Practical itineraries, where-to-stay guides and side hustles from someone actually doing it.
Escape Cents is where I share what I’ve learned about traveling well on a budget and making a little extra money along the way. On the travel side you’ll find road trip itineraries, weekend getaways, free things to do in popular cities and where-to-stay guides for first-timers. On the money side there are side hustle ideas, teen job guides, practical ways to save $1,000 a month and the personal finance books worth reading.
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I was sitting in a Walmart lot at dusk once, engine off, wondering whether I was about to get a knock on the window. Nobody came. A manager inside had shrugged and said “sure, stay on the far side” in about twenty seconds flat. That moment taught me that free overnight parking is mostly a … Read more
The first time I priced out a Disney trip, I closed the laptop after ten minutes and went to make coffee. Tickets, hotel, food and extras added up to a number that felt like a down payment on a car. Then I started pulling the trip apart line by line, and the picture changed. Disney … Read more
Kotor is a place I’ve now been back to three times, and each visit taught me something the last one didn’t. The first time, I fell hard for the setting. Mountains drop straight into the bay, and a walled old town looks like it was built for a film set. The second and third times, … Read more
Things to do in Mallorca go far beyond the charter-flight beach stop I’d filed the island under for years. On my last morning I sat on the harbor wall in Palma, watching a fisherman unload his catch while the day’s first cruise ship nosed out of the bay, and it hit me how wrong I’d … Read more
Where to stay on Korcula is a bigger decision than most guides let on. I learned that dragging my suitcase up a flight of worn stone steps in Korcula Old Town at eleven at night, sweating through my shirt, while a waiter two doors down was still stacking chairs. I ended up splitting my week … Read more
I woke up gasping at two in the morning, convinced something was seriously wrong. It wasn’t a heart attack. It was altitude, and I’d made the classic mistake of driving straight into Estes Park at 7,500 feet and going for a hike the same afternoon. A local at breakfast the next day laughed, not unkindly, … Read more
Looking for the best weekend getaways in the US? Some places don’t just stay on your map, they stay in your weekends. Between busy workdays and tight schedules, travel doesn’t always come with two week itineraries. Sometimes all you get is a Friday evening escape and a Sunday sunset goodbye, and honestly, that’s more than … Read more
Looking for free things to do in San Diego? Good news: this city is one of the easiest in California to enjoy on a budget, because most of its best moments happen outdoors. Dramatic cliffs, wild seals, golden sunsets and historic neighbourhoods cost nothing at all. When I first started planning, I kept saving lists … Read more
Save $1000 a month sounds impossible right up until you break it down into something smaller than a scary headline number. You picture your paycheck. Rent, groceries, and subscriptions quietly eat into it before you even get to save anything. Save $1000 a month feels like something other people manage, not something that fits into … Read more
Looking for the best North Shore Oahu restaurants? Food on the North Shore, however, is something else. It isn’t just about eating, it’s about being part of the island for a little while: fresh fish, ocean views, and that easy, laid back pace that slows you down without you even noticing. I’ve been to Hawaii … Read more
