Vacation

How I Successfully Saved a Ton of Money for My International Vacation

Saving up for an international trip can be hard to do, epically when you are trying to save for those unexpected events that seem to happen every month. I had traveled to many different states before my trip, but I had never been outside the United State before. The first thing I wanted to do was find ways to save for the trip while still being able to pay all my normal expenses.

Know your budget

I was planning on visiting Jamaica and a few smaller islands on the trip, but I knew that in order to do that, I needed to save money. The very first thing I did before I ever saved a dime was create a budget. It was important for me to know exactly how much I needed to save and at what point my time would be up. I set a goal for saving $2,000 before August, giving me an entire year to save. As long as I saved a little less than $200 a month after expenses, I would be fine. It's important to note though that I also decided to save an additional $500 for emergency funds in case something major happened while away.

Set a routine

Every week I would make around $400 after taxes. Not a lot of money by any means, but I knew that if I took out just $50 a week, I would reach my goal in no time. I cut out unnecessary expenses like junk food and movies and I tried to limit how many trips I made in my car to save on gas. If I worked any overtime, I would place it into my savings for my trip so that the goal would be meant even sooner. If it helps, set up a special savings account just for your trip and ask your work to direct deposit a set amount into it each month toward your trip. This way it's out of your check before you know it and you are not tempted to spend it.

Save on everything for your trip

The best way I found to save for my trip was to book things together as a single package. I knew I wanted to spend a week there and then take a flight home and so I used expedia to book round trip air fare that also included a week's stay at a hotel in Jamaica. This cut my overall expenses down by almost $400 and allowed me to have even more money to spend on entertainment and gifts while there.

• Savings tips for all international/overseas travelers
• Depending on where you are going, choose a time of year when tourism is down as hotels and other areas are likely to offer lower rates to entice visitors.
• Book flights during low travel times in advance to save money.
• Take only the bare essentials to save on luggage cost.
• Sell unused items on sites like eBay for extra money for your trip.
• Take permitted medications with you so you don't have to spend money on them overseas.
• By travelers health insurance for long stays to cover any unexpected medical cost.
• Use a travel site like expedia to book hotel's and flights together.

Senator banned by Putin: But my Siberian vacation!



Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind.

Indiana Republican Dan Coats found himself on a Russian sanctions list this week, and responded in the only way he knew how: cracking some jokes at Vladimir Putin's expense.

5 Steps for Starting a Vacation Fund

One excellent way to start on the path toward vacation freedom is to start a vacation fund and pad it in ways that don’t involve too much sacrifice or discomfort. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open a targeted-savings account.

In order to give your vacation fund an opportunity to grow and thrive on its own, you’ll need to open a separate savings account. Start by researching various online and brick-and-mortar banks for a low-fee (or no fee) account with the highest interest rate you can find. Choosing to keep your vacation fund separate from your other accounts lessens the chance of the money accidentally getting spent.

Step 2: Look for ways to save.

If you haven’t been able to scrounge up the cash for a trip in the past few years, you probably need to find ways to rein in your spending. A good way to discover any self-destructive spending habits is to track all your purchases for a set amount of time – try a few weeks or a month – to see where your money is actually going. You might find that you’re overspending on food or other indulgences, or your kids are bleeding you dry. Whatever the culprit of your money woes, it’s important to identify it and make it stop once and for all.

Step 3: Make it automatic.

Once you’ve identified some areas where you could be saving more, it’s important to divert those funds immediately. You know the saying, “out of sight, out of mind,” right? Do this by setting up automatic bank transfers to your new vacation fund either once a month or on every payday. Making it automatic lessens the chance you’ll forget to save and allows you to “set it and forget it.”

Step 4: Squirrel away “found money.”

Most people come across “found money” at least once per year, whether it’s in the form of a tax return, an inheritance, a bonus at work or cash received for birthdays or holidays. No matter the source, any money that isn’t part of your regular income should be fair game and will be right at home in your newly-created vacation fund. So squirrel it away as fast as you can. Then try to forget it’s there.

Step 5: Keep your hands out of the cookie jar.

