Super Useful Travel Links

Happy Friday! I've been poking around this week and decided to run a bonus edition of Super Useful Travel Links. A lot of sadness is coming out of Syria and Egypt (again), making it impossible for anyone to travel near those places. I mean, not like most normal people have Syria on their travel list, but a bet a bunch of you have had Egypt on your list for a long time and every time you hear that there are riots and uprising think "Whyyyyyy?????" Yep. Me, too. So, this week I found a bunch of ways to save money on your trips - that other people wrote!

Some people love to make their own travel videos, but carrying an extra electronic device and everything that goes with it - extra battery, charger, etc. - isn't always something  you want to do. And if you're one of those people who just uses their smartphone for photos and video, it's definitely not going to look too professional. Vine is good if you only want to take postcard snippets to share straight to social media, but what if you want a full-length video for your travel memories? Techlicious has the best apps for amazing smartphone videos. I'm loving the concept of Vyclone and may just try it out on my next trip.

As you know, I love to save money. This year I'm using Airbnb for my accommodations in London and Paris and have saved a ton. Not only have I gotten awesome apartments that have all the amenities I need - washer/dryer, kitchen, convenient location - but I am also spending less on places to sleep than I did the last time we stayed in hotels. 7 years ago. A great new blog called Independent Travel Cats also recognizes the awesomeness that is Airbnb and their post on it shows you how to use it, how it can save you big bucks and how to use it to meet locals who can give you valuable travel info.

I'm no stranger to the farmers' market. Not only does it give me a chance to try the local foods, but it also saves you money by giving you affordable food that you can make meals with instead of eating out at restaurants. Many markets even have food trucks and local bakeries where you can buy breakfast or lunch, too. Want to save even more at the farmers' market? VocalPoint has some great tips, though I don't think many markets give out big discounts near the end, nor do I feel like that is the way to treat farmers who put their life and soul into bringing you their amazing foods, but the other tips are spot-on. 

It's been a long time since I've been to Texas for longer than a day, but this list of suggestions on unique things to do and places to eat in Texas from Daily Candy really makes me want to take a road trip. I also just watched an episode of Tripping Out where Alie and Georgia went to Marfa and showed so many funky things to do there and in the area that i was ready to hop a plane to the city I'd never even heard of. Sleep in an antique luxury RV and take pictures of the fake Prada shop? In!

Is the staycation dead? Priceline seems to think so. They polled their users and the majority of them are taking real vacations now. Everyone is sick of staying home and coming up with creative ideas to do to save money. Possibly, the percentage of travelers is so high, because they are actively using Priceline to find places to stay or they are not including staycations that are in addition to their traditional vaca. Do you think the staycation is dead? If you're still taking one, you can get some fun ideas on my Pinterest board. There's everything from turning your backyard into a movie theater to engaging in a scavenger hunt around your city.

Living in the US, we get pretty spoiled with large meal portions, free refills and complimentary bread and water in restaurants. Europe is not the same. You don't get to take your leftovers home if you don't finish your food, free refills don't exist and ice is almost a myth. If only I had known this piece of advice before my last trip, I could have saved a lot. The blog EuroCheapo explains why you should never BUY water in Paris.

Have you seen any great money-saving posts lately?

Fixes for Common Travel Problems Part 2

There are many things that can go wrong when you travel. In this series of posts, I help you to find solutions to common travel problems, because it's less stressful to travel when you can eliminate some of the things that have easy fixes. One of the most irritating issues when traveling, especially for me, is dryness. Air travel is just drying. the recycled air doesn't have any oxygen pumped into it, so basically you are sitting in stale air the whole time you are on the plane. Gross, right? 

Here are some of the best ways to combat dryness when you fly and even when you visit arid climates:

Hydrate! It's an answer to most everything: staying healthy, staying alert, keeping up your energy, being able to sleep. Say away from beverages that don't help you stay hydrated, like coffee, juice, alcohol and sodas. Water is the best choice. Buy a big bottle or two after you get through security to take with you on the plane, because waiting for the drink cart to come around is not always a good option. If plain water just sounds boring, bring along ice tea or other drink packets you can add to it for flavor.

Moisturize - Use a heavy-duty moisturizer or just double-up on it on the days you travel. You may also want to keep a travel-size lotion or lotion bar/stick with you to keep your hands and arms and any other exposed skin from getting all dry and cracky.

Don't pile on the products - Travel days are good for going minimal. The least amount of beauty products you can get away with is the best way to go. Wear a tinted moisturizer if you need some coverage, mascara and tinted lip balm can complete you look and help keep as much moisture in your skin.

Moisturize - Yes, it's important. Do it! Lip balm is your friend. Keep it in your pocket and reapply, reapply, reapply. Nothing sucks worse than feeling like you've been out in the desert for 5 days after getting to your destination.

