Image Courtesy of Bradley Gordon

Not long ago I shared a post on how to avoid airline baggage fees, and made a tongue-and-cheek comment on how it’s only a matter of time until airlines begin pricing airfare based on weight.

Well, fast-forward into the not to distant future, and pay as you weigh airfare apparently has arrived.

In a recent article on CNN it was stated that Uzbekistan Airways would begin weighing passengers along with their baggage prior to boarding.

I almost choked on my coffee.

Related Posts: How to Find Cheap Airfare Tickets

To be fair, Uzbekistan Airways hasn’t actually begun a pay as you weigh airfare ticket pricing (That distinction actually belongs to Samoa Air, who has been enforcing a pay as you weigh airfare structure since 2012), and have only enacted the policy for the purpose of flight safety. .

However, I see this as a sea-change to further unpopular airline practices; it’s a gradual inoculation. Remember free baggage? I don’t blame you if you don’t. But there once was a time we considered baggage fees as being outrageous. Now? Just the cost of flying.

Related Posts: Find Cheap Flights Like a Ninja

Here are my reasons why a pay as you weigh airfare pricing structure won’t, can’t, and should not be enforced:

1. Discrimination – There has always been discrimination, and chances are we will always be dealing with it in one form or another. But where it once was practiced duplicitously, “airfare by the pound” would effectively grant airlines a license to promote further price discrimination – legally!
2. Pregnancy and Disorder Insensitivity – how would they charge an expecting mother, or someone with a medical disorder like hypothyroidism? Interesting…
3. Ongoing Shaming – As though shaming isn’t already pervasive, having to pay more because you weigh more is just insensitive. A pay as you weigh airfare policy would throw all our progress as society a thousand steps back. TSA agents already make fun of our X-rays, now imagine our self-esteem as we watch them trying to stifle a giggle as we’re forced to step on the scale.
4. Increased Airfare Cost – Airlines will inevitable have a minimum cost and I wouldn’t count on them lowering current pricing standards. Which means, even if you happen to be wafer thin, your cost certainly will not be. They’ll just tack on a “surcharge” for each extra pound. Heavier passengers will invariably have to pay an increased rate for airfare. Good news is, figuring out how to stuff your carryon will now be the least of your concerns.
5. Fee Creep – Under the current airline oligopoly, we’re forced to eventually get use to unpopular policies and fee changes. A pay as you weigh policy would ultimately open the floodgates to more draconian treatment. By giving them an inch they will definitely, and flagrantly, take a mile.   Case in point: baggage fees.
6. Assigned Seating by Weight- Airlines already have an existing policy on how weight is to be distributed on a flight. Makes perfect sense. But I can certainly see a dystopian future where you’re asked to enter your weight, and if you happen to exceed a certain weight category, you’ll be relegated to the “fat” sections for balancing. Better get comfortable with the seat by the Lavatory.
7. Unfair Luggage Weight Allocation- If a pay as you weigh airfare price is determined by total weight of both passenger and luggage, lighter passengers would be able to bring more luggage while heavier passengers will have restrictions. For some reason, this just doesn’t sound very equitable.

Yesterday it was Samoa Air, today it’s Uzbekistan Airways, tomorrow: everyone else. As more companies adopt a pay as you weigh airfare structure, we will inevitably be forced to accept a new state of normalcy. Baggage fees are one thing, but when it comes to a pre-board weigh in, we need to draw the line.

If it’s sincerely about maintaining flight safety, I can get on board for that.   But if it’s not, we better rethink that extra helping of mash over the holidays.

The post Pay As You Weigh Airfare? Don’t Let it Happen appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Above image courtesy of Nick Ares

You might think this travel hack is a no brainer, but you’ll be surprised how many of us don’t take advantage of rebate sites and get cash back on travel related purchases like cheap flight tickets, or even hotel reservations. Most of us are familiar with collecting points and miles simply by using our credit card and are even aware of the travel insurance that’s included, but we overlook the cash back that we can get just by purchasing our travel arrangements as we normally would.

The savings are not massive, nor is it akin to winning the lottery, but if you like to travel, enjoy eating and love entertainment, you’ll find that the cash back rewards add up pretty quick, and you’ll be redeeming a free ticket or depositing a nice fat check in no time.

If you happen to be one of the savvy few who already use, or are aware of how to get cash back on travel purchases, this article may still hold interest for you, as I’m about to introduce an easy way to find and index a whole bunch of them.

Ok, Sounds Good, Now How Do I Get Cash Back on Travel Purchases?

Getting cash back rewards on travel related bookings is easy. You’re able to reserve hotels, flight tickets, car rentals, entertainment, dining and sometimes even tour packages. Cheap airfare isn’t always easy to find, but fortunately, most of the cash back sites are connected to third party booking companies like Orbitz or Priceline. Of course, you could always find cheap airfare by trying some of the tips in this article:   How to Find Cheap Airfare Tickets

The cash back sites basically act as an intermediary between you and the company. You need to first login to the cash back website, click on the deal, which then takes you to the company page, and complete the purchase as you normally would. The cash back rewards will then automatically be credited to your account for either redemption or payout.

So lets say you wanted to reserve a hotel trough Priceline.com. You would first login to a site like Fatwallet (one of the larger cash back sites), locate the Priceline offering, click and wait for Priceline’s web page to open up, and then continue making your purchase through Priceline. Just like that, 6% of whatever you spent has been returned back to you.

Which Cash Back Site is the Best?

The most familiar of the sites are probably fatwallet.com, but there are others. Use them all. Each one has their own offerings and possibly different cash back deals at any given time. Start an account with each one and bookmark the suckers…

Here’s a list of some of the top sites to get cash back on travel purchases:

• Fatwallet
• TopCashBack
• Ebates
• Mr. Rebates
• FatCheese
• BeFrugal
• MainstreetShares

What if I Don’t Have The Time to Track All The Sites and Discounts?

