Last updated on January 23rd, 2016 at 05:35 am
Now that we are traveling full time, there will be a shift in these weekly updates. It’s no longer about me sitting in front of a computer and dreaming up the next destination. It’s now me trying to find some time to get on the computer while we are in a dream destination.
At least that was how I would summarize the first week of location independence. Lots of driving, tons of awesome sights, and everything just blurred together.
Those hotel rooms we spent hours agonizing over during our trip? In and out in 12 hours.
That time spent checking on hotel prices, best rate guarantees and fighting for upgrades? It hardly mattered by the time we checked into our 6th hotel in as many nights.
Now we are grounded at the Hyatt Olive 8 in Seattle for a few nights, and it feels really good to calm down a bit. Of course, the fact that we have a 1,000+ square foot suite doesn’t hurt, either. This place is massive, and I love everything about the extra space they provide.
I have taken advantage of the space and unpacked everything. I got some clothes pressed (need to be presentable this week for a conference). I discarded some clothes and planned their replacements.
I ran errands and used a printer to get a hard copy of AirBNB instructions (seriously, 10 pages of instructions written in Comic Sans).
There’s even some down time to write emails, blog posts and process photos.
If our one-way neverending trip were a series of 1 night hotel stays, I would give up after a month. For stays of 1 week or more? I think we will be just fine. Thankfully we will have several stays of this nature to look forward to.
The last thing about our travel week was that I provided some updates while on the road. I never intended to provide daily updates, but updates every few days has been fun. Look for those specific updates in the blog posts section below.
Hotel Bookings
No hotel bookings this week. It’s really hard to do any type of research when traveling through national forests with no cell reception.
Hotel Research
Still researching what to do in Italy this fall… Piedmont, Milan, Turin, Cinque Terre? So many amazing options.
Hotel Stays
This is a big one. We are on our 6th hotel since moving away last week.
- Holiday Inn Express Eureka – Not a bad value at 20k IHG points for a hotel normally priced at $190.39/night. Everything about the stay was fine, but I definitely made sure that we brought all of our possessions up to the hotel room when we parked the car.
- Green Springs Inn and Cabins – This place is amazing and we plan to come back and visit. Full review forthcoming.
- Hampton Inn and Suites Bend – Overall solid hotel in a nice section of Bend along the Deschutes River
- Vintages Trailer Resort near Salem, OR – we stayed in a vintage camper from the 1950’s. It got to 95 degrees that day. Amanda loved it. I sweated a lot.
- Holiday Inn Portland – Jantzen Beach – This hotel was 5k IHG points for point breaks. All things considered, it was a tremendous value, saving $194.64 over retail pricing.
- Hyatt Olive 8 in Seattle – We got upgraded to a suite and I love this hotel so far!
Destination Research
A destination on my radar for the past few months has been Medellín, Colombia. Inexpensive, clean metro system, mountains, easy to get around. I know there is a stigma about Colombia, but I would like to spend some time there.
Plus, it is within an hour of this place:
We also received a recommendation from a Colombian friend to visit a city called Barichara. We were told it is a colonial town that is just beautiful. Google images search tells me that is very true:
Better brush up on my Spanish!
Points Earning
Somewhere around $20 in Hotels.com points for two non-chain stays. 4,649 Hilton points.
My 100,000 point Membership Rewards bonus posted for the American Express Platinum card after meeting $10,000 in minimum spend requirements.
I am still trying to figure out how I will handle credit card applications/trying to achieve spend bonuses while on the road. I know that many people do this, so it won’t be too difficult. Just trying to figure out the best way to get it done.
Flight Bookings
No flights booked or researched.
Totals for our One-Way Neverending Trip
Total flight cost (2 people): $1,484.90 ($26,876.10 saved over retail)
Total flight cost in miles: 436,041
Total flight segments: 11 (3 first, 2 business, 6 economy)
Total flight distance: 47,418 (from Seattle to Milan the long way, then from MSP to Belize)
Total nights booked in hotels, home stays and vacation rentals: 82
Total committed per night for lodging: $91.25
Blog Posts
Haleakala National Park, Ali’i Kula Lavender and Nakalele Blowhole: Things to do in Maui
Coastal Drive, Crater Lake and Deschutes Brewery – Recapping Days 2 & 3 of One Way Neverending
Still loving it. Any chance of a “premium edition” with darker print?
Hi Colleen – I’m sorry, but not sure what you are referring to with the premium edition?
just joking with a way to say I’d “pay the upcharge” to have print legible to older eyes. Love the blog but it’s really hard to read the light text.
I will work on it! That is the default font in my theme, but doesn’t mean it can’t be changed