{"id":1419,"date":"2014-11-30T14:27:43","date_gmt":"2014-11-30T19:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/imprint\/?p=1419"},"modified":"2018-11-19T09:33:49","modified_gmt":"2018-11-19T14:33:49","slug":"florida-revisited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/imprint\/florida-revisited\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Revisited"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Kyle Egan<\/em><\/p>\n

My family is a transplant family; we were all born in Syracuse, New York. My grandma moved to Fort Lauderdale in the 70\u2019s, followed by my aunt, and eventually my mother and I in 1993. We first moved in with my Aunt Jori in Clearwater. From there we moved to Safety Harbor in 1996, then Lake City, Pembroke Pines, and finally Davie where I resided for about 10 years. I have done a full circle and currently live in Central Florida. My personal experience will, perhaps, give you more ideas of things to do on a tight budget, as well hopefully inspire more pride for the wonderful state in which you live.<\/p>\n

The Basics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before I begin, I would like to lay some ground rules for exploring and traversing Florida. The first, and probably most important thing, is to bring your own food. Many people blow their budget by skipping this step. Even going on a day trip, you will still need breakfast lunch and dinner. Let\u2019s say, conservatively, you spend an average of \u00a0$15 a meal eating out. That is $45 \u00a0of your budget gone. When I travel, I don\u2019t even bring anything fancy to eat. I usually go as basic as PB&J, iced tea, fruit, beef jerky, and some candy in a cooler, though I may indulge and stop at 7\/11 for an Icee before a drive, but that\u2019s family tradition. You will find that eating this rudimentary food in a serene, outdoor environment changes the significance of the food and is easy on the wallet. After all, a sightseeing trip is not about the food, it is about the experience.<\/p>\n

On the Florida State Parks website you can also find specific information on camping<\/a>. When I was a kid we camped a lot since it was all we could afford. Now that I\u2019m older, it\u2019s still all I can afford. Most of the parks come with electricity, water and showers and are on average about $20 a night. If you’ve never been there it\u2019s not as bad as you may think.<\/p>\n

And So It Begins<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Devils