, and all other expenses being equal, the total cost for a single traveler would be $2,201.02, or a daily cost of $78.61.   Not a high price to pay for four weeks by oneself.

But of course not all of us like being alone.  Nora and I travel together because we enjoy it.  We also have traveled with friends on occasion, and invited a few people to Tobago (they unfortunately couldn't make it).  The cabin had 2 extra beds in it, and obviously the rental car could have accommodated, so if 1 or 2 extra people had come for just one week, that per diem cost of $56.74 would be even less -- closer to $50.

Now, you may point out, that's great in theory, and $57 a day I could probably do, but you had to come up with the $3,200 for the trip.  You're right, we did have to come up with that.  But surprisingly little of it had to come out of pocket.  You see, I work for an online university teaching American Literature.  During the 4 weeks we were there, I made $2,186.37 after all taxes and withholdings.  Thus the cost of the trip to our savings was $990.66.

Now the other matter that I think prevents most people from taking such trips is time: most people just can't get four weeks away from work to take a vacation.  [Those of you in school, teaching school, or working in restaurants really have no excuses here.]  Nora and I are really blessed in this area.  As I mentioned above, I work online, so all I really need is a consistent internet connection.  Nora is going back to school for her teacher's certification, and is taking 5 classes online through her alma mater this semester as well. This enables us to have a certain amount of flexibility in time that most people might not be able to have, I admit.  Most days I woke up 2 or 3 hours before Nora, and by the time she was out of bed I had finished my work for the day and read up on several news sites.

Twice during the vacation I had to set an entire day aside for grading, but other than that it was about 2 hours of work every day.  Nora had similar constraints: most days she spent a couple hours on her classes, whereas a few times she had to set an entire day aside for tests or projects.  Working on vacation might not sound like much of a vacation, but I can assure you -- when you are sitting on a deck overlooking the ocean, watching geckos run across the boards and the occasional rain shower spread a rainbow over the sea, you don't mind your work one bit.

Of course not everyone has such leniency with their time.  But anyone can get a minimum of a week away from work if they plan far enough ahead, so the only real question is funding your trip.  After several years of watching our own expenses and traveling overseas, here are some tips that we discovered:

- cook at home.  I know this is a no-brainer, but if you really track your food expenses, you'd be surprised just how much is spent on eating out here and there.  We don't abstain from eating out entirely, but we cut back to generally once a week or so.

- get rid of your cable/satellite TV.  Not only is this an unnecessary expense (you can watch any TV show you want for free if you know where to look online), but it is also a drag on your free time.  Rather than watching TV 5 nights a week and going out to eat the other two, why not invite friends over for a potluck?  Read a book, watch a movie, play card/board games.  These are all ways Nora and I spend our evenings.  And believe me, the $50-100 most people spend monthly on TV adds up.

 - buy clothes that are meant to last; do not think you are above buying second hand clothing.  I am right now wearing a pair of pants and a long sleeve shirt that I bought my sophomore year of college (that was 7 years ago).  I have clothing that is even older.  I don't buy clothes that often, but when I do I make sure it is something that I like a lot and that I will be able to wear for many years.  We also buy clothes at second hand stores, because you can get the same quality and style for 10% of the store cost.  Not only are they already comfortable and broken in, but once you wash them you can't tell them apart from anything else in your wardrobe -- and neither can anyone else.

 - stop wasting money on electronics.  This is the hardest category for me, as I have an undying love for electronic gadgets.  I have been planning for over a decade to own a digital SLR, and don't have one yet.  I get by just fine with my point-and-shoot camera, though I do plan on finally buying an SLR within the next year.  I have decided it would be worth the expense because I would get that much use and enjoyment out of it.  However, I have set myself certain goals and conditions that must be met before I can buy it.  You'd be amazed at how much money you don't spend if you wait to buy something until after you have the money to pay for it in full. Do not buy electronics with a credit card.  Ever.

 - prioritize.  A few years ago I was saving up for a solo trip to Europe.  I came up with a total estimated cost of the trip (I knew how much the flight was, and from past trips I could reasonably guess how much money I'd spend each day).  Whenever I wanted to do something that cost money, I'd ask myself how much it would cost, and if I was willing to sacrifice a part of my trip to do it.  For example, if my friends wanted to go out to eat and then see a movie that night.  Was I willing to give up a night in Venice for that?  The answer was no, so instead I'd either just go to the movie, or meet them at their apartment after they returned. Think practically, and remember that every dollar gets you that much closer to your destination.

There are many other things that one can do to save money, and many other things that Nora and I both do, but these are the broadest and easiest to cover.  Once you take a look at your own habits and expenses, I've no doubt there are many other ways you could think of to save money as well.  Try them out.  See what you come up with.

