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

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LODGING: $0 total

– Cousin’s house in Denver:     $0 

(thanks a million, Brent and Rita)

– Condo in East Vail:     $0 

(thanks two million, Mark)
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SKIING: $0 total

– Lift Tickets:     $0 

(used credit card points)

– Ski Rentals:     $0 

(used credit card points)

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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.)

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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?

25 WORDS TO DEFINE NEUROTIC DOG

My mom called me a couple days ago and told me about a promotion for Man’s Best Friend on WBAP 820.

“All you have to do is write a 25-word essay on why your dog needs training,” she said. “If you’re selected, you can win $1,500 worth of training for Gus.”

She had a tone in her voice like this was an order or plea … not just a loving suggestion.

As she was trying to sell me on the promotion – “You can do it!” – Augustus was treating my crotch like scratch-and-sniff sticker. Needless to say, I decided to do it.

Here is what I submitted (remember, it only asked for 25 words – which is tough):

“He’s consumed razor blades, Ritalin, and countless pairs of panties. He’s socially inept on leash. Loves counter surfing and peeing on people at dog park."

I’ll keep you posted if Gus and I are bound for training.

EXPERIMENT UPDATE

FINANCIAL (Goal: $130 – Amount Spent: $79)

• LODGING: $0
Staying at friend’s condo in East Vail.

• LIFT TICKETS: $0
Used credit card points for 1-day pass

• SKI RENTALS: $0
Used credit card points to rent skis and boots as well

• MEALS: $12
Not planning ahead will kill you at lunchtime on top of the mountain. The budget took a big hit around noon on Wednesday.

BUSINESS

– Really had to rely on Director of Giving to monitor sites on Wednesday. I was still receiving e-mail notifications on my Blackberry, but there was NOTHING 

I could do standing on the top of a mountain.

– Utilized wireless internet to check out everything out once we got back to the condo.

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)

EXPERIMENT: Mixing Business with Adventure

I'm in the midst of an incredible experiment.

I'm attempting to go on a 5-day ski trip to Vail for less than $130 – WHILE running my company.

Once again I want to reference "The 4-Hour Work Week," because that's essentially the whole premise of this incredible book. You set-up a business that you can run from anywhere in the world – one with a limited amount of daily operations, but profitable enough to fund these inexpensive adventures.

There is a whole formula on how to do this, but I just wanted to put e-Partners in Giving to the test – not to mention my ability to be frugal. 

To honor my blog requirements that I have placed on myself – I will post throughout the week about pulling off this endeavor. I will focus on the financial aspect and the business aspect.

FINANCIAL (Goal: $130 – Amount spent: $0)

• Trip Details: Flew out of Dallas Love Field at 4:15 p.m. and arrived in Denver at 6:10 p.m.

– Airline ticket: Free (spouse benefits through Southwest Airlines)

– Lodging: Free (staying with cousin)

– Meals: Free (cousin's wife cooked us some homemade lasagna – finished it off with ice cream and freshly baked cookies)

BUSINESS

– Able to monitor partnership web sites with laptop and wireless internet

– When flying, had company's Director of Giving monitor the sites

– Took advantage of flight time to type up proposal for local publication (potentially a tremendous vehicle for the e-Partners in Giving brand)

– Able to follow-up on business-related e-mails via Blackberry during travel – including very brief layover in Oklahoma City

– Utilizing cousin's wireless internet to check sites, monitor analytics, send e-mail to developer, and update blog