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 of Courtesy of Hakan Dahlstrom

Does the choice of whether or not to get rental car insurance cause profuse sweating and confusion while you stand at the counter, facing off with the rental agent?   If it does, you’re not alone. It plays out the same all the time: you get up to the counter with confirmation in hand, everything’s going great and then suddenly –BAM- you’re hit with that inevitable question, “do you have insurance?”

More often than not, when renting a car, you’ll find yourself succumbing to the deadpan stare of the agent asking if you need rental car insurance, along with the fear of, “what if something happens?”

But let’s be clear: the choice of rental car insurance is completely optional.

Regardless of the pressures, or the horror stories the agent may furnish upon you, there is no obligation to purchase rental car insurance.

I’m not saying that insurance itself is unnecessary; you just don’t have to take their insurance. In most cases you probably already have coverage, so the agency’s supplemental coverage would only be redundant and a complete waste of money.

First You Need to Know How to Say NO!

Just say NO! Well, say “no thank you”, but you get my drift.

They may not let you off the hook so easily and might follow up by asking with whom you have coverage with. In this case, give them the name of your personal auto insurance company, like Progressive or State Farm. The more aggressive agents, or companies, may even sometimes require proof (seriously, who carries around their policies?) or acceptance of their coverage while reserving the right to increase their rates if you happen to refuse. Typically, these will be the smaller, less scrupulous rental car agencies. My advice, politely decline and rent elsewhere.

Unfair draconian polices, such as the above, is a window to more problems upon returning the rental car. Avoid these companies like the plaque. Better yet, stay with the big names like Budget, Avis, and Hertz. They have locations worldwide along with consistent policies and rules you can depend on. Not to mention, you also have recourse in the event something happens.

Image Courtesy of Jonathan Brodsky

You Probably Already Have Rental Car Insurance!

If you already have reliable personal auto insurance, there’s a good chance it already extends to your rental as long as it’s for personal use. For business and overseas travel, personal policies may not work. In which case, you’ll have to entertain other options like your credit cards.

Nowadays, most credit cards offer rental car insurance as long as you make the full purchase on your card. In order to be eligible you need to decline the supplemental coverage offered by the rental agency. Be careful though, not all coverages are the same, with the rare breed not offering any coverage at all. Make sure to check the card policies before renting and certainly before declining.

Lastly, if all the above doesn’t work for you, consider travel insurance. Along with optional rental car insurance, you’ll also get all the fixin’s like emergency medical, evacuation, and personal property coverage. For literally the same price of rental car insurance (or possibly even cheaper), companies like World Nomads can cover your car AND your vacation.

Ultimately, however you decide to procure rental car insurance, make sure to have some type of coverage and be sure to check the restrictions and the fine print. For most of us, rental car insurance from the rental agency is unnecessary and a complete waste of money, adding anywhere from $9 to $30 a day to your cost.

If you’re going to get travel insurance anyways (highly advisable!), add it to the policy, or get an awesome credit card Like AMEX or Chase Sapphire/ Freedom cards for travel Insurance AND rental coverage!

Do some research and get the most for your money!

Have fun hacking!

Read here for information on how to buy Travel Insurance: Should I Buy Travel Insurance? Yes and Here’s Why

The post Travel Hack Friday: Avoid Paying for Extra Rental Car Insurance appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Thailand, especially Bangkok, is one of the most popular travel destinations for its cost and ease of travel. Tourists from all walks of life, backpackers to families, will at one point find their way traveling through famous Bangkok, or the very least, have plans to visit one day in the future.

The truth is though, what most see of Bangkok, is merely the tip of the iceberg. The gorgeously chaotic Southeast Asian metropolis does have a seedy underbelly that, fortunately, most will never be exposed to but definitely does exist. Don’t get me wrong, the biggest city in the Land of Smiles is an amazing place. Whether you’re being sized up as prey by voracious lady boys or facing intimidating bouncers at local sex clubs, Bangkok is a never-ending adventure. However, Bangkok tourist scams can make a good time go south quickly. Generally speaking, most Bangkok tourist scams are just variants of some form of theft ranging from pickpockets to the ingenious long con (think Grand Palace Scam).

