Travel On a Budget
Showing posts with label Travel On a Budget. Show all posts

5 Easy Meals for Camping in Bear Country


Remember how I said we went camping in South Lake Tahoe? Well, one detail I left out is that we were camping in bear country. I know, a little scary, but if you are responsible about storing food in the bear lockers provided, you should not really worry about encountering a bear. We did not, and just in case we did, we had Counter Assault bear spray with us.

You could avoid attracting bears by not having any food in your campsite and eating every meal out in the local town, but for us travelers on a budget, that was not an option. (By the way, one week's worth of accommodations including two motel stays and 5 days at camp totaled around $350, which is less than a couple of nights at some hotels! We spent another $350 on food, fuel, and some new gear, for a total of $700 for a week long vacation for a family of 3. Plus the gear -- a beach shade and the bear spray -- we will use again and again. Not bad, I think!)

One way I wanted to make sure that we did not attract any bears was to limit our meal planning to foods that did not require refrigeration. Many campers bring along coolers and cook by the fire, but I didn't want to have too many scents lingering around our site that would make a bear want to visit us. 

Below are some meals we prepared that did not require the use of a cooler. Each recipe serves two very hungry adults. By the way, these meals could work for backpackers or just about anyone who wants a quick meal. Believe it or not, we did have some fresh produce! (I used this list to find out which produce does not require refrigeration. This site also mentions that cabbage keeps pretty well for a short while without refrigeration.) 


Chicken Curry & Rice
Ingredients: coconut oil, curry powder, can of chicken, can of coconut milk, one chopped green bell pepper, one chopped onion, and 2 servings of instant rice.
Directions: Sautee the peppers and onion in the oil. Add the chicken, milk, and curry to taste. (We use 2 heaping tablespoons of high quality curry powder.) Allow the milk to heat through before adding the rice. The milk should be enough moisture to re-hydrate the rice. Stir for a couple of minutes and enjoy.
Note: You can cook the rice in just water in a separate pot, but we like the idea of one pot meals. One less pot to wash.

Fish Tacos (adapted from here)
Ingredients: coconut oil, 2 cans of salmon, 2 limes, 1/2 packet of fish seasoning blend, one chopped onion, 1/2 chopped cabbage, and corn tortillas.
Directions: Sautee onion in oil until almost translucent. Then add the cabbage until just wilted. Add the salmon and heat through. Stir in the seasoning blend. Scoop into tortillas, squeeze some lime on top, and enjoy!
Note: We actually used tostadas instead, so we didn't have to deal with heating tortillas.


Poor Man's Pad Thai (adapted from here)
Ingredients: coconut oil, one chopped eggplant, one chopped bell pepper, one chopped onion, peanut butter, and rice noodles.
Directions: Bring water to a boil, remove from heat, add noodles to soak, and set aside. Sautee all the veggies in the oil until softened, and then add peanut butter to taste. Drain the noodles and add them to the pot with the veggies. Blend all the ingredients together, and add salt to taste.
Note: Don't be afraid to add more peanut butter. Next time I'd probably also add chopped peanuts to give it some crunch.

Vegan Greek Salad
Ingredients: can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed), can of olives, one large chopped cucumber, two large tomatoes cut into wedges (or several small roma tomatoes), one purple onion cut in slivers, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.
Directions: Place all ingredients in a large ziplock bag, give it a shake, and enjoy!
Note: This is a typical Greek salad with no lettuce, plus beans in place of feta cheese.


No-Mayo Tuna Salad Sandwich (adapted from here -- serves one, so double for two people)
Ingredients: 1 tbsp rice milk, one avocado, one can of tuna, fish seasoning blend, one lime, salt, and sandwich bread.
Directions: In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together until well blended and creamy. Spread over bread for open-face sandwiches and top with sliced tomatoes.
Note: We each had our own bowl to prepare the tuna mix, so we could add more or less of the ingredients as we liked.

Of course, we did build a fire one night so we could enjoy some S'mores. What are your favorite camping meals?

CONTINUE READING
2 comments
, ,

Tent Camping in South Lake Tahoe


For years, I'd heard, "It's so beautiful there. You've got to see it." And we kept saying, someday, someday. Well, someday finally came, and Lake Tahoe definitely lived up to its reputation. 

Tent camping was a wonderful way to see this wilderness by the lake. It was everything you'd imagine: waking up to blue jays chirping, sipping tea in the cool of the morning surrounded by pine trees, being disconnected from the world with no mobile phone reception, and discussing what relaxing thing we'd do with our day. 

