Non Fiction
Date Published: April 29, 2015
“Life must be a mixture of frugality and luxury.” -- Marilyn Whelan
Caviar Living is a hand guide of home-spun lessons from
a life well lived. Marilyn Whelan shares her wisdom from how to connect with
your community to how to play your mortgage like a game.
With short snappy chapters Whelan gives us tips and tidbits on:
·
Fun
ways to teach your kids and grandkids about money
·
How
to keep a clutter-free house – and why!
·
Creative
ways to get a tax break
·
How
to stretch a dollar on everything from real estate to creative vacations
Part budget guide, part spiritual manual, and a whole lotta
charm, Caviar Living is a lifetime of lessons
wrapped up in this 98-pages of fun.
“The
world is a book,
and
those who do not travel
read
only a page.”
-
Saint Augustine
Travel
75
Travel is and always will be my passion. My
vacations
are planned around volunteering,
family,
adventure, learning and fun. As long as
I
can be warm, I am willing to go anywhere at
any
time. I have had the good luck to experience
many
different types of getaways.
Volunteer
Travel
Because
my husband was retired military,
this
allowed us to travel on military cargo
planes.
We often would sign up for five destinations
and
take the first one offered. Our main
objective
was to cross the ocean. We traveled
76
often
to Spain, Italy, Germany and England and
branched
out from there.
We
served a tour of duty in the United States
Peace
Corps. We served in the Philippines, and
I
still keep up with good friends we made there.
Many
people do not realize Peace Corps volunteers
are
drawn mostly from two groups: people
fresh
out of college and retirees.
There
are many wonderful opportunities for
volunteer-oriented
vacations. Perhaps you’d like
to
try an archeological dig, or pulling weeds on
a
mountain trail, or counting turtles on a distant
island.
One
of my favorite adventures was a month
I
spent volunteering for the National Park Service
at
Andersonville, GA. Andersonville was
the
site of the largest prisoner of war camp in
the
South for Union soldiers during the Civil
War.
It is now a national park that includes a
museum
devoted to POWs from all of America’s
wars.
I was a greeter in the museum, helping
visitors
look up their ancestors, and I sometimes
helped
in the gift shop. My two days off
per
week were spent touring the area. While
I
was there, I stayed in a small cottage in the
77
cemetery.
I was the only one on the grounds
at
night. It gave me lots of time to reflect, and I
took
several projects with me to work on. There
was
no television reception in the area, nor did
I
have Internet access.
My
second-favorite volunteer location was
with
Pueblo Ingles. This is a for-profit agency
that
helps Spanish executives perfect their English.
For
the Spaniards, it is a very expensive
program
paid for by their employers. The program
does
not accept participants who speak
only
Spanish, because the goal is for them to
totally
immerse themselves in English. Once
you
are accepted into the program as a volunteer,
you
work with program personnel to select
a
date. If you’re coming with friends, they
work
with you to offer a week to your party as
a
group.
We
paid only for airfare. We were met in
Madrid
the evening before departure for the resort
and
taken to a banquet and flamenco show
with
our fellow Anglos. Anglos come from all
English-speaking
countries, such as the U.S.,
England,
Ireland, Wales and South Africa.
78
The
next day we were taken by bus about 2
1/2
hours from Madrid into the mountains near
the
Portugal border. The resort was beautiful.
Each
of us was assigned with a Spaniard to a
casita
with a bedroom and bath for the Spaniard
upstairs
and a bedroom and bath downstairs
for
the volunteer. We shared a small living
room
and kitchen area. A chef prepared three
meals
a day, with wine accompanying lunch
and
dinner. It truly was an unforgettable week
for
a lifetime of memories. You can learn about
this
program at www.diverbo.com/en/jobs.
Vacations
are for fun, excitement and trying
something
new. Consider participating on
a
cattle drive. Dryhead Ranch in Montana is
a
working cattle and guest ranch. One of the
most
popular activities there is driving the cattle
50
miles on Bad Pass Trail. This is a three-hour
drive
that gives you to chance to get acquainted
with
the beautiful Montana country. For more
information,
go to www.dryheadranch.com.
Packing
Getting
a trip off to a great start can be as
simple
as packing correctly. A list is essential.
79
It
helps to have a master list to start from. On
this
list are the items you are most likely to
need
wherever you go, such as an alarm clock,
camera,
cell phone charger, medication, small
flashlight
or night light. Give thought to what
your
days and nights will entail. Think of the
things
that will bring you comfort and ease.
When
planning clothes, select only three
colors
that will go with each other. Make sure
you
have both solid and patterned bottoms and
tops.
