Tag: Christmas

Categories
Gift Ideas

16 Gift Ideas For The Traveler On Your List

Whether we’re ready for it or not, the holidays are here. Yes, already. And if you’re anything like the rest of us, you’ve probably got quite a few stragglers on your list that you have yet to shop for. Whether it’s your sister, friend, roommate, or the coworker who is on vacation more than he’s actually in the office, here are 16 gift ideas for the on-the-go guys and gals on your list, no matter what your budget.

1. For the friend who’s always planning their next trip: 1000 Places To See Before You Die. This book is full of must-see destinations and practical information to help plan. Whether the jet-setter on your list likes history, outdoor activities, shopping, or cuisines, this book is sure to offer valuable suggestions. Pick it up at your local book store or Amazon.com, starting at less than $10. Pair it with a journal and a nice pen to make the ultimate travel planning companion.

2. Maybe your friend isn’t a frequent flyer at all, but the thought of going on that spring vacation with her is enough for you to “accidentally forget” to pick adjacent seats. Anin-flight organizerwill help her keep everything handy instead of disturbing the people next to her while digging for lip balm, headphones, or Advil every 10 minutes.

3. Everyone likes to protect their electronics, so why not give them a stylish, water resistant case for their new eReader? Just make sure it’s sturdy enough to shove into a bag while on the go.

4. A quality carry on bag is always a good idea, but don’t overlook a “personal bag” to suit his/her style. I pack an overhead carry on with clothes, shoes, and any other large items I may need. But the bag that I use as my personal item has to fit my laptop, power cords, hair straightener, makeup, liquids, DSLR, keys, wallet, iPod, snacks, books, and then some. It’s nice to have a trendy, high-quality, organized bag that can double as a purse once I arrive at my destination. For men it might be better to go with a traditional overnight bag, but for women, check out their favorite designer or accessories store and look for an oversized bag with compartments. Go with their natural style- do they often carry boho-chic bags? Or how about a messenger bag, backpack, or simply a duffel bag?  ebags.com also has an excellent selection of bags for every guy or gal on the go. Some suggested features:

  • Strong zippers
  • Water repellant material
  • No more than 12″ high so that it fits under the seat
  • Heavy duty, padded handles and a removable/adjustable strap
  • The ability to zip shut or remain open comfortably
  • Separate pockets on the outside for quick access to cell phone, ID, ticket

5. What about the coworker you picked in the office gift exchange? Whether he’s an avid traveler or just a guy who doesn’t like to get wet when running out for lunch on a rainy day, a nice travel umbrella should do the trick. The smaller, the better. A flat handle fits into a bag much easier than a clunky round one. Or better yet, the Shortstuff Portable Umbrella is only 5.5″ folded so it can fit comfortably in his pocket. This is the type of gift that may not seem like much, but it’s one that he’ll use just as much, if not more, than any gift on this list.

6. I’ve found myself packing cheap and easy foods like instant oatmeal and macaroni & cheese in an attempt to save money while traveling. But sometimes it can be difficult to find dishes to prepare these low budget meals in. How about a collapsible bowl & plate for the extremely frugal traveler on your list?

7. Got a wine lover on your list that stocks up in every new place they visit? Give them Bottle Armor XXL—the perfect gift to prevent a suitcase of wine-stained clothes and shards of glass.

8. While on the road, clean drinking water isn’t always easy to come by. And we all know bottled water can get quite expensive. Here’s a cheap way to give your friend filtered water all the time, with the Waterbobble Filtered Water Bottle.

9. Has your friend been dying to visit a place year after year, but it always falls through? Ever wonder how you can help them get there without paying for a plane ticket that costs more than your first car? Why not get them a gift card through their favorite airline? It’s like starting a rainy day fund that they can’t accidentally spend on anything else.

10. Do you have a roommate who works nonstop on the road, but is constantly calling to have you to email a file from their desktop? Why not get them a subscription to MobileMe? At $99, you’ll help your hard-working roomie get a bit more organized by automatically syncing their desktop, laptop, iPad, and iPhone. No more docking and syncing before every trip. Added bonus: there’s even a feature to help your “organized” roomie find their iPhone or iPad the next time should they happen to misplace it.

11. Know a shutterbug that insists on showing you every single photo after every mini-adventure? Give them a Flickr Pro subscription so they can upload and share their photos with the entire world. At only $24.95 for one year, it’s also a great way to store high quality photos online, just in case anything happens to their memory card or computer while on the go.

12. What do you get a world traveler who’s not planning a trip any time soon? Let them explore different cultures while staying local by giving them a certificate for a class. Maybe a wine and cheese class, or a language class that will help them when they finally make that trip to Germany. If their schedule is too unpredictable, maybe a membership for a cheese, wine, or beer of the month club. I can’t recommend or speak on behalf of any company in particular, but a quick search will pull up several options to suit your price range.

