Thrift Can Be a Form of Self-Care
Don’t let the privileged shame you into over-spending.
I’m currently on a 1.5-week vacation to Spain. It’s not a pricey vacation, by any means. I booked all my flights on budget airlines, spending not a single cent on a baggage allowance. This means that I’m traipsing through airports, cities, and cobblestoned old town centers with jacket pockets that bulge so severely that I look about 7 months pregnant, and with a collapsible, 5€ IKEA backpack so stuffed that it makes me look (as my previous partner used to joke) like a Ninja Turtle.
Traveling more cheaply has also involved booking evening flights (which — depending on how you see things — can present some inconveniences); has entailed renting rooms in hostels rather than proper hotels; and has meant often relying on grocery shopping and leftovers to fill my belly for the larger part of the day.
Would I love to be able to afford the privilege of a carry-on, thus saving my poor back from the abuse of an over-stuffed backpack? Would I love to be able to rent cushy rooms that offered a better night’s sleep, total privacy, and (let’s be real) a more eye-pleasing aesthetic than the typical dimness and spartan vibe of a hostel? Would I love to eat more of the local delicacies without worrying about the bill that will inevitably follow? Or would I perhaps…
