Why we travel debt free and how you can do it too

Today we're talking about traveling debt free! We'll be going over two reasons we want to do it this way, a story about why debt lets you down and how you can travel debt free!

Reason 1: We're Christians and the bible says it's not the best. The one that is heard the most is Proverbs 22:7 that says, "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender."
Reason 2: When you purchase something with debt it doesn't belong to you. It belongs to whoever you borrowed money from to make the purchase. For example: when you purchase a home traditionally, you get a mortgage and then purchase the home with the amount the bank says you qualify for. Until you pay the bank back, your home technically belongs to them and you can lose it. We want to purchase something and have it be ours. That's another reason we want to do the cargo trailer. They are built the same quality or better as rv's, they cost less and we can design it the way we want it.

Story: When my dad was younger he would travel around and use a credit card instead of taking cash. He would pay it off later. On one of his trips the whole credit card system went down for about a week (if I remember correctly), he did have a bit of cash to get back home. Cash saved the day!

How to travel debt free:

Utilize the free events and parks in your area. This doesn't sound very spectacular, but they are a great way to get out and explore. Most of the travel we do utilize these two things. This is especially good if you have kids and just want to get them out of the house and create some great memories. One of my favorite memories was an over night camping trip we took with my dad to the middle of nowhere.

Be frugal. A budget each month or even each time you get payed helps you see where your money is going and helps you control it. Coupons, discount racks, and some sales can help keep you under budget and set aside that money for travel.

Save. I've mentioned this before but just sitting down and calculating how much it would cost, like a travel budget, and then saving towards that goal. What's great about this is that it can be a big goal or little goal, wherever it is you want to go. I've met a couple who save two months worth of bills and however much they needed to go on their trip. This way, they go on the trip they want to go on and don't have to worry about whether or not the bills would be payed.

That's all I've got for today guys, thanks for joining us we really appreciate it! See ya next time :)

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Granby Park, Columbia South Carolina

Granby Park has so much potential. My husband and I traveled there as a way to get out of our area after Hurricane Matthew. When we arrived it the area looked exactly as we expected a small park to be; bathrooms, resting area, water fountain for dogs and people, signs that give you information about the animals and plant life that you may see, the hours of the park and last but not least the rules of the park. What we did not expect to see there was a police call box. If you have never seen them before these boxes are typically placed in areas that are not safe. You press a button that calls the police directly and they come to you as soon as they can. We weren't sure what to expect after that, but we forged on to see for ourselves what the park had to offer.

Enjoy the video!

The first little jaunt was not long as they do not seem to have developed the walk way to the right. It ended at some very overgrown woods and it wasn't a long walk either. There were a couple of people there; one fishing from an area that appeared to be a dirt slide for personal water craft and a gentleman sitting on at a picnic table listening to music and watching the sun set. We ended up turning around and taking the concrete path to the left. Several steps in and we found a homeless man fishing for turtles. We greeted him and he told us this park had been here for a long time. I looked it up and it was started in the 1990's. We thanked him, wished him luck and kept walking. Here the trail gets very scenic and you have a few stopping points to view the river. A couple of these viewing points were rendered pointless, however, because of the overgrowth directly in front of it. You could tell by the tree and grass growth that it was not well cared for.

A photo posted by Eisling (@sleepybluekitty) on Oct 25, 2016 at 8:15pm PDT

We continued down the way to the abandoned trussel finding broken beer bottles, graffiti and more police call boxes to the winding back end of the park. Passing a few people walking back to the front, we witnessed at least one drug deal going down and a possible deal waiting to happen as we passed. We also saw a few people using it as a spot to drink beer while sitting in their truck (a definite no-no according to the park rules) and proceeded to come down with a distinctly unsafe feeling about the whole thing.

A photo posted by Eisling (@sleepybluekitty) on Nov 2, 2016 at 9:36pm PDT

Our final thoughts: It is unfortunate that a place with such beauty and potential is struck down with the plague of being so unkept and forgotten looking. We wish they would place a walking or riding cop in the park to help clean it up a bit. If you want to go to Granby Park, go with a buddy, some sort of weapon and not after 4 p.m., that would be our advice. It is also our sincere hope this park is cleaned up, organinzed and made safe by the people who use it.

