How Not to Get Charged $5.00 a Minute When Using Your Cell-Phone Overseas

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“I’d be bored out of my mind on one of those cruise ships,” people tell me–at least people who’ve never been on a cruise. If you’ve been reluctant to join the cruise set for fear you won’t find enough to do at sea, you can put those worries to rest. This article will show you how.

1. Shop

Cruise ships are floating cities, and they certainly don’t skimp on the retail sector. You can buy anything from expensive jewelry to a bottle of aspirin. On days at sea and towards the end of the cruise, the shops often offer bargains to entice you to part with your money.

2. Swim

Fabulous swimming pools are part of the cruise experience, so put on your swimsuit and enjoy! A word of caution: the sun can be very hot and bright at sea, so use plenty of suntan lotion. You don’t want to spend your cruise in the sick bay being treated for a sunburn.

3. Play a Game

There’s no shortage of fun and games onboard ship. On almost any given day you’ll find trivia, card games, dance contests, puzzles, bingo, table tennis, and much more. And don’t forget about the ship’s casino where slot, video poker, and table games abound.

4. Learn Something New

Cruise ships employ a variety of experts to teach tourists about everything from cake decorating to fine art to marine wildlife. Keep an eye out for topics that interest you.

5. Eat

From a sumptuous breakfast to the midnight buffet, cruise ships offer round-the-clock dining opportunities. Better yet, most meals and snacks are included in the price of the cruise. So take advantage of a leisurely four-course dinner or enjoy high tea in the afternoons and know that you won’t have to pay an extra penny for your indulgence.

6. Exercise

Now that you’ve eaten your weight at the buffet, it’s time to work off all of those extra calories. Cruise ships offer full gyms with state-of-the-art equipment, but if a traditional workout doesn’t appeal to you, consider a brisk walk on the promenade deck. You’ll get to admire the view and do something good for your health at the same time.

7. Get a Massage

The onboard spas are a wonderful place to get pampered. Enjoy a traditional massage or go for something a little different like a hot stone massage or a full-body seaweed treatment.

8. Catch a Show

In the evenings, cruise ships transform into a cross between Vegas and Broadway and entertainment rules. Whether you want to laugh at a comedian, ooh and ah over breathtaking dance moves, or relax with a drink and listen to a piano player, you’re likely to find exactly the show you’re in the mood for to wrap up your busy day.

9. Enjoy the View

You don’t have to be busy every minute on days at sea. Part of the fun of cruising is simply relaxing and watching the ocean drift by.

If you’re traveling out of your locality and you want to drive, a rental car is just about the only way to go and the car rental companies know this. You’re standing at their front desk and the only way to get to your destination is to rent a car from them. They can get away with charging you as many junk fees on top of the price they quote as they want. These companies know that if you don’t rent a car from them, you’re up a creek without a paddle. Car rental USA companies, hotels, and local governments are using this to their advantage and are charging all sorts of money-grab fees and taxes that will substantially increase the price of your rental car.

Local governments see out-of-town travelers, especially those who are there for business, as major targets for taxation. These people who are traveling have no say in what taxes they have to pay and they won’t be around long enough to do anything about it, so they’re just stuck paying the high taxes. Cities and counties frequently charge taxes on a per-room basis for hotels, taxes on car rentals, and taxes on other services that are frequently used by travelers. Local governments know that voters are much less likely to revolt on a tax for people who do not live in their locality, so they gouge travelers whenever they pass through.

Hotels are another frequent offender of charging extra fees on top of what the room supposedly “costs” to stay in. Before you book your room, make sure to check and see if there are any daily facility fees that you have to pay. When shopping for a hotel room, do as much comparison to see what the actual cost will be as possible. Expedia’s hotel room search service does a good job at including the miscellaneous fees that hotels tend to add on.

Airlines will frequently charge you a passenger facility charge or PFC that’s a big cost. Terminals will sometimes charge you for passing through their halls, and Congress approved it. There are also charges for federal security service, charges per flight segments, and the list goes on. The pricing that you see for a ticket will be very disingenuous, so when you think you are getting the best deal, you might be getting ripped-off.

