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Live Simply & Travel Slow

Challenges

How to Travel on a Budget

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10 ways we are able to travel on a budget.

Rob and I love to travel, but realistically, we can’t always afford to travel as frequently as we would like to. We often opt for day-trip adventures and further exploring our city. But when we do go away, I like to make sure we don’t overspend while on holiday.

Nothing stresses me out more when you are away from home and charges are flying off your card. It puts me into a panic thinking about all the money we are spending and potentially wasting.

January is a hard month – very often you have just come back from a great holiday or break, now you are back at work and dreaming of your next holiday. Here are some of the ways we beat the January blues and travel on a tight budget. I think the biggest tip to be able to travel on a budget is to plan as much as you can before you even book the holiday in the first place.

Plan and budget what you will spend and on what – before you arrive. Before you even book your next trip, get a ballpark figure of how much the total trip will cost. I like to do this before I book the holiday – so I know if we can afford to do it properly. A great way to do your research is by checking out blog posts, and tips from locals to find cool things to do (I particularly love Pinterest for pinning ideas and doing research on new places!).

Be selective on museum/entry fees you pay. If you have done extensive research, you will quickly get a sense on whether visiting a certain place is worth spending the money or not. We try finding free events in the town we travel to. Our goal is always to do more free activities than paid for ones. Things like walks, parks, and some museums and art galleries are usually free to visit.

Food is another item that can bring the budget over. Opt for a breakfast included hotel option; if it’s a big buffet, you can then make sandwiches and grab fruit at breakfast to use for snacks throughout the day. If hotel options are still too pricey, look at self-catering places, and make meals at home. We always buy lunch from super markets instead of eating out at restaurants. If we do eat at a restaurant, we share meals or order something small. Soup and bread is a great option for keeping the food budget in check while on holiday.  Try avoiding eating out at high tourist spots; and try finding local areas to eat out if you want to try the local cuisine. It is great way to explore the city from a local perspective and helps you to avoid the crowds! Another great tip on saving money on food while travelling is if you are checking in a bag, then pack some snacks from home (pro tip: we like to pack a bottle of wine if we know the place we are travelling too is expensive.

Transport costs can also rack up the cost of a holiday. Which is why we generally walk where we can – this will save you cash on transport costs, not to mention get those Fitbit steps up! If the distance is too great for walking, then look at public transport offers – most cities will offer a visitors card; or depending on how long you plan on staying or where you plan on going you could look at weekly versus daily options.

These are just a few of the ways we are able to save while we still get to see and explore new places.

HOW DO YOU TRAVEL ON A BUDGET?

Live Simply & Travel Slow,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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10 ways we are able to travel on a budget.

Lessons from 2017 and Hopes for 2018

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WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR 2018 AND WHAT LESSONS DID YOU LEARN FROM 2017? Here are some of mine!

Happy New Year!  I love this time of year because it is the one time of year where we have a chance to reflect on the year that has been and consider what our hopes for this new year may be. 2017 flew by within a blink of an eye – I think the older I get the more I realise how quickly time really does goes by. It feels like just yesterday I was saying we are moving to Ireland, and then at the same time, it feels like forever and a day that we have lived here.

I set some pretty big goals for myself at the beginning of 2017, some I totally did not achieve at all (like running once a week, entering races and all that craziness) – while others were smashed completely (eating breakfast daily and blogging more consistently). At the beginning of 2017 I decided my word would be kindness. I wanted 2017 to be  the year I was kind to myself and those around me. This was a word I chose without fully realising what 2017 would have in store for us. While I might have had a few hard days on myself, I think overall, I did pretty well to keep that one goal to myself. I learnt to be kind to myself first. I stopped sweating the small stuff and let go of a lot of times where I would have ordinarily been upset or stressed out. In terms of the bigger picture, the small things don’t matter so much.

One of the biggest learnings from this year has been about patience. Looking to get a bit of patience? Become an expat – you will learn to have heaps of patience when you live abroad. What with the paperwork and admin, to the figuring out how things work and trusting the process – patience is the only thing an expat can have. I have learnt how to take a deep breath and breathe out all the fear and anxiety that comes with waiting for things to happen. I think I managed this year’s stress pretty well – in fact I wrote about how strong I have been in 2017 a few weeks ago.

