Lower Airfare based on "Supposed" Sale Location

Airfares are weird.  

We know that from the general lack of information that we have on pricing and sales.  We have trend data that can give us the best days of the week to fly for better prices, and even sometimes the best days of the week to BUY our tickets, but did you know that WHERE you SAY you're buying your tickets can actually affect the price you pay?  

I KNOW.  MIND BLOWING but true!

If you buy domestic flights occurring in a different country (read: the flights will occur in a different country than the one you are currently in while searching) it is often WAY cheaper if you can convince the airline or website that you are in the "different" country buying your ticket.

Example:  If I'm in the US but I want to buy a ticket from Lima to Cusco (this actually happened).  I search when I'm in the US, the prices come back around $250-$300 each and I say "no way" and I decide not to buy tickets ahead of time.  When I GET to Peru, my friend tells me the direct website of LCPeru (a Peruvian airline that flies between Lima and Cusco), and since I'm IN Peru, it recognizes Peru as the point of transaction and my plane tickets are miraculously over $100 cheaper for each one.

Now, take my personal experience and add this newfound info: you can get the SAME miraculous price drop that I got when I was in Peru by telling the website you are searching while in the US that you are in Peru already, even if you're not.  Do the search in Peruvian currency (soles, in case you're interested) and voilá  miracle price-drop without ever having reached Peru (If only I'd known BEFORE actually getting there).

It can save you a boatload just to change the point of transaction, maybe pay in a foreign currency on your credit card (bonus if it doesn't charge foreign transaction fees) and do a little extra searching.

This works for international flights, too, but it's a bit more tricky because you'll have to seek out one of many countries in the world that you could have as your transaction point to get the best price (hint to save you a search: it's probably NOT going to be the US...unless a US city is the destination or departure point).

You can see more examples and get more info. by clicking here.

Happy travels!

Get rich quick...Travel

DOLPHINS IN COSTA RICA

Reason number bajillion and five that I love Costa Rica... What an opportunity!  Seeing this dolphin cascade is like a dream.  It's actually a rather unusual sight; Most of the time, dolphins travel in smaller pods.  So this is quite a moment for these people to have witnessed.  I, for one, am glad they shared!  Take care of this planet - every corner of it - because it will all come back around in beautiful displays like this for generations to come.

Dolphin Cascade by boat off the Osa Peninsula, Osa, Costa Rica

A (semi)new way to visit a city near you!

Soooo you know Slip 'N Slides?  Those plastic tarp slides that you spray water on and run and slide on?  Would you believe me if I told you they are going to make a mile long Slip 'N Slide in cities across the US over the summer months for people to enjoy their city in a whole new way? I hear it's headed to Buffalo, NY this summer after starting out in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2014.  Yikes Stripes!

 I feel like this might be one fall away from a broken tailbone...but it might be worth the risk!

For more info or to find a Slide the City event near you, click here.

Want to travel but have too many excuses?

Here's a little secret: You'll always have an excuse.

There, I said it.  There will always be a million reasons why you should NOT quit your job or take sabbatical or take all of your vacation days at once to travel the globe.  There will always be rent to pay and bills to pay and loans to pay and weddings to go to and baby showers and your family holidays.  Those things will ALWAYS be an excuse.

They work as excuses for most people.  I try not to let them be my excuses, but the reality is if I could do whatever I wanted right now, I would sell everything in my apartment or bring it to storage, say many thanks to my employer, and peace out to travel the world.  So I still use these self-proclaimed excuses and they hold me back from the life I actually know that I am capable of and the life I believe most human beings desire until I decide not to let them hold me back.  Whether it's because they want to travel or to have more time with their families and stay at home or whether it's because they want to be their own boss or they have a dream business that they want to create, there is SOMETHING out there bigger than most of us understand that we are suppressing when we accept the "typical" path, the path that says we will work our way up the food chain, save for retirement and finally be "free" at the age of 65...at which point we will probably NOT retire because we have become so accustomed to being workaholics that we just don't know HOW to relax and enjoy the world around us!

So today, I was thankful to read an excellent blog post by a girl named Kate, who grew up not too far from where I am as I type this, and who is most likely somewhere completely and utterly different right now.  Her post might shock you or make you spring into action, or it might make you feel crappy because you accept that what she says is right and you also accept that you aren't going to do anything about it.  That's the amazing thing about life.  At ANY GIVEN moment, we are making a plethora of choices.