A great way to get a deal is to use the power of the web. Use services like Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz to find great travel deals. Another thing you can also do is Google, just search for whatever you’re looking for. If you wanted a good deal renting a car in spain, you might search for car rental spain.

Nothing spoils a road trip faster than a little voice from the back seat of the car saying, “Mommy, I don’t feel good.” Unfortunately, motion sickness is a fairly common problem for children, and you’re likely to run into it from time to time.

What Causes Motion Sickness?

Motion sickness occurs when the brain gets mixed messages from the eyes and from the inner ear as to whether the body is moving or not. Motion sickness is a common problem of the immature nervous system. Most kids grow out of it as they get older.

What are the Symptoms of Motion Sickness?

The most common symptoms of motion sickness are nausea and vomiting, though your child may also suffer from sweating, dizziness, headache, and increased saliva in the mouth. The symptoms start soon after the trip begins and usually disappear almost as soon as the car stops.

What Can You Do About It?

If your child suffers from motion sickness, there are several techniques you can try.

First, encourage your child to look out the window. Many kids try to pass the time on the road by playing video games, watching a movie, or reading a book. Unfortunately, this creates conflict between the eyes and the inner ear and increases motion sickness. So, urge your child to look at the passing scenery. If your child is too young to understand why this will help her feel better, make a game of it. Ask her to count all the red cars on the road, or to watch for horses in the fields.

Open the window or turn the air conditioner on your child’s face. Some cool air against the face can ease symptoms considerably.  A cool, moist washcloth or towelette often has the same effect.

Offer a light snack. The key word, of course, is “light.” Don’t stuff your child full of greasy food, but do offer a sip of water or soda or a few plain crackers.

Decrease stress. Children can become anxious when their routine is disrupted, even for something fun like a vacation, and anxiety can make the symptoms of motion sickness worse. Keep your child in the loop by explaining your plans carefully and allowing your child to make choices when possible. (”Are you ready to stop for lunch now, or do you want to keep going for another half hour?”)

Provide frequent breaks. Motion sickness usually disappears as soon as the car stops, so pull over frequently for restroom breaks, light snacks, short walks, etc. Knowing that the next break is coming up soon can help children feel less anxious about long road trips and decrease motion sickness.

Consider medication. There are several over the counter medications available to decrease motion sickness. They are usually very effective, but may have side effects such as a dry mouth or drowsiness. When in doubt, talk to your child’s doctor.

Your family road trip can still be a fun-filled event, even if your child sometimes experiences motion sickness. The simple techniques described in this article can help.   

If you’re in college or just have a lot of free time and want to spend a weekend with friends and want to enjoy something different from your home town, a road trip is a great way to go on vacation and spend a minimal amount of money in the process. These trips can create some great bonding, allow you to see some new sights, and have a lot of fun in the process. Here are some tips to go on a road trip without breaking the bank.

Get Your Vehicle Ready – Before you leave for a trip of any distance, there’s some basic maintenance tasks that you should perform. Check the pressure on each of your tires and make sure the air filter black and dirty, and make sure that the oil level is okay. These things will make sure you’re getting the best mileage on the trip. Having tires properly inflated will increase your mileage by .5 MPG. Having properly replaced oil and a clean air filter can save you about 2 MPG together. This might not seem like much, but over a long car trip, it can really add up.

Take the Optimum Route – MapQuest and Google try to do their best to give you what they think it’s the best way to go, but they have a tendency to push you onto interstates when it might not always be the best idea to take them. When I was planning a trip to the city of Aberdeen, SD, Google and MapQuest both told me to take the interstate, when it made a lot more sense to take some of South Dakota’s highways. In fact, Google’s suggestion was an hour longer of a trip. Look at some good old fashion maps and make sure you’re taking the best route.