I don’t blame you, neither do I. With the number of cash back sites, and more cropping up daily, it can become overwhelming knowing which is the best or if the company you’re looking for is even listed.

Fortunately, to alleviate the burden of having to check each site independently, search engines for the specific purpose of indexing cash back sites do exist. Not all cash back sites are listed on each one, so use a few of them.

• Cashback Monitor
• evreward
• Cashreporter
• Cashbackholic

Some Final Things to be Aware of

Sometimes, using a coupon on the cash back sites will disqualify you from discounts or rewards program offered directly by the company. For instance, if you book through Hotels.com using a Fatwallet coupon, you would not receive credit towards their “10 nights get 1 free” rewards program. However, cash back on travel purchases are not affected and can still be accumulated.

You can also stack your discounts and the benefits you get by purchasing a Groupon travel coupon through a cash back offer on Fatwallet using your credit card.   You’ll get the deep discounts of Groupon, the cash back from Fatwallet, and the miles or points from your credit card.

Image courtesy of GotCredit

The only hesitation I have with Groupon is the limited selection and specificity of the items you may purchase. But if you do find something of interest, then you’re golden.

Lastly, unless the discounts are enormous by purchasing directly on the Airlines or hotel sites, use third party booking sites, like Orbitz or Priceline to maximize the cash back on travel purchases.  The travel booking sites have a greater range of options, especially when it comes to international travel deals.

It’s only a few extra clicks to get some additional savings and ultimately more cash back in your pocket. Travel can be expensive, so any savings is worth the extra few steps.

Special thanks to The Unsettled Meliorist for putting together some of the above resources!

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The post Travel Hack Friday: Get Cash Back on Travel Purchases appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

I love DIY travel hacks because, 1) they are usually clever as hell, 2) they often repurpose otherwise disposable items, and 3) they save money!

So imagine my surprise when I discovered you could make your own travel size containers using nothing more than straws! Great for ointment, toiletries, spices, and even Tabasco. The first thing you’re probably thinking is, “very cool, but what’s the point? Wouldn’t it be easier to just carry the whole bottle, or better yet, just buy travel sizes of everything?” Sure, but personally, I rarely use up an entire bottle, and ultimately end up toting around the same tube of Neosporin for months. Travel size is also an option, but that costs money, and more importantly you wouldn’t be able to put your awesome MacGyver skills to the test.

I’m not going to lie, there are times where you may need 42 fluid ounces of SPF 100, but baring those eventualities, travel size ointments, or even condiments should be sufficient. And, if you do end up bringing full bottles of everything, your pack weight will be unbearable!

This hack is perfect for the lightweight backpacker and the budget conscious. It’s just one more tool at your disposal, and one more strategy to lighten that load!

DIY Travel Size Containers:

Materials/Equipment

1. Straws (any size works. Use a larger straw for more volume)
2. Needle nose Pliers
3. Scissors
4. Lighter

I’m not familiar with all the straw sizes available, but I could imagine there are some novelty sizes that could hold significantly more volume. Basically, anything of a polypropylene plastic that melts and cools quickly can be used.   Straws are a good choice only because they’re inexpensive and available just about anywhere you go. Getting too fancy might shoot up the cost and defeat the overall purpose of the hack. Your choice.

1. Cut the straw to the desired size

2. Take the pliers and squeeze near the end of the straw. Leave part of the end exposed

3. Take the lighter, and run the flame a few times across the exposed end

4. Hold the straw, loosen the pliers and squeeze the section you just ran the flame over. Hold for about 10 seconds

5. If you ran the lighter flame over the straw end enough times, it should have melted enough for it to stick together

6. Fill the straw only about ¾ of the way with whatever ointment, spice or liquid you want, to avoid spillage.

7. Squeeze the open end with the pliers as before, leaving part of the end exposed

8. Take the lighter again, and run the flame a few times across the exposed end

9. Hold the straw, loosen the pliers and squeeze the section you just ran the flame over. Hold for about 10 seconds.

Congratulations! You just made your own travel size containers.

If you ever need to reseal, just take a lighter and run it over the open edges again and clamp shut by sandwiching between two keys, or anything that can act like pliers.

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The post Travel Hack Friday: DIY Travel Size Containers appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Above image courtesy of Kevin Dooley

Know what’s better than finding cheap airfare? It’s getting a refund on airline tickets when the price drops! If you didn’t know this, don’t feel bad; fine prints not really my strong suit either.  Most flyers have the wrong assumption that only premium refundable airline tickets have special privileges, and by clicking the purchase button you’re locked in to that price.   Believe it or not, that’s not entirely true; all U.S Airlines, and even some foreign Airlines, have a Guaranteed Airfare Policy that protects consumers when airfare drops or if you happen to find the same flight cheaper elsewhere.

But before you get refund happy, and start blasting the customer service line each time the price drops a few cents, there are restrictions depending on the airlines.

Airlines are able to stipulate their own qualifying limits, with some being more draconian than others. The limit you must hit also serves as their “re-booking” fee to reissue a new ticket (I know, I’m rolling my eyes too) that applies once you hit that limit. So for instance, lets say your original Hawaiian Airlines airfare of $300 is now $150. Hawaiian Airlines has a limit of $100, so you would “pay” the re-booking fee of $100 and they would refund you the difference in the form of a voucher or credit in the amount of $50. I know…$150 sounds a lot better, but hey, I’m surprised we get anything back at all.

Here are the limits that need to be reached before refunds on airline tickets kick in:

What if I find the flight cheaper elsewhere?

If you’re lucky enough to come across the same flight cheaper on a 3^rd party booking site, most airlines do have a low price guarantee. It’s rare but it does happen. Depending on the airline the process can range from super easy (Alaska Airlines) to what-the-hell (Delta). If you’re willing to jump through the hoops and plead your case, it is possible to get some money back. Go here to see Airfarewatchdog’s nifty chart and how they explain the low price guarantee policies.

So how do we get our refund on Airline tickets?

