Boujee Budget Travel

As the title conveys, we recently went on quite an adventure to four cities in the span of 11 days. Here’s how it went down:

Day 1: Seattle

On May 25, 2024, my good friend from high school got married in Seattle (Congrats, Sarah!). That morning, we flew out to Washington via Spirit Airlines as it was the least expensive option ($368.51 for 2 one-way flights from ABQ to SEA, including two checked bags and $71.76 Spirit Membership fee). We had a layover in Las Vegas so we made sure to hit up the airport lounge included with the Priority Pass- a benefit of my Chase Sapphire Credit Card. Side note, while the card has a hefty yearly fee of $550, it offers $300 of travel credit every year, covers Global Entry/TSA Pre Check fees every 4(?) years, complimentary Priority Pass membership, and several other great benefits.  At the airport lounge we had access to free food, drinks (alcoholic too!), and showers if desired, so basically lunch for 2 people came to $10 (tips to the bartender and staff). The second flight came and went quickly and while we intended to take the hotel shuttle from the airport, we called to find out that the shuttle did not operate during the 3-hr window we happened to arrive. Boo. So we took a Lyft for $8.50, including tip. The hotel was nothing fancy since we were only staying the night, but it was clean and close to where we needed to be so it did the job just fine ($104.57 for the night at Red Roof Inn, booked through Expedia and using some points via that app). After washing up, we decided to head to a local pub (Lyft ride= $11.42 after tip) as we had about an hour and a half before the wedding. We spent $35.63 on a few drinks/tip at the pub then decided to walk over to the wedding venue, a private home in a nearby neighborhood. The wedding was beautiful and intimate and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. At the end of the night, we took one more Lyft to the hotel ($7.57 after tip). Early the next morning, we were able to catch the hotel shuttle back to the airport. We arrived with enough time to stop at two restaurants for breakfast, both of which were mostly covered by the Priority Pass allocation at those restaurants ($28/pp at each place). In total, I spent $11.09 for tips/balances on 2 breakfasts, 2 salads, 2 sodas, and 2 water bottles. Next stop, Pittsburgh!

2 flights: $368.51

3 Lyfts: $27.49

food/drink/entertainment: $61.72

Totals for 1 night in Seattle= $457.72

Days 2-6: Pittsburgh

Following the direct flight from SEA to PIT via Alaska Airlines ($296.20 for 2 people), we spent the next four nights seeing the sights and visiting loved ones. My cousins recently renovated a historic home in the Allegheny area of Pittsburgh and we were able to stay with them (yay free!) while we explored this cool city I knew nothing about. Turns out it’s a very liberal place with a close-knit community. We attended a Memorial Day neighborhood block party and met some wonderful locals. During our stay there, we took ebikes all over the city, rode on the Duquesne Incline, explored the Andy Warhol Museum, walked along the river, and even learned a new board game. While we engaged in a lot of activities, we didn’t spend too much while there. We did mostly free things outdoors and had most meals at home, although when we did go out it was dinner for four. Well worth it. On to Jamaica!

2 flights: $296.20

food/drink/entertainment: $205.66

Souvenirs: 34.98

Totals for 4 nights in Pittsburgh= $536.84

Day 6-10: Negril, Jamaica

We left SUPER early for Jamaica and had a stop in Ft. Lauderdale (Spirit flights were $216.80 for 2 people with 2 checked bags). We were able to take advantage of the lounges once again at the airports, so we only spent $10 on tips for breakfast and lunch for 2 people. Arrival in Jamaica was chaos! It took a bit to get through Customs and then to find the hotel shuttle. Luckily, booking directly through the Riu resort got us a free shuttle from the airport. UNLUCKILY, it took about 45 mins before the shuttle was full enough to leave and then another 1.5 hours before we arrived at the hotel. Time can be the price you pay for ballin’ on a budget. The resort was nice enough, but the beach was really the draw here. Probably the best beach in the area. While the food was mediocre at best, there was one highlight- the jerk chicken. Chef’s kiss. The cocktails were also yummy and the staff was generally very friendly and helpful. Four nights  for two people at the all-inclusive Riu Tropical Palace was $1,168.67 and again, this included airport transfers both ways, as well as access to paddle boards, kayaks, snorkel gear, and live daily/nightly entertainment.  We spent another $80 in tips for the bartenders and waitstaff over the course of our stay, but they definitely deserved it for all of their hard work. On the way out of the country, we utilized the airport lounge and were able to have one last cocktail and mid-morning snack. We also grabbed water bottles to take with us on the plane to avoid extra spending, only paying $5 for tips at the lounge. Then, it was off to Vegas!

2 flights: 216.80 

hotel/food/drink: $1168.67

Souvenirs: 63.90

entertainment: $180

Total for 4 nights in Jamaica= $1629.37

Day 10-11: Las Vegas

The last stop of this journey was in Vegas partially to have a last bit of fun, but mostly out of cost-effectiveness and convenience. Looking at flights home from Jamaica, any reasonable flight (time-wise) would have been much more than we wanted to spend while cheaper flights wouldn’t have gotten us home until Wednesday morning (very long, overnight flights). So, we opted to fly to Las Vegas from Jamaica instead since it was less expensive and shorter travel time. Flights for 2 people were 546.82 on Spirit and we used a MyVegas Comp to get a room for only the taxes ($47.62). We had one layover with enough time to check out the complimentary lounge. Unfortunately, they had almost no gluten-free options for me so I had to stop for food at the airport food court. In total, it cost $20.10 with tips to feed 2 people. We arrived in Vegas late Monday night and decided to just stay in and recuperate a bit from the travels of the day. The next day we got an early start and went to Park MGM to use a match play comp we redeemed (MyVegas again!) then off to get some brunch at Yard House. We didn’t have much planned for the day so we walked around, got some drinks, gambled a bit, said farewell to the Mirage, and a little more eating (Flour and Barley cost 64.19, but they have the BEST gluten free pizza crust and it the leftovers basically fed me 3 more times). After retrieving our luggage from the hotel (free to hold at any Vegas strip hotel but remember to tip at least $2/bag!), we ordered a Lyft and headed to the airport. There we relaxed at the lounge and enjoyed a few last drinks and snacks while waiting for the flight home. For the flight home, we used points on Southwest for only the cost of fees, which was $11.20 total for 2 people.

4 flights: 558.02

food/drink/entertainment: $363.70

nyny 47.62

2 Lyfts: 40.53

souvenirs: 26.01

Total for 1 night in Vegas= $1,035.88

It was a busy, fun, active, relaxing, and tiring 11 day vacation. While it was a little more costly than I usually like for a vacay, we accomplished a lot, saw friends/family, and visited a new place in the world, which made it worth every penny. Experiences and connection with loved ones are what life is all about, after all.

Off-site Airport Parking for 11 days: 96.80