#CheapTravel : 5 Travel Ideas Under $30 for Yappies

In this series, I share some ideas of traveling with little money while experiencing as much as possible. It won't be as basic as dirt, but in my book, some experiences are worth the money. So let's get on with our first blog episode!

First of all, what are yappies?

yappie in British. (ˈjæpɪ) US informal. a young, aspiring, upwardly mobile professional couple usually with no children.
- Source: Collins English Dictionary

Most yappies are recent graduates who are still working to pay off their debt and building their financial system while grinding at that 40-50 hours/week gig. Aside all the necessary expenses, everything goes to personal enjoyment and savings. Personally, most of my personal enjoyment expenses are either spent toward networking with people or gifts for friends/family. Most of my traveling comes from work (yay businesses expenses). Personal traveling will have to squeeze in at maximum $100/month, which means I can either do 1 big trip a year or small trips.

This post is going to discuss 5 tips, mostly day-trips.

Going to a Casino on a Weekday : I'm going to start with the more expensive idea. Casinos are typically tucked away in nearby deserts or quite inland, especially in Southern California. Typically, they have almost 50% off deals on extravagant buffets on a weekday. It's free to be a "card-holder" member as long as you're over 21. When there's no special events, the pool is plenty empty. Free towel self-service. Bring extra clothes and your bathing suite for a relaxing day trip.
Total cost: Gas (price varies) & Buffet ($20-40) =~ $30/person
State/National Park: State parks typically cost $10/day. However, save $$$ and buy an annual pass for national park ($80/year). Go to at least 3 parks a year, and you will likely get your money back. Fortunately, I live very close to a national park (around ~30 minute drive). At this national park, you can see the sea creatures when it's low-tide. There's always plenty of lovely hikes and fantastic views, even if you've seen it once before. Prepare sandwiches, snacks, and plenty of water in your car to have a lovely mini-getaway trip with your significant other. If you need a break from the grind, you don't need to sit in a car for hours to enjoy a road-trip-like experience with your partner.
Total cost: Gas (price varies) + $80/annual pass or ~$25/day pass (sometimes day pass last several days to a week)
Car Hike: Depends on how comfortable you are with sleeping in the car, there are actually a few FREE camp sites (see California, see Others ), with toilets and sometimes even showers. You can bring camping gears or simply sleep in your car. It's better with a hatchback so you can put the seats down and laid out your mini bed for the night. Typically, these free camp sites are fairly remote or nearby a touristy remote town. There's always some interesting touristy shops. Draw a 50-mile radius around where you live, pick up your car and go by the remote landmark even if it seems like it's the middle of no where. You might be surprised by what you will find.
Total cost: Gas (price varies)
Beach Day: I think this one is self-explanatory, but probably deserve a mention. Extra bonus for bon-fires!
Total cost: From a few bucks to as expensive as a 5-course-meals
Pretend To Be a Tourist: Sometimes, we take where we live for granted. Sometimes, my boyfriend and I would walk around downtown or touristy areas (like Seaport Village in San Diego) as if we are just visitors to where we live. Typically, locals are deterred by touristy places due to parking and additional fees. However, we get to skip the hotel fees and explore more of our city. To our surprises, we found a lot of places we didn't know about and honestly have a very comparable experiences if we were doing the same thing in another city. Again, I would pack lunch to save money on eating out. There are likely plenty of seating areas (it's for tourists after all).
Total cost: Gas (price varies) & parking fees (~$10)

Found a lake nearby!