You need to act fast. The window for refunds closes quickly. Realistically, most of us want to just pay and forget. Constantly tracking daily fluctuations of airfare is no ones idea of a good time and between work and life who has time to hit refresh every 10 minutes until take-off? Best thing to do is to setup refund alerts using Yapta (free) or Tripit Pro ($49 US/Year).

Yapta goes a step further and provides some pretty spot on instructions on how to also negotiate refunds, from who to contact and what to say. Unfortunately, they don’t cover all airlines, and some companies, like Southwest, keep their data pretty close to the chest. For them, you’ll have to go to their website.

Once you discover a price drop, or a lower price elsewhere, get on the phone, submit the online request, take screenshots, and get some money back.

What if I purchased the Flight from Priceline or Orbitz?

If you book through 3^rd party sites like Orbitz or Cheaptickets, Yapta can track the price drop, but won’t automatically alert you to a refund. You’ll have to call the site you purchased from directly to work it out.

Hopefully this travel hack helps keep more money in your pocket. It’s not incredibly intuitive and does require a bit of work, but the policies do exist. For the budget conscious, every little bit helps.

The post Travel Hack Friday: How to get a Refund on Airline Tickets appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Above image courtesy of Marcin Wichary

Remember the good ole days when airlines offered free drinks, and all you can eat peanuts? When customers were actually treated like customers? Now in the oligopoly of airlines we are at the behest of what they decide to do. Prices between the legacy carries vary, at most, in the single digits and rarely resemble anything close to competition. To add insult to injury, the airlines are on a quest to nickel and dime us to death, while no frills airlines offer bare bone flights that border hostile (remember when Ryanair proposed to get rid of seats, and install pay toilets? Yep, like that).

The perfect formula to find cheap airfare tickets is the holy grail of traveling. From the day and hour of purchase to the date of travel to where you depart all plays a part in scoring those cheap fares. Theories also abound with everyone perpetuating their own strategies from the abstract to the more actionable. But in the battle to find cheap airfare tickets any trick is a good trick.

Find Cheap Airfare Tickets

Avoid The Frills:

Be cheap and beat the airlines at their own game of nickel and diming. Don’t fall for the money traps: avoid checking in bags by traveling light, bring only personal items in cabin if the carrier charges for carryon and don’t buy the headphones! Also, take whatever seat they give you, and avoid early bird check-ins,

Be Flexible:

Being flexible is your secret weapon to find cheap airfare tickets. Airlines depend on business and leisure travelers that absolutely must leave on specific days, hence increased fares on days like Fridays and Sundays. If you’re not bound by a particular schedule, money savings are literally a day away.

1. Fly into alternative or regional airports – For instance, if San Francisco is your destination, try flying into Oakland airport. However, this is only sometimes true, as larger airports can have cheaper fares as well. Hence the need to be flexible.
2. Fly into an adjacent country and travel overland, or even take a cheaper flight – For international flights, try flying to adjacent countries and then traveling by bus or train or a short haul flight. Sometimes you can save hundreds even after factoring in the additional transport. For Domestic U.S flights, this can work as well considering how inexpensive it is to rent an economy car or take the greyhound.

3. Be open with your dates and time: If flying on Friday at 3pm is non-negotiable, then so is the price.  Keep your day and hour of travel open, and you’ll have more fare options to choose from. It’s no secret that some days are just cheaper than others and that red-eye and early morning flights are typically cheaper.

4. Don’t be scared of connecting flights: Layovers not only can save you significant amounts of money, but can also be a nice little side adventure in the event it’s an extended layover. Otherwise, if you need to stay in the airport lounge, painful, agonizing layovers are a thing of the past. With free Wi-Fi and creative activities to suck up the hours, layovers can put some dollars in your pocket. In some cases you can even use Multi City ticketing which can save you money: watch this video:

Best Day And Time to Fly:

The general rule is to fly when no one wants to fly (well, most people anyays). . Most business travelers fly the beginning and the end of the week, and leisure travelers don’t like giving up their Saturdays. This works for both domestic and international flights. Do your best to schedule your dates for mid-week whenever possible. As well, travel on the actual holidays, such as Christmas day.

1. Fly midweek – cheapest days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays
2. Fly on or after the holidays – flying on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas day is usually loads cheaper than anytime before that.
3. Fly odd hours – Early morning, dinner hours, and red-eye flights are usually cheaper than flights at any other time.
   

   Image Courtesy of Jean-Pierre Dalbéra

When You Book Determines What You Pay:

This is different from the actual date of departure, and refers specifically to when you click the “purchase” button. Of the many strategies you can employ to find cheap airfare tickets, this is probably the most abstract and most complex. So take the following with a grain of salt, and exercise your own tests:

1. Tuesday is the best day, but maybe weekends too: The general consensus amongst most bargain hunters is that Tuesday afternoon is the best time to purchase your airfare. The idea is that airlines begin promoting sales Monday evening and by Tuesday afternoon all other airlines reduce their prices to stay competitive. Farecompare’s extensive data supports this for domestic US flights. They even go so far as to suggest Tuesday at 3pm eastern.  However, according to some number crunchers over at Texas A&M University, it was discovered that purchasing on Saturday and Sunday’s could save about 5% on airfare. In my own tests, this has never actually wrung true, but it’s worth a shot. Best approach here, is to wait for the weekend to see if the price changes from Wednesday, if not, buy on Tuesday (but keep in mind how far you are from the travel date, as the closer you get to your departure date, the more expensive it will become)

2. Purchase Early, but not too early: The suggestions here are pretty consistent across the board. For domestic U.S flights it’s suggested to purchase airline tickets no earlier than 3 months and no later than 30 days. International fares have a larger window with the earliest you should start looking being about 5 months. Airlines apparently do not actively “manage” sales and flights until the times above. Ignore advice that offer up precise days like 45 or 54 days. It’s not possible to pinpoint the exact date for future purchases
3. Don’t buy too late: Avoid purchasing last minute at all costs. The closer you buy to the departure date, the more expensive the airfare will be. Specifically, within 14 days price airfare rises dramatically; within 7, the hike in price is even crazier.

