It’s always been an ongoing joke about how cheap Bren can be; or economical, as he’d like to call it. A prime example is the winter that Bren wanted to see how long he could go without turning on the heat. My insistence to turn it on fell on deaf ears well into November. It wasn’t until he noticed my lips were blue one morning that he decided it was time. He did the same in the summer with the A/C, casually telling me that if I am hot to go for a swim in the pool.

Looking back now, I am fortunate that I have had years of experience with Bren’s frugal ways. In some ways it has prepared me for this trip. The past 59 days has been from one extreme to the next. Some days in Canada were so cold that I had to wear every single item of clothing that I have under my riding gear. This made simple movements like getting on and off the bike or lifting my arms above my head very difficult. Now, in the Yucatan, it is so hot and humid that when I need a break from swimming in my own sweat, my only option is to jump in the ocean or a nearby cenote. Rooms with A/C usually aren’t within our budget.

We never used our dishwasher so washing dishes by hand isn’t a problem. Rather, it is a skill that has transferred over well to washing our clothes. I’m still trying not to do too good of a job so that he doesn’t take away my washing machine when we get home.

Whether it be grilling up burgers in the parking lot of a museum or stringing up our hammock at Walmart, we do our best to stick within our daily budget. Sometimes it can be a little more frustrating. Like the time he insisted on buying both a full bag of onions and a huge bag of buns because it was a better deal. We didn’t even have room for them and I ended up having to hold them on my lap for two days.

All jokes aside, this is one of the traits I love and admire most about Bren. It wasn’t until I met him that I was able to turn my life around financially. And in all honestly, I am happily there hand-in-hand with him scouring every town for the cheapest tacos and buckets of beers. I might even be just as bad as I sit and input our daily expenses into my colour coded excel spreadsheet.

I guess what I am really trying to say is; travel, as with almost anything, isn’t always as easy as it looks. It requires small, and sometimes even really big, sacrifices. Often it can be challenging and uncomfortable, but spending so much time outside of your comfort zone has it’s benefits. Not only does it broaden your comfort zone, it teaches you to appreciate the little things and be happy with less.

As I write this we are on a 4 hour bus ride that should only take 2 hours……..the 2 hour bus ride was almost $175 MXN more for the two of us (aprox $12 CAD). As Bren hands me my ticket he excitedly says, “I saved us money and got us two more hours of air conditioning!”