BELIEVE IT: 5-Day Adventure for Under $200

With my ski trip in my rearview mirror, I’ve had 

a couple of questions creep into my subconscious.

Reminder: I wanted to prove that I could go to Vail, Colorado, for five days on the cheap – and run my company at the same time.

Here are the haunting questions:

• Was I cheapskate?

• Was I a freeloader?

In regards to finances, I’ve started to play back my whole trip in my mind … and I think the answer is a solid "I don't think so" to both questions. I firmly believe that the terms “smart,” “frugal,” and “tight” are a little more fitting.

Here are the final numbers from my adventurous experiment (If I didn’t have to eat anything OR drink a couple pints – I could have crushed this experiment):

GOAL: $130

AMOUNT SPENT: $198

TRANSPORTATION: $102 total

– Airplane Flight:     $0 

(spouse benefits through Southwest Airlines)

– Train/Bus Ride to Vail:     $45

– Shuttle from Vail:     $57

_______________________________________

LODGING: $0 total

– Cousin’s house in Denver:     $0 

(thanks a million, Brent and Rita)

– Condo in East Vail:     $0 

(thanks two million, Mark)
_________________________________________

SKIING: $0 total

– Lift Tickets:     $0 

(used credit card points)

– Ski Rentals:     $0 

(used credit card points)

___________________________________________

FOOD: $96 total

– Meal/coffee on train:     $12

– Pint of stout & app in Glenwood Springs:      $18

(NOTE: Thanks to Chris P. for volunteering to pick up the other round  or my budget would have been shattered – photo above)

– Lunch/snacks at ski lodge:     $17

– Grocery shopping in Vail:      $35

– Breakfast at Denver Airport:     $14

(ANOTHER NOTE: If weren’t for the generosity of all the guys who stayed in the condo, who did more than their fair share of grocery shopping, and my cousin’s hospitality – my food expenses would have throttled my budget.)

________________________________________

OVERVIEW (more like my point): It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to go on a weeklong adventure. All you have to do is plan ahead a little – especially in regards to food – cut out the fluff, and know some friends with transportation benefits and/or vacation houses.

(LAST NOTE: I also encourage everyone to look at your points system with your credit cards – without American Express and its Membership Rewards Points, this trip would have never happened. I always just ignored those offers in the past – there are some pretty great deals, though.)

Does anyone have a time-share near a beach?

EXPERIMENT 2: Adventure Rides 'Stinky Train'

The experiment continued today – it wasn’t the perfect scenario from a business perspective, but it was a fun, interesting and inexpensive adventure.

We took the Amtrak train from Denver to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. From Glenwood Springs we took a Greyhound bus to Vail.

The train ride was a unique experience – one that deserves its own blog post – I will say this, though … the beautiful Colorado scenery barely overshadowed the pungent aroma of body odor that occupied our train car.

I sent the following message via Facebook to my buddy Matt, who was traveling with me and sitting across the aisle ... the message was entitled "Stinky Train":  

"This train smells like a large sweaty man wearing a dirty diaper! WHEN IS IT GOING TO END? (BTW: Johnny Snorealot behind me has gas like a mule deer that got into some wild onions!)"

We opted for this planes, trains, and automobiles adventure as a costing-cutting measure. (On the same trip last year, we spent almost $400 on a rental car.) What we DIDN'T realize until after the 7-hour ride on "Stinky Train" – we could have taken a bus from Denver to Vail, been there 8 hours earlier, and saved $17.

FINANCIAL (Goal: $130 – Amount Spent: $67)

• TRANSPORTATION: $45 total to Vail (included the train and bus fare)

• MEALS: $4

– We were going to jump all over the Denny’s free Grand Slam Breakfast, but my cousin’s wife made us a hot breakfast instead. It turned out to be the best decision of the trip so far. When we drove past a Denny’s on the way to the train station, the parking lot was a zoo and the TV crew outside confirmed that we made the right call.

NOTE: Brilliant marketing campaign by Denny’s. I thought it was a solid commercial, a terrific offer, and a great branding tactic – "Isn't it time for a serious breakfast?" What I loved the most ... EVERYBODY was talking about it. (FYI: Normally, a Grand Slam Breakfast is $5.99.)

– Bottled water on the train (I left my Nalgene bottle on my cousin’s kitchen table in Denver) – $2

– Cup of coffee on the train – $2

• SPLURGES: $18

We had a brief layover in Glennwood Springs, so I drank a couple pints of the local stout and had an appetizer.

BUSINESS

– The train had electrical power to keep my laptop juiced, but I was disappointed there was no WiFi available. I was able to stay “connected” through my Blackberry – when we weren't buried in some remote Colorado canyon – and our Director of Giving was on call to update the site if necessary.

– Typed up an e-mail proposal/quote request for our web developer and saved it in my Draft Folder so I could send it later in the day.

– Modified my publication proposal (Thanks, Mr. Bloomberg for your advice/guidance.)

– Played around with Photobooth on my MacBook – I tried practicing a new smile for a little while, but then I reverted back to my old standby. (see below)