Important tid-bits:

1. Granby Park is located: 100 Catawba Cir, Columbia, SC 29201
2. Bathrooms and water are available at the beginning of the trail area.
3. If you find yourself in trouble or hurt the police call boxes are everywhere and they can get to you without having to know a number or anything.
4. What is developed is handicap friendly, except for certain low lying areas in the development that could have water on them if it rained.
5. Go with a buddy and do not go there at night! If you want to go, we would not stop you. But please, do not go alone and do not go unprepared. You may find yourself in need of the police call boxes if traveling there unprepared.

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Colonial Lake, Charlestons Oldest Pond

I recently had the pleasure to revisit Colonial Lake Park. Before it was redone by the Charleston Park Conservancy it was basically a tidal pond with some cement around it. There were a few palm trees here and there, but to my recollection there was no seating and the area around the pond was very hot. My husband and I found it by accident one day. We could find no sign for the area and had no idea what we had really come across. With the improvements made to the area by the conservancy I now think of it as a park, rather than the cement pond we found. Images of the pond in it's different forms can be found here. This park has been around since the late 1700's and has it's history wrapped up in the changing shape and ideas of freedom that molded Charleston since it's founding.

What I most liked about the revamp of the park was the greening of it. Now you can walk around this pond, get some sun, and then rest in the gathering cool of the trees that are on the corner and sides of the pond itself. In doing research for this park I came across several articles that showed the people of the area are heavily invested in what happens to it. They have, several times, stopped different types of beautification from happening siting many reasons it should not be done. For us this means the park is dearly loved by many people. It's not a place that was changed solely to attract to visitors, but, to be agreeable to those who live around it. I have read stories that people regale about coming to this tidal pond and swimming, taking picnics and just generally enjoying themselves outdoors at the park across the street called Moultrie Playground.

I would recommend this area for a good half hour walk to stretch the legs. It has some very nice green spaces, you are surrounded on all sides by the classic Charleston homes, and when the wind is right, you have the smell of the sea with the lapping of the water making for a very relaxing area. We plan to visit it again with our dog.

Now down to the important wonderings:

• Colonial Lake Park is located at 41 Ashley Ave., Charleston, South Carolina 29401 {This is actually the address to Moultrie Playground, when I put in the original address, it takes you to someones home. If you are using a different GPS system change the 41 to a 42}
• This park is wheelchair accessable. The park is level and well kept so no extra planning is needed.
• There are no public bathrooms available. Plan accordingly.
• Although the water is said to be swimmable, we can find nothing that says it's ok and nothing that says don't do it. Swim at your own risk.
• We could find two water fountains, so no worries there.

Thank you for reading and joining us on this wander! If you want to learn more about this historic Park, click here.

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Mt. Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park - A resort park

This beautiful resort like park is admission free and one of a just a few places for families to enjoy the view of the Cooper River and International Waterway that South Carolina is known for. Mount Pleasant Waterfront Memorial Park is located at 99 Harry M. Hallman Jr Blvd in Mt. Pleasant South Carolina. Directly across the street from Patriots Point, it's an area that boasts many different experiences for every visitor! Here you will find structured areas of play for children, grassy areas for more free form play (for adults and children alike) and a pier that gives you some amazing views.

The pictures that I have taken simply don't do it justice. Here you can find cultural events, dancing and fishing all on the same day. It is located just outside the area of Mt. Pleasant with relaxed fine dining. So, our suggestion: have a meal in any one of Mt. Pleasants' great eateries and then take your dessert on the go for a lovely breezy walk about the pier and enjoy the sites and sounds of this lovely area.

Don't forget to stop by the welcome center! They have friendly staff that can direct you to the events happening that day as well as provide you with coupons and information about the general Mt. Pleasant area. This is a stop you can not afford to skip! This park is wheel chair accessible and pet friendly. There is plenty of parking and the only downside that I could think of for this adventure was the gnats. When you go be sure to take sunscreen and some bug repellent. If you forget those things the gift shop at the pier carries all those things and more.

Take our virtual walk and learn more about this resort like park by watching the video below. You can also see more photos by taking a look at our slideshow!

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