My Favorite Travel Souvenirs 12.19.12

When traveling, I can't always justify spending money on random souvenirs that aren't useful, like t-shirts with the city written across the chest that I'll never wear or shot glasses or any number of other things sold in airport gift shops around the world. The one thing I always buy on my trips is an ornament for my Christmas tree. It make my holiday even more special and gives me a clear goal for shopping on my trip - plus I don't feel like I'm wasting money on something just to say I bought it from such and such city. Every time I pull out my ornaments, i remember what a great time I had on each trip I took. The other great thing about ornaments is they are small and generally are pretty affordable.

Purchased in St. George

Found at Disneyland

Santa delivers to the tropics, too

An ornament given to me by a friend when I visited her in San Francisco

An alpaca from Ecuador

A little tiki from Hawaii

Jack came from Disney World to grace my tree

Somehow I missed out on an ornament in Paris, so I bought this in lieu of that

What are your favorite souvenirs to bring back from vacations?

Cruising For the Budget-Minded 12.15.12

Cruise lines and booking sites are doing everything they can to entice cruisers to go right now. With all the deals flying around, it’s hard to not find one that fits your budget. Now you can be the one that comes back home with a tan in the middle of January and make all your friends jealous of your globetrotting. While cruising seems like a luxurious and expensive endeavor, it can be really affordable if you know when to go, how to cruise and what to book where. Of course, cruise shopping is not always easy. With so many hidden fees, rates can look fabulous and then when you try to book, you end up looking at a not so reasonable total. If you’re like a lot of people, you give up and either don’t go at all or spend way too much because you aren’t informed. Let’s look at what’s included and what’s not.

Inclusives: 

Entertainment. Almost all entertainment is free once on board. Unless you want to do something where you will win money, like bingo. All shows, trivia, lectures and movies are generally included in your price.

Gym. The exercise facilities are free of charge for everyone, as are the locker/shower rooms. Many exercise classes are also free, but some are not. If you have to sign up for a class, make sure you look to see if it requires payment.

Pools and hot tubs. Many cruisers spend the majority of their time out by the pool with a drink in their hand. While this can certainly be a fun way to spend your time, make sure you don’t imbibe too much (see non-inclusives) and get away from the pool to make more of your time.

Most food. Almost all your food is included in your cruise rate. All buffet and main dining room food is included in this. If you dine at one of the other restaurants that you have to make reservations for, you will use your "sign and sale card" and the cost of that meal will be added to your account to be paid at the end of the cruise. The same counts for the coffee shops where you can purchase pastries.

Some beverages. Unless otherwise specified, alcoholic beverages, sodas and some other specialty beverages are not included, while water, coffee and tea are. You can buy a soda card, which will give you unlimited soda, but it is extra from your cruise rate and you must buy it at the beginning of your cruise. You will usually also be charged at any of the coffee shops.

Non-Inclusives:

Port fees and taxes: This is a big one. The more ports you cruise into, the more fees you pay and each country has its own tax rates, so you can’t really estimate the totals. I like to assume a high rate and consider if I would go on the cruise if I were spending twice as much as the published price. This can happen with many cruises after taxes and fees are assessed. You can always Google port fees, too.

Alcoholic beverages and soda. This is how the cruise ship gets you. By charging you up to $4 for a soda and $10 or more on booze, your account can quickly add up to hundreds of dollars on just drinks alone. Not only do they charge you an arm and a leg on drinks, but they even add an average 18% "gratuity fee" to each drink you buy. 

Some entertainment. Things like bingo, rock wall climbing and miniature golf can be extra charges to your account.

Spa use. The spa sounds awesome and relaxing, but prices can be much more than those on land, unless you reserve a time on port day, where they discount services.

Some exercise classes. Some exercise classes are free, while others incur a fee. These are generally what they consider the most popular classes, like pilates or spinning.

Shopping. Anything you purchase on the boat will be charged to your account.

Eric using the ship's internet cafe

Internet. Internet fees can be horrendously high, but if you want to be connected, buy a package deal, as it'll be much cheaper than paying a la cart.

Land Excursions. The crew on your ship will do everything they can to get you to buy an excursion package once on board. Book through an independent company before you leave home and save up to 65% (and in some cases, even more).

So, what can you do to minimize costs on your cruise? 

Sexy towel bunny

• Cruise in the off-season. Different cruise destinations have different peak seasons. Choose a destination that has an off-season that coincides with your vacation time.
• You are allowed a case of soda or bottled water (on most cruises) per passenger. Bring your own and store them in your cabin fridge. 
• As I said above, book your shore excursions before you leave home, through a reputable independent company and save a mint on them. More money for souvenirs and other sightseeing at your port city.