Once your vacation fund starts growing, it’s important to practice some self-restraint. Don’t touch your vacation fund unless it is an emergency, and you have no other options. Otherwise, you’ll just end up back where you started – with no vacation fund.

If you are on vacation and can not see facebook, or youtube etc because it may be prohibited on the country so use this addon to Chrome, IE or Firefox: friGate - browser-based extension to access sites through proxy

It will help you to be connected with everything while you are on vacation to the country with some limitation concerning internet websites.

The Tourist Trap Paradox




It seems like every traveler these days is after the most authentic experience everywhere they go. From Conde Nast Traveler to Lonely Planet, a plethora of travel writers want to give readers insider information on the most off-the-beaten path experiences - eat like a local, drink like a local, party like a local! They all seem to invalidate popular restaurants and events as "tourist traps" while simultaneously turning these hidden gems into the very same thing.

Recently I went to Dublin (for St. Patrick's Day, no less) and in reading reviews for different places, I was bombarded with comments about pubs and neighborhoods being packed with tourists and to be avoided, even when overall reviews were quite positive. So if a place is enjoyable by most accounts and it's so popular that people from all over the world go to visit it, why would it be considered a trap? Why would it be considered a negative thing? It's almost suggesting the city is putting on a facade for the tourists, pretending to be something its not.

What I found on that trip is that while many places were full of people from elsewhere, they were also full of actual Irish people, having a pint and singing and dancing a jig. From the old to the young, the professionals to the bricklayers, they were all enjoying the festival they're known for throughout the world. And they didn't even mind that they were sharing it with us. In fact, the Irish love meeting and chatting with strangers. And it didn't make them or the bars any less Irish.

This got me thinking. If a place is so popular that it sees millions of tourists every year, doesn't that become inherently part of a city's identity? Doesn't that accurately represent what you can expect to find in a given place? And why should that mean that locals can't enjoy the very attractions that bring people to their city in droves? I happen to live in Miami. Should I avoid the beach - arguably the best thing about the city - just because 12 months out of the year, it's full of out-of-towners? That would be pretty silly. Ultimately, when I'm not sitting in traffic on I-95 (talk about authentic!), I'm doing the exact same thing that people travel great lengths to come here to do - go to the beach and enjoy the nightlife. After all, the reputation had to have come from somewhere.

When I lived in Washington, DC, one of my favorite places in the city was the National Cathedral, considered by most to be a tourist attraction. As if only to be enjoyed once in your life, by people only passing through a place. But when I wanted peace and quiet, and to enjoy majestic architecture, I'd take a long walk to the cathedral and sit in there just to think. I played kickball in the National Mall, in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol. I ate cupcakes in Georgetown and I partied in Adams Morgan. Because there's no better way to get the most out of the place in which you live than to enjoy its most amazing experiences. The fact that it's also enjoyed by a group of spring breakers or a family of tourists from Michigan shouldn't negate my own enjoyment of it.

The desire to travel like the locals live also contradicts the desire to experience the best of the best in a new place. Locals don't always enjoy the best their own city has to offer. Some of us work 9 to 5 and come home to order pizza and watch Netflix on a Friday night. That's not gonna be on anybody's list of things to do anywhere in the world. And yet, it's undoubtedly representative of what the people who live there are actually doing. When I travel, I do wanna see the clubs that I've read about and the restaurants that are booked months in advance. No one writes articles about the TGI Friday's in a suburb in Queens, and there's a reason for that.

The search for authenticity in travel is always going to be fundamentally flawed. No one place or experience is going to account for an entire city or an entire country's tastes and experiences. For every Miami local, like me, that loves enjoying the beach, there's one that hates it. There are always going to be people who like to spend their time in divey pool halls, while others prefer going to high-end clubs. It's all genuine, because it all makes up the spectrum of things that people do here. Even the ones only here temporarily. It doesn't make South Beach any less Miami. It doesn't make Mardi Gras any less New Orleans and it doesn't make the Temple Bar area any less Dublin.