As a continuation to our previous 4 Thailand Scams to Avoid, here are 4 more Bangkok tourist scams to be aware of:

Related post:  4 Bangkok Tourist Scams

The $1000 dollar Beer

In a previous article I introduced Bangkok’s Red Light Districts. Walking through, or perhaps getting a quick Singha while watching the lady boys working a pole, is often a fun, and uniquely Thai experience, but the Red Light Districts can be rife with shadiness.  In a setting similar to the Mos Eisley Cantina in Return of the Jedi, Bangkok’s Red Light Districts can be a dizzying ordeal: You got the villains, the shakedowns, and the odd absence of police officers.

One of the most grievous of the Bangkok tourist scams, is the shake downs that occur while partaking in the many theatrical offerings, like a Ping Pong show.  And as wild as that show can be, it’s what potentially can happen afterwards that will leave its indelible mark.

More than one curious tourist has been fleeced upon leaving a bar or strip club by being hit with a 1000 Baht tab from just a couple of Singhas. To top it off, the Bouncers and sometimes even the Manager, will surely accost you until you pay up; and many terrified tourists do, in fact, pay up.

Ladyboy Pickpockets

Pickpockets are rampant everywhere, not just Bangkok. But in Bangkok, it’s sometimes the desperate lady boy prostitutes who will work in tandem to relieve the unsuspecting of their wallets.  One will ply all the tricks of their trade to captivate your attention while the other works your pockets. Be wary when approached by more than one individual as one of them, not so surprisingly, will attempt to move out of eyesight.

The Grand Palace – Khlong Scam

This is actually a combination of two well-known scams. An incredibly creative and prolific long con, the Grand Palace Scam or Khlong Scam, as it’s now known, involves multiple players over a large distance. Often starting near Khao San road, you’ll first be intercepted by a “friendly” local who’ll recommend The Grand Palace as a great place to visit in order to set you off in the right direction.  Along the way, a few more “friendly” locals will approach you (depending how far off track you’ve wandered) who will claim to be either security, or some type of official, and will regrettably inform you that the Grand Place is closed.  Noticing your obvious disappointment, the helpful local, will invariably suggest a great deal on a floating market tour, one that’s even better than the famous Damnoen Saduak – and all you would have to do is drop his name. To gain further trust, he’ll even negotiate a great Tuk Tuk rate on your behalf, going so far as to having a “heated” exchange with a seemingly “random” Tuk Tuk driver. If you take them up on this offer, prepare to lose a quite a few bahts on an unimaginative boat tour of Bangkok’s canals.

Forged Certifications

Asia is renowned for their counterfeiting skills. However, the ingenious buggers have evolved their skills beyond just copying the Louis Vuttons and Pradas. On a recent trip through Thailand I saw fake licenses being offered on Khao San Road for PADI certifications, teacher certifications, and even licenses for airline employees. Give these guys a wide berth. If you plan to go diving in Koh Toh with a “Khao San Road certified” dive instructor you may want to brace yourself for a few shattered eardrums.

Bangkok is a fun, entertaining city to visit. Most of the time you won’t have an issue, but just by being aware of some of the seedier elements, you’ll be that much more prepared in the event something does happen. Be a smart, safe and informed traveler and always listen to your gut.

If you do happen to be caught in the web, don’t fret; just consider it the cost of a story you can tell over and over. Without some of the craziness, Bangkok would be pretty bland and lifeless, and who’d like that?

BONUS:

Not really a scam, but interesting nonetheless.

The Ducks Are Hungry

Call it seedy or outright shocking but Bangkok seems to have an inordinate number of eunuchs created at the hands of jilted lovers.  In Thailand, saving face is key. If you’re a Thai woman dealing with a cheating husband for months or years of infidelity, eventually it may be too much to take. Reading local papers over the course of a year reveals way too many of these horror stories.