Choose items that go with more than one
other
item. My rule is that each top must go
with
three things. Roll your clothes. They will
take
less room and are less likely to wrinkle.
Consider
the mood of the vacation when you
pack.
Will it be an exciting adventure, casual
down
time, family event? Choose your clothes
accordingly.
Have a plan. Your trip plan doesn’t
have
to be written in stone; it can be changed
along
the way. But have a plan for the things
you
think you want to do or see. That said, be
open
to changes in the plan. Be flexible.
80
Souvenirs
When
shopping for souvenirs, consider
adding
a special piece to your wardrobe or buy
something
for your home you can incorporate
into
your decorating scheme. Make it authentic
–
something a craftsman made or a work of
art.
Let it remind you of the wonderful trip you
took.
You want to look at it for years and smile. I
often
carry my purchases on the plane with me.
I
feel like I can replace my clothes if lost, but
not
my special remembrances.
Travel
Deals
Vacations
do not have to be costly. Thanks
to
technology, you have more tools than ever
to
nab the best price for a great getaway. These
tips
will help you save time and money, both
when
searching for deals and while you’re actually
traveling:
•
When purchasing airfare, try to be flexible
about
your travel days for a lower
fare.
•
Consider buying early. If you must travel
during
peak travel times, such as when
school
is out or over Christmas or Easter
81
vacation,
buy as early as possible. Airline
ticket
prices typically go up in the
last
two weeks before flying.
•
Consider buying late. This is major risk,
but
sometimes airlines have open seats
at
the last minute and offer them in
newsletters
to their loyal flyers. A simple
online
search will help you find the
cheapest
days to fly.
•
Shop around. Always, always check
as
many prices as time permits. Never
book
the first price you see. A small
sampling
of sites to check includes
www.priceline.com,
www.orbitz.com,
www.travelzoo.com,
www.kayak.com/
flights,
www.expedia.com, and www.
farecompare.com.
These sites will help
you
figure out which airlines fly to your
destination.
Next, you can go to the
website
of the airline with the lowest
fare
and check it directly. Maybe that
airline
will offer a special sale or promotion,
or
maybe you can just hit the
site
at the right time.
•
Be flexible. If you live near more than
82
one
airport, check out fares from all the
airports
near you. Many online faresearching
engines
will ask you if you are
willing
to depart from or arrive in alternative
cities.
•
You’ll usually find the lowest fares for
travel
if you look on Tuesdays, Wednesdays
and
Saturdays. Also try to fly midweek,
which
is less costly. Prices on the
Internet
are lower for car rentals, hotels
and
flights. You can compare prices
among
Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz.
•
Peak seasons are tricky. Often flying the
week
before or the week after a peak
season
can make a huge difference.
I
remember once taking a cruise to
Alaska
the last week of the peak season.
It
turned out to be the warmest week of
that
season.
•
When renting a car, www.AutoSlash.
com
can tell you when a good deal
comes
along. Check for coupons and
specials.
This site will track your reservation
and
alert you when a special deal
is
offered.
83
•
When buying travel insurance, try a
multi-insurance
site such as www.
insuremytrip.com.
Don’t buy insurance
from
a tour operator, travel agency or
cruise
line. They work with only one
agency
and may use the one that offers
them
the highest commission rather
than
the one that best meets your needs.
•
For booking a hotel room last-minute,
download
an app called Hotel Tonight.
It
not only gives you up to 70 percent
off,
but you can check availability a
week
in advance.
•
Have an RV? For a $35 annual fee,
you
can park free overnight at one of
351
farms or wineries. Find out more
at
www.harvesthosts.com. For free or
nearly
free RV campgrounds, try www.
freecampgrounds.com.
•
Satisfied with only a place to lay your
head?
Consider a Pod Hotel. Arabella
Bowen,
executive director for Fodor’s
travel
likens the pods to cruise cabins.
After
all, most travelers do not spend a
lot
of time in their rooms, but consider
84
the
hotel a place to be comfortable at
night.
Pod Hotels can be found in many
foreign
countries and also airports such
as
Atlanta and Heathrow. One example
is
Tubo Hotel in Tepoztlan, Mexico,
where
you sleep in a recycled drainage
pipe.
All rooms have a queen-size bed,
light,
fan and Wi-Fi. There is a swimming
pool
on the grounds. A package
plan
is offered for cooking lessons with
fabulous
celebrity chef, Ana Garcia, the
Mexican
Rachel Ray. Check it out at
www.Tubohotel.com.