I'm a firm believer that timing is everything.  So maybe when you read Kate's post, it'll be your "ah-hah" moment, or maybe it'll have to wait.  Whatever the timing may be, I think her post is relevant.  It gives good information about how you can make the credit system (that holds so many people down) actually work FOR you not only giving youa swift kick in the rear, but also by giving you exactly what you need...with a little research, that is.  She'll give you some pointers on how to get to certain places from her own experience and she'll let you know just what it takes to make it work.

One of my favorite things about what she says is that we are more trapped and unable to get out of our own way when we have too many material things but when we have nothing, suddenly we are more free and capable of doing ANYTHING than we ever imagined we could be with all of our excuses.  It seems completely contrary to logic, but in some ways I think it's getting back to our darwinist selves...survival of the fittest.  We learn to survive, and thrive, because we have to...and if you've got wanderlust...it's probably your biggest thrill!

CANADA shared

I love pictures, videos, montages and traveling...what could be better than those?  ALL OF THEM PUT TOGETHER!  I thoroughly enjoyed the two minute Canada Shared video made from a compilation of over 60 hours of footage sent in from people experiencing all things Canada!  It makes me want to "Keep Exploring."  No complaints there!  Enjoy!

Take me to the COAST!

Buzzfeed came out with an awesome list of "coastess with the mostest" and it's awesome and I want to see all of them.  My favorites from the list for future travel plans are a toss up between Santorini Greece for the white architecture, Amalfi Coast Italy for the colorful architecture curvy cliffside towns and beautiful harbors, Cliffs of Moher Ireland because it's the Motherland, Vietnam and Thailand for the gorgeous scenery and crystal clear waters, and Mexico for the pristine beaches.

I'm spoiled by the New England coast, having grown up nearby, and I can attest to Norway making the list from firsthand experience (see Norway general travel planning, train transport and budget/itinerary articles).

Pretty much, take me to the water, and I will be content! :-D

What's the best coastal area you've visited?

What coast have you yet to see that you're looking forward to?

Ontario's Best Kept Winter Secret

If you're visiting Ontario, Canada this winter, make some time for nature at one of the best kept winter secrets...over 1 km of skating through the woods on an ice loop...the reviews are fantastic!  I've done Winterlude in Ottawa, which is great and you should check that out, too this coming January-February 2015...but this skating trail is next on my Canadian winter to-do list for sure!

Happy Winter, everyone!

Rosetta Stone below $200 for Cyber Monday!

CLICK HERE TO GO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE!

What is the nationality of someone who is from the US?

I'm sharing this because I was informed of this offense the hard way and I've been wrestling with how to overcome it for a while now.

One difficulty I have is that in Spanish you can identify yourself either as "Americano" (American) which would identify you only technically by your continent but which most people accept as US ignorance (and do we really want that?) OR as "Estadounidense" which I guess I would roughly translate to "UnitedStates-ian."

So, I understand why Spanish-speakers (and others if they also have this alternate option in their language) would be upset, given that in Spanish there is another word for identifying ones nationality if you are from the US, but since we don't, at least as far as I know, have a name that we use which is politically and technically correct, what SHOULD we call ourselves in English?

It it as simple to alternately answer the "Where are you from?" question with "I'm from the US" but it still doesn't answer the question of "What is your nationality?"  At least, not directly.  What I mean is, saying "I'm from the US" is not the same as saying "I'm Brazilian," for example (I know, they speak Portuguese, but this is just an example).  These sentences, while they can answer the question, do not answer it in the same way, and likewise, a Brazilian could say "I am from Brazil" but we would still be stuck with "I'm American" were we to try to communicate our nationality.

So, despite the fact that I think borders are stupid and I recognize that we are all human beings and one human race.  I also accept that there ARE borders and that I AM from the US and that a lot of people, with good reason in my opinion, find it somewhat ignorant and offensive that we call ourselves by the name of a continent that is much bigger than our own country.  Given that I am not one to revel in my own ignorance nor do I like to offend people, I feel like it's time we stop blaming history and actually give ourselves a name.

What should we be called?  How should we communicate our nationality?

"I'm United?" "I'm States-ish?" "I'm under-Canadian?" or "North-Mexican?"

I know these are silly, but I'm serious about the question...what is a new (or old) name that we can use to identify our nationality without involving or excluding or ignoring the majority of our continent?  "I'm Yankee" or I'm "Gringo" are not options in my opinion, as they have a naturally negative connotation from history (so if you're calling yourself a gringo, you should probably stop).  I'd also rule out "I'm confederate," for the previous among other reasons.

Any ideas?  

What is or should be the name for the US nationality?