13. What about the clutter-free friend whose apartment looks like a page from a West Elm catalog? Perhaps a digital picture frame would be the perfect decoration for their place. Most of the nice ones can run you close to $100, but look for a combo pack with a memory card included for that price. Load up the card with some pictures of their journeys for a more personalized gift.

14. An essential for any traveler, especially those who frequently fly long distances: noise canceling headphones. I’ve personally had great experiences with Bose, but do some shopping around to find the best ones in your price range.

15. Turn their digital camera into an underwater one with a water resistant cover. Many travelers have great cameras but miss out on quality underwater photos when they settle for a $15 Kodak disposable. These can cost a couple hundred dollars, so make sure you know the camera’s exact model before purchasing.

16. Can’t decide on just one gift to give the wanderer in your life? Why not make your own travel gift basket? Get items that will come in handy when they’re on the go, and stuff them inside of a new carry on bag instead of a basket. An emergency charger, a sleeping mask, snacks, travel games, a passport folder—anything goes.

Categories
Money Saving Tips

15 Cheap Ways to Go Home for the Holidays

“Home for the holidays” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it when you’re broke or unemployed. Instead of warm thoughts of spending time with loved ones over homemade meals, you might be calculating cash advances and counting pennies for holiday gifts. With Thanksgiving and Christmas so close together, it can be hard to arrange affordable travel plans twice within 30 days, especially when you’re more than a couple hundred miles away. Being a professional broke-ass, here some tips I’ve learned over the past few years that have helped me make it home for the holidays.

1. Book early. If you’re not already on your way home for turkey dinner on Thursday, chances are you won’t be going for very cheap, if at all. Experts say that September is the ideal time to book the best deals on holiday travel. But if you haven’t yet booked a trip for Christmas, there may still be hope.

2. Choose one or the other. Look at the amount of time you can spend visiting compared to the cost of the trip. For most people Thanksgiving is a four day weekend, whereas many companies shut down for up to two weeks during the Christmas and New Years season. Not to mention more time off means more flexibility in booking your trip- aka lower prices!

3. Be flexible with your dates. Do your research and see what days and times are cheapest. Once when I had to be back to work on a Monday, I saved $200 by choosing the 7a-830a Monday morning flight over flying out on Sunday. Try to avoid the busiest travel days at all costs (the Wednesday before and Sunday after Thanksgiving, and December 23, 26, 27).

4. Don’t rely on travel sites like Expedia or Orbitz for the lowest prices. Many low-cost, independent air carriers do not provide information to the travel search engines, so you might miss out on a huge deal. Check out the low-cost air carriers on their own websites.

Airtran
Allegiant
Frontier
jetBlue
Southwest
Spirit
Sun Country
USA3000

5. Think outside the airport. I live about 14 hours from my family by Greyhound and Amtrak, but I’ve made the trip a few times and saved a couple hundred dollars each trip. Five years ago I signed up for Greyhound’s Road Rewards program, and have received a handful of discount coupons ever since. Every random weekend trip you take on a bus throughout the year adds up. Most people would rather shell out big bucks for convenience—an hour and a half flight vs a 12 hour bus ride could mean a difference of well over a hundred dollars. But if you look for a nighttime express service, say from 1030pm to 1030am with only 2 stops along the way, you’ll be there in a normal night of sleep’s time. (If you have a hard time sleeping in vehicles, make sure to board with some Tylenol PM and headphones.)

6. Carpool. See if anyone you know within a reasonable radius is heading close to your destination. Chip in for gas and turn it into a fun road trip. Living in New York, I once spoke to a friend in Boston about me taking a $20 train upstate and meeting him along the way if he’d pick me up. Just make sure it’s a reliable person, because you don’t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere on Christmas Eve.

7. Make a friend or family member an offer that’s hard to refuse. If you live in a hot tourist destination (ex: NYC at New Years), see if you can convince someone to drive you back one way in exchange for free lodging and the experience of a lifetime. Sure, you might have to brave the crowds with them in Times Square on December 31st, but isn’t that better than charging a flight you can’t afford?

8. Redeem airline miles for free flights. Most companies have blackout dates, but I was surprised to find out through my Spirit Airlines Mastercard that I have enough miles for a free flight during the peak holiday season. (I didn’t end up choosing that route because I can also redeem those miles for two roundtrip tickets to the Caribbean during the off season, which to me seemed like a better deal. After paying taxes on that “free flight,” my fare would’ve almost been as much as a train ride anyway.)