Use Technology:

Technology is your friend to find cheap airfare tickets. And as technology improves and becomes more robust, finding deals is only going to become easier. Fortunately for us, creating apps and programs to find low cost airfare is big business, and deal aggregate and bargain hunting sites have become our biggest champions. Use them to their fullest potential for the pure and simple reason that they work.

1. Sign up for Airfare alerts: Sites like Airfarewatchdog and FareCompare will do the heavy lifting and send you deals straight to your email. Sometimes you’ll get them before they even begin to populate on other sites.
2. Consider Hidden city Ticketing – The idea is to buy a ticket going from point A to point C, but get off at point B. Because distanced traveled doesn’t determine costs, sometimes it ends up cheaper to have your desired destination as a layover rather than your final destination. Read my article on how I used Skiplagged to find cheap flights.
3. Use a few flight search engines: Don’t use just one. Use a few of them to compare prices and options. For instance, Skyscanner provides results for all airlines, all airports, cities AND countries providing you greater flexibility. Other resources to use: Kayak, Momondo, Vayama and Google Flights
4. Buy one passenger at a time: On a single flight there can be different pricing structures for each seat. By purchasing multiple tickets at the same time, the airline’s reservation system automatically charges the highest price for each ticket even if there are cheaper seats available.
5. Be Anonymous: This is probably the most common strategy. Clear your cookies and cache in the event the airline’s website is tracking your behavior. You can also enable private browsing in your browser. In my experience this doesn’t always work, but it sure as hell doesn’t hurt.

At the end of the day, figure out if doing all the above is worth it to find cheap airfare tickets.   Finding the cheapest and lowest fares requires a confluence of factors and you can never rely on just one. If you put them all together you’ll be an unstoppable force of nature! Personally, I love the feeling of getting a good deal, in fact, it’s probably safe to say that I’m allergic to paying full price for anything. But for some travelers, paying a bit more for the convenience of a direct flight is worth it, whereas for others, layovers are just another opportunity to get some shuteye. Whatever you decide to do, or what strategies you decide to use, if you find that perfect flight…pull the damn trigger!

The above is nowhere near definitive so if I’m missing anything, please share! Lets make this the ultimate list of cheap airfare strategy!

The post How to Find Cheap Airfare Tickets appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Above image courtesy of Canadian Pacific

Baggage fees have all but gone overboard.   Believe it or not, there once was a time that carrying one bag, or even two bags was a given and was included as part of your already exorbitant ticket price. Traveling has certainly changed over the years becoming less and less customer oriented. It really is a matter of time until the cost of airfare is measured by total weight and not just seat fare. Personally I would rather they just raise their prices by $25 and not tell me.

But I digress. Hopefully this week’s travel hack can help budget travelers, like us, save some money!

So, short of getting on the plane wearing 4 layers of clothing or trying to shove everything into a fanny pack, there’s a way to beat the baggage fee creep: Gate check your bag and save yourself the baggage fees.

We’ve all seen it; the bags sitting alongside the gangway waiting to be ushered on the plane. Not only do they get loaded last (which means they get unloaded first), but they’re generally getting free passage to your final destination.   You could always take Southwest, but unfortunately Southwest doesn’t fly to every destination and won’t always be an option.

Image courtesy of Per Gosche

How can I avoid baggage fees?

I’m glad you asked! The idea is to bring your bag through security as a carryon, and once at the departure gate, ask to have it gate checked. That’s it!

I came across this hack a few years ago, and fearing that the policy might have changed, I decided to try it again on a recent flight to San Francisco. And, I’m happy to report that it still works (yes, I was the ass dragging the giant pack through the lounge. I promise it was for a good cause). More often than not, the agents will be more than happy to accommodate -especially on crowded flights- in order to save space within the cabin. Sometimes you’ll even see the agents scouring the waiting area for oversized carryon just to gate check them anyways. Obviously you won’t be able to tote your 50lb plastic enforced suitcase with you, but you can certainly test the limits of what defines a carryon!

Word of warning though; the agents do have the authority to charge a fee, but I have yet to come across this myself.   Just remember, being pleasant with a smile goes a long way. As they have the authority to charge you the fee, they also have the discretion not to. Usually the crew will be more than happy to gate check your bag if asked nicely and to also keep the flow going. The last thing they want is to hold up the boarding process, ultimately delaying the plane.

Just be prepared for the worse case scenario of having to pay the baggage fee. If it works, you’re golden, and if it doesn’t, you were going to pay for the baggage fee anyways.

Did this work for you? Please share your experience if you’ve tried this hack.

The post Travel Hack Friday: Avoid Baggage Fees appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Have you ever imagined being able to whittle your days away while laying on a beach sipping coconuts, with only monkeys for neighbors? Starting from modest roots, much like ourselves, Ryan Biddulph of Blogging From Paradise has upheaved everything conventional and created for himself a personal paradise.  A published author and public speaker, Ryan is the champion for the digital nomad. With an incredible talent for living a life of island hopping and leisure, Ryan shares the “How tos” through his frank and incredibly fun blog.  Personally he has been a huge help for my own blogging strategies. If being free – however you may define it -is your goal, take a moment and connect with Ryan…

Tell us about Blogging From Paradise.  Who are you, what are you all about, you’re first introduction to traveling, and how long you’ve been on the road

My name is Ryan Biddulph and I am a guy who loves freeing me and my audience through traveling. I created Blogging from Paradise to inspire folks to retire to a life of island hopping through smart blogging, as I have done. I was introduced to traveling by flying 23 hours from NYC to Bali. First flight. First international trip. First vacation in 20 years. I do dive into things. I have been traveling the world for 4 years in a row as of now. I just want to free folks. I was a bored, depressed broke ass security guard and now I have created a full time income earning blog, and I created BFP to help struggling travel bloggers to boost their cash flow, so they need not return home to make that paper, if they don’t want to.

