One thing we immediately observed upon visiting Seattle is that they LOVE food of all types. Unlike here in Boston, Seattle restaurants are open practically around the clock and it isn't unusual to see a group of friends sitting down to dinner at 11pm. In fact, the restaurant culture seems to overtake the need for bars or dance clubs, because, well, everyone loves to eat! Seattle is known for its top notch seafood, Asian fusion, and Scandinavian influences. We tried a bit of everything, so our Seattle Travel guide part 2 delves into our #JUGsApproved Seattle restaurants.
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Hello! If you've been following us on instagram you might have noticed that we just got back from a much needed four-day getaway in Seattle, Washington. Aside from the pure joy of escaping the snow and bitter temperatures in Boston, we had an amazing time discovering the city's neighborhoods, it’s people, and delicious, delicious food. Having never visited the Pacific Northwest we scoured travel sites, Seattle blogs, and consulted friends and family for recommendations on what to see before we landed. During our stay we followed much of that advice and also stumbled upon some of our own little sweet spots. This post marks our first ever official travel guide as JUG explorers, and we hope it will be something our audience can take advantage of, share, and even contribute to. So, on that note, here is our first ever travel guide, part one of our Seattle series.
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The flight and lodging have been booked so you're almost done! The last essential item you need is a loose itinerary for your vacation. By “loose” we mean just a basic idea of territories you want to cover and attractions to visit. Of course plans can change on the fly, but a general day-to-day agenda helps avoid the back and forth “I don’t know…what do you want to do?” and helps keep the budget in control.
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Now that the flight has been booked, the next step is lodging. While most of you probably won’t be spending much time in your hotel, there is still a lot of decision work to be done in order to get the best place at the best rate for your needs. Here are our tips (JUGs tricks of the trade), the ones we just used to book a room at the Ace Hotel for $30 less a night.
Talk Budgets, Again
Ok, we are saying this again because hotels are another major cost. It's extremely useful to figure out how much people are willing to spend a night on lodging before you start your search. Other important factors to find out: are people looking for a fancy hotel, a cheaper hotel, a trendy hotel, a hostel, a house or an apartment? Figure those things out first as it will all help narrow down your initial options.
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Traveling with my friends is something I always look forward to, but generally not till the planning and booking is actually over with. Nothing can deter me from a friend vacation faster than an disorganized group and a large price tag. Since flights are most often the largest purchase of a trip and we’re actually admits of planning our own JUGs vacation to Seattle, we thought we’d share our tips for how to get the best flight at the best cost.
Talk Openly About Budgets
Do this at the very initial planning stages and be honest. Let each other know how much you can and are willing to spend. This will not only help keep things in control and set boundaries, but it will also help narrow down destinations if the group hasn’t already.
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