thrifty tips Archives - your fav travel besties!

October 17, 2023

Grand Rapids, MN – Your Affordable Weekend Retreat

Black girl sitting on a chair in Grand Rapids MN

As avid Midwest travelers based in Minnesota and Wisconsin, we are always on the hunt to discover new pockets of the Midwest. It is one of our favorite things about being travel bloggers - exploring interesting, yet affordable places right in our backyard! Located only 3 hours north of the Twin Cities, Grand Rapids, is a quiet and quirky city in Northern Minnesota. From scenic hiking trails to outdoor music festivals and local breweries, this city surprised us with its unexpected charm. We partnered with @VisitGrandRapids and @Riverfest[...]

France

September 9, 2022

The Best Free Things to do in Paris, France

Two girls standing in front of the Love Wall in Paris

Paris is undoubtedly one of the most expensive cities in Europe. From its top notch cuisine to its sophisticated fashion scene, Paris can feel completely out of reach for us budget-friendly travelers. But don’t let the high price tags scare you! We created this list of the best free things to do in Paris to help. It is absolutely possible to plan a budget friendly trip to the 'City of Lights'. When we visited recently, we managed to keep daily spending to $90 per person; this included transportation, meals, and many activities in Paris. One of t[...]

Wisconsin

May 25, 2022

Summerfest: the music festival you can’t miss

It's that time of the year again...summer in the Midwest; the most beautiful season with one too many events your calendar and wallet can't handle. But, we're here to tell you about one of our favorite events of the summer and how you can save some $$$ while attending it. Keep reading to learn more about Summerfest: why it's the music festival you can't miss! Summerfest Phil Vassar, Selena Gomez, Gavin DeGraw, Lizzo, Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw, Matisyahu...what do they all have in common? Each of these amazing artists have headlined at Summerfest within the[...]

Wisconsin

April 13, 2022

8 date night restaurants downtown Milwaukee

Cheese, beer, and more cheese. That’s what most people think when they hear Wisconsin. But, there’s more to us! Especially, restaurants downtown Milwaukee. The food scene in downtown Milwaukee is incredible. There are so many talented chefs and so many cute, romantic date night restaurant spots that will inspire you to travel to a new country simply with the cuisine. We love using our CityTin to pick the next date night restaurant we’ve never been to, but we also have a list of our never-disappoint spots. Here is a taste of our favorite romantic date[...]

Europe, Italy

April 13, 2022

Our Budget Guide to Rome, Italy

Unbelievable architecture, historic treasure, ancient world, expensive: that's what came to mind when we thought of Rome, Italy. Being one of the most visited cities in the world, we assumed everything in Rome would be pretty pricey. So heading into our 4 day adventure to Rome, we were prepared to budget a little bit higher than most trips. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that Rome is much more affordable than we thought! From transportation, housing, activities to food and drinks, Rome was slightly cheaper compared to the other Italian[...]

Europe

March 17, 2022

Our Budget Guide to Florence, Italy

Florence is the ideal destination for wine drinking, street shopping, and dancing the night away! When we were planning our Italian city tour, we originally did not have Florence on the list. But luckily, a few of our friends talked some sense into us, and we are so glad we added it to our trip! It’s smaller than some of the other popular Italian cities like Rome but worth spending a few days to explore all of its charm! It can be overwhelming when visiting a new city to know what the must see spots are and where to spend your money. That's wh[...]

Europe

March 6, 2022

Our Budget Guide to Cinque Terre, italy

two girls hugging for a picture in Cinque Terre Italy

We recently did an Italian city tour, and it was so hard to narrow down to the top few areas! There are so many incredible cities to explore in Italy: Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, the list goes on. We created a budget guide for each place, so consider this your budget guide to Cinque Terre! We were not familiar with Cinque Terre when we were planning our 10-day Europe trip but after stumbling across some pictures, it quickly rose to the top of our bucketlist. Cinque Terre is a coastal area within Liguria, in the northwest of Italy. It consists of[...]

Europe, Thrifty Tips

February 24, 2022

Our Budget Guide to Paris, France

Paris is one of those unique places where each time you visit, it could be a completely different experience. Whether this is your first time visiting the City of Lights, or this is one of many trips to Paris, you will find great recommendations in this post to help curate the perfect Parisian experience! Let's address the elephant in the room. Paris is NOT a budget friendly destination. There is no sugar coating it. It is known for its high quality cuisine and chic fashion after all. But in every city that we visit, we find ways to budget, and Paris was[...]

Holiday Gift Guide 2021, Thrifty Tips

November 24, 2021

2021 Local Holiday Gifts under $50

We hope to make shopping a little easier for you this holiday season by putting together a curated list of 14 local holiday gifts from some of our favorite Minnesota and Wisconsin business owners! Not only are each of these gifts super affordable, each item is from incredible women owned and/or minority owned businesses that we love to support! Cheers to all of our last minute holiday shoppers! This one is for you :) Happy shopping! Woolly Bear Knits Women Owned, Local Minnesota We can't get enough of Woolly Bear Knits! Her hand knitte[...]

Thrifty Tips

April 21, 2020

12 Packing Hacks (That Will Save You Money)

Packing Hack carry on luggage with essential packing items. Includes a computer, sunglasses, camera, and clothes.

Packing can quite honestly be the worst part of trip planning. Having a list of good packing hacks can minimize the stress that can come with packing, and hopefully leave you feeling less anxious before a trip. We know everyone has their own opinion when it comes to packing. But after over 10 years of travel, we have put together our expert packing hacks that have allowed us to pack lighter and more efficiently. In this post, we share a list of packing hacks that will not only make travel easier, but will save you money! And who doesn't lov[...]