Celebrating Lunar New Year at Home

Gung Hay Fat Choy! That means Happy New Year! This year we celebrated Lunar (or Chinese) New Year. It's the Year of the Ox, which is the second animal in the Lunar calendar, because in the mythology, the Ox would have won the race of the animals if it hadn't been for him helping the rat, who then crossed the finish line first since he was carried the whole way. 

Those born in the year of the Ox are said to be hardworking and honest. I'm a Snake, who are said to be humorous and sophisticated, and Eric is a Goat, which are strong and resilient. Each animal has a story and serves a different and unique purpose. You can learn more here. 

Since it's unlikely we'll get to be in China on Lunar New Year, we decided to have a staycation that combined both travel and a celebration. I got these funky firecracker headbands, because this is a celebration and the most fireworks are actually set off in the world on that night. 

We visited the Great Wall on our "trip" and ordered food from one of the most popular Chinese restaurants near us. 

We ordered shrimp fried noodles, because long noodles signify a long and prosperous life. You aren't supposed to cut them or bite them, otherwise you cut your life short. Shrimp also signify fortune and wealth. 

On the right you have crab and pork bao. Dumplings are a staple on Chinese New Year and most people eat them for every meal. The Chinese words for dumplings literally translate to 'exchange the midnight hour', meaning you are trading new for old, and by eating dumplings, you are sending away the old and welcoming the new.

The green dumplings are vegetable and mushroom, and then we had a spicy cucumber salad. Spring is the time to plant new seeds, so vegetables are a very important part of Chinese New Year. Mushrooms are served, as they translate to a word that sounds similar to blessings or fortune. This is all very important in Chinese tradition...and very delicious for us. 

We always try to have a fun drink to toast with, and this meal was no exception. I ordered a jasmine green tea topped with sweet cream and added honey boba. It was delicious, except for the boba, because it was like the consistency of gummy bears. Not my favorite, but it was interesting, for sure. Gānbēi!

Check out these adorable tea cups I got with ox on them. They have cool indentations for your fingers. 

If you're ever on vacation with me, chances are this is what you'll be seeing a lot of. I love trying new foods and it's one of my favorite parts of traveling. I'll try almost anything once. It's a wonderful way to learn about other cultures, I think. Plus, it's totally delicious. I recommend asking locals where they like to eat and try out some of those places. Chances are, they are affordable and family-owned and sometimes really popular. These are the best places to eat, in my opinion.

While we stuffed our faces, we watched some videos about Chinese New Year and the Great Wall of China. I found that videos geared a bit more toward kids are more preferable for us if we're learning things, because they're more fun and interesting. 

You knew there'd be dessert, right? Of course you did! Knowing we had a lot of food for our main meal, I opted for a smaller dessert of sweet taro buns. These are round, and round shapes signify family togetherness. Though we didn't have our whole family around us, we had each other and the dog, which is our own little family. 

For some reason, I'm a big fan of taro. It doesn't have a lot of flavor, which can be good or bad, depending on your tastes. I happen to like the consistency and it was really appealing with the sweet bun. Eric added a bit of sweetness to his with some fig jam and we were both happy. 

You also can't beat dessert on the Great Wall, right? Did you know that it's not even a full wall, but a bunch of pieces of walls that are sometimes connected? Did you also know that tourism is eroding the wall? If you didn't, now you do. You're welcome! 

So, my table consisted of stuff I already had and a few things I bought to spruce it up. This cherry blossom branch with butterflies is actually a headband I made for my last in-person Harry Potter party where I was The Fat Lady who guards the Gryffindor Common Room. I just set it in a short vase I had and hid it behind this gold fan, and added this amazing Mr. Men book I found where they all celebrated Chinese New Year. I already had the red tablecloth and I used my plain white plates, though I wished I had invested in some black ones specifically for this, but I've since discovered that white represents gold and brightness, so I guess I lucked my way into it working for this. 

There's this lucky red door backdrop I found that was massive and we ended up tucking it under the table for all the extra length, and also so it wouldn't look all bunched up in the pictures. I really love it. I also thought this was the moment to have a special banner, so I splurged for the 2021 Ox banner (which was actually not that much. I just can't use it again.)