This is my challenge to all of you reading this: Try to cut back on a few different expenses.  Set that money aside, and have the willpower not to touch it for anything.  Remember, you are investing in your future.  If you are tempted to spend it, ask yourself: is this worth sacrificing two nights on the beach?  is it worth not seeing the Louvre? do I really want to give up seeing that landmark, eating that food, hiking that trail, or being with those people?  All too often, you'll find that the answer is no.  That means you don't really need what you thought you wanted, and you can do without it.  Pretty soon, you'll be ready to go on your own trip, whether for a week, a month, or even a year.  Let us know about it when you do, and we can swap stories.

Good luck, and happy traveling.

Back from Tobago

Our last day in Tobago was about as perfect as could be.  The weather was great, with just enough of  a breeze coming off the sea to not be too hot.  The water was as clear as glass, with not a wave in sight.  And on the walk back from the beach, there was a light rain to refresh us and keep down the heat and insects.

Our first morning back in Tennessee, and the fall colors are beautiful.  There was a fog throughout Franklin that lasted after 8 a.m., which helped set the scene with an ethereal, otherworldly glow. The air was crisp and cool, the scent of autumn in the air.  Without waxing too poetic, it's days like this that make me love Tennessee the most.  It's great to be returning at this time of year.

update from tobago

ok, so a lot has happened since the last time we wrote anything about our whereabouts and doings.  here's the short run of it:

had a great last week in seoul (complete with weathering a category three typhoon right on the coast in incheon), an amazingly unforgettable two weeks in japan, a great time in georgia for claire's wedding, and a occasionally hectic but mostly relaxing three weeks back in tennessee.

on the 14th we flew down to new orleans, where we met claire and daniel and did fun things like walk around bourbon, eat too much cajun food, and take a carriage ride.  i love new orleans, and we were sad to leave it behind.  but we had good reason:

we said goodbye to claire and daniel, got to the airport at 4:30 in the morning, and got on three different flights that eventually led us to tobago.  (the flight from trinidad to tobago is on a prop plane and lasts only about 20 minutes, but very interesting, cool, and somewhat slow.)

this is the morning of our seventh day in tobago, and i can say with only one qualification that we absolutely love it.  that one qualification is the mosquitos.  our cottage has no glass or screens on the numerous windows, and only some of those have shutters.  There is at least one doorway to the outside that has no door, and there are several feet of wall underneath the roof that are latticework and open to the outside.  this makes for a pleasant morning breeze, and cuts down some on the midday heat, but it also means mosquitos love our cottage.  and nora and i have had the misfortune throughout our lives of being adored by mosquitos more than anyone else we've ever met. so it's a banquet in here.

we sleep under mosquito netting, and keep two floor fans going on high speed all day and all night to discourage them from flying near us, but that only helps keep some of the away.  i've been wearing long sleeves, pajama pants, and socks almost continually, so nora has more mosquito bites than i do, but i've still got my fair share.

harrison ford has a house just up the street, and we've walked by a few times.  harrison, it seems, can afford real glass windows, and probably even air conditioning, so we're a little jealous but the signs on the gate of electrocution and being shot on sight have kept us from making a house call.

we are on a hill overlooking a golf course, which runs right up to the sea, and not far east of the golf course is a small beach.  we have been there several times, and never seen more than four other people there, so we consider it our beach. getting there involves a steep walk through the woods, and then across several holes of the course and hoping no balls come flying your way, and another short walk along one of the very pedestrian-unfriendly tobagoan roads, but then we are there, and it is nice. no mosquitos, very few people, clear water, nice waves, and usually not above 85 degrees.

back to the cottage: we have lots of birds and lizards and some iguanas that know our house better than we do and visit us frequently.  most of the birds are small, but once or twice a day two or three rather large birds with long tail feathers land on our porch railing and strut around, just to let us know they were here first.  they also scream at each other frequently at night, which sets the neighborhood dogs to barking, and wakes you up just enough to remember that there are probably mosquitos inside the mosquito netting that you can't see.  yesterday morning i killed nine inside the netting, three of which had had more than their share of blood.

the cottage is surrounded by palm trees, fruit trees, flowering trees, and other sorts of trees.  we wake up to birds singing usually, unless it is raining on the tin roof, which is also a pleasant way to wake up.

so far we have been to the grocery store twice -- once on the way to the cottage from the airport (our landlord, tony, is really awesome), and once again a few days later.  other than that, besides two ill-fated walks -- one ending with us being trapped in a thunderstorm, and seeking shelter in the carport of the house next to harrison ford's (we didn't want to be electrocuted or shot at his place), and the other being long, hot, scattered with chickens and dogs, and ending nowhere in particular -- besides that, we've only left the cottage to go to the beach.  it's very nice to have little to do all day (i'm teaching five classes this semester, and nora is taking five, so we still do have some work every day), and no more pressing decisions to make other than what to eat and whether or not one feels like reading in a hammock chair on the porch or reading on the beach.

so in summation, it is hot and the mosquitos are the bane of existence, but we're happy here and thoroughly enjoying ourselves.