Despite hand-washing cloth diapers (just for overnights -- we used these 'sposies during the day), cooking on a camp stove with ingredients that required no refrigeration (other campers cooked by the fire, but for us that would have been too much of a production with the baby, and many brought coolers, but we didn't want to deal with getting ice every day), and you know, sleeping on the ground in a tent with a teething baby, our five days at D.L. Bliss State Park truly felt like a vacation. We enjoyed beach days, a hike, lots of lounging, and even a day trip to Isaiah's hometown.

Perhaps we will make this trip a yearly tradition. Something that Hunter can look forward to every summer. Until next time, Lake Tahoe. Keep Tahoe Blue!


CONTINUE READING
5 comments
, , , ,

Support California's State Parks: Limekiln State Park, Big Sur

Our precious state parks and campgrounds might be in danger. Budget cuts combined with low visitor turnout are forcing parks like Limekiln State Park off Highway 1 along the Big Sur coastline to close early for the summer. We were lucky enough to be able to visit for our wedding anniversary back in March, but sadly, the park will close indefinitely on July 1, 2012. The campsites will be available for walk-up visitors until then, so allow me to entice you...

The park is quite small with a little over thirty campsites to choose from. It's all very tucked away along Limekiln Creek with eleven ocean-view spots to set up camp. We chose spot #1, and sitting at our picnic table perched above the private beach below, we hardly noticed the handful of campers at the sites below us. The only draw back to our secluded location? The short hike down to the toilets and hot (pay) showers (worth every quarter -- by the way, bring quarters). 

Campsite #1
 

CONTINUE READING
13 comments
, , , ,

Tageskarte Gemeinde: Best Deal in Switzerland

If you're a frequent SBB traveler and hold a full-on GA card, then this is not the best deal in Switzerland for you. However, if you're like us, and you travel mostly by car and only occasionally by train, then do I have a deal for you. The Tageskarte Gemeinde is a GA-Flexi pass that allows you one full day of unrestricted travel on the entire SBB network as well as several local networks for one low price. The actual price varies from district to district, but throughout the Rhine Valley, the train pass costs just 35 CHF.

Each Gemeinde makes available a set number of train passes per calendar day, and many provide an online reservation system, so you can see if passes are available for your desired date. Say there are no more passes available on the date you would like to travel, check with a neighboring Gemeinde to see if they have passes available. I have picked up passes for friends who live outside of my Gemeinde, and they have picked up passes for me. I even picked up some for Mom and Jim to use on their solo trip from Au to Luzern. The passes are non-personal, so ticket controllers only check that your pass indicates the appropriate date. No need to show identification. Easy train travel with no questions asked.

Let's talk numbers, shall we? The figures I will share below are per person, one way, 2nd class, full price.

Here's how much point-to-point tickets from Au to Lugano with a stop at the Morteratsch Glacier would have cost:
Au to Morteratsch: 61.--
Morteratsch to Lugano: 76.--
Total: 137.--
What we paid: 35.-- CHF
Savings: 102.-- CHF! (33.50 CHF for half-fare cardholders)

Here's how much a trip on the Bernina Bus, Bernina Express, and back to Au would have cost:
Lugano to Tirano to Davos Platz: 69.--
Seat Reservations: 24.--
Davos Platz to Au: 39.--
Total: 132.--
What we paid (including 1 seat reservation for the bus and 1 seat reservation for the train): 59.-- CHF
Savings: 73.-- CHF (19.-- CHF for half-fare cardholders)

The best part about the day pass is FREEDOM. You can hop on and off as you wish and even change your destination mid-way through the trip! Have you traveled with such a day pass? Where did you go? How much money did you save? (Do tell!)

Note: Just in case you think this text reads like an advertisement, please know that this is not a sponsored post. I am only sharing this information because I'd like to spread the word about how to save some cash in Switzerland. I wish I would have known about this deal when I first arrived in CH...
CONTINUE READING
6 comments
,

Budget Travel: Camping in Italy

Let's talk numbers. The purpose of disclosing how much we spent on three weeks worth of accommodations in Italy is to prove that budget travel in that country is truly possible. The key? Camping! Here's a list of all the campsites we called home during our three-week road trip through Italy.