It must have been really tough leaving everything you knew behind.  Was there any hesitation?  If so, how did you overcome that, and what was your inspiration?

Nope honestly Carey, it wasn’t, because I outgrew NJ. I was broke. I was depressed. I hated my life there, not because of NJ – not a bad state – but because I wanted to see more of the world, and being bound to the USA didn’t allow me to do that. No hesitation, my wife Kelli booked tickets to Bali, I hopped onto my first flight, on my first trip abroad, halfway across the world, and never looked back. I was inspired to be free, so I did the uncomfortable things to make that freeing life a dream reality.

How do you afford staying on the road as long as you have?  Any tricks/advice you can share with us?

Build a blog that makes some paper Seriously, I’d say, create value and connect with inspired, authority bloggers, to boost your passive and active cash flow. Then, you can visit countries where the exchange rate rocks: Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, India, Nepal, etc, etc. We’re in Bali now. My wife and I eat lunch for 2, for about $5, and it’s a HUGE plate of veggies and proteins, and rice, at a local spot called Warung Warung in Jimbaran, Bali. It does not suck to have 1 USD = 13,000 Ruppiah, just about, as when our flight lands in Bali, and in Thailand, our USD earning net worth jumps like five fold or more, if we’re staying in incredibly cheap places like Chian Mai, Thailand. Generate that full time income through blogging and visit countries with a low cost of living to capitalize on the internet lifestyle.

Tell me more about being a smart blogger and what is one lifestyle change we can make right now to set me on the road of retiring on an island?

Smart blogging is effective blogging. Like, I could publish a run of the mill, 400 word post, which is OK, or I could publish a 5,000 word, in-depth post, targeted to one audience, through keyword selection. Then I can promote the heck out of other inspired bloggers, to grow my network, and said bloggers, more than a few, will promote me, boosting my readership, growing my email list and boosting my book sales on Amazon.

As for that 1 change I’d say, make your love of being free greater than your fear of doing uncomfortable stuff. Right now I publish 1 book weekly along with a 5,000 word post and a podcast. I also run freelance writing and blog coaching businesses and I engage in an aggressive blog commenting campaign. I do the creating and connecting that needs be done to be free, because I love being free more than doing uncomfortable things. I’ll do the legwork to write the kick butt post or to publish an eBook weekly or to make the intimate, strong bond, because it helps me live this awesome, blessed life, on the road, as a full time, pro blogger.

Making money is also about saving.  What are three steadfast rules that you abide by in order to stay on budget while island hopping?

1: Eat local much of the time. Eating local keeps you from busting your budget.

2: Eat at home at least one meal daily. Kelli my wife and I eat tempe with rice, bought from the local store, once daily. With veggies this meal runs us like 3 to 4 bucks, if that.

3: Enjoy what you can for free. Our most stunning experiences on the road were free experiences. Hanging at the beach when the sun goes down, in Koh Lanta, or in Quepos. Or hiking in a national park. Or just strolling around town in Kathmandu. All free, all priceless, and all kept us within our budget.

You’ve been on the road for over 3 years now, globe-trotting and island hopping, what’s the most memorable experience/trip you’ve had, and one that I should absolutely add to my own bucket list?

Wow, this is a tough one. Most memorable trip is probably Savusavu, Fiji, for I’ve never seen a more pristine, pollution-free, drop dead gorgeous land, in my life!

Bucket list add: an African Safari or Patagonia. Tied.

Now tell us your craziest story and how you got yourself out of it

Wow, so many to choose from. 3 weeks ago I fought a spitting cobra in the backyard on the villa grounds in Jimbaran, Bali. I almost checked out after a wicked motorbike accident in Jimbaran 3 years ago, and I was attacked by a wild man in Nepal who bit my arm, and I saw a lizard walk on water in Costa Rica. I also got coked out in Peru, and was in Thailand during the coup.

#1 though, is my illness in India. I fell ill with giardia. I lost 20 pounds in about 10 days. I was rushed to the emergency room, dangerously dehydrated, and I genuinely felt I was dying. It was terrifying but oh so freeing because I saw life as being a zillion times more precious after the event. I am an athletic work out nut, so when I couldn’t walk 30 seconds without losing my breath, ONE MONTH after I first fell ill with the disease, I was humbled too.

Imagine feeling like you were going to puke, at the end of every day, for 10 days. Imagine not being able to hold onto anything because you’re letting go water, on the back end. It was hideous, horrifying, and the sickest I’ve ever been in my whole life. Oh yes, I didn’t eat anything for those 10 days either, other than a half an orange on the first day of my sickness.

I got out of it with a hospital trip for a few days and antibiotics.

If you could offer only one survival/safety tip, what would it be?

Be alert. Look around. Pay attention. Life is kinda crazy on the road sometimes and people who get in trouble are oblivious.

How have you evolved as a traveler from when you first started to how you are now?

I judge less. I love more. I accept more. I am less biased, and more fascinated by different cultures, and I am much more patient these days than I ever, ever was, because you can’t travel and stay sane, by being impatient.

Ok, this is for all the gear lovers out there.  What is the one essential piece of travel gear you must have on your travels?

For me, my laptop. Because gear-wise, I am t shirts and shorts, and flip flops, so simple. But I gotta bring my home office with me.

Where are you in the world at the moment, and where will the road take you next?

Jimbaran, Bali now, and we’ll had back to the US for a month before traveling through Mexico, in about 3 months.

Do you have any final advice for those who wish to live a life of travel?

Go for it! My first time on a plane was 23 hours, and my first trip, Bali. I dove in fully and never looked back. No excuses. Book the flight. Get going!

 About Blogging From Paradise

Hi, I’m Ryan Biddulph. I can help you retire to a life of island hopping through smart blogging. Grab yourself some coconut juice, sit back, relax and take a look around Blogging from Paradise. We do things island style here, so take your time!

