You can rack up significant unplanned cost when you travel just from getting around. Jumping from shuttle to bus to rental car takes a toll, but if you make the time to walk instead, you can save a significant amount of money.
Sounds simple right? But would you actually do it? It didn’t even occur to me to try until recently when I was in San Diego attending the American Society for Cell Biology meeting and found myself in a situation where walking was by far the best choice. (#ASCB15 is 10,000 people who are really, really, really excited to understand how each and every one of your cells work.)
By shopping online instead booking through the convention center I got a great deal at the Sheraton. I thought I had it all together, and was feeling a little smug about it, until I got on the train from LAX to San Diego and suddenly realized my hotel was over three miles from the convention center. Honestly, this is the kind of thing I usually have figured out in advance, but with three kids and the holidays…I’ve had a lot going on.
So much choice should be a good thing! But all of it seemed like it’s own kind of hassle. I thought about them all and then decided to be cheerfully cheap by walking to and from the convention center for the next three days.
Why? Walking gets you from A to B sure, but there are other advantages besides saving money on gas and taxi fares:
Health Benefits
The health benefits of walking include boosting the T-cells that engulf bacteria, meaning I’d be less likely to get sick from all that re-circulating plane air! Other health benefits of regular walking include easing stress, and depression, weight loss, and lowered risk of coronary disease and stroke.
Be a Flâneur
A flâneur is someone who ambles through a city in order to experience it. To me it’s a word that perfectly expresses that feeling you get wandering through a city as a tourist, feeling deliciously present, feasting your senses, and enjoying a million tiny new discoveries.
By deliberately being a flâneur in San Diego, I experienced the city in a way I never could have in the back of a taxi. On my first night walking back to my hotel there were 10,000 people down at Seaport Village for the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights boat parade. On the second night I walked back at sunset past the USS Midway Museum and the Maritime Museum.
Or you can go full on flâneur and totally unplug. Walking is a great way to ruminate, and I also talked to a ton of random people, including other conference goers and tourists, whom I wouldn’t have met anywhere else but on the street.
Tips for a Successful Walking Experience
- For apparel, I recommend rotating comfy shoes, a raincoat with a hood, and traveling light.
- Hazards to look out for include unchanging walk signs, bushes, bikes, birds, and textured pavement.
Read more about the health benefits of walking here.
– Amy
