Why Just Take a Vacation When You Can Work Your Way Around the World....And Travel Indefinitely
Posted on 09/19/2013, 10:15 PM
Travel doesn’t have to be pricey. Thanks to the internet, an entire class of working travelers has emerged, men and women who trade “sweat equity” for free room and board on the road. For short and long periods, they’re heading to destinations around the globe and spending part of the day farming, or answering phones at a hostel, or teaching English, or engaging in some other form of work, in o...
U.S. Government Is Pushing TSA PreCheck to New Passport Recipients, But Global Entry Would Be Smarter
Posted on 09/17/2013, 12:30 PM
Get a new passport these days, and it will arrive with a new bookmark urging you to sign up for TSA PreCheck. Volunteer some personal information about yourself beforehand, it says, and once you pass a background check, you may qualify to zip through airport security without removing your shoes, your 3-1-1 bag of items, your coat, or your laptop. The other side of the paper suggests another pro...
Decoding Three Common Travel Tips on Dining, Timing and Packing
Posted on 09/15/2013, 10:45 AM
When it comes to tips on how to travel better and more affordably, there are some old-chestnuts that always apply. But though they sound obvious, many actually require insider knowledge to use effectively. I’m here to supply that, so here goes. Tip 1: Travel in the off-season to save money: Yes, that’s correct, but when exactly is the “off-season”? Truth is off-season varies greatly from dest...
New 5-Star Iberostar Playa Mita Slashes Room Rates as Low as $105, But Book By Sept. 30
Posted on 09/12/2013, 5:00 PM
Iberostar, a Spanish operator of major beach resorts for the past 30 years, is opening its first resort on the Mexican Pacific Coast this December, and to drum up word of mouth, it's slashing rates for people willing to buy ahead. The new, five-star Iberostar Playa Mita will be 25 miles north of Puerto Vallarta in the Riviera Nayarit area, far from major cities and so far dominated by long st...
Here's Why You Don't Want to Buy the Disney Dining Plan When You Visit Orlando
Posted on 09/11/2013, 4:30 PM
If you book a vacation at a Walt Disney World hotel in Orlando, you will be offered the option of purchasing the credit-based Disney Dining Plan, which pre-pays many of your meals. It is extremely complicated, with all kinds of rules, exclusions, and premium versions, but lots of people cave and buy it in the name of convenience, thinking it will make everything easier. Although now and then ...
Travel Freebies Of All Sorts from Services To Entrance Fees to Hotel Nights
Posted on 09/11/2013, 3:45 PM
There are few lovelier words in the English language than "free" and "travel". Combine them and you have a blockbuster of a phrase. Here are a few of the good deals--all very different from one another--that we've found this week. Cheaper New Zealand, with Free Car Rental and Free Hotel Night Tourism New Zealand apparently wants to drum up some business. So it has teamed with Hawaiian Airl...
Two Remarkable New Websites are Bound to be Wildly Popular Among Travelers Looking for Hotel and Dinner Bargains of a Very Special Sort
Posted on 09/10/2013, 12:00 AM
As you may or may not agree, most of the brand-new websites are copycat imitations of older “hits” (like a “hit movie” or a “hit show”). An entrepreneur invents a way to stay in a well-priced apartment (AirBnB) and 37 others rush to offer (they think) the very same thing. An innovator collects the walking tours available in major capital cities, and 10 others immediately attempt to of...
Andante Travels Uses Archaeologists and Professors to Show You the World's Greatest Treasures
Posted on 09/09/2013, 5:00 PM
While very few U.S. companies now hire professors and experts as tour guides without also charging usurious tariffs for the privilege, the tradition of affordable educational tours for the masses is still alive and well in Great Britain, so if it's an edifying trip you crave, you may have to pick up your next vacation in London. Since 1985, the specialty of the UK-based Andante Travels (011-4...
Theft of Mobile Devices Is On the Rise At Airports and In Airplanes. Here are Some Strategies to Keep Your Possessions Safe
Posted on 09/07/2013, 10:30 AM
Some 50% of the thefts in North America today involve mobile devices. That’s right: there are few more coveted prizes for criminals today than the laptop, phone or tablet you’re likely reading this article on. And we’re seeing a marked increase in the pilfering of these gadgets at airports and even on planes. That’s the conclusion that the folks at Absolute Software have come to. This 20-year...
The How-To's of "Couch Surfing" From a True Expert
Posted on 09/05/2013, 5:30 PM
Last September, I got a call from a dear friend who’d just gotten a job playing harp in the orchestra of a Broadway touring production. Erin was hoping to save money on the road by staying with friends or friends of friends, but was having trouble finding the right connections. I suggested she try the website Couchsurfing.org, which introduces travelers to friendly people all over the world who...
