The Weirdest Thing I’ve Done For Travel Money

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A couple months back I wrote about how I save money for all of my travels, indicating that it was all very normal and nothing creepy or weird. Well I might have lied a bit- I have done something weird for money, and I have zero regrets. Curious now? Well here’s the story.

I had been in Ireland for a little over a week, and had yet to try a Guinness. According to my future roommate, who I hadn’t yet met face to face but kept in touch with via email, I needed to make sure that my first Guinness was a proper Guinness. And one of the best places to get a proper Guinness, according the pro, was Doolin; which was, conveniently, a planned stop for us on the way to Galway.

So there I was in Doolin, in one of its most popular pubs; Gus O’Connors. It was packed; clearly a popular place and not just for the good food and pints but also for its trad music.  In fact the general craic of Gus O’Connors was so well known that there were a bunch of people from all over Ireland in the pub that night, including a group from Belfast.

The best craic in Doolin

The best craic in Doolin

As I sat down beside the Belfast group I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation above the fiddle.

“I’ll pay ye to eat it!”

“No! That’s disgusting.”

“Ah c’mon, you can have whatever’s in my pockets.”

The ‘it’ they were referring to was a tiny packet of ketchup. Like the ones you get with you take out McDonalds and always wish they had thrown about 50 more in the bag. One teeny tiny packet of ketchup, and they were disgusted at the thought of eating it.

“Will you pay me to eat it?” I asked over the noise.

All four looked at me; a random foreign girl in a traditional Irish bar.

“We sure will!” one grinned.

“But!” his friend said, “You can’t touch your drink for 10 minutes after you eat it.”

“Sure” I agreed, reaching out for the packet.

“No drinking anything for 10 minutes!” his girlfriend clarified, convinced I would back out.

“No problem.” I ripped the corner off the package, and tipped it back into my mouth. Trying not to laugh as I squeezed out every bit that I could.

Meanwhile, my newfound friends were gagging and filming the process, in complete disbelief that I was actually doing this. (If you ever come across a video of a girl eating ketchup in an Irish pub, it’s probably me).

Done, I placed the empty package on the table and was greeted with a round of applause and 5 pounds and change in coin- the equivalent of nearly $10 Canadian dollars at the time. One packet of ketchup for $10, amazing! If only I could fund all my travels that way.

Guinness was good!

Guinness was good!

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done for some easy money?

 

 

 

44 Comments

  1. Clay on December 2, 2014 at 3:53 pm

    That’s pretty fun haha, I still don’t know if I would do it for $10 though!

  2. Kim on December 2, 2014 at 4:22 pm

    Hahaha that’s awesome!

  3. Megan Claire on December 3, 2014 at 12:57 am

    Lol that’s amazing! Cant believe they were so disgusted lol!

    • Hannah Logan on December 3, 2014 at 1:01 am

      I know.. there are waaaay worse things to eat!

  4. kami on December 3, 2014 at 1:35 pm

    Such a funny story, you surely have some adventures to remember 🙂 and it didn’t seem like such a terrible way to earn 10$! 😉

    • Hannah Logan on December 3, 2014 at 10:21 pm

      No complaints…wish someone would ask me to do it again! haha

  5. Jenna on December 3, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    Haha, that’s amazing and so funny! I would totally do it too–nice way to make $10! 🙂

  6. Adelina // Pack Me To on December 3, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    Haha, that’s hilarious! I’m not sure if I would do it though. I don’t like ketchup very much. My biggest memory of it was throwing up after eating some ketchup chips, which are completely different, but still. blehhh. What a funny story though!

    • Hannah Logan on December 3, 2014 at 10:20 pm

      Oh ketchup chips…that takes me back to childhood! haah

  7. Angela on December 3, 2014 at 6:21 pm

    I don’t understand. Do the Irish not like Ketchup? That is a great story!!!

    • Hannah Logan on December 3, 2014 at 10:20 pm

      They had it at restaurants so I don’t know? Maybe just these ones…haha

  8. Amy on December 4, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    Haha that’s great! I would definitely eat a packet of ketchup for $10! Who doesn’t like ketchup? 🙂

  9. Paul on December 4, 2014 at 6:18 pm

    Thats awesome, well done! I would definitely do that, I love ketchup, infact I’de probably do it for free lmao.

    • Hannah Logan on December 4, 2014 at 11:52 pm

      We should walk around with signs: Will eat ketchup for cash. haha

  10. Vlad on December 4, 2014 at 7:29 pm

    Haha, I was so sure you would say the ketchup was super spicy and you were counting the seconds till you were allowed to drink something (although that would have made it worse). There are waaaaaaay worse things to eat out there, I don’t know what their problem was 😀

    • Hannah Logan on December 4, 2014 at 11:52 pm

      Haha thankfully no as I do not do hot sauce! That would have been hilarious though.