If a wife has caught her husband cheating she may note this in the face saving way of speaking a Thai phrase, which means: “The ducks are hungry.”  In rural areas of Northern Thailand ducks are plentiful and from past horrors, ducks seem to be fond of male genitalia tossed out of the window.  Either she follows up on the threat or the husband gets the hint.

What Bangkok tourist scams have you seen and can add to the list?

The post 4 MORE Bangkok Tourist Scams, Plus a Hungry Duck appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

I’m sure you’ve seen them. The cars with the gigantic logos emblazoned on the side, or the pink mustaches hanging off the hood, zippin around the city with passengers crammed into the rear seats. Ridesharing and Taxi service have changed the face of city travel. In fact, throughout most metropolises across the globe, it has become the only way to get around. But, as with all good things, the industry has gotten crowded. Competition is fierce with new companies jumping on board vying for precious road real estate, and customers. They are literally at each other’s throats (look up Courtney love and her recent Uber ride in France if you don’t believe me).

So, what does that mean for us consumers sitting on the sidelines? Well, in short, it means competitive rates, better service and a whole slew of options; a veritable buffet of transportation choices for our choosing!

But lets be serious, with all the Ridesharing companies like Uber or Lyft and the mass of Taxi services, who has time to go from website to website, or app to app comparing and looking for the best rates.

So, How Do We Compare Ridesharing and Taxi Service Rates?

Well, enter RideGuru, a fare comparison site for Taxis and Ridesharing services, with indexes in thousands of locations worldwide. And if I’m to be truthful, it’s really about damn time considering we’ve had comparison sites for cheap airfare and hotel bookings for ages now.

It’s pretty simple. No download or account signup necessary. Just go to the site, type in your starting point and end point, and up pops the comparisons. That’s it!

Additionally, they are pretty transparent with how they arrive at the numbers, and any additional cost that you may incur.

Some Import Things to be Aware of When Using RideGuru

Unlike Airlines and Hotels that provide API’s to comparison sites for accurate pricing, the Ridesharing and Taxi service industries aren’t quite there yet. And although they do try to take into account traffic and surge pricing (ridesharing rates increasing with demand), real time market forces are tough to predict and to calculate. Consequently, RideGuru can only provide estimates, and so discrepancies from the actual cost will, and do, exist.

Additionally, what is most odd, and is in stark contrast to the companies they index, is the lack of a Smartphone travel app. Loading up the website, and scrolling to the calculator does make comparing rates rather inconvenient. They are working on an app, but for now, you’ll have to contend with just using the interface on your Smartphone

Still, accuracies and app aside, RideGuru and its competitors, like Whatsthefare.com, do provide an invaluable service. Even with the results being merely estimates, the sites can give you a range, and point you in the direction of the cheapest option.

Consider it as another cost saving tool to put more money in your pocket – and we all know that you can never have enough of those.

Now, if they can only do it for Tuk Tuks… Happy Travels!

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The post Travel Hack Friday: Compare Ridesharing and Taxi Service Rates Worldwide 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’m naturally a very animated conversationalist, and tend to move my hands and lock eyes for that dramatic effect. Throughout my travels I’ve admittedly never given too much though to the different hand gestures around the world and how they may be perceived. It took a night of hanging out with some new friends (and a lot of Ankor) while in Cambodia for me to finally discover that I had been possibly transgressing for years! Where in the U.S eye contact is seen as confident, and the use of hand gestures, like our index finger, is just part of the way we communicate, in Cambodia, both can be misconstrued as rudeness. Fortunately it wasn’t too long before a good natured local gave me the low down on the cultural social graces and in the end everyone –Dao included – had a good ribbing at my expense.

It’s never intentional, and almost always meant good heartily, but even the most culturally sensitive of us can sometimes insult an entire nation and not even realize it. Imagine finding yourself in prison for just trying to wave someone over, or worse yet, insinuate someone’s mother is promiscuous by giving them “the five fathers” (more on this below).