•
Italy’s newest high-speed trains, Italo,
advertise
larger windows, wider seats,
more
elbow room, smoke-free and air
conditioned
cars, and Wi-Fi. Find out
more
at www.raileurope.com.
•
When planning a trip, check online for
free
activities. Many regions and cities
offer
free concerts in the park, lectures
in
the library and ranger-led walks, just
to
name a few. While online, check for
discounted
tickets and special deals.
Look
on www.restaurant.com for dis85
counts
on meals.
•
Military families, both active duty and
retired,
can fly “space available” to
foreign
countries. They can stay on
bases
in short-term housing in the U.S.
and
abroad. Most bases have a ticket
and
tour office where discounted tickets
are
available. I recently went with
several
friends to the Naval Base in Key
West
where we had a reservation for a
three-bedroom
house for four days. It
was
wonderful, complete with a fully
equipped
kitchen and all linens.
Tax
Advantages
While
my goal is not to give tax advice, you
can
often take advantage of having Uncle Sam
pay
for part of your trip. Suppose you want to
buy
a boat and “sail the ocean blue.” In addition
to
your home mortgage taxes and interest, you
may
be able to deduct a second home mortgage
taxes
and interest. If the boat of your dreams has
sleeping
and cooking quarters and a bathroom,
it
could qualify as a second home. This also
holds
true for a travel trailer or motor home.
86
If
you are traveling to an exotic location for
a
volunteer experience with an accredited organization,
you
may be able to deduct the cost
of
your travel expenses, as long as the volunteer
work
is the primary reason for your expense.
One
such trip I found recently is offered by
the
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.
It
could be considered both a service and a
learning
vacation. The committee is partnering
with
BorderLinks. BorderLinks is a binational,
nonprofit
educational organization at the U.S.-
Mexico
border. The organization focuses on
cross-border
relationship-building opportunities,
immigration
issues, community formation
and
development, and social justice in the borderlands
between
Mexico, the United States,
and
beyond.
BorderLinks
has extensive experience designing
programs,
and nearly 1,000 individuals
participate
annually in BorderLinks learning
opportunities.
Volunteers have the opportunity
to
meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
go
on a desert walk, and participate in a
discussion
with a public defender.
Other
ideas are provided below. Many of
87
these
organizations charge a fee, but others are
free:
•
Want to learn to speak a foreign language?
Your
course may be offset by the
lifetime
learning tax credit worth up to
$2,000.
•
One-day cooking classes in Europe can
be
found at www.theinternationalkitchen.
com.
•
Many foreign countries have Englishspeaking
volunteer
greeters who belong
to
the Global Greeter Network. Find it
at
www.globalgreeternetwork.com. The
greeters
are not trained guides, but will
spend
a few hours with you introducing
you
to native haunts.
•
Dublin is known as the City of a Thousand
Welcomes.
It matches first-time
visitors
with volunteers for a cup of tea
or
a pint. Find information at www.
cityofathousandwelcomes.com.
•
The folks at www.meetingthefrench.com
organize
dinners in private homes in
Paris.
•
Find Couchserfing.com which takes you
to
a facebook application whereby you
88
can
join and stay with locals instead of
at
hotels.
Flexibility
and Resourcefulness
You
don’t always get everything you desire
in
accommodations. When I scheduled three
weeks
in the Berkshires with a friend, we had
a
great timeshare with two bedrooms and two
baths.
The operators obviously did not want
visitors
to do a lot of cooking, because the kitchen
had
only a small refrigerator, a very small
microwave
and a sink. It was a bit of a shock,
since
we had not counted on eating three meals
a
day in restaurants for three weeks. We went
to
a local Kmart and purchased an electric hot
plate
and a set of three pans. We shopped local
farmers’
markets for produce. By being flexible
and
resourceful, we ended up preparing meals
that
were gourmet quality.
89
“Travel
is fatal to
prejudice,
bigotry, and
narrow
mindedness, and
many
of our people need
it
sorely on these accounts.
Broad,
wholesome,
charitable
views of men
and
things cannot be
acquired
by vegetating in
one
littlecorner of the earth
all
one’s lifetime.”
- Mark Twain
Marilyn Whelan has worked as a reporter, a district supervisor in a
first time youthful offenders program, and President of Shoppers Critique
International. Her want is to
die with something remaining on her bucket list, because when something is
crossed off, something else is added.
Marilyn currently lives in Clearwater, Florida, where she is Granny to seven, and Great Granny to three. She loves to travel and plays Mah Jongg twice a week.
Marilyn currently lives in Clearwater, Florida, where she is Granny to seven, and Great Granny to three. She loves to travel and plays Mah Jongg twice a week.
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