This year has been a year of change – change in countries, change in jobs, change in mindset, change in priorities, change in ways of doing things. I have learnt a lot about myself, but also about Rob, as well as learning who we can lean on – the friends and family who have been guiding and shiny lights under the most amount of uncertainty, one thing is for sure – we have amazing support group.

We learnt how to get out of debt. Slowly we are getting our debt under control. One of my goals was to get my credit card down to a manageable amount. It was maxed out at the beginning of Jan, but by Black Friday, we had completely paid off BOTH of our credit cards. Now we are working towards paying off some other bits of debt we owe. It feels good to not have debt hanging over our heads.

Less is more was another big learning. I culled all the unnecessary things in my closet, and went to a capsule wardrobe mindset. I now have under 30 items of clothing that I love and enjoy wearing, and I have never felt so free in owning less. I also challenged myself to the 30 days Minimalist Challenge, and through that challenge threw out 465 items by either selling, donating or trashing it.

We learnt to travel slower. At the beginning of this journey to moving overseas, we had big plans of travelling the world from top to bottom and inside out in under a month. We wanted to see all and do all – and although that hasn’t really changed, our timeline to complete the entire bucket list of destinations has extended to a slower, and more intentional pace. Now we are looking forward to exploring more of our own city first, to broadening our horizons and exploring more of Ireland as a whole, and to hopefully extend our sights on seeing a bit more of this big world we live in. We realise we can’t do everything and be everywhere, but we can appreciate where we are and what we choose to see. I had originally written a goal to do 5 hikes/walks; to see 3 more counties in Ireland (excluding Dublin) and to do 2 big holidays. Well, we ended up doing way more walks and hikes like these, and this one, plus this one. We started exploring the Dublin Mountains, as well as Glendalough in Wicklow Mountains too. We also ended up seeing 14 of 32 counties in Ireland! Not to mention our first Irish road trip with Jack! Plus, we ended 2017 in Scotland. I definitely feel content in all the exploring we did this past year. We might have kept it local, but I feel like we got to know our home better this way.

2017 has been full of surprises, some good and some not so good – but one thing is for sure, the world keeps turning and the days keep marching forward. Whether we like it or not, 2017 is behind us, and 2018 upon us. So what are my hopes for 2018? My hope for 2018 is that we continue to practice the lessons we learnt this year: kindness, patience, getting out of debt, having less, and travelling slower. I would like to add that perhaps I would like a little less change, and a lot more laughs and happiness. Laughing and happiness are how we got through all the change in 2017, but this year, I would like things to get a little more settled and constant. Not boring, because that would be boring, just a little more calm and peaceful. More contentment and intentional living.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR 2018 AND WHAT LESSONS DID YOU LEARN FROM 2017?

Live Simply & Travel Slow,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR 2018 AND WHAT LESSONS DID YOU LEARN FROM 2017? Here are some of mine!

When life gets hard, you need to be a strong partner

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Marriage is tricky even before adding things like moving countries and being an expat. I've learnt you need to be a strong partner. Buckle up, this post is full of the feels.I have written this post again and again in my mind, on paper and typed out. I keep trying to craft and find the right words for this post. This is the curse of the blogger – always thinking up new angles, and new ways of saying things. It also has taken me awhile to fully reflect on it, and then choose the right time to release the words out into the public. Because once it’s out there, it’s out there; there can be no take backs. Marriage is tricky even before adding things like moving countries and being an expat. I’ve learnt you need to be a strong partner. So buckle up kids, this post is full of the feels.

For those of you who have followed the blog from the very beginning back when I blogged mostly about getting happy through running. I know who am I even? The short version for the new readers: I first started a blog about learning to run my first 5km, then 10km, then first half marathon, and then I was aiming for a full marathon but fell and hurt my ankle. This all happened around the same time we decided to move over to Ireland, and the blog sort of evolved with all the things that I was feeling and experiencing with the move to a more simple/minimalist approach to life, slow travel and being an expat in a foreign country. ANYWAY, in the early days of the blog, I touched on my depression and some of the more dark crevices of my mind where I tend to overthink and worry about absolutely everything and nothing all at the same time. As a person who has suffered several moments in my life with depression, it has always been a challenge to fully vocalise all the feelings I have. Many people in my life have battled to understand how someone who is pretty much always cracking a joke; loves to giggle and laugh; and generally appear to be super happy with life; can still be the same person who has such low days. Like maybe I was faking the depression, or not trying hard enough to be happy.

