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Sunday, June 15, 2014

Talk Instantly with Prip

I don’t know about you, but when I’m on vacation (or at the farmers’ market or the mall), I don’t want to have to keep calling my travel mates to find out where they are in a crowd or where they want to meet. You could text, but sometimes if it’s loud or in your purse you can’t hear it and if you don’t have unlimited texting, then you probably don’t want to do that either. Enter Prip’s push-to-talk. It’s the way to turn your mobile into a walkie talkie.


Do you remember being a kid and getting a set of walkie talkies and thinking it was the coolest thing? As an adult, we have often thought about getting a set to use at the theme parks or on a cruise ship, but then that is just another thing to have to carry around. By turning your phone into a push-to-talk device, it gives you the best of both worlds, only requires you to carry around one thing instead of two, has an unlimited range instead of only 200 feet and even makes you feel a bit like a kid again.

Save all your minutes for something truly important and download the Prip app to connect to all your friends and family for just $1.99 per month (the first month is free!). When on vacation, make sure all your travel buddies have Prip on their phones. It’ll definitely make finding each other during that Disney parade or figuring out where to meet up for lunch that much easier and less difficult to coordinate, since it’s faster than texting and you won’t be subjected to the miscommunication that can often occur…or waste time text-arguing when it could be easier to just use your words.


Make your phone use more personal, too. Texting is great, but without voice or inflection, things don’t often come across as well as we would like. You aren’t limited by characters either. If you’re like me, you always want to say more than 140 or 160 characters. I don’t want to write 9 different texts. With this, I’m happy, my message gets across and people can hear my actual voice, so no need to use emojis and emoticons, even though they are fun. What exactly do you mean when you post a banana, a steamboat and a top hat??? While cute, they don’t make much sense if you are using them as a language, right?

Prip works via your 3G or 4G network, on roaming and with WiFi. You don’t even have to just use it with people you are traveling with. Use it to ask your husband if you need peanut butter when you’re at the store, find out where your kids are, talk to friends and family across the country or even in other countries (including users of Nextel Mexico, Nextel Brazil, Nextel Peru, Nextel Argentina and Nextel Chile), across cell carriers and on iPhone and Android devices. If they are near their phone, you can instantly communicate with anyone who has the app installed. Want to use Prip outside of the U.S.? No problem! You can use Prip anywhere WiFi is available.


You can add multiple lines to an account, so you can easily pay for your whole family on one account, employees for your business or manage the lines for everyone you are traveling with. At only $1.99 per line per month, that’s pretty darn cheap and better than all those overage fees you could end up paying when you have to constantly call or text each other to find out where they are or when they’re going to show up. Each user has their own login and password for their individual app, making it personal at the same time, even if one person is in charge of managing and paying for all the lines. There’s no commitment either, so if you decide you no longer need Prip on a phone, you can quickly cancel the plan online.

Doesn’t Prip sound like a great app that you could be using all the time? If you think so, then try it now! I think you're going to like it as much as I do. You can download Prip directly to your phone from iTunes or the GooglePlay Store and start using it right away.


Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

When to Buy Airfare for Your Destination

OMG! Did you know that there is a certain time frame for each section of the world to get the best deal? I sure didn't, which could be why it always seems like deals are totally random when you're traveling out of the country. I am the one who would love to plan and book an entire vacation as soon as I get back from the one I'm on. Unfortunately for me, that doesn't yield the cheapest rates for everything, especially airfare. This infographic from Buzzfeed gives you the best weeks or months out from a trip to book. 


The only things I don't agree with are at the bottom. You should almost never book your tickets on the weekend, because the deals show up on Monday or Tuesday and go through Thursday. New "deals" are posted on Saturdays, but 99.9% of the time they are much higher, because this is when people have the time to sit and browse travel sites. I've also never found a better deal for returning on a Monday, since that is one of the busiest days to fly. So, wrap up: book in the middle of the week, fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday and have fun! What's the best travel deal you've ever taken advantage of?

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Father's Day Travel Gifts

Father's Day is in just 4 days away. Have you gotten your dad/husband/brother a gift yet? If you haven't and the dad on your list likes to travel or has to travel a lot for work, then I have a great list of ideas for you, all of which can be purchased now at the last-minute and get it before you see them on Sunday. For my favorite splurge-worthy and budget-friendly gifts, check out my article on Parade.com. And here are more options for however much you have available to spend to make your dad's day the best, most of which are available on Amazon.

On a little budget

We loved the one we had for travel so much that we bought one of these for our house, too. This compact little gadget is perfect for traveling, because you can make one free outlet into five! We plugged it into our adapter and were able to charge our laptop, cell phones and iPad mini at the same time. Pretty awesome, right? Yeah, I thought so. Belkin is a great brand and you can turn the plug 360 degrees, which means if you have a tight space, it will always fit. Double score! 

Since most American electronic devices are now dual-watt, it's not necessary to purchase a power converter anymore, but if you're traveling outside of the US an adapter is a necessity. I purchased this bare bones one a while ago and it changes configurations for the different outlets in different countries (which saves space!) and works amazingly well. It's also super affordable and if you buy this pack of two, you can keep one for yourself. It slips right into a carry-on pocket, so it won't take up much space that your dad needs for other things, like pants!


Is your dad going somewhere specific soon? Pick him up a one or two Knopf travel guides. They have fantastic pop-out maps and suggestions for all the fun and cool things to do in each neighborhood. They will be more excited than ever to plan their trip and will have a nice list of affordable things to do, see and places to eat. I took these guides with me to London and Paris (both times I traveled) and they were invaluable for finding attractions and underground stations.

On a moderate budget
Got a budding photographer on your list, social media addict or a blogger to buy for? The Eye-Fi card is perfect! With built-in WiFi, it magically sends any photos or videos taken with it (you know, with a camera) to an iPhone, iPad, Android device or computer. Instant back-up! Not only that, you can set up your card to also send your photos and videos straight to an online sharing site, including Flickr, Facebook, Shutterfly and even YouTube. Pictures don’t need to be uploaded at the end of the day to be able to add them to a blog, making it so much easier to share and save. They can be a lifesaver, especially if a camera gets stolen on a trip, because all their memories will be backed up. 



CityPASS – CityPASSes are great for travelers, because they allow them to see and do more on a budget. Pay one price and get the most popular (and sometime obscure, too) attractions included.  On average, CityPASSes save half off regular attraction rates, which is a huge savings if they get to all of them. They are good for 9 consecutive days starting with the first use. Even if they just going live in one of these cities they are available all, it allows them to be a tourist at home, which is always fun.


Travelon has been a wonderful review partner for me over the years. It’s no surprise that I love their bags and other products. They are well-made, look great and are made for both men and women to carry. The Urban Tour Bag is one we continue to take over and over again on trips and is my husband's "personal item" on the plane where he stashes books, the iPad, snacks, gum, pens and bottles of water. It's handy, doesn't cut into your shoulder and looks great. I've even used it on bike rides. If you need more reason to buy one, here's my review of it.

I hope you find something here or in my Parade article that suits your dad and your wallet. Remember, it's the thought that counts and not the amount of money that goes into a gift that will make the receiver happy, so if you are low on funds and can only purchase a little something, maybe construct a funky handmade card, throw in a hug and you're golden! What are some of your favorite travel gift ideas? 
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