Besides watching some videos about the Great Wall and the story of Chinese New Year, we also watched an amazing dragon dance and learned about all the traditional New Year foods from a lovely comedian. This was a little more spendy than our usual Destination Date Nights, but we ordered from a fancy-ish place and it was a special occasion. This topped out at around $165. We ended up with leftovers though. 

If you also want to throw your own celebration or want to get started on next year's, here's a list of how you might want to enjoy a destination staycation of your own:

• A good backdrop - Great Wall backdrop
• or two - lucky door
• A New Year banner
• Here's a beautiful, but generic, one
• A cool dragon
• A set of hanging lanterns
• A tea set
• A Chinese fan
• Mr. Men book
• Firecracker headbands
• Chinese cookbook
• Learn conversational Chinese with this book
• Plan your trip with this Monocle guide book
• A good YouTube playlist. Here are some vids we watched:
• Fortune Tales
• The Story of the Chinese Zodiac
• Lion Dance
• 8 Lucky Foods
• The Great Wall of China

You can learn a lot about destinations by engaging in their celebrations. Even if you can't be there, you can still do it at home and enjoy it without the crowds. This is especially good if you have kids and they aren't super into trying new things, like foods. It's also a lot cheaper than traveling during a festival, though there are usually local Chinatown celebrations that can give you a good look into what it would be like in China.

Have you ever celebrated Chinese New Year? 

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I may be compensated should you choose to make any purchases through them. This allows me to keep this blog running for you. Thanks in advance!

Road Trip Safer with TP Kits

If you've been following me on Instagram, you know that I went on my first trip since the pandemic began. I took a road trip up to the San Juan Islands in Washington with my mom, the dog, and Eric. We packed our own snacks, used hand sanitizer after any interaction with people or objects outside of our car, and wore our masks even when we were the only people in an area. This is a very unusual time and TP Kits helped make our public restroom trips much safer and easier. 

TP Kits are individually packaged kits that you can keep in your car or purse for restroom stops. We stopped at a handful of rest stops, because nature calls and you can't use the facilities at restaurants and fast food joints anymore. Luckily, most places we stopped at had very clean bathrooms and were well stocked, but it could also be that there just aren't that many travelers right now, because at the most, we shared a bathroom with two other people. 

TP Kits contain 5 2-ply tissues and 2 wet wipes in their own packets. Right now, you may just not want to touch anything, because you never know. That's fine. Take your kit with you, use the included tissues for toilet paper, use one of the wet wipes to wipe down anything that looks dirty, and use the other in case there no working sink. 

Your kit is resealable, so if you only use part of what's inside, you can throw those away and reseal what's left inside to use later. I have resorted before to using tissues that I've crammed in my purse when I've found that the stall I've entered had no toilet paper. That's not ideal. At all. These tissue squares are plush and large, so 5 should be plenty for almost any business you need to get down to in the potty. 

Each wet wipe is individually-sealed and is a perfect size. They aren't those large wet wipes that are good for 2 people. In fact, this is the size I wish all wet wipes were. Big enough to clean both of your hands, clean faces or wipe down gross surfaces, but not overly large that you feel like you wasted using it. They are fresh smelling, too. 

Your TP Kits are waterproof, so if you accidentally spill in your bag, you won't have soggy tissues. You can still open these up and use everything inside. And when you're done, toss it in the trash with a clear conscience, because everything is 100% biodegradable. I know that this is usually a deterrence for me when purchasing single-use products, but TP Kits makes me feel good about my impact on the environment and also make me feel safer and cleaner while traveling. In fact, they give me the peace of mind to take more socially-responsible trips in the future. 

Look at all these possibly very germy surfaces.

Are you looking to make your trips, even if it's just to the grocery store or the park, a little less stressful? then pick up your own box of TP Kits before heading out. In fact, if you sign up for their mailing list, you can get 10% off your order. 

Other uses: camping, hiking, sporting events, clubs, bars, and anything involving pets or children. You never know when you're going to need some spare tissues/toilet paper or wet wipes.

Other details:

Where can I buy it? On the TP Kits website

How much is it? $2 per single packs | $10 for a 10/pack

More info: 2-ply tissues (7.625″ x 7.125″), wet wipes (1.8125″ x 3.5″), lightweight, both tissues and wipes are made from a cotton blend fiber. 