The reality is that language, for most travelers, is still a very realistic barrier. And in order to communicate we resort to body language and hand gestures, pantomiming clumsily whatever message we are trying to get across. And with hand gestures around the world being extensions of culture, a thumbs up may mean “all good” in one country, but just as easily “up yours” in another.

Hopefully this post can save you all the same embarrassment and avoid having to salvage your dignity like I did.

Rude or Misunderstood Hand Gestures Around the World

The moutza (talk to the Hand)– I can’t imagine any circumstance where this gesture isn’t considered rude. Particularly in Greece, the symbolic gesture of talking to the hand is reminiscent of the ancient practice of rubbing dirt and feces in to someone’s face. Not as grievous as it once was, the Moutza stills holds significant offense. Variations of this action are also deemed no-nos in Nigeria, Middle East and Mexico. Better to just avoid it to be safe.

The Five Fathers – This is an odd one, and unless we’re scraping the dirt out of our nails, I don’t see many scenarios where you’ll be caught doing this. But just for giggles I’m going to throw this one in. In Arab countries and the Caribbean the gesture of pointing your index finger at the grouped fingers of your other hand is suggestive of someone having an untraceable lineage, hence the name of “Five Fathers.” In other words, your mama has no idea who your papa is. That’s a rough one eh?

Pointing with Index finger – ok, so this one is a bit of a no brainer, but I still managed to get myself into trouble with this one. Now, I never actually point my finger directly at anyone, but I do have the bad habit of being over animated while extending the index finger. But in countries in Belgium, and parts of Asia, like Cambodia and Indonesia, even slight usage can be seen as rude. In India, the gesture is specifically reserved for the “inferior”, and they prefer to use the chin or the full hand instead. If you’re like me, it’s probably best just to break the habit and avoid the misunderstanding.

The “V” – For us in North America, many parts of Asia, and even Bulgaria, the “V” sign signifies Peace or Victory. Popularized by 1960’s counter culture, and now prolific in photos everywhere, the “V” is usually quite benign. However, in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and South Africa it can be taken as an insult, especially with the palm facing inwards. Some places it could just mean the number 2.

Head Shake – Ready to test the limits of your coordination? Trying saying “yes” while shaking your head side to side, or saying “no” while nodding. If you ever find yourself in Bulgaria or Greece you just might have to get comfortable it. The head shake or Head nod mean the complete opposite of what we are familiar with in North America and most other parts of the world.

Horns: Rock on, but not in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Colombia, Brazil and the Baltic’s where it implies your wife is cheating on you!

Come on over (the come hither)- In certain places in Asia and the Pacific, like Hong Kong and the Philippines, the gesture of beckoning someone while curling your index finger into your upturned hand is incredibly offensive and typically seen as a way to address dogs. The Philippines takes the insult so much more personally, that you can actually be arrested. Let’s just say this is not the best way to make friends.

Crossed arms – We’ve all crossed our arms at one point, either because we were cold, or simply had nowhere to put our arms. Well, in Finland, crossing your arms, might very well get you into some unexpected fisticuffs and can be seen as a sign of arrogance.

Hand Shake – A common form of greeting in most parts of the world, you would think the typical Hand Shake is hard to mess up. Well, believe it or not, there are rules: in France, light and quick are preferred over strong and vigorous; In Guatemala, a gentle handshake is proper; In Germany, shaking hands with one hand in your pocket is rude; In Iran, shaking hands with a child shows respect to the parents, In Bangladesh, men will never shake the hand of a woman, while in Denmark, on the complete opposite of the spectrum, it’s proper to shake the hand of a woman before the man. Some cultures even forgo handshakes altogether for other forms of greetings like the eyebrow raise in Philippines, or the Namaste prayer or “wai” in India, Thailand and Cambodia. Best way to approach this is just greet others how they greet you.

