10 Steps To Moving To New York City Alone With Nothing (Because You Can)

Posted on July 11, 2018February 25, 2025 by Krystal

I moved to New York City ten years ago from California with nothing more than a little chunk of change and a (practically) strangers couch to crash on. It was something I talked about doing for my entire life and I was finally done just talking. In 2014, I decided it was time to make moving to New York city alone a reality. I was 26 years old at the time, a college graduate, with...more

Budget Advice: How to Save Enough Money to Quit Your Job and Travel

Posted on February 22, 2017June 21, 2019 by Krystal

I'm writing this from the back of the bar I work in. Staring down the row of empty bar stools, wishing I could enjoy the mild February temperatures that have graced New York this week. If you can believe it, I actually wore sandals. Most New Yorkers are out enjoying the weather and not sitting inside a dark bar. So as I sit here thinking about the little amount of money I stand to make today,...more

The 5 Month Couchsurfing Experience I Had in Order to Budget Travel

Posted on June 18, 2014June 6, 2019 by Krystal

My five month couchsurfing experience taught me everything I needed to know about privacy. We all have a personal bubble, we need space, and we need to know that we have somewhere to seek refuge, to escape from the world and everyone in it when it’s just too much. So how did I spend 15 weeks jumping from dorm hostel to strangers couches in an attempt to travel as long as I possibly could? I...more

Why Having A Good Travel Companion Is Essential

Posted on June 3, 2014June 4, 2018 by Krystal

Good travel companions are hard to come by, especially traveling abroad. The stress of planning and budgeting is hard. Pair that with not knowing the language and no consistent internet access, it can be down right exhausting. Add a long time frame and no plan to the equation and it takes a toll on even the strongest of relationships. When it came to choosing my particular travel mate, it was a decision based on pure...more

My First Big Adventure is Booked

Posted on January 22, 2014June 4, 2018 by Krystal

Los Angeles to New York, New York to Boston, Boston to Portugal. Plane tickets are purchased, itineraries booked, there’s no turning back now (not that I want to). I am about to embark on my first big backpacking adventure. It started a little less than a year ago (8 months to be more specific). I had what I thought was a crazy idea to sell my things, quit my job, pack a bag and just...more