Bring Snacks – Before taking off, pack up some bottles of water and a few cans of pop in a cooler. In addition bring some of your favorite snacks, this way you won’t get suckered into paying for high-cost convenience store items. You’re going to have to stop for gasoline, and usually you end up buying a pop and some candy. Instead bring it with you, so that you can save a decent amount of cash.

Gas Prices – You should plan where you are going to get gasoline before leaving on a trip. There’s a 17 cents per gallon difference between where I live now (Madison) and my home town of Mitchell, which is only an hour away! Go to a website like Gas Buddy, and figure out where it’ll be the cheapest to buy gas at. There’s a big difference between gas states on a state by state basis, and the further you get away from refineries, the more money you will pay. It’ll take some time, but you can save a ton by figuring out where to buy gas before leaving.

Get the Right Hotel – If you have to stop on a trip, stay as cheaply as you can while remaining in a safe environment. You’re only going to be there for enough time to sleep, so don’t spend a lot of money on a hotel. Stop at a local gas station and get a list of local hotels. Call four or five of them and see which has the best price. In high-school, I frequently made phone-calls for people and the differences in price ranged anywhere from $60 a night to $140 when I worked at a gas station. Make sure you’re not paying too much for a hotel room!

During my summer job I have the privilege of traveling around the entirety of eastern South Dakota to do computer support at about a dozen different courthouses. This is no small territory to cover when there are problems that we can’t fix remotely, so there’s usually a day or two every week that I get to drive out to one of those places, take care whatever the issue is and come back. Last summer I probably drove about 3,000 miles between courthouses when all was said and done. Going on such business trips can be quite expensive if you don’t be careful. Here are some great ways to save money while traveling on business trips.

Take mileage if you can – At a lot of places of employment, you’ll have the travel option of either driving a company vehicle or being reimbursed at about 40 cents a mile. If you don’t have a brand new vehicle, in most cases it’s a better option to take the mileage. If gas is $2.50 a gallon, and you have to drive 200 miles at 25 miles to the gallon, you would only spend $20.00 in gas, but be reimbursed $80.00. That’s an easy $60.00 you can pocket if you have an older car that you’re going to drive until the wheels fall off anyway.

Be Smart With Your Meals – It’s very tempting to go out to a nice sit-down restaurant when you’re traveling and enjoy a nice meal because you’re being reimbursed for it. If they reimburse you by receipts, go ahead and enjoy eating all you want. Some places, such as my employer, pay a flat rate of $9.00 for lunch. Usually I end up spending about $3.00 for lunch on a soda for the road and a burger, and pocket the other $6.00. Try to shop at grocery stores and get inexpensive food rather than going out to eat for every meal.

Don’t Go Overboard with Snacks – It’s very tempting to stop at a gas station every couple hours and pick up a soda, some beef jerky, a candy bar, chips, or some other munchies for the road. One stop won’t kill you, but over time they’re going to add up to $10.00 or $20.00 a trip that you didn’t need to spend. Buy snacks at the grocery store beforehand to save money instead of overpaying at convenience stores.

Stay at The Right Hotel – if you’re reimbursed based on the hotel’s rate or your company has a contract with a specific hotel chain, you don’t really need to do any comparison shopping for hotels. If you’re reimbursed a flat rate, find the cheapest safe hotel you can and pocket the difference! If they give you $100 a night and can find a place to stay at $40 a night, that’s $60 extra for each night of your trip. Better yet, stay at a friend’s house in the city you are visiting to save all of that money!

Drink lots of water – A lot of time we confuse hunger and dehydration. It’s hard to stay hydrated while on the road, so make sure that you get plenty of water on your trip. This will prevent you from thinking that you are hungry and unnecessarily snacking while on the trip

Drive Smart – Practice common tricks to improve your gas mileage. Don’t break excessively, make sure all of your fluids are proper levels, buy the right type of gasoline, ensure that your oil filter is clean and make sure that your tires are properly inflated. You want your car to be in the best shape possible so that you can get the most mileage on your vehicle.

Your business trip doesn’t have to be expensive if you let it, often times you can come back with even more money because of your reimbursements from work.