First, I should warn anyone thinking of camping in Italy during winter that sleeping in a tent is not for the faint of heart. While many campsites throughout Italy are open year-round (and southern Italy boasts winter weather warm enough to sleep comfortably in a tent), most people camping during the winter months sleep in a camper rather than a tent. If you do choose to sleep in a tent, be prepared for odd looks from your fellow campers who step up into their mobile homes while you crawl into your tent.

A note on rates: Most of the rates below reflect the prices for 2009. Per night, campsites charge per person, per car, and per tent. The rates you see in my list include: 2 persons, one car, and one small tent.

We ended up deciding against camping in Florence at Camping Michelangelo because we didn't want to freeze our tushies. Yet for some reason we thought camping in Rome would be a bit better. Apparently, we missed the memo about the city experiencing its coldest winter in nine or ten years = waking up with a layer of frost on our tent. (Though I'd go back to that campsite during summer in a heartbeat.)
  • €28/night for 3 nights at Camping Roma - Pros: Supermarket directly across the street from the campsite (accessible by a foot bridge), bus stop directly outside of camp gates, wireless Internet included, and heated bathrooms with nice showers. Cons: Non-existent bus schedule.
  • €11.50/night for 2 nights at Camping Thurium in Corigliano Calabro, Calabria - Pros: CHEAP, private beach, big shopping mall down the road on main highway, and deserted in the winter. Cons: Because it's deserted in the winter, not all toilet facilities are open for use.
  • €21.5/night for 4 nights at Camping Jonio in Catania, Sicily - Pros: Friendly staff and coastal location. Cons: It's a bit of a walk to closest bus stop that goes to the city.
  • €17.5/night for 2 nights at Camping Valle dei Templi in Agrigento, Sicily - Pros: Produce market across the street, (longish) walking distance to seaside, bus stop outside of camp gates (bus goes into city and toward archeological site). Cons: Shower stalls have no place to hang towels or robe or clothing.
  • €16/night for 2 nights at Camping Rais Gerbi in Finale di Pollina, Sicily - Pros: Plentiful and clean toilet and shower facilities, located along coast, and proprietor speaks English very well. Cons: Not a whole lot going on in the vicinity. (By the way, €16 is a discounted rate. There is a network of campsites throughout Sicily that offer discounts during the off-season months. Jonio and Rais Gerbi are part of this network, and Jonio is the camp that gave us the discount card.)
  • €47.70/night for 2 nights back at Camping Roma, only this time we got smart and stayed in a private bungalow.
Tip: Bring your own TP!!

Non-camping accommodations:
  • 2 nights at B&B in Florence outside of historical city center (not very noteworthy, so shall remain nameless): $50/night
  • 1 night at small hostel, which also has campgrounds, called Ostello - Campeggio Beata Solitudo in Agerola, Campania (near hiking trails above the Amalfi coast, well-stocked common room and kitchen): €11.50/night/person
  • 1 night at B&B in Calabria (also not noteworthy, so shall remain nameless): €50/night
  • 2 nights at Palazzo dei Ciompi Suites in Florence: $80/night
Total cost of 3 weeks of accommodations (converted from Euros to U.S. Dollars): $788.00!!!
CONTINUE READING
4 comments
,

5,000 kilometers

Isaiah has done the math and announced to me that during our 3-week road trip through Italy we (he) drove 5,000 kilometers. Whoa, baby! That's like driving across the United States of America!

What started out as a desire to be like the birds and head south for the winter culminated as an adventure we'll never forget. Our travels spanned the length of Italy from crossing her border with Switzerland in the north to traversing Sicily in the south, and let's just say I am glad to be alive to tell the story. (Race car driver-like husband navigating the streets of Rome = my life flashing before my eyes.)

In addition to driving the span of Italy, our accommodations spanned the spectrum: from camping for 11 euros/night to a 4-star suite for $80/night. Some nights we dined for under a euro with pasta and olive oil on a camp stove and other nights we ate three-course meals in a cozy trattoria. We got robbed and we got free panettone. We went some days without bathing for lack of hot water and other days slept like kings in what felt like our very own castle. But the most important thing that happened is that we saw and lived Italy. We learned some of her secrets and still yearn to know more.

Please join me as I take you day-by-day through our journey. For now, here is an overview of our itinerary so you can know what to look forward to!
CONTINUE READING
8 comments
,

Fun on a Budget: Rheintal and Locarno Regions of Switzerland

Our pals Fiona and Kerry stopped by to visit with us a couple of weeks ago. They were on their way back to the States after backpacking through Asia for five months. Before coming to Switzerland, they had been traveling in India for a month, quite literally partaking in delicious feasts for a whopping fifty cents. As I rode the train to meet up with them in Zürich, I tried rehearsing what I might say to break the news to them that they would be in for a bit of sticker shock.

