vacation
Money
Plan The Best Staycation Ever
6:00AM Jason Fitzpatrick | Everyone needs a little time off, but sometimes factors like economic troubles and the hassle of travelling with small children make it easier to vacation in your home town instead of travelling afar. More »
Organise
Microsoft Chief Gets Creative During ‘White Space’
12:30AM Gina Trapani | While Bill Gates used to schedule a twice-yearly “Think Week” at a retreat so he could chew on technical papers from Microsoft employees, chief software architect Ray Ozzie prefers to get away with no reading material to come up with ideas on his own. CNET News reports: Once or twice a year, Ozzie tries to find time for what he calls “white space.” Rather than be surrounded by the ideas of others, Ozzie prefers to lock himself away with the proverbial blank sheet of paper. His most recent such exercise was during a brief trip to Hawaii in April following a work trip to Asia. It’s a practice that dates back to Ozzie’s time at Groove Networks and even before that. Inevitably, Ozzie returns to the office with a ton of new ideas, sending a variety of “go do” tasks for his team. More »
Best Scenic Drives in the U.S.
9:00AM Adam Pash | If you’ve got a hankering to hit the road and take an all-American scenic road trip this summer—despite the astronomical gas prices—Yahoo Travel rounds up a few editor-favourite routes. The article highlights: …everything from the obvious Highway 1 in California to the less-obvious — but brilliantly named — Going-to-the-Sun Road in Montana. We’ve picked routes for their history; for their natural scenery; for their romantic appeal; and for their remote wild beauty. Got a favourite stretch of road in your neck of the woods? Let’s hear about it in the comments. And before you’re taking that drive, check out our many tips for saving on gas. Photo by cadmanof50s. Best Scenic Drives in the U.S. [Yahoo Travel] More »
More Than One Way to Take a Vacation
8:00AM Gina Trapani | Some people just don’t know how to take a vacation—but others sure do and do it with style. Entrepreneur Brad Feld falls into the latter category and describes his various flavors of vacation, from quarterly, disconnected “Spend Time Away” trips, to occasional unplugged “Go Dark” weekends, to “Downshift” time where he limits work to just a couple of hours a day. Not all of us have this kind of flexibility (and vacation time!) but Feld makes the great point: when you set the expectation of work to relaxation ratio before you vacation, it’s a better time for everyone. What’s A Vacation? [Feld Thoughts via Micropersuasion] More »
Save Money Flying Despite Increasing Fares
9:00AM Adam Pash | According to Wired, most US airlines assumed—for whatever insane reasons—that the price of oil would drop this year. They were wrong, of course, and as a result roundtrip tickets have increased by as much as $50 apiece. To help battle the rising cost of flying, Wired suggests several tips for keeping the price of tickets as low as possible, like: Never buy tickets between Friday and Monday morning. Why? Airlines file fare increases on Thursday evenings and watch over the weekend to see if all of their competitors match the price bumps. If they don’t, the carriers roll back prices by Monday afternoon. More »
How Would You Pack a Vacation into Just One Backpack?
2:10AM Kevin Purdy | The Zen Habits blog pulls together suggestions from its readers on how to travel very, very light to make vacations less stressful and more adventurous. The compiled backpack list includes travel documents, deodorant, two each of shorts, T-shirts and underwear, and only a camera to tinker with, amongst other warm-weather necessities. But we turn now to you, dear reader, to ask: What bare necessities would you pack if you had to shove an entire vacation into a backpack? What gadgets and tools can you not stand to live without, and what items have you found unnecessary? Offer up some minimalist wisdom in the comments, and get inspired by your fellow readers if you’re making a trip this weekend. Photo by ToastyKen. 36 Great Tips for Keeping Travel as Simple as Possible [Zen Habits] More »
Nine Ways to Keep Valentine’s Day Inexpensive
2:30AM Kevin Purdy | So you’ve just finished paying off (or mostly paying down) your holiday expenses, and now Valentine’s Day looks like it’s going to break your frugal stride. Not necessarily so, says Trent at The Simple Dollar personal finance blog. Rather than taking the easy-but-expensive route, he recommends both a few nuggets of common wisdom (thoughtful cards, secluded spots) and an idea that’s new to me: Take time off. If you both have some vacation time built up, put in for a day off and spend it together. Do some simple and purely fun things that you wouldn’t ordinarily get to do. Cuddle together for a big chunk of the day and just enjoy each other instead of stressing out at work. If you’re the type who frequently has to use up vacation time at year-end, spending one day with a significant other is both realistic and a great way to show commitment. What do you have planned for the holiday that’s more thoughtful than bank-breaking? Spread the love in the comments. Nine Tactics for a Frugal Valentine’s Day [The Simple Dollar] More »
Get a New Flight When Stranded at the Airport with Rule 240
6:00AM Adam Pash | US-centric: MSNBC highlights how to invoke Rule 240 to get a new flight fast any time your flight is cancelled for anything other than weather. I invoked Rule 240—which states that in the event of any flight delay or cancellation caused by anything other than weather, the airline would fly me on the next available flight—not their next available flight, which might not leave for another 24 hours. And guess what happened? A lot of United passengers made it to Boston that day&mdash on American. A relic of pre-deregulation airlines, the article says that most newer airlines won’t honor rule 240, but apparently most of the older airlines still respect this rule as a matter of company policy. If you know anything more about rule 240—maybe you’ve invoked it yourself?—let’s hear about it in the comments. For more details, check out Consumerist’s rather extensive guide to Rule 240. Photo by dougww. Stranded at the airport? Don’t forget Rule 240 [MSNBC] More »
Take a Cheap Vacation in Your Own City
12:40AM Kevin Purdy | Week after week of projects, deadlines, and new challenges have gone by at work, and you’re ready to get out and get away. Before you throw some hard-earned cash at airline tickets, consider taking the cheaper and faster route to a vacation—explore your own city. The Wise Bread frugality blog has a few ideas on how to give yourself a new perspective on your town, and get some relaxation while you’re at it: A great way to get a different impression of the place you live is to act like a tourist. Find a guidebook for your area and choose some weekend activities from it. For a different twist on this idea, try to find an older, most likely outdated, guidebook. For more view-changing ideas, find an iPod guide for your city or follow our readers’ advice on exploring new cities in your own locale. Photo by allygril520. Walking Into The Spirit of Travel [Wise Bread via LH Au] More »
Work