Website: www.bloggingfromparadise.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloggingfromparadise

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanbiddulph

The post Adventure Series: Blogging From Paradise appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

What’s better than traveling? Well, nothing really but getting free stuff is certainly up there. San Diego is one of those destinations where the neighborhoods and business communities come together and offer year round free goodies to residents and visitors alike. Timed correctly, you could spend weeks in the waterfront city without spending one hard-earned dime. Great for families and great for budget travelers, San Diego is an ideal destination to visit without breaking the bank.

However, the list I put together of free things to do in San Diego is not going to be the typical recommendations like “fly a kite at a park,” or “go have a picnic,” these activities will be events and festivities unique to the San Diego experience.

So get out your Iphone, Galaxy, date planner (do people still use these?) or whatever it is you use and jot down the dates so you don’t miss a single one.

Also, if you’re looking for more reasons to visit San Diego, check out my other popular posts:

I Bet You Don’t Really Know San Diego

The World In a Day – San Diego Neighborhoods

Beaches

Pacific Beach

ok, this one is a no brainer, and has to be on the list just because we’re talking about San Diego. With more beaches than neighborhoods (maybe not, but still a lot of beaches!), it’s impossible to have a conversation with a San Diegan and not have them mention one of the 63 beaches in and around San Diego. You can swim, soak in the sun, snorkel, surf and basically do as San Diego natives do! Some of the more popular beaches: Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Mission Bay Beach, Pacific Beach, Windansea Beach, La Jolla Cove, and Blacks Beach.

Harbor Seals and Sea Lions:

Seal Rock – Image Courtesy of Daniel Rothamel

One of the attractions I can’t get enough of is seeing the Seals and Sea Lions at Seal Rock (try saying that 10 times quickly) near the La Jolla Children’s Pool. True to the San Diegan culture, these playful critters can give any SoCal native a run for their money in how to be ultra chill. Although there’s an ongoing debate whether the beach should be protected and considered a marine sanctuary, at the moment the beach is shared by humans and wildlife alike. Personally I recommend letting them have their sanctuary, as there are more than enough beaches to go around. Sit back, and enjoy wildlife at play.

Sand Castles at the Beach

Every year for 2 days Imperial Beach is host to the Sun and Sea Festival, a world-class sandcastle competition, where sculptors around the world come to create awe-inspiring sand art. If that’s not enough to get you amped, they also have a pancake breakfast available by donation. Go to their website for their 2015 schedule

Explore Art at Chicano Park

Chicano Park – Image Courtesy of Jay Galvin

Chicano Park in Barrio Logan is a living history of the struggles and influence of Chicano culture in San Diego. The 32,000 square meter park is alive with colorful murals depicting the heritage of Mexican-Americans. There is a solemn beauty to the park, as you will literally be walking through time. It’s well worth the visit. There’s also free art classes for kids as well.

Coronado Summer Concert Series 

Do you like music? What about free live music? Between May and September, 18 free concerts will be held in Spreckles Park with the Coronado Promenade Concerts Inc. footing the entire bill. Yes, I said I wouldn’t mention picnics, but hey you got to eat, and this is as good of a time as any to get that out of the way! Go here for their full lineup and schedule: Coronado Summer Concert Schedule

Summer Music Festivals

Image Courtesy of Bengt Nyman

If concerts and festivals are totally your thing, and the Coronado offerings just isn’t enough, San Diego is the perfect city to get your fix. Throughout the city, different venues come alive during the summer months with freebies. Click to get the full line up of 2015 free concerts in San Diego. Lets hope sleep isn’t your thing also.

Adams Ave Street Fair

image Courtesy of Bengt Nyman

A 2 day music festival that has been bringing the fun for 33 years, the street fair boasts over 110 music acts over 8 stages. You can do this completely free, but it might be challenging not to splurge on a corn dog or two. The street fair is always held on the last weekend of September in the Normal Heights community of San Diego. For specific dates, click to go to their website: Adams Avenue Street Fair

Cruisin’ Grand Escondido 

Image Courtesy of R. W. Heald

We all need a break from the Teslas and Hybrids that dominate our streets, and the Cruisin’ Grand is a refreshing reminder of a much simpler time where combustion engines had a mileage of 3 miles per gallon.   Every Friday night, starting in April, 7 blocks of Escondido is dedicated to vintage street rod lovers and aficionados in an all out street fair of Hot Rods, Hot Rods and more Hot Rods. More info at the groups website: Crusin’ Grand.

Dive-in movies at The Pearl

You read it right. It’s not Drive-in, it’s a Dive-in. Over at the Pearl Hotel in Point Loma, weekly screenings of recent and classic films are shown on a big screen around the hotel’s pool area.   It’s completely free, but does require reservations to be made in advance given the small venue. Food and drinks are available at a cost but save yourself the dollars and get an In-n out burger after the show instead for the full 1950s movie and dining experience. Reservations can be made on their website along with the schedule of movies that will be playing.

 Free fly fishing lessons

Ever wanted to learn how to fly fish like a boss? Every Sunday starting a 9am, The San Diego Fly Fishers Club offers a free clinic teaching you basic skills to wrangle that trout. Make sure to get there early. More details along with a calendar of events can be found on their website. 

Grunion Run

I mentioned the Grunion Run in my previous post – I bet you don’t really know San Diego, and now I’m going to talk about it again, because it’s just that cool. Between the months of March and August, sardine sized fish called grunions assault California coastal line in a suicidal dash to who knows where, resulting in a frenzy of thousands upon thousands of stranded grunions looking to be fished. It has recently begun to become more controlled, and a fishing license is now required to pick them up, but it’s still worth going to see the epic madness.