Rob however always got it. He would sit down beside me and let me wallow a bit in my feelings, listen attentively to what I was thinking or feeling, and generally just hold me till I felt strong enough to go on. One of the big factors to me getting better was that I finally went to a doctor who understood me much like how Rob understood me, and who gave me the help that I needed. After many months of talking and listening, I started feeling up to running and getting active. A big help to depression is getting active, but the problem is when you are feeling low, you usually are low on energy as well as mood, so you don’t feel like working out or running. There were some pretty dark days in the beginning, saved purely for two reasons: Rob and Running. The two saved me in more ways than I can ever fully express.

For me running was something I could do on my own; it allowed me to stew in my thoughts in a ‘healthier’ way because when I ran, I would replay conversations, vent and rant and win arguments in my head while I pounded the pavement. Most days (read: always) I would complain while lacing up to go for a run, but always came home with a smile on my face. Rob was the one who introduced me to running. I never ran to lose weight (although that was an added benefit), I ran to make myself feel happier. Sometimes my mood would lift just briefly, just as long as the run itself, and sometimes mood lighten for months. That’s the thing with depression, it hides in the corner and basically rocks up when it feels like it – you have no control when it will hit.

OK so this post might be waffling, but I feel I need to set the scene. Stepping back a bit, when we first moved to Johannesburg, I hit a bit of a mental health wobble. I say wobble like it was a little ‘speed-bump’ in my life, but actually that first year we moved up to Joburg was one of the hardest years of my life. I had no idea if I would ever make it through. But I did because Rob guided me through it. He sat with me till the early hours of the morning, and waited till I was strong again. He was incredibly patient with me. I often think back and wonder how he could have stayed and put up with me when I was at my darkest. How he managed to be so composed and loving through all those many months. But the fact he stayed, made me love him even more. It cemented my feelings for him. I knew then that I would love him as hard and for as long as he loved me. That no matter what, we will always be a team. {Side note: Rob and I have a team name; we named ourselves an amalgamation of our names together – Megbert.} So yes it sounds cheesy, but we are a team, and we leave no man or woman behind.

Bringing it to present day: This year has been incredibly emotional for us, in some ways I am not sure I will ever be able to explain all the shit we have been through, in other ways I selfishly want to keep it to ourselves – like it is our battle that we fought together and we wear matching scars now, and we can wear them with pride because only we know what we have been through. The fact that we have made it and that we are very nearly on other side of it (not completely yet though), that tells me how strong we both are.

The saying you are only as strong as the weakest link – that couldn’t be more apt. You see, I know how strong Rob is. I have always known Rob was the strong one. I saw that strength in my dark, sad days in Joburg. I saw his resilience in that he would never give up on me, and so I can never give up on me, because what’s worse than feeling sad, is knowing that I could let him down. Let the team down.

I always thought that he was the stronger team mate, and that I was somehow a little less strong, and a whole lot less sure of myself. I thought I was the weakest link. But this year, through all the darkness, none of it has been because of my sadness, none of it has been because I got depressed again (although, I would argue that you never fully get rid of depression). It was all stuff out of our control. We got hit with a pile of bureaucracy and shit we never thought we would ever have to go through. And for the first time in my life, and in our time together, Rob needed me to be strong. And I was. I did not let the team down. I stood firmly in my resilience and determination to make it all work – no matter the costs. Because this year, the roles were a little reversed. This year, I learnt that I actually am strong, and just how strong I am mentally. This year, I needed to be a better partner, a better wife, a better friend.  And I did just that. I reminded him, in his darkest hour of uncertainty and doubt – that we would make it, that we would get through this, that he was the strongest person I know. And in it all, I learnt that I am the strongest person I know too. That inside of me is this incredibly stubborn (thanks Dad) and passionate person – who will not let anything stand in her way. That I have this strength inside of me that will fight to the bitter end to make her and her family feel safe, and loved and strong. Who would have thought that in a time when it would have been so easy to call it quits, move back home, give up and lose my shit (although I truthfully have still lost it a little out of anger & frustration) – I decided those weren’t the only options and that I was determined for it to all work out. And with my strength, I gave Rob strength. I have seen through his eyes, how me being strong for the both of us gave him a little push to step up and try again.

