09.20.2021 – Boston, MA

Boss up little lady, straighten up little soldier. I’m rather sure I was listening to Eminem while I traveled from NYC to Boston via bus. I kept thinking about my Grandmother Maria. It had been a little over a year of her passing. For months, I had half expected her to call me out of the blue as she usually did. Do not give up, she would have said with her sad, rye smile. She single-handedly made me facepalm more than anyone. I got on that bus, chose a seat right up at the front, and enjoyed the three hour drive to the birthplace of the American Revolution.

Boston would finally be checked off my travel list. History geeks me out, so I really wanted to get to certain places before rounding into my early 30’s. It was now or never, and many people go their entire lives without seeing some of the world. So never was a very real possibility, especially because of COVID-19. All over social media, I kept hearing about how people were taking two roads: 1) get married, or 2) get divorced. I took a third route: travel while my feet and wits are still about me. Amen. Many of you will want me to get into the deets. I will try to be as transparent as possible on the basics, but it really just takes some proactive research on anyone’s part. 

First off, in the world where anything can happen, if anyone is going to set out on a backpacking trip, I would recommend setting aside $5,000-7,000 per person. I spent way less than this in Boston, but I obviously had a few other cities planned. Traveling alone gives people a lot of flexibility with spending and mobility. It’s definitely tougher when traveling with a partner or in a group. So, I put my things in a unit at Public Storage for roughly $150 per month with insurance. Then, I packed a backpacker’s hiking sack that basically resembled the type military units use. I later switched it to a smaller one for my European travels because the original was way, way too heavy. Then, I spent a good day or two searching for the right apps to help me survive on my travels. 

The top two apps for travelers in my opinion: Omio and Hostelworld. For the most part, they came through for me 95% of the time. I pre-booked my bus ticket to Boston from New York’s Bus Terminal off 9th and 42nd about two days ahead of time. It was a cheap $36 dollars for a three hour trip. The hours are not ideal, but I was surprised with the comfort of the ride. Totally do-able. On my way to Boston, I decided to splurge on a dorm bed at Hi Boston, a hostel about 0.5 miles from Boston’s city center, with a whopping price tag of about $75.00 per night. I cringed a little to spend so much on a hostel, but it was worth it. It’s clean, new, and has an ideal location. 

What did I get up to? I walked, and walked, and walked. O’ Come On! The Freedom Trail was a little too good to not get to ASAP! Been dreaming of this moment since my AP World History classes in high school. Group-On was very helpful in Boston; I was able to catch tickets for a boat ride around the Boston harbor, a Sightseeing tour on a trolley, and a Ghost Tour around sunset. It was a busy weekend. One of my rules is to not stay out too late if I can help it as a simple precautionary measure, and that made enjoying the nightlife less than ideal. Don’t get me wrong. A part of me was dying to party it up with whatever cool kids were left at Harvard, but COVID-19 was still very much keeping everyone on their toes. 

My final calculation for the trip in total with food: $350.00 give or take. Gotta say, the best part was finally visiting the infamous place of the Boston Tea Party even if for only a second. Epic! Would I return? Definitely. The place has a good vibe. It may be one of the most expensive cities in the United States to live in, but it’s also one of the most well-preserved. I hope that I’m not missing any additional details. Feel free to comment on this post or any of my social media with questions, comments, or concerns.