9. Redeem credit card reward points for a prepaid Visa or MasterCard gift card. This kind of goes hand in hand with number 8, but if you can get a $50 gift card through credit card points, that’s money you can put towards your trip home. Also, credit card companies like Citibank offer Thank You Points, which can be redeemed for free items in their online gift store. Maybe you have enough points for that video game your brother wants, giving yourself an extra $50 to spend on your trip.

10. Ask for part or all of the trip to be paid for as a Christmas gift. Who really needs that many socks, anyway?

11. Check out alternate airports, bus terminals, or train stations within driving distance. If you can find a significantly cheaper deal to a nearby location, convince a friend or family member to come get you.

12. Be willing to travel more. If you’re traveling across the country or international and there is a cheap flight to a city 150 miles from your destination, look into taking a bus those extra 150 miles. This can be a bit risky considering weather conditions and delays, but I once flew jetBlue from LA to Chicago, and then jumped on a $30 express Megabus for four hours to Toledo to visit my family. I saved over $200.

13. This one takes a bit of planning, but make sure to follow your favorite budget airline(s) and travel websites on Twitter. It’s a much quicker way to watch for a sale than visiting each website every day. Also, some airlines and hotels are participating in Black Friday deals this year, offering discounts on trips booked on 11/26 for travel before the end of the year.

14. This may be a bit extreme depending on the size of your family and whether you’re their favorite child or not, but consider celebrating a few days before or after the actual holiday. Traveling on Thanksgiving or Christmas days can be much cheaper than the surrounding days. I know someone who waits until mid-January to fly home and celebrate Christmas with his family each year, and only pays a fraction of the price for a plane ticket.

15. If all else fails, order some takeout and video chat during dinner so that it feels like you’re right there at the table. Happy holidays!

Categories
New York

A Spectacular New York Holiday Tradition

This may seem a little premature, but the Radio City Christmas Spectacular kicked off the holiday season this past weekend. The show has been a tradition in New York since 1933, featuring the world-famous Rockettes.

On Thursday I caught the final preview show before opening night— for free. I’m not one to pass up much of anything free, especially when it usually costs around $100 a ticket. It was a little strange considering I was dressed up as Joan Holloway just five days before, celebrating Halloween. But a friend of mine got two free orchestra seat tickets from opening an account at Capital One Bank, the sponsors of the show.

You’ll have to excuse the cell phone pictures, but they don’t allow SLR’s inside. I thought they said no cameras at all, but I guess you can use a point and shoot. I had a great view about 15 rows from the stage, but I’d definitely recommend purchasing seats more in the center if you have the choice.

If you’ve never been inside of Radio City, that’s an experience in itself. Especially this time of year. From the second you step inside, all the way downstairs to the concessions, the place looks like Santa’s workshop exploded. You can even skip the lines at the mall and have your photo taken with Santa. But I don’t understand the whole restroom situation. You walk into a gigantic lounge area that’s bigger than most apartments in New York, but the bathroom is severely outdated. Sure, they’ve got the new “press here for a new toilet seat cover” dispensers (on a manual flush toilet might I add), but the sinks are a joke. You literally have to turn and hold the handle on with one hand while you soap up and rinse the other one. When you let go the handle springs back into the off position. Oh, and did I mention that there are two handles— one for hot and one for cold? So you’re either washing your hands, wait no, let me correct that, HAND, with scalding hot or freezing cold water. And when you dry them off with the foot pedal-powered hand dryer, it’s no stronger than gently blowing on your hands. Time for an update, Radio City!

Anyway, I always thought that the show was just the Rockettes doing their signature eye-high kicks while dancing along to Christmas music. I was pleasantly surprised and entertained to see that it’s a much larger production, complete with impressive costumes, a 3D animated show, ice skating, fireworks, and even a living nativity with live camels, sheep, and donkeys.

During the 8 weeks of the show the animals live inside Radio City, consuming 450 bottles of water, 340 bales of hay, and 560 loaves of seven grain bread. They exercise daily by taking early morning and late night strolls on the streets outside Radio City, so if you’re staying in the area, you never know what you might see roaming the streets after hours.

The 90 minute show combines 12 scenes with no intermission, running November 5 — December 30. It does a pretty great job of capturing the holiday spirit in famous New York spots like Times Square, Central Park, and of course Radio City Music Hall. There’s even some flying magic to turn nonbelievers into believers.

Tickets on the official website start around $45-$55 depending on the date, but can reach over $100 a piece for peak days and times. Taking a date or the entire family to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular could get pretty pricey on a tight budget. My best advice for saving money would be to Google some of the New York discount ticket sites, or even search Craigslist if your dates are a bit more flexible. I can’t speak for any discount sites firsthand, but Goldstar is a great site that sells discount tickets for concerts, events, and performances all year long. If I remember correctly from last year, they sold tickets for the show at nearly half price for certain days and times. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular show is the ultimate way to get into the holiday spirit!