Rock Out Karaoke

What’s better than watching a concert? It’s being in the concert! Rock out with a live band as you churn out lyrics to The Doors and Fleetwood Mac. Rock Out Karaoke, the group that offers the events throughout San Diego Venues, brings a fun evening of karaoke on steroids. You can find their listings of public and private shows here: Rock Out Karaoke Schedule

Ray at Night

On the second Saturday of every month, the North Park neighborhood of San Diego is host to some seriously talented local and national artists.  This September will be the artwalk’s 14^th year displaying artwork in 15 different galleries and businesses throughout the neighborhood. It’s completely free and a great way to spend the evening.

SeaWorld Fireworks

Image courtesy of D & CH

Seeing captive animals turning tricks doesn’t really excite me, and in my opinion wholly unnecessary. But every night of the summer, SeaWorld does blast out a pretty impressive fireworks show. The fireworks can be seen from most points throughout the city, so you needn’t pay any entrance fees to enjoy it. Post up at Mission Bay Park and get a front seat to view the show.

Have a Bonfire

BBQ and Bonfire in San Diego

The only thing that might cost you money here is the marshmallows and Hershey bars.  One thing all visitors must do at least once is experience a night cooking up some s’mores or hotdogs around a bonfire. You can do this at a number of beaches like Mission Beach, Sunset Cliffs, and La Jolla Shores. Fire pits are first-come first-serve, so stake out your spot early.

Seaport Village

Image Courtesy of Boardwalk Betty

I normally wouldn’t recommend touristy spots like Seaport Village as you’ll undoubtedly get the over priced foods, crowds and souvenir shops. In this case, however, I have to make an exception just for the entertaining free performances that randomly take place throughout the village. It’s a great way to spend a leisurely afternoon or evening. I also got to admit that Seaport Village really is an attractive boardwalk area. Just don’t give in to the hunger and impulse buys. I promise the food sounds better than it tastes.

Stars in the Park at Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Balboa Park

On the first Wednesday of each month the San Diego Astronomy Association opens up to the public free access to their ginormous telescope. It takes place after their normal paid shows, so expect it to begin, at the earliest, after 8pm or so. Find more information at their website.

Basic’s Pizzas

This is the only restaurant on the list because most proprietors don’t subscribe to the sharing is caring philosophy when it comes to food, but Basic’s Pizzas has pretty much bucked that trend. You can get free samples of pizza everyday between 4 to 7pm, excluding game days.

You definitely don’t need to spend a ton of money to travel, much less have an adventure. San Diego is one of those destinations where spending too much money can actually take away from your experience. Take advantage of the free things to do in San Diego, get off the beaten path, rub elbows and do as the locals do.

I hope you enjoyed the list, and please share your San Diego discoveries!

The post Free Things To Do In San Diego – Seriously! appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Welcome to Another Travel Hacks Friday. As part of a new series, every Friday, we will be introducing new travel hacks for outdoor and urban adventures. We will scour the web for the best and most practical hacks, as well as dig into our reserves and share our own awesome moments of ingenuity!

We all know the cost of airfare is ridiculous, often eating up a huge chunk of our travel budget. For the uninitiated, there’s little rhyme or reason to how the pricing is established; oil price goes down, yet airfare goes up. Could it be market forces? Sure. But what about the never ending nickel-and-diming: “luggage? That will be 35 bucks. Oh…you want peanuts too? You’ll need to purchase more legroom first”.  The competitive spirit is also gone. Aggregation booking sites like Priceline and Orbitz tend to spit out the same ole results. We could call it an oligopoly, but that’s a subject for another post…

So, who can blame us for trying every known trick to find cheap flights, from clearing your cookies, buying on specific days, private browsing, to clicking your heels three times (careful with this one, it’s known to have unpredictable results). The truth is though, some work and some don’t. And as the Airline industries become more sophisticated the battle for low fares will continue to get more intense.

Enter hidden city ticketing! Because airfare is determined by market forces (so the rumor goes), distance traveled doesn’t determine cost and you’ll find yourself routed all over the map in order to get to where you want to go. This neat little trick leverages that loophole in order to get you the lowest fare.

The idea is simple: Buy a ticket going from point A to point C, and get off at point B. For instance, lets say you want to go to Rome. Instead of buying a direct flight to Rome for $1900, you would purchase a flight to Milan with Rome as a stopover for $1000, and then disembark at the Eternal City.

It’s not particularly new, as the trick has been around for a while. But sites like Skiplagged has figured a way to make hidden city fares more accessible to people like you and me.

Here’s a test I did for April 15 2015 using Skiplagged:

Using Google Flights – San Diego to Rome

Using Skiplagged – San Diego to Rome to Milan:

Using Google Flights – San Diego to Rome to Milan:

So this is how you find cheap flights:

Notably, there are some bugs in the system, such as flight routes and price changes not being available at all. So make sure to do your due diligence as you would booking standard flights. Additionally, here are some other things to be aware of:

The travel hack isn’t fool proof; it doesn’t always find the cheapest flights; and results are not always up to date.  And although it’s not illegal, airlines and big booking sites may eventually mobilize their combined weight to put the kibosh on the practice. But until then free market reigns and, for the brave and stalwart, this is just one more tool to help win the war!

Got a hack to find cheap flights or have experience with hidden city ticketing?  Please do share!

The post Travel Hacks Friday: Find Cheap Flights Like a Ninja appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Sustainable travel is a tough business. But Kach and Jon of Two Monkeys Travel have devised a formula that makes its seem so darn easy to work and sustain a life of global travel.  On the road since 2013, the Two Monkeys really put their money where their mouth is. With incredibly detailed, and actionable advice, Kach and Jon inspire others, such as myself, to just get out there and do it. Lucky for us, they’ve allowed us to share some of their best kept secrets…This is Part 2 of their Funding and Sustaining a Life of Travel Series.  You can find Part 1 here -How to Fund and Sustain a Life of Travel Part 1

Fund and Sustain a Life of Travel Part 2

Planning to buy this Combi– Arequipa, Peru

Option 1 – Work THEN Travel – The road most traveled

This is what Jon and I were doing before we met each other and it seems to be the way most travelers start.  He spent 6 months preparing and saving for his big move to South East Asia.  It’s a lot to ask yourself to stay in a job and a life that you already know you want to leave behind, but booking your flight makes it all the more bearable!  Because of this, he was able to fulfill his dream of traveling around SE Asia (Cambodia-Thailand-Laos-Vietnam) by motorbike with one of his best friends from home, Seb.

