How to get better airline seats...FREE

So airlines have been looking for any way possible to make an extra buck, (and who isn't?) but if you know some tips and tricks, it can save you money and or make your trip more comfortable.  One of my go-to tricks when bookin flights is that I purposefully avoid choosing seats when in flying solo.  Often, the airline makes it look like choosing seats is a requirement but if you scroll to the bottom, you'll usually see an option to skip choosing seats.

Why would you skip choosing your seat, you might ask?

Here's why:

They charge for better seats (an some airlines charge you to choose ANY seat and you won't notice unless you're really paying attention to your fare total throughout the online process-so beware major airlines, too)!  If you're on a budget airline or a go-to for lower cost or economy seats, you'll often see that people, when given the choice to pay extra for a seat with more space will choose not to.  They will choose a seat because they think they have to, and they will automatically be out of the running for the lottery should the bigger seats not sell, since they already have one assigned to them.

You, though, now have the upper hand.  If there are still "privileged" seats available, I'd take the gamble and not choose a seat. Only once since I have started doing this has it NOT resulted in either an open window or "big/more space" seat (or both)!

So, there you have it.  If you don have a seat and they haven't sold their priority seating, it goes to you!  Enjoy that extra leg room!

Love knows no borders!

Wake Up and Live

“You live like this, 
sheltered, 
in a delicate world, 
and you believe you are living. 
Then you read a book… or you take a trip… and you discover that you are not living, 
that you are hibernating. 

The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: 
first, restlessness. 
The second symptom 
(when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death): 
absence of pleasure. 

That is all. 

It appears like an innocuous illness. 
Monotony, 
boredom, 
death. 

Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it. 
They work in offices. 
They drive a car. 
They picnic with their families. 
They raise children. 

And then 
some shock treatment takes place, 

a person, 
a book, 
a song, 

and it awakens them and saves them from death. 

Some never awaken.” ― Anaïs Nin

WAKE UP AND LIVE! - Bob Marley

You may have wanderlust if...

...a coworker is absent and you become immediately jealous that this may be indicative of leave taken for an Aftican safari...or they might just be sick...but the chance of that African safari...

Toros! Bulls!

One of Costa Rica's major pastimes is the Rodeo!

Here, it is not a bullfight where the end result is a dead animal...instead it is a celebration of strength and speed as much to show off the bull as the man.  The ranchers that breed these beautiful creatures are proud of their strength, speed, breadth, and form.  They send bulls not only to be ridden, but even to run the ring with locals who dare to enter and try their speed against the 4-legged ones!

Check out some of the best of Playa Samara's December 2013-January 2014 Rodeo Week!