If you’re anything like me, you’re vaxxed and ready to travel after a year of staying close to home. Million Stories, the entertainment channel that wants to make financial literacy fun, is ready to help you plan your travels with their series “George Goes Everywhere.” George Igoe, the director and creator, travels the country to explore the best each city has to offer. And he does it with a daily budget of $100.
Now that people are starting to travel again, where should you go first? “There’s no one destination that works for everyone,” according to George. “I always encourage people to do things they’ve always dreamed of doing. To stop hoping to visit someplace and start planning how you’ll make it happen. Because if the pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that we shouldn’t take travel for granted and should do it whenever we have the chance.”
Sticking to the $100 budget on the show can be trickier in more expensive cities like New York and Chicago, but George has a not-so-secret weapon for saving money during his travels. “If you dig a little, you can almost always find great, fun stuff that doesn’t break the bank. Doing research beforehand can help you avoid getting sucked into expensive, touristy stuff.”
Planning ahead on your travel doesn’t mean you can’t also go with the flow. George always recommends talking to the locals in a city to get the inside scoop on hidden gems. “There was a Mexican restaurant in Houston called Irma’s that was recommended to me by someone at the Space Center Houston. It’s a wonderful, family-owned place that I had never heard of, but turned out to be great. Goes to show… talk to locals whenever you can!”
George also thinks it’s ok to priotize your vacation splurging based on what means the most for you. “I’ll take splurging on an experience like break dancing lessons in NYC over a nice restaurant any day.”
Another tip for getting the most out of your travel budget? Visiting cities that you might not immediately think of as a tourist destination. “Milwaukee really surprised me with how much there was to do,” says George. “It was still jam-packed with fun activities, and the people were some of the most friendly I’ve met.” The smaller size of a city like Milwaukee also means it will be generally less expensive than more popular destinations like New York.
George’s top tip when it comes to sticking with a vacation budget is to expand your horizons. “Try new and different things when traveling… things you might not do in your hometown. This will open up many more opportunities for fun, affordable activities.”
You can see where George heads next on “George Goes Everywhere,” streaming now on Million Stories.
About George Goes Everywhere
Exploring cities across the U.S. with just 100 bucks in his pocket, George shares clever travel tips & tricks that won’t breaking the bank account or max out the credit card.