This year I have learnt a lot about myself, and about how strong our marriage is. I think that in marriage, you take turns being the leader and being the strong one. I always thought that I wouldn’t be good in stressful situations – just given my nature to overthink and worry. But what I learnt this year is that I actually can handle much more than I realised. I also learnt that sometimes it is not always Rob’s responsibility to be the leader and the strong one. That sometimes, it can be me.

HAVE YOU MOVED COUNTRIES WITH YOUR PARTNER? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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Marriage is tricky even before adding things like moving countries and being an expat. I've learnt you need to be a strong partner. Buckle up, this post is full of the feels.

A Minimalist Christmas: 5 Ways to Slow Down This Year

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A Minimalist Christmas: This year we want to try create new Christmas traditions, ones without gifts. We want to really focus on the things that matter most to us.Christmas has always been my favourite holiday of the year. I love decorating the tree, baking treats with my mum, and being at home with family. Growing up I used to love the presents too. In fact, even last year – I wanted a million presents under the tree. I love lots of small parcels – it means you get to spend loads of time wrapping and unwrapping gifts. I used to look forward to what treats family and loved ones would buy me, and also, what I could buy them. I love getting thoughtful and sometimes sentimental gifts, as well as the occasional funny gift too. But this year has been a bit of a game changer for us. For one, we have learnt how to declutter our home and closets. Secondly, we have learnt how to live on one salary, which means our budget doesn’t really account for loads of present -giving this year. And lastly, we are trying to really get out of debt, we finally paid off both of our credit cards just a few weeks ago. So this year we are trying something a bit different… this year we won’t be buying any gifts. Not for each other, or for our family. We both know that we can’t really afford to buy gifts, especially when the best gift would be if we were completely debt-free. And we think our family and loved ones will understand, since we can’t be with them, and sending presents in the post always makes it that much more expensive.

This year we want to try create new Christmas traditions. We want to see how creative we can get with the festive season, and really focus on the things that matter most to us. Being with the ones we love, spending time with each other and enjoying the holidays together. That’s why I came up with some free things to do over December in Dublin.

We are going to try to be more present with each other. We are not perfect, not as individuals or as partners. We want to take some time this year to really be present with each other. Really listen to each other.

We want to laugh more, with each other and with our friends. This year will be the first year that we will be spending the holidays with our friends instead of our family. We have really great friends coming to visit us here in Ireland, they haven’t been here before so it means we get to show them a little bit of our town while they are here too.

We want to be kinder and more gentle with ourselves. We want to lower the expectations we put on ourselves to be all and do all over the holidays. We want to slow down and just live in the moment of enjoying our time together and with loved ones, and really give our hearts and minds time to process the year we have had and our hopes for the new year ahead.

We are going to stop comparing our journey with everyone else’s. Comparison is a strong game that we are all guilty of playing. This year we want to really focus on what we want for ourselves, and worry less if someone else’s way looks better. It is so easy to look on the outside and make presumptions about how other people live, but speaking from experience – what you see on social media is often not the full story, you have no idea what kind of troubles worry them at night to maintain such a life. We can’t choose only the good bits of life, we have to learn to manage the shitty bits too.

We may not be buying or giving gifts this year, but that doesn’t mean we are going to have any less of a Christmas. We are happy enough to sit on the couch, holding hands, watching the twinkly Christmas tree lights and listening to Christmas tunes. Christmas should be about being present, not just buying presents.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS TRADITION?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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A Minimalist Christmas: This year we want to try create new Christmas traditions, ones without gifts. We want to really focus on the things that matter most to us.A Minimalist Christmas: This year we want to try create new Christmas traditions, ones without gifts. We want to really focus on the things that matter most to us.