Beyonce Wears A Bikini, No Makeup On Vacation With Blue Ivy And Jay Z

Vacation is great for so many reasons: rest, relaxation and makeup-free bliss just to name a few.

Beyonce enjoyed all three during a much-needed holiday with Blue Ivy and Jay Z in the Dominican Republic, E! News reports.

The "XO" superstar posted photos from the luxurious trip to her Tumblr page. In the snapshots, she can be seen fresh-faced in printed bikinis and playing with little Blue. In one shot, her and her husband are sipping drinks while overlooking the ocean.

Not only did the singer just wrap up the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour after more than 100 shows, but she also had a sixth wedding anniversary to celebrate. The happy couple looked very much in love when they were spotted at the bar at the Casa de Campo golf resort, E! News notes.

You earned it, Bey!

Norovirus outbreaks have already struck eight cruise ships this year; is your cruise safe?

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Yesterday, reports hit the news of another Princess Cruise with a boatload of sick passengers. This time it was the Crown Princess, on a weeklong voyage along the coast of Southern California and Mexico, with an outbreak of norovirus.

The Crown Princess pulled into port in San Diego Thursday with more than 100 passengers and crew ill with the gastrointestinal bug, which spreads easily in tight confines.

Eleven passengers elected to disembark in San Diego (paying a $300 per person fee, according to an ABC news report) but the ship and its more than 3100 other passengers are now back at sea following the planned itinerary.

Also this week came the news that two consecutive trips on the Royal Caribbean ship Grandeur of the Seas departing to the islands from Baltimore were afflicted with outbreaks of norovirus, one of them affecting more than 100 passengers. What’s going on?


2014 is proving a bad year so far for norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships. (photo credit: wiki media)

Cruise Ship Illness in the Headlines

It’s been a tough year so far for the cruise industry.

• In late February and early March, two virus outbreaks, one of them definitively norovirus, afflicted Holland America’s ships ms Maasdam and ms Veendam while on 7-day trips through the Caribbean.
• In early February a norovirus outbreak sickened more than 600 people, making it one of the biggest such outbreaks on any cruise ship in the last 20 years. That trip, a Royal Caribbean voyage aboard the luxurious Explorer of the Seas, was cut two days short.
• Just before that, the Caribbean Princess also had a norovirus outbreak that affected close to 200 people, and that trip also ended two days early, although Princess Cruises cited fog as the official reason for the early return.

In all, according to CDC data, epidemics of gastrointestinal illness have broken out on eight cruise ships so far in just the first 13 weeks of 2014. Of these, norovirus is the established cause of the outbreak in at least five.
For comparison, the CDC lists only 9 gastrointestinal outbreaks for all of 2013, of which eight were due to norovirus. (In other words, it’s a good guess that more of the 2014 outbreaks will eventually be attributed to norovirus.) However 2012 was worse, with 16 cruises experiencing disease outbreaks, all of them due primarily to norovirus.

It’s important to note that the CDC’s data include only cruise ships that participate in the agency’s official Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP); ships in this program are required to report the number of people who saw a doctor for gastrointestinal (GI) illness while on board.

While Princess, Royal Caribbean and Holland America seem to be having the bulk of the bad luck this year, they aren’t the only cruise lines coping with norovirus. in 2013, Celebrity Cruises had four boats infected with the bug and Cunard, Crystal, Prestige, and Lindblad Expeditions have all had problems with outbreaks too.

Like nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions that have grappled with norovirus in recent years, cruise ships are vulnerable because of the large number of people confined to a limited space while dining and mingling together, experts say.

The Navy prevents norovirus by immediately quarantining sick sailors, something that’s much more difficult for a cruise ship to require of its guests.

What Is Norovirus?

Identified as recently as 1973, noroviruses, which come in many strains, are now known to be the most common of all GI viruses, but it’s taken a long time to learn much about them.

According to the CDC, upwards of 20 million cases a year – more than half of all cases of stomach flu – are caused by noroviruses. It wasn’t until the 1990s, though, that virologists developed a way to test for norovirus, so it’s only in the past 20 years that we’ve realized how common they are.

