Go Where You Want, Without Going Bankrupt

If you're reading this you have an interest in travel. Most of us have a great interest in travel but feel limited in opportunity. I bet you feel most of that opportunity is limited by money. Mark Twain said, "The lack of money is the root of all evil." But let's not get evil, let's get smart. There are options for travel that can ease the grip on your bank account and make your travel budget go further. 

This is the first in a series of budget wise travel that will also enhance your travel experience. Considering your first step is getting there, let's talk about air fare. Everyone claims to have a trick or a deal, but as far as deals go you have to keep up with where the deals are at. Hopefully I can give you a few new tips to help you plan for your next adventure. 

A few years ago my husband and I decided to take our son on his first international trip. We had big trip aspirations, but not a big budget to match. We managed to find affordable airfare to a desirable location by following these tips.

Eagle Street Pier and Story Bridge, Brisbane, Queensland, AU

1. Travel "Off-season"
June through August in the northern hemisphere is peak season for most vacation destinations.  During the same months there are plenty of places that are "off-season" and offer exotic locations and adventure. We found Australia in August is much cheaper and there were no draw backs to the off-season. Queensland is ideal at this time of year with mild temperatures, migrating whales, and endless activities. From the Gold Coast to Brisbane and as far north as Cairns you can enjoy 900 miles of culture, cuisine, and adventure all at off-season rates. Are you dead set on traveling to Europe? Look for discounted rates in the fall and spring; the weather is beautiful and the crowds will be less. I traveled to Japan in December and loved it more than in the summer. The weather was a little cooler but the prices were cheaper and gave us more flexibility.

Off-season in Queensland, AU means the best whale watching in the world; Hervey Bay on the Coral Sea, Queensland, AU. 

2. Look for specials, and let someone else do the hard work for you.
You're going to have to sacrifice your email address and take the time to read and compare the onslaught of information, but it will pay off in big savings! Sign up for travel sights and airline frequent flier programs and start watching the deals fly in. Airlines, although technically not able to offer lower prices than the travel sites like Expedia and Travelocity, do offer discount codes only to their frequent fliers when booking directly through the airline site. For our Australia trip we found the best deal was directly through Qantas. Their Red e-Mail sent the top deals to our inbox and allowed us to comparison shop. There are other web-sites that you should also turn to, one of my favorite is Airfare Watchdog they not only allow you to comparison shop current verified rates but also list current airline promo codes! Sign up with a few different sites, and let the comparing begin! Just keep in mind that you're never going to find the perfect fare, and the only perfect time to buy is when the price matches your travel budget. Also consider flying one-way on different airlines for the best deal. 



3. Be ready to buy and have flexible dates
If you have to travel on a specific date you are at the mercy of the airline for fares, but if you can be a little flexible you get to take the reigns on price for airfare. Try this approach: decide how much you want to spend, identify the target price and max price for the trip you want to take. Then start looking at destinations you are interested in and be ready to buy when you find the destination that has flights that fit in your budget. Unfortunately we are limited by how many seats are open on each plane and if you don't purchase the best deal while it's available, I guarantee it will be gone. For example, this year marked our 11th year of marriage and we wanted to get back to Hawaii. We started looking long before our targeted travel dates and watched the airfare stay high for months. Finally Hawaiian Airlines posted a deal that was about $220 lower than average, and we snatched it up. The available seats sold out in record time, and we were two of the lucky travelers ready to buy when the opportunity arose. Alternatively, if you are spontaneous and have flexibility to travel last minute you can sometime find insane deals on airfare. The downside is sometimes accommodations are not so cheap last minute, again unless you are flexible and have an open mind to where you stay.


Next time, I'll talk about better ways to find accommodations that could be free! or really inexpensive (oh yeah, it's possible!). Until then, I hope I've inspired you to travel somewhere new!

Half Moon Bay Disappoints

Reputation's are not necessarily reliable. I've heard from "people" (it's always those mysterious people that cause these problems), that Half Moon Bay is a lovely place to visit. The views, the beach, the shopping in their little downtown area, all worth going to Half Moon Bay for. Well, maybe things have changed, because Half Moon Bay was disappointing.

Last Saturday a friend and I had a free day to explore, so a day trip was in order. When tossing up ideas we decided to make the drive to Half Moon Bay. The drive down Highway 1 is beautiful: twisting and turning, up and down the coast, with several vista points, and beaches to visit along the way. 

