So here’s the thing about San Francisco – it’s gorgeous, incredibly walkable, and home to some of the best neighborhoods I’ve explored in the States. But holy expensive, Batman. I learned this the hard way during my first visit back in 2018 when I booked what I thought was a “reasonable” hotel in Union Square…

So I’m scrolling through my email one morning last October, and I see a message from my college roommate Sarah: “Ava! I’m getting married in San Francisco next June. Please tell me you can make it?” My heart did that simultaneous squeeze of excitement and dread, because let me tell you—San Francisco and “budget travel”…

Look, I’m not usually the type to stay in boutique hotels. My usual San Francisco accommodations involve hostels with questionable shower pressure or Airbnbs where the “private room” turns out to be someone’s converted garage. But last spring, I managed to book three nights at Hotel Zetta in downtown SF for just $89 a night—less…

Look, I’m not gonna lie – when I first heard about the Grand Bay Hotel in San Francisco, I pretty much laughed. A nice hotel? In one of the most expensive cities in the US? Yeah, that wasn’t exactly screaming “budget traveler friendly” to me. But here’s the thing about travel: sometimes the best deals…

Look, I’ll be honest with you—when I first heard about the ink48 hotel in Hell’s Kitchen, I pretty much laughed it off. A boutique hotel in Manhattan? Yeah, right. That’s not exactly in the Cheap Travel Hacks playbook. But here’s the thing: after sleeping in my fair share of questionable hostels where the “shared bathroom”…

Look, I’m not usually the hotel type. After eight years of crashing on couches, house-sitting questionable apartments, and sleeping in hostels where the walls are basically cardboard, I’ve made peace with budget accommodations. But last spring, when I found myself in New York for a week-long travel conference, I did something completely out of character—I…

So here’s the thing about New York City – it’s basically designed to drain your bank account faster than you can say “Broadway show.” I learned this the hard way on my first trip back in 2018 when I blew through $600 in three days just on a mediocre hotel in Times Square that smelled…

I’ll be honest with you – the first time someone told me they found a decent hotel in Manhattan for under $150 a night, I literally laughed out loud. This was back in 2019, and I’d just spent three nights in what can only be described as a glorified closet in Midtown for $189 per…

So here’s the thing about staying near Madison Square Garden in New York – everyone tells you it’s going to cost an arm and a leg, and honestly, they’re not entirely wrong. But I’ve crashed in this neighborhood more times than I can count (concerts, Knicks games, that one time I had a layover that…

Look, I know what you’re thinking. The Conrad Hotel in New York? That place is fancy. Like, marble-lobby-and-doormen fancy. When I first told my readers I was heading to the Conrad in Lower Manhattan, my inbox exploded with messages asking if I’d finally sold out or landed some big sponsorship deal. Nope. Still the same…