Compared to other causes of food poisoning such as E. coli, listeria, and salmonella (all of them bacterial), noroviruses are fairly mild, usually limited to nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Still, 570 to 800 people a year die from norovirus. nausea, vomiting and diarrhea as the most common symptoms. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are about 20 million cases of Norovirus in the U.S. each year, resulting in 570 to 800 deaths. It usually clears up in one to three days, the CDC says.

Is My Cruise Safe?

Public trust in the cruise industry has been eroded by the recent virus outbreaks, according to a Harris poll just released showing that 54% of those polled said they were less likely to take a cruise than they were a year ago. The same majority rated air travel “much safer” than cruise travel.

The survey also offers a detailed look at consumer quality perception and trust across the seven major cruise lines.



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Bill Gates (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) is on Cambodia now for starting welfare projects in rural area:

THERE'S an art to travelling well. Some little secrets you learn on the way, like making sure you find a map at the airport before you leave and always throwing spare plastic bags into your suitcase for dirty clothes. Here are 52 travel tips might be useful to make vacation at it best for traveling oversea:

1) Wash your clothes in the sink / shower. Use the hotel soap. Or take a little traveller sized bottle of laundry detergent with you. It's much easier than finding a Laundromat in a foreign country. And there are only so many times that you can wear the same pair of undies.

2) Learn how to use a needle and thread. You've only got space for a few items of clothing. Sewing a broken button back on will save you a lot of hassle.

3) Carry baby wipes / facewipes. This can be used to feel clean when there are no showers. Yes, sometimes there are NO showers.

4) Learn how to say "no thank you". Most travel advice columns will tell you to learn how to say "hello", "yes please", "thank you" and "do you speak English?". But in some countries you really want to be able to say "no thank you, please leave me alone". Think about the crowded market places in Asia. Knowing how to say "no thank you" in their language is going to give you a lot more peace.

5) Grocery stores are a traveller’s best resource. Cheap food, local flavours. Find the nearest one to your hotel and you will save yourself a heap of cash. Have a picnic lunch every day.

6) Keep an emergency stash of money. If you lose your wallet you will still need to eat. An empty Chapstick is a fantastic secret hiding spot.

7) Learn how to drive a manual car. Stuck at an airport after your flight has been cancelled? You could drive. You will be smacking your head on the desk if they only have manual cars.

8) Roll your clothes when packing. No creases and more clothes fit into your suitcase.

9) Always keep a stash of spare plastic bags for dirty clothes / shoes. Smelly socks will make your clean clothes stink. Always.

10) Learn how to swim. You never know when you might need to on the spur of the moment.

11) Learn how to pack light. You do not need to take 20kg for a week of travel. You CAN wear trousers two days in a row or more. The less you have to carry, the happier you will be travelling. And if the French Metro goes on strike on the day you need to get to the airport - you will thank us.

12) Know how much it should cost in a taxi. Carry a card with the hotel address and a map. Ask for taxi drivers to use the meter. Make sure they are legitimate taxi drivers.

13) Always carry a hard copy map of the city you're going to. Save your phone charge for when you really need it.

14) Make sure your bank cards work. There is nothing more annoying on holidays than spending hours on the phone to the bank back home.

15) Carry tissues that can double up as toilet paper. Plus carry a hand sanitiser.

16) Pack sandals or thongs for use in showers. Showers can be gross. You don’t want your feet to touch the floor.

17) Learn how to change a tyre. Murphy's law says if you don't know and you head off on a road trip, you're bound to get a flat.

18) Be prepared to sleep anywhere. Ear plugs and eye patches will help block out the light.

19) Learn how to take a decent photo. Don’t come home with a bunch of Instagram selfies. Memories fade and you'll want something to remember the scenery by.

20) Pack smart. Put necklaces in straws so they don’t get jumbled.

21) Learn basic first aid. This is just a great life skill, if nothing else.

22) Get folders for travel documents and itineraries. Keep them organised so you don’t have to mess about digging through pockets in your bag at the airport check-in.

23) Use public transport. It's fast. It's easy, it's cheaper and it will give you a better travel experience. Get a map, learn the different ticket types and if you are heading to London – organise an Oyster Card in advance.