Gray Whale Cove State Beach, CA

We were beckoned to stop by a beautiful but brief view of a sunny cove. Gray Whale Cove State Beach pops up fast and if traffic allows a break, you can quickly (and I mean quickly), cut across the road into the parking lot. There are several hiking trails that head up into McNee Ranch State Park (Montara Mountain), but you really want to head to that beautiful sparkling beach. The sun was bright, and like fugitives we darted across the highway to the walking path to the beach. The beach was almost empty on this Saturday in, and there was plenty of room to sit and enjoy the waves. If the water on the coast wasn't so cold, you could even snorkel here, it looks so beautiful. Unfortunately, I hadn't planned on a cold ocean breeze and my clothing choice kept me from spending the day here. Word of warning, there are about 900 steps that take you down to the beach, and well, you have to climb those steps back up. So, if you are not up to a stair-climbing exercise, stay up top for your picnic. Once you have soaked up this lovely cove you can head on, but had I known what was awaiting I would have stayed, even without a sweatshirt. On a side note, Gray Whale Cove State Beach is technically a nude beach. Yup, I said it chilly and all, you can flaunt and see others flaunt, all the bits and pieces. Now, I did not see anyone without clothes, but since it's allowed, just know it could happen. But hey, we're all people, and if you live in San Francisco seeing naked strangers is nothing new. 

We stopped briefly to take in the view, but we were on a mission, headed for Half Moon Bay.

We were headed for Half Moon Bay, a charming coastal town, where people honeymoon, and shop. On the way we were delayed by terrible traffic a back-up of at least half a mile. What is this traffic about, I thought. A wreck? Are we just too close to town? Is a light out? And the answer is...Sam's. Sam's Chowder House has rave enough reviews that people are backed up a half mile trying to find a place to park in order to get in this place. Quickly I thought, maybe we should stop and check it out. In Nascar-pit-stop-style, I yanked the wheel and turned into the parking lot. Sam's doesn't look very big, and with the half-mile back up, and cars planted in every isle waiting for someone to leave, I decided we just didn't have time for chowder. A few days later I talked to close friends who said, Sam's is good food, but not mind blowing. Essentially, if you can get a spot by chance, go in and find a quick seat at the bar and enjoy the view, a warm bowl of chowder, and a drink before heading back on your adventure. 

Back on track...

According to the Half Moon Bay Visitor's website, "at the epicenter of Half Moon Bay is Main Street, a picturesque downtown filled with unique specialty stores, art galleries, local bookstores, restaurants and romantic inns." If this is the epicenter, the quake was very small. Don't get me wrong, I love the mile long stretches of cities that really define a neighborhood or culture. One of my favorite places is, and always will be 2nd Street in Belmont Shore, Long Beach, CA. So, with great anticipation we jockeyed for a parking spot on Main Street and headed out. Lunch was on our schedule, but not much else. 

We walked down the street and weren't heavily enticed to enter the shops. There was a yarn specialty store, a cd music store (which seemed outdated), and a gallery. Then we found our favorite place on Main Street, the Half Moon Bay Feed & Fuel Co. It's a specialty pet and farm supply store right there on Main Street, which is the original location they have operated out of since 1911. This is not just dog and cat catered, but with equestrian gear, a fabulous (yet small) cowboy hat selection, a variety of animals for sale (chickens included), and a good selection of gifts and trinkets, and supplies. Highlights of the Feed Store were a table covered in leather hides in various sizes and dyed various colors, (perfect for your next craft project and at a reasonable price), the cowboy hats, and the various vintage looking cow bells by the front door. If you're interested, they even have real "duster" style jackets from Australia, and full animal fur hides for decoration (or wear). 

Your's truly in her new favorite cowboy hat at Half Moon Bay Feed & Fuel Co.

We've been on this day adventure for a while now, and we have to find a place to eat. We were distracted by a cute little B&B, the Zaballa House. This historic home was restored and added to, creating a 20 room Bed and Breakfast. It's interestingly situated, surrounded by shops and a cafe, that were literally built around it. The Zaballa House is the center of a small quad of shops: an art gallery, home decor store, gift shop (with way too many bleached out shells), and a cafe. The cafe looked about half full; the menu looked very good with some specialty vegetarian items like a Black Bean Burger, and Vegetarian Lasagna. This is the place! We are having lunch! 