Cruise shops

• Avoid buying art and/or jewelry onboard, unless it's deeply discounted on one of the last days. Chances are, you can find the same thing on land for much cheaper. I'm talking about real jewelry, like gold and diamonds.
• Find an internet cafe on land and pay a fraction of the cost as you will on the ship.
• Get an inside cabin. If you're active, like we are, you will be so busy NOT being in your stateroom that you'll barely have time to enjoy the room anyway. Don't spend up to twice as much on a room with a view if you won't be in it longer than to change clothes and sleep.

Eric doing dress-up karaoke

• Spend time going to free activities, instead of hanging out by the pool all day. Honestly, you are paying to have the crew entertain you, so go to karaoke, towel-folding classes, trivia and all those other fun sounding activities. Each day you'll get a schedule for the next day. Plan out what you want to do and maximize your time on the ship.
•  Shop at "non-approved" stores in port. For the most part, these shops get a commission for each cruise passenger that buys from them. If you go just a few blocks away and shop "off the map", you can get much better deals. Of course, if you plan to shop for jewelry or other pricey items, make sure you get a certificate of authenticity and that your jewelry is stamped. 

Our room before our beds were made into one

Don't know how to pick a cabin or a ship or want to know more about the activities or read reviews? Check out Cruise Critic. I found that they have more information and are easier to navigate than the cruise websites. And if you STILL need more tips on cruising, like how to get FREE alcohol, then make sure you pick up a copy of my book. Want to know as soon as it’s available? Sign up for my newsletter and/or my Facebook page.

Afternoon Tea Isn’t Just for the Brits 12.12.12

Finger foods (or hors d’ouevres or appetizers or tapas) are high up on my list of favorite things. Like ever. On my birthday we went out to a French bistro that had small plates – that we ate way too many of. Every party I throw is finger food central. You’ll come to my house to a buffet of tiny foods. When we got married, everything on the food table was fork-free friendly. I just think food should be convenient to eat and mingle over if you are in a group. I shouldn’t have to juggle my plate and a drink and figure out how to cut something with a fork and knife while I’m trying to have a conversation. Also, little things are CUTE. Babies know what I’m talking about.

It’s not only that small foods are fun, but it enables you to try more than one thing without stuffing yourself or spending a ton. They say variety is the spice of life, so when I have a chance to eat a meal entirely of bite-size nibbles I’m totally in. One of these times is a traditional afternoon tea. It’s a Brit thing, yes, but why does that mean the rest of us can’t enjoy it…and not have to be in England to do it? I say there is no reason you can’t indulge in the decadence that is afternoon tea anytime, anywhere – well, it obviously must be during afternoon tea time.

One of the great things about afternoon tea is the time. Between 12pm and 4pm you are usually looking for a place to have lunch. Normally, it’s closer to noon. I have a way to making tea turn into a budget friendly meal. Instead of gorging yourself on what amounts to four meals a day, turn it into two and a half. I am always up for eating more on vacation, but that also means I need to walk waaaaaaaaay more than planned. Since I can’t walk 28 miles a day to burn off all my usual extra calories, and I don’t have a never-ending budget for vacation, I use afternoon tea to save on dining some days. It enables me to eat a bunch of little things instead of several full-size meals.

Here’s what I suggest: Eat a big breakfast a little later than usual. 9 or 10am work perfectly. Make your afternoon tea reservation as late as you can get away with. I aim for 3:30 or 4pm. This way, by the time you are getting hungry, it is well past lunch time, but not quite dinner time. Leisurely enjoy your bite-size sandwiches, pastries, scones, fruit and anything else you are served with. This gets you to around 5 or 6pm. You can get in a show or movie or a little more sightseeing before you head back to your room/vacation rental. I always keep snacks on-hand when we travel, which we will nibble on later if we start to feel hungry before we are ready for bed.

This is also the perfect time to try a nearby food cart, split a sandwich or other yummy sounding thing from a deli or even grab a small pizza from a local mom and pop establishment. Of course, if you have leftovers from your previous dining experiences, you can always finish those off instead. Either way, that little extra you spent on a late-night snack won’t break your budget and you’ll have combined your lunch and dinner into a more reasonable cost than going to a sit-down restaurant for both meals separately. These photos are from my afternoon tea at The London West Hollywood – Gordon Ramsay’s rooftop restaurant (during the weekdays). You’ll be surprised how much these 3 little plates of food filled us up for the rest of the evening.

What is your favorite part about high tea? Is it the chance to try a bunch of different things like me?