As I alluded to earlier this week, I used to adore travel planning.
NOT ANYMORE. Especially after the last couple of weeks!
First, the couple (Couchsurfing buds) whom we planned to visit in Grenoble stopped responding to my messages. Without a reason to stop in southern France, and the desire to avoid long train rides for T’s sake, I decided we should take those few days and fly straight to Paris. Cue a lot of searching trying to figure out what Italian city was cheapest to fly from, whether Ryanair was worth the savings (considering they fly to a really far away airport) and whether a slightly cheaper late night flight would be worth the savings over a daytime flight (considering we might miss the last subway of the night and be forced to catch a taxi).
Just a few days after booking our (nonrefundable) flights, one of the women we met at Englischhausen in Germany emailed suggesting we visit her in September as she had some free time. Those dates would have been absolutely PERFECT, slotting in to fill the Grenoble gap. Alas, the fees to change our flight and factor in another extra journey meant it just wasn’t meant to be after all.
With a week lined up in Paris, I wanted to rent an apartment and immerse ourselves in the city. But after identifying several promising possibilities, none have panned out yet. TIME IS RUNNING OUT.
A lovely guy in Iceland accepted our Couchsurfing hosting request, but has yet to reply to my subsequent messages about coordinating our arrival.
And of course, our American road trip is fast approaching, which is shaping up to be the biggest logistical challenge yet.
/deep breath
Here, have some lovely links. Because reading makes you smarter.
MONEY
Little Miss Moneybags ponders the economic system that gives us enslavement by debt, and by extension, capitalism
Over at L Bee and the Money Tree, how to move to New York with $300 in your pocket
I love a good airing of personal finance confessions, like this one at Get Rich Slowly
CAREER
At Get Rich Slowly, a few signs that you’re over your job – and what to do about it
And at Ask a Manager, some insightful advice on how to evaluate how well you’re doing at your job
TRAVEL
Need a countryside holiday? Of course you do, as Yes and Yes explains
Some poignant reflections on travel, courtesy of Zen Habits
What’s it like to be a food-obsessed traveller? LandingStanding elaborates in GIFs (Heck to the YES!)
Kim of So Many Places on funding a RTW trip
Is Portland really like Portlandia? Kathleen at Frugal Portland lays it all out
LIFE
Stacking Pennies unpacks the meaning of identity and tries to define herself by certain criteria
Manda of Break the Sky shares some life lessons and some fictional boyfriends
I was riveted by Ganda’s recent parking drama, as I’ve been there, done that before
Funny About Money rounds up some sites to check out for good longform reads
Finally, Cordelia Calls it Quits is thankful for life’s hurdles (the shit times) and confesses to letting dumb things affect her happiness sometimes (amen!)