The Frugal Traveler

Holland, MI is about 2.5 hrs away form Ann Arbor. It is a popular tourist destination in May because of the Tulip Festival. The weather was good and we wanted to go to some beach and so, we picked Holland. We started late from Ann Arbor and reached Holland by late afternoon. Our first stop was Windmill Island. Last working authentic Dutch windmill in the US The windmill is over 250 years old and is the only authentic working Dutch windmill in the United States. We reached in time for a demonstration. It was interesting to learn the history and see the workings of the windmill. We were also able to see the surrounding scenery from the 4th floor and the island looked quite beautiful even in summer. V amongst flowers in Windmill Island Our next stop was the Dutch village. By that time unfortunately, it was closed. It closes by 5 PM on regular days. So, we went to the Holland harbor to relax on the beach. There is a beautiful lighthouse at this beach know as the Big Red . We pla...

A new summer is up on us and the semester just ended a couple of weeks ago. Me and couple of friends decided to take a weekend trip. Pictured Rocks is on the shores of Lake Superior, about 6.5 h North of Ann Arbor. We departed from Ann Arbor on Saturday at 4 AM and our first destination was Tahquamenon Falls in the Upper Peninsula. The Tahquamenon Falls comprises of two falls the upper and the lower falls. Due to time constraints we decided to visit only the upper falls. The sheer force and enormity of the falls was amazing. Several viewing platforms at short hiking distances provide excellent vantage point to view the falls. Tahquamenon Falls After spending an hour near the falls, we drove to Munising, MI and checked into our hotel. With a few hours of day light left, we decided to visit Miners Castle  and explore the surrouring area. It is one of the icons of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Short paved trails provide excellent view points of the rock formations a...

End of April brings with it the joy of summer holidays. Although 'summer-holidays' does not mean much to a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D, it does provide more time to balance research with non-academic fun. It also marks the beginning of pleasant weather, at least for a few months, and lots of hiking options for amateurs such as myself. Warren Dunes State Park is just off of Interstate 94W close to the exit 16. About 160 miles from Ann Arbor, approximately 3 hours drive, it is a perfect place for a weekend hiking trip. The trails here, along the lake Michigan's beach and the sand dunes are reasonably tough to hike (when done backwards) and takes roughly 6-8 hours. This time of the year, there is hardly any crowd there, making it very peaceful. On the downside, be sure to pack lunch and snacks and carry plenty of water! none of the eating options are open. One would have to travel for several miles to find an eatery. Also, if you are thinking of hiking the sand trai...

This was a weekend trip to Chicago. We left Ann Arbor Saturday late afternoon and reached Chicago by night. We checked into our hotel in the downtown and freshened up and went for a stroll along the river walk. Sky scrapers all around, quietly flowing chicago river and metro trains running above ground all reminded us of scenes from Batman Begins. Along the Chicago River Walk Willis tower was open for another hour and half, so, we went straight there. We spent some time watching a small movie about its history and went up to the sky deck. The views of Chicago from there were fantastic.  The sky was mostly clear with a few low clouds here and there. It took some courage to stand in the glass box, we could feel the vibrations due to wind and it was an amazing and scary experience at the same time. We stayed up there till the tower was about to close and then headed out to dinner and crashed for the night. View of the Willis Tower from the ground From Willis Tower's ...

Hi, I am a graduate student at the University of Michigan, working on my Ph.D. For me, grad school has been all about self discovery. Among other things, grad school has helped me discover new passions and also reconnect with things I wanted to do, but couldn't due to time constraints. Ah, the perks of grad life! One of my passions is traveling. I like to take many small vacations instead of a big long one. That way, it is easy on the wallet and also allows me to get work done. This blog will be about my travel experiences. I will be sharing some photos, travel itinerary and tidbits of wisdom in hope that it might be of some benefit to some soul who happens to find it in the vast world wide web. Cheers! Happy traveling!