[MM]: Your small secret to saving money (and maybe the planet)
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Hello Reader, Heya Fit Travel Tribe! Next up on this Monday Momentum, let's talk more about an easy, mindful way of SAVING MONEY!!! β β You ever hear the phrase: Lather, Rinse, Repeat? β What.......A.......Waste! Props for great marketing though!!! β Lemme back up a little... When I ask myself what sparked my craving for "longer, slower travel," I would definitely attest part of it to be reading this phenomenal and exciting book called 10 Years a Nomad, written by the famous travel blogger, Nomadic Matt. (Seriously, it's a book of yearning for a life full of adventure, taking a leap of faith, and risking the security of "normal life" in hopes it will all continuously just work out). Highly recommend! He gave a great piece of advice that not only makes me more money-conscious, but it's also a fantastic way to consider sustainability. When he was first saving up money for travel, he looked for ANY way he could save a few pennies, including adding water to hand soap. Sure, it thins it out a little, but you also take the hand soap and add water when you wash your hands (doesn't make much of a difference). This action is purposefully done to consume a little less at a time and therefore consuming a lot less in the long run. (It saves you money AND it saves the buildup of garbage of throwing away the soap containers). β This is just ONE example. β So let me ask you this β Q1: Are you conscious of how much of (insert product) you use on the regular? β Q2: Do you really need to use that amount per use or is it an unconscious habit? β I've thought about this a lot and still consider it when I take my favorite Trader Joes tea tree face wash (unsponsored mention haha) and I find very little goes a long way once I lather my hands together. It does the job and I'm satisfied to see how a little goes a long way. Below in your budgeting section, I'll list out 3 actionable tips you can take to save money and be more sustainable WHILE you travel π β "Xin chΓ o" from Vietnam! ("Hello," pronounced like sin chow) I had my longest airplane sequence I've ever flown with 3 flights (12 hours and even 6.5 hours afterwards) and 2 longer layovers (a whopping 10.5 hours in Tokyo and then 6 hours in Ho Chi Minh). Let's just say my Fitbit is confused on my sleep activity and it was difficult to track how well I was hydrating (on airplane days, typically never enough). For airport lounges (perk of my favorite travel credit card), I was able to take a hot shower with amazing water pressure and have lovely Vietnamese food and coffee. I also had a humbling experience in Ho Chi Minh where I unnecessarily stood in the international line before I realized I was in the wrong spot for my domestic flight (and some other humbling moments upon arrival), but, nonetheless - I'm here in Viet Nam (how to spell the name in Vietnamese). Specifically I'm in QUY NHON which is a coastal town that is super non-touristy. Like...people stare at me...the TALL white lady wearing brightly colored leggings and a tank top (because this winter is not as cold as a Jersey winter). I'm doing a Worldpackers work exchange where I'm staying with a family and volunteering teaching English. I'm only here for one week and I'm leaving in 12 hours. β What can I say besides...Vietnam is beautiful.... β Here's what else I can say...
β β There's so much more to say... I love these cultural emersion experiences because I could never plan anything like it for myself if I tried. In fact, this is my 5th Worldpackers volunteer experience and it is by far the most immersed I have been in a new location. It actually makes all of the others pale in comparison. β β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨ β Next up I fly to Hanoi and then Sapa for some hiking! Details are still up in the air, but we're just "winging" it and it'll be all good. β β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨ β Two weeks remaining in Vietnam before... Heading to Bali for my (intense) 200-hour yoga instructor training!! π§ββοΈ I actually created a GoFundMe page for this training, so if you're interested in sponsoring me, I'd greatly appreciate it!
β β After Bali is Bangkok for another Worldpackers volunteer experience at a downtown, city-center hostel teaching yoga on their beautiful rooftop (CHECK IT OUT HERE!). For teaching 1 hour of yoga each morning, I get free accommodation and a yummy breakfast! That, plus all of my free time to explore is such a great offer! β πβοΈ Interested in volunteering with Worldpackers? βοΈπ Just reply to this email to ask me some questions. So far, I've completed 4 experience and y'all know I LOVE talking about travel (and saving money!!!). You can view all of their volunteer experiences without paying, but if you want to apply, you need to actually join. You can also use HEIDINIC to receive $10 off your annual membership! I've been super busy while in Quy Nhon and I haven't been blogging as much. During my time at the airports I've just minorly optimized some of my original content. I should have a new blog post next time π This week I'll offer up this fun Buzzfeed article on Airplane Pilot Confessions. I enjoyed breezing through every item listed!
Hot off the press from personal experience! Did you know you can take a yoga class for $1.25? β If you want to drop into a yoga studio in the USA to take a class, you'll most likely pay about $20 for one class. Some classes could be perhaps as low as $10-15 or maybe as high as $30 for just ONE class. (Obviously if you buy a "bundle" of classes, the price per class would reduce). β Here in Quy Nhon, Vietnam, my friend took me to a 6am yoga class and said it cost 30,000 VDN (30k looks like a lot, and it takes awhile to get used to seeing all of the zeros haha) This converts to about $1.25 for just one yoga class! β β β β β β¨ I asked my friend how she found the yoga instructor for our 6am yoga class and she said "social media!" The class took place inside the instructor's home (photo below). β β NOTE: The above list includes MAJOR cities. I'm in a very non-toursity city called Quy Nhon in Vietnam. You'll find the rates to be much cheaper outside the big cities, for sure. β Curious about doing a full-on yoga retreat?
As promised, here are 3 simple ways to SAVE MONEY and practice sustainability while you travel. These are some of my absolute favoritesβand guess what? Theyβre reusable and work just as well at home!
Try these out on your next trip (or at home) and let me know your favorite sustainable swaps! β Always on my mind: More money for more travel! It's often worth a little homework for those savings πΈ If you've found this travel fitness content helpful, please consider some (or all!) of the following:
Please note that I never make referrals unless I truly believe this product or service is actually helpful π If you use my affiliate links included in the email, it is at no additional cost to YOU, but it does benefit me. It's a small "thank you" and continuous motivation for me to keep sharing this helpful content. Always know you can ask me questions since I'm a continued resource to you at all times. Thank you again so much for your support!! Feel free to always respond back to this email with any thoughts and questions you might have or content you'd love to see in the future. Happy travels and healthy living, Heidiβ β |