"So, about that whole living off of $8 a day, not gonna happen here."

Luckily, they had no need to worry about us showing them the fancy restaurants in the area or taking them to ride expensive cable cars. Since none of us had neither disposable cash nor a train pass, we had to find fun in other ways. Here I will highlight how we entertained ourselves for six days: on foot, by bus, and by car.



Wander around Zürich on foot.
No map, no set destinations. I'm not much of a tour guide, since I don't live in or near Zürich, but I did manage to lead our pals on a stroll down Bahnhofstrasse, for a dip in the lake (just our feet along the Utoquai), and for a glimpse of the Marc Chagall stained glass windows at Fraumünster.



Do what locals do.
For the time being, I'm a "local." So, I did what I normally do: ride the Ostwind bus. Two days in a row, we bought day passes that allowed us to freely ride between two zones in the Ostwind system. One day we visited the Salvation Army, newly relocated to Altstätten, wandered around the old town, had a coffee and cake break, and did some shopping at Coop in Heerbrugg. The next day we went to the beach (Strandbad Chf 4/person) in Staad (packed lunch - leftovers from dinner) and shopping at Rheinpark.


Take advantage of locally grown produce by making dinner at home every night.
Three nights in a row, we took turns making dinner. The girls had the opportunity to support local producers by cooking with products featuring the Aus der Region/Für die Region label. Our menus included ricotta stuffed roasted tomatoes, pasta primavera, and veggie/tofu curry (photo below). We even got to use the chopsticks that Fiona brought us as souvenirs from her trip!


Hit the road.
There is only so much to do in and around our area, so by the weekend, it was time to go on a little road trip. We indulged our friends a bit and stopped in Liechtenstein so they could check it off their list. Below - genuine Liechtensteiner cows.


Here we are on our way to the Locarno region in canton Ticino. When the weather is looking a bit glum in the Rheintal region, it's usually sunny and warm just south on the other side of the Alps. It's true - I promise, once you pass through all the snow...


Heavy rain in Au on Friday meant snow in San Bernardino, which made for a lovely scenic drive through the Alps. Yes, we took the long way.


Go camping.
I am a huge proponent of the camping experience. I wasn't always this way, but our past few experiences have been very positive and I am looking forward to our next camping trip.


We stayed at Campeggio Zandone, situated along the Melezza River in Losone. Compared to Campofelice in Tenero (click here for a post related to our stay there) and nearby Campeggio Lido Mappo (our first choice over Campofelice because they offer free ferry service to Locarno), Zandone is not exactly the five-star camping experience. It is much more rugged and free-spirited with lots of families, people drinking (and offering) beer, and open plots (that is, no assigned spaces and a casual registration process). But when you don't plan ahead, make no reservations, and get turned away from your first choice campsites directly on the Lake, you take what you can get. I'm not complaining, though, because we had a great time. We enjoyed leftover curry for dinner, heated on Isaiah's camping stove.


Had we not set up camp at Zandone, we never would have taken the night hike that led us to explore the medieval mountain village of Intragna.


Relax at a public beach.
With most beaches along the Bodensee charging a few francs just to lie on the grass, we were happy to discover a satisfactory public beach in Ascona called Grande Lido Ascona. If you just want to go for a dip in the lake and sunbathe on the beach, then this is the place to go and it's absolutely gratis. The only extra costs are for food and refreshments, a changing room, and the water slide.


Take in scenic views.
On our way to drop me off at language camp (as a teacher not a student!), Fiona and Kerry kept thanking me for getting the job in Arosa because it allowed them to see this beautiful scenery on the winding road from Chur.

All photos above are courtesy of Fiona O'Donnell.

Splurge, just once.
As it turns out, the most expensive thing we did with our friends was eat at a Mexican restaurant on Niederdorfstrasse in Zürich. (Isaiah drove in to pick us up, dine with us, and take us back to Au.) At a shocking CHF 30 per plate (average), we left with satisfied bellies, but wondered whether or not to consider the food we ate authentic Mexican cuisine.


Thanks for spicing up our lives for a week, ladies!

CONTINUE READING
4 comments
, , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Copyright © Amanda Freerksen 2008-. All rights reserved. Powered by Blogger.
Maira G.