When Traveling, Stay Away from Freebies

I like freebies but sometimes, I just have to turn my nose on a freebie. In the traveling world, there’s almost no such thing as free but once in a while you will actually come across free. And it is at that point in life that you decide if free is worth it because not every freebie is worth your time, energy, safety and sanity, even.

A “gazillion” years ago, I ended up in the Bay Area with a family member. This was pre-Uber era, pre-4G era and pre-smartphone era. Yes, you actually had to use more of your brain to travel back then! The thing is that we weren’t there to have fun but still needed to figure out where to stay and how to get from point A and point B, all the while not getting ripped off. It was mind boggling, especially when all of the responsibility was thrown onto me: a practical child.

Regardless, it all worked out in the end with our ridiculous luggages crammed onto a bart and then onto a crowded bus, which was an unforgettable experience:

1. It was rush hour.
2. The driver had the audacity to tell us that based on the shape of our eyes, one of us was Asian while the other wasn’t, which led him to conclude that we weren’t related to each other in any way.

I imagine this type of nonsense wouldn’t fly in this day and age, but then again, the Bay Area hasn’t been doing so hot despite it being supposedly “diverse”.

Anyway, before we reached the stop for a hotel which we had no prior reservation for, an API woman said we could stay for free at her place. She was a stranger and I was like wtf. This family member of mine seemed somewhat interested in the offer since she didn’t want to pay x amount of dollars for 2-3 nights at some hotel. I was livid. Thankfully, she listened to me and we ended up at the hotel. As relieved as I was to be at the hotel, it wasn’t all that much of a pleasant experience since she just had to go on and on about how much she could have saved if we had just gone with that stranger. What the actual F. I don’t know if she was just pissed at having to spend x amount of money unexpectedly or what, but it was such a chore to drill into her head that we did not know that woman and we couldn’t trust her. Yes, it’s possible that she wanted to help us and I believe she may have really wanted to just “shelter” us temporarily but there were red flags about the situation. No one in their right mind would want to “help” someone to that extent out of the blue. It’d be one thing if a hurricane had just struck, but it was just another oridinary day up in the Bay.

I asked her if she ever thought of the what-if circumstances revolving around staying at this stranger’s place. If the circumstances were peachy and ideal, then great. But if they were less than ideal, how would either of us go about getting out of such a situation(s)?

This is not the middle of nowhere and we are not in so much of a desperate situation where we would need to rely on a stranger to the point of staying the night(s) there.

Also, who is she? How many people are living with her? What does she do for a living? Where is she residing and what type of area is that? Is she expecting something in return? Do we pay her in exchange for temporary room and board or does she expect something more than just that? Is there a possibility that she’s expecting something we’re not willing or wanting to give or be a part of?

Saving money is never the best option if it doesn’t guarantee your safety upfront.

Needless to say, I have no desire to travel with this specific family member again. Why would I, right?

On a brighter note, I’d like to go back to this hotel one day. If I can afford it, I’d like to stay for a night or two and just enjoy what I should have been able to enjoy back then.

Advice: When in doubt, listen to yourself and don’t be so quick to opt for what’s free. You never know when a freebie can turn into something costly.