Turn off that vent - That vent above your head only blows stale, germy air on you and will dry you out even faster and possibly give you the cold that that guy in 12B has. You don't want that. Stay healthy and feel less like you rolled around in dust on your trip.

Eat your veggies - You're probably not going to buy food on the plane, because it's ridiculously expensive, has little nutritional value and doesn't really fill you up, so bring your own healthy, non-salty snacks including fresh fruits and veggies that will not only make you glad you have them, but will keep up your energy-level and give you more hydration as well. For more ideas for fun make-ahead snacks for your trips, check out my Yummy Takealongs Pinterest board.

Gum! This should always be part of your carry-on and easily accessible. Not only can it help you deal with air pressure, but chewing gum can get the saliva flowing in your mouth, so you aren't feeling like someone stuffed cotton around your tongue after hours of being on the plane.

Moisturize! See above. This is one of the most important ways to keep your body from quickly drying out.

Do you have other ways to keep the dryness away while traveling?

My Kia, My Summer

When you road-trip close to home and bring your own car, it's pretty important that it's comfortable enough to sit in – for everyone – for hours at a time. My little blue Kia Rio, that I've named Kip, may be compact, but he has plenty of room for driving an hour to the beach and even three hours to Seattle or Bend. Summer may be coming to an end, but that doesn't mean we have to stop packing up our car and heading out to someplace fun. Though we tend to take Kip with us during the spring, we have shared some great summer memories in it as well.

When my old car was limping along on its last leg, Eric and I remembered a commercial from a Kia dealership in town that we saw quite often on TV and decided we should check it out. Neither of us had ever driven a Kia or knew that much about them, but we drove away in a brand new Rio and I have loved it ever since. I drive 25 miles a day, at least, to get to work and back, so something that was compact, comfortable, somewhat roomy and didn't eat a lot of gas was important. 

There's a surprising amount of space in the car. You can fit 2-4 carry-ons in the trunk as needed, plus we have room for my dog's car seat – yes, she has her own special seat to see out of the window – and our cooler for drinks and snacks. Kip takes us pretty much everywhere. All our weekend jaunts are with him, whether that means we're headed to the farmers' market and a movie or up to Seattle to take a little getaway.

I get 25+ miles per gallon, depending on what kind of driving I do: 25 mpg for mostly commuting traffic that can be start and stop, and around 30 mpg for highway driving. That kind of efficiency really saves us a lot of moola when we go on long-haul trips, which means our travels can be even more budget-friendly. 

Where Kip has taken us:

Bend, Oregon – You may or may not remember the long weekend we took to Bend, where we visited their cute Saturday market, hung out the deck of our vacation rental, visited a candy factory, hit up an outdoor concert (which is why we went there in the first place) and then hiked a lava cave. That was super-fun!

Travel tip: Google free and cheap things to do at various destinations to find unique activities to do along your way.

Seattle, Washington – there was the time when Harry Potter: The Exhibition came to Seattle and I bought tickets and dragged Eric along with me to indulge in my obsession. We ate at Hard Rock, rode the monorail, shopped at the Space Needle and walked a ton all over the city.

Travel tip: Use social media to get suggestions from friends who live near your destination or have traveled there. This is a great way to find hidden gems.

Multnomah Falls – About a half-hour drive outside of Portland is the tallest year-round waterfall in America. My friend and I drove Kip out to see it when she was in town, got a bit of a hike in, popped into the gift shop and then hit the restaurant on-site before heading back home.

Travel tip: You can save a lot of money on dining out if you pack road-friendly foods and snacks. You'll also eat healthier than you would if you stopped for every meal.

Lincoln City, Oregon – My dog loves the beach. I mean, have you ever met a dog that didn't? I didn't think so. She, somehow, thinks she can run and smell everything at the same time, so she will take off running as well as she can with her nose down and try to cover as much ground as possible. It's really fun to see her enjoy it so much, and we have gone the last couple times just for her. 

Travel tip: The beach is awesome, but it's not just found near the ocean. In fact, you could save substantially by traveling to a lake instead. Many have beaches and most of the activities you can do on the coast, but for a much smaller price tag.

I’m not saying that Kip made it possible to go to all those places, but he certainly made them more fun! I really couldn’t ask for a better car that works as well in the city as it does in the country and everything in between. It fits in every parking space and is a breeze to parallel park – I got a thumbs-up from a cop on my excellent one-shot parking job. Four adults fit in it for carpooling and if you have kids, they will have plenty of room to stretch out in the back. (We have squeezed three adults in the back, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a trip longer than across town.) We've even discussed upgrading to a bigger Kia if our family grows larger, but right now Kip is the perfect size for us and fits all of our needs.  

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.