Blog

Blog

Musings on personal finance and more...

Is there ever a reason to buy a new car?

  New cars are alluring. Who can deny that? The combination of something being all new, mixed with the sense of freedom (real or imagined) creates an intoxication that is hard to resist. Notice I said “intoxication.” Like lots of … Read More … Read More

Ignore interest rates on debt

  “This card has a 12% APR.” “My student loan is fixed at 5%.” “I can get a new car with a 0% interest loan.” Interest rates are talked about quite often when it comes to financial matters. Mostly, this … Read More … Read More

Why cheap travel isn’t the best

  I spent the night of my 23rd birthday on the floor of the Greyhound Terminal in San Francisco. … Read More

Run the numbers after your trip

  When I come back from a long trip, I tend to do three things: Sleep copiously (though not necessarily in the correct hours for my current time zone) Dump the contents of my bag either into the trash or … Read More … Read More

Travel hacking to get free hotels

  I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Gwangju, South Korea. The question that invariably popped up whenever I told anyone that I was staying in Gwangju (even Koreans all said this) was, “why!?” Yikes, do they know something I … Read More … Read More

Accept when your plans are changed

  It was to be a good day. I could make it to the ferry terminal with enough time not to have to rush (for once). The ferry would be a leisurely two hour ride to the island of Jeju, … Read More … Read More

How avoiding conflict can ruin everything

  Greetings from the Shinkansen. While on my travels, I got to talking with a guy who had lived in Japan for a while. We talked openly about our lives (in that way that happens surprisingly frequently in situations when … Read More … Read More

How to feel like an infant (in a good way)

  I approached the packed little restaurant with interest and apprehension. I say “little restaurant,” but it was really just a hallway with a kitchen and some chairs shoehorned into it. I tried to place an order via the universal … Read More … Read More

How to enjoy your travels more (and come home less exhausted)

  It’s a gorgeous Spring day here in Tokyo. Sunny, warm, light breeze. There’s a bird outside saying “‘Caw'” like it’s got scare quotes around it. “‘Caw.’ I’m a bird, it’s what I say. ‘Caw.'” And here I am, inside, … Read More …

Read More

How to determine how much money you need to travel

  Warning: this post contains math. I want to expand on a point I made last time about reasons people don’t travel: namely not having enough money. I’ve been having an ongoing conversation where I’m trying to convince someone to … Read More … Read More

End of content.

No more posts to load.