These days, travel may seem like a luxury not everyone can afford.
I'm determined to prove otherwise.
With a cheap ticket, a free room courtesy of Tripping.com, and $100 in spending money, I'll be visiting places around America to show how easy it is to vacation on a budget.
I'll be uploading photos and posts along the way on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and here at BI.
Here's why I'm heading to Philly first:
1) It's close by. Philly is just a couple of hours by bus from New York, which means I'm already saving on airfare and won't spend a huge chunk of my limited time window on a flight. That's one less headache I'll have to deal with, plus it frees up my budget for fun stuff –– win/win.
2) Philly is HOT right now. Philadelphia isn't just drawing history geeks anymore. In 2011, the city of brotherly love saw a record number of tourists (38 million) and young people are moving there in droves, according to recent Pew study. Not to mention it's becoming huge in the art scene, is a rapidly growing hub for startups, and has become a major destination for culinary fans.
3) It's going through a major urban development boom. Despite high poverty and unemployment levels in the city, Philadelphia is undergoing something of an urban development Renaissance. More people are using mass transit, buildings are more energy-efficient, the housing market is improving, and more residential building permits were issued in 2012 than any year since 2005, according to Pew. Clearly, they want their new young fans to stick around and help fuel growth in the job and business sector. It'll be interesting to see how it's playing out and if young people there actually plan on sticking around.
Have ideas on where I should go while I'm in Philly? Shoot me an email at mwoodruff@businessinsider.com, or leave a comment below.
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