If you like what TP Kits is doing, follow them on social media:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Where are you headed on your next trip, road trip or otherwise?

Disclaimer: I received a box of TP Kits to take on my trip for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own. 

10 Ways to Save on Travel Meals

Food isn’t like souvenirs. No one goes on vacation without buying it. You have to make room in your travel budget to eat, but there are many ways you can make that part of your expenses smaller. Just because you are trying to save money doesn’t mean that you have to eat fast food or sandwiches for every meal or can’t experience the best cuisine a place has to offer. Below is my top 10 list of ways to stretch your food funds.

Ask the locals where they eat

Odds are, people who live where you’re traveling don’t eat at the fanciest restaurant in town. You know who eats there? Tourists and people celebrating their anniversaries. The “normal” people eat at affordable dining establishments that are also delicious and serve food from the local area. They are going to want to point you towards some of the city’s gems and impress you because, unlike hotel staff, they don’t get paid for recommending the crazy expensive steakhouse down the street.

Look forward to lunch

You probably aren’t always frugal. While on vacation, it’s okay to splurge sometimes. If that includes going to a top-rated restaurant that you know is spendy, make reservations for lunch instead of dinner. The food will be just as tasty, but cheaper than at dinnertime.

Split an entrée

Most restaurants serve you at least twice as much food as you can eat. Don’t be weighted down having to carry around leftovers or feel bad about food left on your plate. Share a main dish with your travel companion. Most hotels will split an entrée for no fee, but even if you have to pay for an extra plate, it only costs a few dollars, which is cheaper than paying for a whole other meal.  

Order an appetizer for a meal

Most appetizers can be plenty to fill you up and can be as little as a third of the price of an entrée. This is also a great option for you if you like to try many different dishes. Order two to three for the same price as a meal.

Hit up the food carts

Food carts can offer a huge variety of different local and international foods, but can be half the price of (or less) than dining at a sit-down restaurant. With this kind of savings, you can try fare from several carts with no regrets.

Shop the farmers market

There’s no better way to experience local cuisine and interacting with residents than a visit to the closest farmers market. You will find a variety of food, including meats, fruits, vegetables and cheeses. Purchase enough for lunch and enjoy the afternoon having a picnic in a nearby park.

Rent a vacation home or stay in a hotel with a kitchen(ette)

This is my favorite way to stretch my food budget, because there are so many options. Renting can be a great value over hotel stays if you’ll be visiting for a week or more, plus it gives you the chance to check out the local grocery store. Make many of your own meals and save considerably. I don’t often like to spend money on eating breakfast out, so I love to buy new cereals and pastries I can enjoy in my room.

Stay at a hotel that offers free breakfast

You don’t realize how much dining out can cost until you go on vacation. A reasonable breakfast can cost between $8-15 per person. If you multiply that by the number of people you’re traveling with and the number of days you’ll be staying, that number can be huge. If you find a hotel in your price range that offers free breakfast, you’ve hit a jackpot of savings.

Sign up for Groupon

If you haven't been using Groupon, what are you even waiting for? Save 40-90% off food and more, meaning you can eat for way less than you originally planned, meaning you can splurge on a fancy meal, spend that money elsewhere, or actually just stay on budget. Sign up at Groupon for the destination of your next vacation (they cover many international locations as well as the United States) and eat for less!

Don’t order off the kids’ menu

If you travel with children, you’ll notice that most kids’ menus seem to have the same small rotation of foods. Obviously, little ones don’t just live on hot dogs, pizza, chicken nuggets and PB&J sandwiches. Not only do they charge an outrageous amount for these “staples” that cost hardly anything to make, but they offer hardly any nutritional value and your kids are likely to eat only half of it before declaring they’re full. Instead, order a meal that you both will eat and share. This saves you money and might get them to eat a vegetable or two.

While there are other ways to save on dining, these have proven to be the most useful for my travels and are my first suggestions to anyone asking how to cut costs on their trip. They are easy to do and will enable you to try a bigger variety of foods, too. You’ll experience more of the city and its people, giving you a greater vacation experience.

How do you save money on dining out when you travel?