Category Archives: Travel Tips

Traveling More for Less

Traveling More for Less: Airfare

One of the biggest travel expenses is airfare. Obviously, the cheapest solution is to drive, but who wants to spend four out of nine vacation days driving, assuming you’re taking a week off for vacation?

There’s an app I love called Skyscanner. Skyscanner checks all the airlines, including regional airlines. It will find every quirky combination of flights to get you to where you’r

e going. This could be United to Chicago, then Spirit to Kansas. My uncle swears by KAYAK, which when I checked listed identical flights. Another I’ve heard about is Hopper.

Pluses & Minuses

The upside is that it’s cheap. The downside is that if you don’t make a connection for your flight with multiple airlines, there’s no recourse from an airline. I’d make sure there’s at least a 90-minute layover, and I’d never do a connecting flight in the winter.

Icelandair

 

Special notation should be made for Icelandair. It isn’t in many of the flight apps, but it is usually the most consistent budget flight to Europe. The don’t have first class. They don’t have an app. Flights usually connect in Iceland.

How much savings? Back in the day, I got a round-trip to London for $400 (which is great, noting that the US and UK have high airport taxes). All you have to do is sit back and let them advertise an Icelandic vacation to you, which I didn’t even think about, but it totally looks cool!

I just checked, and they’re still the cheapest, but it’s only $50 or so.

Perks

Flying is also more affordable with points. Points are usually branded, like Delta SkyMiles on American Express or Southwest on Chase. These are great, but they spend fast. Often there’s a way to use points with cash, which allows for an inexpensive flight and leaves points for later.

Simply use your reward-earning card for everything. Some offer general points, redeemable for goods or even cash, like Wells Fargo Rewards. My advice to you is to save them to purchase an experience, like travel.

Since a flight is usually the biggest single cost of a vacation, it’s important to get a deal on it. I hope I’ve given useful tips and tricks that might allow you to spend less on traveling and more on vacationing.

Traveling More for Less

Travel More for Less

While traveling more is a very real possibility for everyone, but since we all have limited time and money, doing so requires a real skill.

Let’s assume we budget our personal spending like a company, so our travel is limited to a set approximate amount per year. It therefore follows that by spending less, we’re able to vacation more often.

Considerations

Waiting for the Perfect Time

I’ve needed a vacation for a while. I’ve been waiting for the perfect time, the time when work, client, financial, and familiar obligations all are at a minimum. A time that was perfect for my plans.

I’ve come to realize that there is never a perfect time. Or rather, the perfect time is now. Sometimes we have plans that seem like they would work perfect, but they just don’t. It’s after one realizes that life is whizzing by that one just gives it a go.

A trip to Paris right now may not be at the perfect time, but I’d rather go to Paris at a time that isn’t perfect than not go at all. I’m still going to have the fun and experiences of going to Paris! I can deal with any client or financial responsibilities when I get back.

Aimer la vie!Le seine

This post was originally posted on 08/13/2015 at:
https://www.sunnyspiritmn.com/waiting-for-the-perfect-time/
Skills

Quality Phone Photos

I used to bring my Nikon with me on all my trips. The photos I took have been incredible!

However, this last summer, I went to Europe for a vacation that was longer than my typical vacation. I didn’t bring my camera in order to travel light. I brought my phone.

Just now, all my photographer friends groaned. Let me say, a phone will never be able to catch an image as beautifully as an SLR camera.

That being said, it comes down to a cost/benefit analysis.

Usually, I frame a picture or two to hang on my wall. From my most recent trip? I want to frame none from this trip. I mean, half of that is because it was cloudy for 12/14 days, but the other half was “the camera”.

I bought a phone that had great reviews of the camera. Why wasn’t I taking good photos?

While all the cloudy days didn’t help, even if I had all sunny days, I’m not sure I would’ve gotten any pictures unless by sheer luck.