We entered with enthusiasm and were greeted half-heartedly and told to pick any table that is open. We seated ourselves, and perused the great looking menu. As we sat and took in our surroundings, it hit me...this place is too small to support this awesome menu. I wonder if their ingredients are fresh? After a long wait, the server took our order and when she offered up three kinds of french fries I asked, "do you make your french fries fresh? Or are they frozen?" Unfortunately she answered, "frozen." Now, not all frozen fries are terrible, but it is a sign that the quality of the food is probably not great and that my instincts were correct, this small shop cannot support the large diverse menu. The food came and confirmed my suspicion, frozen black bean burger, frozen fries, nothing to be admired here. At least the conversation was good. My friend and I decided that we needed to find some excellent food here in Half Moon Bay and looked up local restaurants on our phones. To my excitement there was a place called Rogue Chefs at the opposite end of the street, and that sounded great. Alas, we are off on our adventure again. On our way out I was disappointed to see that the restaurant had a write-up from the local health department "unsanitary practices"...yikes. This was not posted in view when we entered, had it been, I would have found another place to eat. Good sanitary practices are important to me, it shows that feeding people safely is important to the owner.


We headed down the street and took advantage of dropping into shops and Inns to check out the goods. Unfortunately, we were just disappointed. The bakery was a glorified donut shop and hidden from initial view was their write up from the local health department...yikes. I was attracted to a corner Saloon/Inn which seemed lively and had wonderful western decor. I loved the style and it looked historic, I had to check it out. We walked inside and looked around and spent almost 5 minutes purposely looking lost inorder to get someone to offer assistance. I looked for a brochure about the Inn and stood around the reception stand but no one even offered up a, "Be right with you..." San Benito House, we had to leave your fine looking establishment for lack of customer service. Too bad, it looked like an interesting place. Walking down the street we stepped into another restaurant, and found another write-up. What's the deal with lack of food safety compliance? 

We followed the Google Map to what was supposed to be Rogue Chefs and it's no longer there. That's it, we couldn't take anymore and decided to head back to the car.

Maybe Half Moon Bay is fantastic during the peak of summer, or just a fun trip for the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival (happening this weekend!) but we were just disappointed. On the other hand, I love an adventure with a good friend. We had plenty of time to talk, and sometimes that's better than the adventure. After all, good friends are harder to find than a new destination. 

More Than Just Wine, Chicken and Little League in Petaluma, CA

Other than all the hype over the baseball team from Petaluma taking 3rd in the Little League World Series, I knew nothing about the city located just 40 miles north of San Francisco. So, when invited for a birthday party I took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about this historic town through sight seeing and taking in some local cuisine.

Petaluma is almost 155 years old (chartered in 1858), and still hosts the largest collection of pre-1906 buildings. Petaluma also was the Chicken capital of the world, coining the city Chickaluma, but the chicken processing is long gone. Now Petaluma is a quaint, well preserved city providing rest, scenery, shopping, and food. If you like old buildings, you will recognize many of the structures in Petaluma as the city has been used heavily by the film industry. The oldest is the Petaluma Adobe, located just a few minutes outside downtown Petaluma, it is likely the least visited attraction. I enjoy the escape of visiting historic buildings an imagining what it would have been like to live there during a historic time. The Petaluma Adobe reminds me of a time when life seemed simpler but actually involved more complex family and social politics than we live in now. This was a time of servants, workers, and protocol.  

Walking Bridge Over Adobe Creek, Petaluma, CA

South-west view of the Petaluma Adobe

The grounds of the adobe offer a beautiful creek with tree covered walking bridge and picnic tables for enjoying some of the local cheese and wine you picked up along the way. The walk up to the adobe is lined by an impressive cactus wall defense. 






The photograph to the right is the Adobe, unfortunately the current building is only half of the original structure, yet it still boasts 10 large rooms used for everything from granary, livestock processing, cooking, dancing, to sleeping. Several times a year the Adobe holds a traditional Fandango celebration including music and traditional dance. 







Once inside, you can browse each room and see how they would have been used in the mid 1800's. I am never surprised at the amount of discomfort people lived in, and they did it as a standard, I'm sure there was complaining, but there wasn't much to be done about it. 