Jon with Seb on their South East Asia motorbike adventure

I lived and worked in the Middle East for 4 years and although I had been traveling short-term from time to time, I knew the time was approaching when I would finally quit for good.  So after four years of full time corporate work in Kuwait and Kurdistan, Iraq I had enough savings to travel for three months in South East Asia and live in Vietnam for another 3 months before finally getting a job!

Kach with Lory in Kuwait – after a Musical show

Option 2 – Overseas working – Become an Expat!

Moving around a lot is great, but if you really want to get to know a place and its’ people, nothing beats living there and there is always work if you know where to look.  After 3 months of traveling around South East Asia, Jon and Seb’s travel funds were diminishing and the motorbikes were suffering some serious issues; the main one being that they were shit!  So they set off on the three day ride from Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam in hope of finding work.  Luckily they had already prepared for this situation before leaving the UK.  Both had completed a 150 hour TEFL teacher training course so that they could have some kind of income almost anywhere in the world.  As things turned out, Hanoi is actually heaven for native English speakers looking to make good money.  Teaching jobs there pay $20-30 per hour and living costs are some of the cheapest in the world.   Jon landed a job teaching kids for 20 hours a week and rented a huge house with 3 guys; Seb, the half-French Cumbrian; a mysterious yet disturbing Swede named Martin; and Eachan, a 19 year old Geordie who realized Vietnam was loads better than the army…It was interesting…..

No, don’t become a sex-pat!

I, on the other hand, didn’t have any teaching certificates and wasn’t considered a native speaker in Vietnam, so it took me a few months to find teaching work, but once I landed my first job the flood gates just opened for me.  Also, since I have a good deal of marketing and administrative experience, I was also able to find freelance work.

Although we both had full time jobs as well as other part time jobs to help us save for our next big backpacking adventure through India, we still found time to take short trips away.  In seven months we rode a motorbike around North Vietnam for a week; spent a week in Laos; had a luxury cruise in Halong Bay and even treated ourselves to 4 and 5 Star hotel breaks in Hanoi and Ninh Binh!

By the time we left Hanoi, we had enough savings to travel to Singapore, India, The Maldives, UK and South America over 6 months.  And we were hardly sticking to a tight budget – the odd 5 star hotel managed to sneak itself into our India trip!

Our 5 star hotel in New Delhi, India

Option 3 – Work WHILE Traveling – Truly Mobile Travelers!

While living the expat life in Vietnam was an amazing (and quite profitable!) we both knew that in order to achieve that next level of financial freedom and mobility we needed to invest in some new skills that allowed us to work on the move.

Of course this would have to be something we enjoyed as well as providing a solid source of income to top up our pockets now and then.

Jon at Shri Kali Ashram, Goa, India

I had practiced Yoga in the Middle East and later completed a month long intensive Tantra Yoga course in Thailand, whilst Jon had practiced Tai Chi in the UK and Yoga in Hanoi.  Our decision to become qualified Yoga teachers was the main motivation to travel to India, where we studied traditional Tantra Yoga with Shri Kali Ashram in South Goa.

Jon’s yoga class in Ollantaytambo, Peru

Towards the end of our India trip, we also visited Rishikesh in the North West, where we found Dr Vinod Kumar, qualified Doctor (MD), Ayurvedic Doctor and founder of the Ayuskama centre, where we studied to become Ayurveda Massage Therapists.  Between us we specialize in Marma Point therapy, Pre and Post Natal and Childcare massage therapy

Business card in Arequipa, Peru

With these new skills we could now be truly mobile, practicing our interests and passions whilst funding our travels around the world.

Option 4 – Volunteering and Work Exchange – Stretch your budget…and your travels.

You won’t be able to save money or even earn it through this route, but you can definitely extend your budget, and consequently your travels, by working a few hours a day in exchange for your bed and at least one meal a day.  This is most often in hostels but you can also find more interesting jobs with eco-projects or charitable organizations.

Bowl of Compassion, Bodh Gaya, India

We have both volunteered teaching English in Cambodia and Laos and I worked in a Hostel on Koh Pah Ngan, Thailand.  We also worked 4 hours a night in a beach restaurant in India for two meals a day and worked in a Hostal in Ollantaytambo, Peru for a month so we could learn Spanish and visit Machu Picchu.  We also used this as an opportunity to meet massage clients and host Yoga classes!

Waiters at Duck n Chill – for FREE yummy food!

Duck n Chill. Agonda Beach where we worked at the bar at night!

However, BEWARE of anyone asking you to pay any kind of fee in order to volunteer.  We don’t believe in paying to donate our time, effort and skills to a good cause, but volunteer work has become so popular and accessible (thanks internet!) that many have taken advantage by charging extortionate fees for a ‘rewarding experience’.  Unfortunately it’s quite common for very little of this money to go to the people who actually need it.

One of Jon’s yoga class in Ollantaytambo, Peru

 About the Authors

Kach Medina and Jonathan Howe are working-on-the-road couple from the Philippines and UK. Having each decided to quit their jobs and set off around South East Asia to start their new lives, neither imagined they would end up traveling the world with someone they met in a backpackers’ bar in Laos.  But that’s what happened!  They are both certified Tantra Yoga Teachers, Ayurveda Massage Therapists and TEFL Certified Teachers. Working wherever and whenever they want! Travelling since April 2013 and currently exploring South America. their next major travel goal- Antartica via Argentina

 

Visit them at www.twomonkeystravelgroup.com

Drop by their Facebook page and get to know them!

Follow them on Twitter

Join the Twomonkeys Facebook Group

 

The post Fund and Sustain a Life of Global Travel Part 2 appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.