Truth is, I didn’t know how to use my new camera. I never tinkered with it until my Duluth trip , where I finally figured it out.

fb_img_1481439281932

 

Settings and Why

 The settings should be able to stay the same in most conditions. I have them noted in the picture I took waiting for Real Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.

screenshot_20161210-165520

I’ll note the settings from left to right. I have a Galaxy S7.

Exposure Compensation

This should rarely be used. When other settings are normal, this setting pretty much asks, “do you want your photo under or over exposed?”

It might be useful if you have one factor that disrupts the auto meter, such as a bright light, but I would suggest you change your meter source to a single point or something that gives you more control before you change exposure comp.

Aperture 

This is what I have in auto mode, which sounds insane because aperture is the crux of quality photography. Generally, because the aperture can change so much, it’s often the difference between white overexposures, black underexposures, and nice photographs.

Since it tends to be very sensitive, I just leave it in auto mode. The right settings will open the lens, if possible.

ISO

Many people don’t know what ISO is. To explain it to my dad, who learned manual photography, I just said it’s like film speed. I think that’s reasonable, since they both have numbers like 200, 400, and 800. ISO is basically how sensitive the exposure is to the light.

My phone has ISO that goes up to 800. This isn’t high enough to make shots grainy, a common issue with SLR cameras, when running ISO of 2,000 or more.

It could likely be in auto, but in low light conditions, I usually make it as high as I can, otherwise there may not be enough light. The camera isn’t always perfect measuring light. Mine is usually on 800.

White Balance

Keep this on auto for 95% of conditions. There are some low light or weather situations with which you would use White Balance, but it can always be adjusted with a photo app, etc.

Autofocus

This should always be on. Turning it off is like wanting to twist your lense by hand to focus your camera.

Pallet 

This is identical to a filter, like vivid or soft. I keep it at standard and leave it for post exposure.

C

This just means one saved these settings as Custom 1 and is not an adjustment.

Variability 

The only thing from above that gives any room for play is ISO, which you might want to keep on auto.

The rest is up to you, your photographer’s eye, and your skills.

Good luck!

20161209_164200

Considerations

Traveling Styles

I usually travel solo. I do what I want when I want.

I’m planning a cruise with a friend in January. She’s a very detail-oriented planner. That’s fine. But I’m learning I have a very different traveling style from her, and it’s likely different from most people.

She sent me her flight plans and asked me what flight I was taking.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “I might catch a flight from MSP to Miami, but I might hop through Atlanta or Detroit, depending on how it looks at the time.”

Obviously my friend was kind of stressed by this. My traveling style of completely easy going and skewed by non-rev flying.

I went through the list of flights. Detroit was not even an option. The direct flights were pretty full, so it looks like I’ll be going through Atlanta.

Some people probably don’t understand how someone can plan a trip and not know on which flights they’re flying.

For me, it’s the only way to travel.

fb_img_1477195652584

Considerations

Travel Tips: How to Stay Healthy, Vacation Longer

It’s important to stay healthy when on holiday. You don’t want to feel miserable, and you certainly don’t want to spread your illness to another part of the world and other people trying to enjoy their own vacations. Being healthy and feeling good will help you get the most out of your time away.

If you find yourself under the weather while traveling, chances are, it’s because you lack immunities to some local bug. And to be honest, you probably got sick because your diet is horrible and you’re not exercising. I’m not going to address your diet in this post—it’s too expansive a topic and will take several posts. However, I will suggest a good way to get some exercise and get more time to do the things you enjoy on your vacation.

Travel takes time. I’m not talking about flying to Europe or riding the train; I’m talking about getting from Point A to Point B, from the hotel to the restaurant to the train station.

On my cruise, especially for the first two days, I often entered the cabin hallway on the wrong side of the ship. It was a big vessel, so it took a decent amount of time to go from one side to the other. Because it wasn’t a particularly lovely trek, unless I was walking with a friend, I would jog a controlled ballroom jog—swift, quiet, and versatile.

