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TravelSmart Woman
  • Meet Me
  • Media Kit
  • U.S. Destinations
    • California
    • Chicago
    • Florida
    • New Mexico
    • Road Trips
    • Seattle
    • Seasonal
  • Worldwide Destinations
    • Camino de Santiago
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Cuba
    • England
    • France
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • Other

Budget Travel

Unless we’re royalty or lottery winners, most of us need ways to make our travel dollars go far–literally!

Budget TravelDraftMuseumsRoad TripsSolo TravelU.S. Destinations

Cahokia Mounds, IL: Prehistoric American City

May 17, 2022 budget travel, history, museum, road trips, solo travel Comments are off
Painting of Cahokia Mounds

Cahokia Mounds, in southeastern Illinois, was once a thriving American city…before there was an America. During its peak–about 1100 A.D., the population was larger than London’s at the same time. Until 1800, no other urban area in the United...

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Budget TravelCaliforniaSolo Travel

Sonoma Plaza: Where California Began

September 1, 2021 solo travel Comments are off
Sonoma Plaza: Where California Began

They say a city’s soul lives in its public places. If that’s true, then Northern California’s Sonoma Plaza rivals any of Europe’s grand squares or parks. Only eight acres, it’s still California’s largest plaza. And it’s where California began....

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Budget TravelRoad TripsSolo TravelU.S. Destinations

Solo Road Trip to Manistique, MI: A Beautiful Bargain

August 9, 2020 budget travel, Michigan, road trips, solo travel, US travel 2 Comments
Geese crossing Manistique MI boardwalk

I confess: I was itching to get out again after nearly five months of sheltering-in-place. A solo road trip seemed like a good idea for several reasons: First, solo travel is my jam. Second, one’s own car is the...

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Budget TravelU.S. Destinations

Casey, Illinois: Tiny Town, BIG Things!

May 24, 2020 solo travel, US travel Comments are off
Casey, Illinois, has eight of the world's largest items! It's worth a drive!

You probably wouldn’t give Casey, Illinois a second thought. It’s a very small town (population 2,635) not conveniently located in the East-Central part of the state. In fact, it’s a hundred miles closer to Indianapolis than Chicago. But Casey...

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Budget TravelHow-ToSolo TravelU.S. DestinationsWorldwide Destinations

15 Travel Bloggers to Follow

February 23, 2020 Comments are off
TravelSmart Woman wants you to explore the world! And there are other travel bloggers who can help you get there, exactly the way you want.

Yes, TravelSmart Woman wants you to find other travel bloggers to follow. Just like in the movie “Miracle on 34th Street,” when Kris Kringle tells Macy’s shoppers where to find the perfect gift, I’m going to suggest some bloggers...

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Budget TravelFoodU.S. Destinations

Cheap Eats in Seattle: A TravelSmart Woman Food Tour

October 13, 2019 budget travel, Food, Seattle Comments are off
Cheap Eats in Seattle: Find the best fish and chips at a working fisherman's terminal!

Finding cheap eats in Seattle is easier than you might think. And surprisingly delicious. You just have to know where to look–and even that’s not hard. Seattle has always been pricey; it’s been at the top of “too-expensive-to-visit” list...

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Books, Magazines & MoviesBudget TravelThoughts on Travel

“Ten Years a Nomad” Shares the Wisdom of a Weary Traveler

September 1, 2019 Books, budget travel Comments are off
Whether you've ever dreamed of traveling full-time, or not, you'll enjoy the lessons in "Ten Years a Nomad" by Matthew Kepnes.

Spoiler alert: Matthew Kepnes, author of Ten Years a Nomad, doesn’t give up traveling. But he does burn out. And he does come to realize the price that being a constant wayfarer is high. Then again, so is the...

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Budget TravelHow-ToU.S. Destinations

Staycations: How to Make Yours Fun & Memorable

July 3, 2019 budget travel, Covid-19, solo travel, Travel Planning 2 Comments
Staycations offer the chance to really enjoy the area where you live and call home.

Updated July 12, 2020. Staycations! Fun, right?!? Please don’t groan and roll your eyes. Suddenly, staycations have been more or less mandated. And if the public health experts are correct, we may be doing “local travel only” for the...

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Budget TravelCaliforniaMuseums

Jack London: He Wrote So He Could Be a Farmer

January 30, 2019 California, history, museum, U.S. Destinations Comments are off
Jack London State Park, Glen Ellen, CA

“I write a book for no other reason than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me…” What happens when you learn Jack London wrote his astounding novels to support sustainable agriculture on his farm?  Well, you...

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Budget TravelSolo Travel

Free Guided Tours: A Boon to Budget Travel

January 13, 2019 budget travel, solo travel, tours, walks Comments are off
Free guided tours are available in a surprising number of places around the world!

Free guided tours? FREE? You bet! It seems too good to be true, but not only do they exist, you have a choice of companies and programs that offer unusual ways to see cities around the world. For travelers...

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Worth 1,000 Words…

A labyrinth can reset our mind and intention. Can we do the same with how we travel? (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
Flower Vendor at sSeattle Pike Place Market
Seattle’s Pike Place Market is one of the nation’s treasures. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
The World's Largest Rocking Chair in Casey, Illinois.
Going to Seattle? Of course you'll want to visit the Space Needle. Fresh from a renovation, here's what to know!
"Becoming Human" by Christian Ristow welcomes you to Meow Wolf.The flower-sniffing robot is 30 feet tell. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
A "young man" of 70+ years leads the band in Santa Clara. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
Sandia Peak Tram was a challenge to build.
After your selfie at The Bean, visit one of the Chicago food halls!
The passage to the stadium was once covered entirely by a stone arch roof. Today, only one section remains. It's easy to imagine how athletes felt as they ran down the narrow entry into the stadium
The wooden roof is what burned on 15 April 2019, taking the spire with it. When it was built, Notre Dame Cathedral required 52 acres of forest to complete the roof.
Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, NM: The Mysterious and Miraculous Staircase
Better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times..
Solo travel doesn't really have many downsides
Unclaimed Baggage Center is easy to find in Scottsboro, AL.
Milwaukee Art Museum: Architect Santiago Calatrava designed MOM to resemble a ship. Given its location on the Lake Michigan waterfront, his idea was brilliant. (Photo credit: Suzanne Ball. All rights reserved.)
Peace solo travel by eating at a nice restaurant
Rome-Colosseum
U.S. Destinations-Seattle-Pike Place
Window shopping in Florence: Silk ties
The Acropolis in Athens awaits!
Craving Europe? There are some surprising European destinations in the US!

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