24) Use little bottles for everything. It takes up less room. If you use plain bottles make sure you label them with a pen that won’t wash or rub off. Mistakes can and do happen. Moisturising your hair is not a good look.

25) Buy and wear good walking shoes. Blisters are not fun and high heels don’t work on Europe’s cobblestone pathways.

26) Ask the locals for advice, tips. The best beach probably isn't the most popular one. The locals can help you find those secret spots you will rave about.

27) Eat where the locals eat. Just like number 26 - the same goes with restaurants. Ask the locals where they eat. Go there instead.

28) Peg clothes to the outside of your backpack as you walk around in the sun to dry them after washing. Cheap and easy!

29) Know where the embassy is. Seriously. Find it on your map. Don’t think just because you are in a "safe" country you won’t need it. All it takes is a quick Google search, write down the address and put it in a safe place.

30) Register your details with DFAT. OK, this one is obvious but surprisingly so many of us don’t actually do it. In cases like Boston or London, DFAT will be the place your family will turn to. Make sure they know where you are.

31) Be aware of the local laws. Don’t get drunk on the streets of Dubai or expect to chew and spit gum in Singapore. You’re leaving Australia - don't expect our law system to follow you around the world.

32) Get your vaccinations if you need them. Yellow fever is not fun. You will kick yourself if you could have prevented it and you didn't.

33) Scan your passport and travel documents. Give copies to family/friends. If you lose your passport or travel documents, this backup will save you a lot of heartache. It will also help your family to find you in the event of a disaster.

34) Learn a few phrases of the local language. Speak to the locals. Experience their culture. Don’t just wander through it.

35) Know the scams of each destination. 'Thai driver want to show you his best restaurant?' It’s probably his mate's. Get on the internet and work out the scams so you don’t become a sucker. Then refer to number 4.

36) Learn the art of haggling. Haggling saves you money. Be bold. That extra $4 will buy you a coffee.

37) Learn the basic geography of the country you are visiting. There’s nothing worse than a traveller who has no idea where they are travelling.

38) Learn how to use a compass. Sounds extreme but it could help in a crisis.

39) Learn how to use chopsticks. Don’t look like a tourist asking for a fork. Chopsticks are a must.

40) Get travel insurance. It's obvious, but probably one of the most important items on this list. The French always go on strike meaning your flight could easily get cancelled and accidents do happen, particularly if you want to ride a scooter in Bali. Get travel insurance.

41) Allow relaxation time to get over jet lag. You don't want to be on the go for six weeks straight. It should be a holiday. You should relax at some point.

42) Keep a change of clothes and basic toiletries in your carry-on. If your luggage gets lost you will be very glad.

43) Travelling via Singapore? Pack your swimmers in your carry-on and take a break in the outdoor rooftop pool at the airport while in transit. You will feel 100 per cent better getting on the next flight.

44) Research the airports you are travelling through so you can a) find the fastest way through and b) use the facilities. Don't just sit at the boarding gate.

45) Take a jumper on the plane. It is cold. It has air conditioning.

46) Take thick socks for the plane. Cold feet will stop you sleeping.

47) Take Imodium and panadol/nurofen. The cuisine of other countries can be harsh on the tummy.

48) Find out if the country you are going to sells tampons. Some countries don’t. Or they are really hard to find. Even places you wouldn’t think of - like Athens.

49) Check if the drinking water is safe. That includes brushing your teeth, ice in cocktails and drinking water in the shower.

50) Be aware of altitude sickness. Give yourself time to adjust between altitudes, drink a lot more when you are high up.

51) Know the local road rules. Even in New Zealand the rules are different.

52) Be respectful. Pay attention to how local women dress to work out how you should.

While on vacation to any destination, without doubts camera is the most essential equipment to bring along, capture interesting places, people or scenery. But nowadays advance technology makes smartphone and tablets with the ability to take high quality pixel pictures as close as normal camera. My preference still be with camera, especially using a Digital SLR camera. Currently i'm owning a Canon EOS 70D which i bring wherever i'm travel.