Running is more efficient, but using it as your de facto mode of wandering can be unsettling for others. If some guy runs by you in a hallway, you’d probably freak out a bit, wondering if there’s a fire or a man with a gun. Solution? When you see someone, slow to a quick walk, then run again once you’re out of sight. Also, don’t run while you’re drunk; it probably won’t go well for anyone.
By not wasting time with the simple functional chore of walking, I got more vacation out of my trip. Don’t get me wrong: I love strolling around a city or park and taking in the sights—that’s why we travel, after all—but when you would prefer to Apparate instead of enduring an uninteresting walk, minimize the duration of the boring voyage by running.

Bonus: you get even more time each day because you don’t have to go to the gym! But you should probably still go to the gym.

City Runner

Considerations, Stories

Travel Tips: Time Management

Written on the high speed train from Barcelona to Paris:

Time management is incredibly important when traveling, especially when traveling internationally by yourself, as I do.

Departure Times

This is a gimme. I’ve never missed any big transportation times. I blew past one soft deadline (meet here before dinner), but luckily, there was someone waiting to lead me to the the restaurant. It’s important to verify a specific meeting time to ensure everyone is on the same page.

In general, the best practice is to arrive early. For instance, I’m currently writing on a train, which I boarded ten minutes prior to departure, but I was on the platform 15 minutes before. That’s cutting it a bit close, but the optimal goal is to waste as little sweet holiday time as possible sitting around waiting to sit some more.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m usually pretty precise with my time management, but still, I’ve had some close calls. It wasn’t particularly enjoyable running through the Charles d’Gaulle airport Paris (CDG) to make the one flight per day to MSP. I decided to not cut it that close again, since my ultimate success was partially reliant on the fact that the French are a wonderful, loving people, and I wouldn’t be so lucky anywhere else.

So I try to have a decent cushion of time to work with, because something always comes up. Today I gave myself about 30 minutes more than I needed to get back to my place, get my bags, and catch my train. I’m lucky I did, because an unexpected event in the park captured my attention for a solid 20 minutes. If I hadn’t given myself extra time, I would’ve missed my train.

The allure of music brought me to the tail end of a big swing event in a park. The lesson was ending as I arrived and I joined the social dancing. I ended up teaching American East Coast swing to a few ladies, but I changed my dance style to be less confusing to my partners, did some social dancing, and that’s when I finally ‘got’ Lindy Hop, a dance that completely eluded me in my last swing story.

If I hadn’t allowed myself extra time, I would have missed my train while I was having a blast dancing and learning Lindy Hop. Or maybe I would have caught the train but missed out on some great dancing memories, but I strictly believe that one should always allow extra time to dance.

barcelonaparkswing

Logistics

How My First Time Met All of My Expectations (Flying Coach)

I had my first trans-Atlantic coach experience. There was infrequent service, cramped seats, and constant peripheral movement.
To prefect the experience, there was a baby crying, likely until a flight attendant gave the parent a complimentary half shot of whiskey, or so I assume. This is why the tickets up front are $7,000 more.
The complimentary boarding drink  (usually a memosa), the constant hot food, beverages, and whatever you want from or off the menu, combined with the room to stretch out. It’s definitely worth your miles or your business’s money (if they want you to work without much jet lag).
Although nowadays, for $15, one can buy wi-fi so one can keep up with social media…. or research your destination.
Being a lover of life, I want to experience all life has to offer.
This one I checked off the list. Done.
 Sitzplatzenge
Logistics

Smart Travel: Metro

Most city metro systems are pretty awesome. I even took the Blue Line to MSP. But the TC are nowhere near some cities (which is fine because it’s not nearly as big and doesn’t have awesome historic sites, Le Tour Eiffel).

However, there is one absolutely necessary thing needed when using and light rail.

Sanitizer

I use hand sanitizer whenever I’m leaving a rail station, once I’m done touching things.

Now I’m not the most germaphobic person, but think how gross that is:

Everybody holds that pole; not everybody washes their hands; and everybody isn’t prefect and rubs their eye, picks their teeth, or whatever.