Vallejo Family Bedroom, Bed of Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and Francisca Benicia Carrillo

The park also is home to one solitary burro, Sophie. I am amused at the the National Parks desire to showcase the historic working animals of the period by housing one burro. Apparently, there was a painted pony that died not too long ago, but has not been replaced. I asked the Park Ranger if the burro was nice and he exclaimed, "No! Donkey's are cantankerous animals!" Thank you Mr. Ranger for using the word cantankerous, it is lost in our vocabulary, and I like it. Anyway, we wandered over to the burro's enclosure and found her to be uninterested. She happily grazed on hay and only glanced up for a few pictures. She seemed nice to me, but don't chance it... Sophie's cantankerous... probably because she's lonely.

Sophie, the Adobe Burro. 

Floor to ceiling hides in the Leather Working Room

Downstairs in the Leather Working Room there is a disturbing amount of hides stacked floor to ceiling. Considering that there used to be more than 3000 sheep and 1000's of cattle on the ranch originally, and the livestock was primarily used for wool, tallow, and leather, it is a good example of the main economic activity of the rancho. On a gruesome note, the brochure states that because there was no way to preserve the meat, and there were so many cattle slaughtered each year for their more valuable hide and fat, "often the carcasses were left in the fields to rot," (2005, Petaluma State Historic Park, pg. 3, #5). Imagine that...

Petaluma is one of the few cities that survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resultantly it's quaint downtown is a trip back in time. The film industry has taken advantage of the mild temperatures and historic buildings; some of the well known films include American Graffiti (1973), Basic Instinct (1992), and Phenomenon (1996), to name a few. In addition to the architecture, Petaluma's downtown is a blooming culinary center for the Petaluma Gap area. There are two restaurants in Downtown that are above a 25 rating on the Zagat review, Cucina Paradiso and Della Fattoria. On this occasion, I was not able to visit Della Fattoria, but I will on my next visit in a few weeks. 

Cucina Paradiso Ristorante, Petaluma, CA

Viva Cocolat and the view down Petaluma Blvd.

Cucino Paradiso is excellent! Serving Southern Italian cuisine, that is made primarily from scratch, from local natural/organic sources. The menu is balanced and includes seasonal specialties. They offer an excellent selection of local wines by the glass, along with a full bar. The prices are reasonable and considering the food quality, it is a good value. The one continuous complaint about Cucina Paradiso is the noise. The acoustics are terrible, and the later in the evening with a full dining room, the volume is quite loud. 
      After a light lunch at Cucina Paradiso, stroll a few doors down to Viva Cocolat, and enjoy a piece of chocolate confection before continuing to wander, and shop. Viva Cocolat offers a seating area, perfect for taking the time to enjoy your selection with coffee and conversation. The staff at Viva Cocolat were wonderful: friendly, warm, and quick. Just be careful, while sitting and chilling, you might get caught up in buying art from local artists, gifting chocolates, or other trinkets. For a heavier, decadent dessert, come back to Viva Cocolat on Friday or Saturday nights when they are open until 11pm for chocolate fondue. 



After strolling the shops, enjoying the river view and walks along the bridges, you might want a quick casual refresher before enjoying an excellent dinner, and for this, I recommend the quirky McNear's Saloon & Mystic Theater. McNear's is perfect for guys that need to let loose after a day of refinement and wine tasting with their wives. Let the ladies enjoy fondue or drinks elsewhere while you rework your manly grunt at McNear's. 

McNear's Dining House, Saloon, and Mystic Theater

McNear's menu is full, really full of options, which always concerns me. How can a restaurant be really good with any item if they have to stretch themselves thin with providing ingredients for hundred's of items. How long have they been freezing and frying the same pre-made dish? McNear's does the job though; the food was good and it provides for good people watching as well.  

Interior of McNear's Dining House & Saloon

Interior of McNear's Dining House & Saloon

I was really excited to visit Central Market, a highly rated and well reviewed restaurant on Petaluma Blvd. I was saddened that even though their posted hours show 5:00pm opening, they didn't open at 5:00. Four of us, two parties of two, waited out side, seen by the staff, and ignored. We checked back in a few minutes and still, although the staff seemed ready inside, the door stayed locked. Well, Central Market, this is no way to get customers. Next time you aren't going to open for business, put a sign on the door, letting the people who want to give you money know. 

Sign for the Central Market Restaurant (I wish they would have opened on time).

Petaluma get's a "thumbs-up" from me. I will come back, and recommend that you visit this quaint city, just north of San Francisco, on your next visit to the Bay Area. There is too much to see and enjoy on one day here, but a day trip is enough to enjoy and not be disappointed. Visit Petaluma, I think you'll enjoy it too.