That week in Portland where everything went sideways

I planned a 5 day trip to Portland with a $40 per day budget. Day 1 was fine, ate at a food cart for $8. Day 2 my hostel bed had bed bugs, I spent $25 on emergency laundry and a new pillow. Day 3 I tried to save money by walking everywhere and got caught in a downpour, phone died from rain damage. By day 5 I had spent my whole emergency fund on fixing the phone and buying cheap rain gear. Has anyone else had a budget trip get wrecked by one bad decision after another?

2 comments

2 Comments

michaelrodriguez18d ago

Disagree completely... $40 a day is asking for trouble in any city, especially Portland. You set yourself up to fail by not planning for things like weather or a basic emergency fund separate from your daily spending. You also picked the cheapest hostel option possible without checking recent reviews, bed bugs are a known issue in those places. Maybe next time save up a real budget before traveling instead of blaming the city for bad choices.

stella_lee18d ago

Make a mental note to pack your crystal ball next time you travel, Michael, it seems like a VITAL tool for hostel review deep dives. Bed bugs ARE a known issue in cheap places, sure, but so is people skipping basic research, which is a lesson you clearly learned the HARD way. Blaming the lack of an "emergency fund" on a $40 budget is like blaming your car for running out of gas when you only put in a gallon. At least you had a plan to freeze to death while your "separate" emergency fund was probably warm and safe in your savings account back home.