Trip Planning

I'm planning my next trip and I'm so excited I can barely handle it. I love going new places and revisiting the old places. During undergrad and at my first 'real' job I averaged 4-7 flights and a few smaller trips in between each year.

Moving west has significantly impaired my traveling lifestyle. No cheap east coast flights to Europe/the Carribean. The 2-3 hour drive to other cities/the beach is also gone. These things call responsiblities also seem to get in the way. This other not so fun thing called debt is also cramping my stlye.

The inspiration for the trip is my little cousin's graduation. She is number 3 on my list (after my husband and mom) of favorite people so there's no way I would miss her getting those fancy pieces of paper. On my mom's side of the family graduations & weddings tend to be the family reunions. The last 3 weddings (including mine) have been elopements and my undergrad graduation big get together.

I'll be seeing: the graduation girl, my mom, 2-3 aunts, 1-2 uncles, 4+ cousins, and whoever else decides to show up. Since I'm making the trip east I'm also working in my best girlfriends, a few old coworkers, the people I like from high school, and my second moms.

This is going to be a 3 city 10 day trip with lots of spending. I'm still working out the details but I'm thinking somewhere around $1,500 from my personal 'whatever' account. The breakdown:

Airfare: $325
Bus/Train fare: $150
Food & Alcohol: $500
Entertainment: $250
Clothing: $100
Rental Car (?): $100
Subway/Taxis: $75

Food and getting around are the biggest parts of this budget. I'm still trying to work out how I'll be getting between DC-Philly-NYC to see my girlfriends. East Coast folks, please tell me there's been an improvement on the Chinatown bus (or something like it). If I rent a car it will be for a few days in DC/the burbs to ease the demand on my aunt housing us and make seeing folks at the ends of the red/green lines easier. Using the subway/taxis will be my main way of getting around. The food & alcohol is because I like to eat and drink- I'm ready for my favorite mango mojitos, good Thai food, tapas, fake meat galore, and anything else I'm feeling at the moment.

As I solidify my plans I'll have a better idea about getting around between city's and how much I'll actually need to spend. I also need to come up with an amazing graduation gift for my cousin. So far her only request has been me & 2 younger cousins at her house graduation weekend.