  11. Brianna on December 5, 2014 at 2:32 am

    I love this story! I wonder how they came by this packet of ketchup?

    • Hannah Logan on December 5, 2014 at 10:55 am

      haha they were on the tables along with mustard and vinegar- it wasn’t a total random packet. (that would be a little sketchy)

  12. Lauren on December 5, 2014 at 4:04 am

    Hahaa what a hilarious story! I would totally do it, no questions asked! I often have these kinds of challenges with coworkers,…one that comes to mind was “Would you eat dried tea out of a Red Rose tea bag for $2?” Eww no way. But ketchup…hell yeah! I’d do that! Good way to fund your travels 🙂

    • Hannah Logan on December 5, 2014 at 10:55 am

      oooh thats nasty. But maybe for $20- lol

  13. Adrienne on December 5, 2014 at 4:47 am

    Haha, differences in perspective from place to place makes traveling so great! Thanks for sharing.

    • Hannah Logan on December 5, 2014 at 10:56 am

      Yes definitely an odd moment as a first time traveller- but clearly a good story!

  14. antonette - we12travel on December 5, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    That is just sooo cool, well done girl! Thumb up 🙂

  15. Muriel on December 5, 2014 at 11:18 pm

    While I do hate ketchup, this is the coolest thing! I love that you impressed those locals. That’s the best kind of experience/story you can have abroad. I hope you enjoyed that Guinness afterward!

  16. Charlie on December 10, 2014 at 1:19 am

    Sounds gross, but probably worth it! Did it make you really thirsty?

    • Hannah Logan on December 10, 2014 at 2:06 am

      Haha! No, it didn’t bother me in the least, it was a tiny packet!

  17. Anna on December 11, 2014 at 4:31 am

    HAHAHA!!! Was it seriously just ketchup?! I was sooo waiting for you to say that it wasn’t ketchup and a second later, your entire mouth was on fire. I think ketchup is gross too (but I’m weird for thinking that in America), but the Irish is acting like it’s the most disgusting thing ever, hahaha.

    • Hannah Logan on December 12, 2014 at 1:36 am

      Seriously just ketchup (I checked the label since I don’t do hot sauce!)

  18. Amanda C @ UnrestingSea on December 15, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    This is such a great story! I was totally expecting it to be something gross…. and then, ketchup, of all things! I wish I could earn money that way too 😛 I would be interested to hear if there’s some adverse feelings toward ketchup in Ireland!

    • Hannah Logan on December 16, 2014 at 9:49 pm

      After a few months living in Ireland that was the only bad reaction I saw to ketchup. My roommates had some in the fridge so I think this group was just nuts 😉

  19. Franca on December 28, 2014 at 11:32 am

    That’s awesome, well done to you! 🙂

  20. Bobbi Gould on February 4, 2015 at 7:04 pm

    THIS IS HILARIOUS! I can’t believe they were so grossed out by ketchup. I love ketchup! hahaah

    • Hannah Logan on February 4, 2015 at 11:22 pm

      ME TOO! I put ketchup on…a lot. haha

  21. The Adventure Ahead on May 18, 2015 at 3:26 am

    This gave me a giggle – bring on the ketchup! Great post 🙂

    • Hannah Logan on May 18, 2015 at 1:11 pm

      Haha glad you enjoyed 🙂 it was pretty funny!

  22. Nina - Where in the World is Nina? on December 11, 2016 at 4:18 pm

    Wait WHY was that so gross to them?! Is ketchup gross over there? Where did they find this “grotesque packet of some sort of tomato concoction?!” Was it literally one from McDs? Does their McDs NOT give out ketchup?! So many questions Hannah! SO. MANY.
    lol Awesome story, though! I once packaged salt for 10hours a week for free accommodation in Thailand. It was AWESOME!

    • Hannah Logan on December 11, 2016 at 5:45 pm

      Haha it wasn’t literally a McDonalds packet, just that style. And honestly I don’t know, it’s not as readily available and popular there as in North America but its definitely still around so not sure what the big deal was. Also LOL. How do you feel about salt after that? haha

  23. Jason Mullin on March 29, 2017 at 11:52 am

    Haha, this is awesome. I don’t even like ketchup, but wouldn’t hesitate for this!! Have an awesome time in Ireland!!

    • Hannah Logan on March 29, 2017 at 12:05 pm

      Right? Not the best thing in the world but still totally worth it!

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