Feet Gestures – Not a Hand Gesture,  but still very important to know!  You can pretty much bet that, besides in your own home, propping your feet up on tables or even chairs anywhere in the world can be deemed rude. In certain countries though, like Turkey, and virtually everywhere in Asia, pointing or exposing your “unclean” soles or feet at anyone, is liken to the greatest form of contempt.   The feet are considered the lowest and dirtiest part of the human body and should never be exposed. This includes crossing your legs knee over knee as opposed to ankle over knee. On a side note, never step on anyone in India.

Thumbs up: Another easily misconstrued hand gesture, this innocuous symbol in most countries in the world means “it’s all good,” or the number “1,” but in Greece, Australia, Latin America, parts of Africa and the Middle East, the thumbs up denotes the more graphic meaning of “up your butt”.

Ok Sign- in most of Europe and the CIS (commonwealth of independent states) the “Ok” gesture, means anything butt – literally.   Flashing this symbol in Greece or Spain is implying someone is a butthole, and in France it means the equivalent of Worthless. An upside version of it is offensive in Brazil and Uruguay. Interestingly enough, in Japan it can denote money, as in coins.

Eye contact – Most of us have been told that good eye contact is both polite and displays confidence. Although true in most places like Brazil, Spain and of course North America, you’ll find that in Zimbabwe, Ghana and parts of Asia, like Cambodia, it’s seen as rude or even defiant.

Chin Flick or chin stroke: Flicking your chin with the back of your hand in Italy, France, Belgium and Tunisia is pretty much equivalent to the ubiquitous middle finger. But before you totally write off this gesture, in Portugal and Paraguay, it simply means, “I don’t know.”

The Fig gesture – Got your nose, got your nose! A children’s game for most in North America, and a gesture for good luck in Brazil, the Fig in Turkey, Russia, Indonesia and Costa Rica is both offensive and symbolic of the female genitalia.   Talk about mixed messages!

Finger cross – We all could use a little luck, especially if you end up using this gesture in Vietnam or Paraguay where it’s considered offensive. In Vietnam, the crossing of the fingers is believe to resemble female genitals and is particularly egregious if directed at someone. It’s probably safer to just carry a rabbit’s foot around.

If all else fails, and you forget this list of helpful hand gestures around the world, just smile, because I’m sure that’s universal. Now go forth and don’t do like I do!

Did I miss any? What are you experiences?

The post 16 Hand Gestures Around the World That Won’t Make You Any Friends! appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

I hate flying. I know, for a dedicated traveler this is borderline blasphemous. But before you leave and blast the twitter sphere calling me out, let me explain; first, I’ve yet to meet anyone that enjoys the whole ordeal of arriving 2 hours early, stripping down for security, being irradiated by a vertical MRI machine, and sardined into economy only to finally be stuck in a canister for hours on end; second, flying is boring!! The best part about flying is landing. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, you’ll probably never catch me on a plane.

Traveling overland is my method of choice! I take every chance I can to travel by bus, boats, trains, and automobiles. For anyone who has seen the Motorcycle Diaries, you’ve probably dreamed of your own epic road trip. Granted Che had his La Poderosa, but the idea’s still the same; the exploration of idyllic towns, pristine landscapes and unsullied coastlines all while uncovering adventure at every mile.

If getting off the beaten path is your goal, then road tripping is your only option. But lets be honest, road trips can sometimes be overly romanticized. Five hours into your twenty hour train ride, and that silent montage repeating itself outside your window can drive you a bit mad and you’ll be wishing for some fun things to do on your road trip.

So here are some fun things to do on a road trip to keep your mind sharp, your enthusiasm overflowing and make your adventure an awesome one. Remember, it’s the journey not the destination:

Fun Things To Do On a Road Trip

1. Talk to neighbors:
   Those around you are a great source of info and stories. Don’t wake them up to engage in a long drawn out conversation, but chances are, they won’t mind a break from the doldrums.
2. Games:
   If you’ve ever been in a car, you’re probably familiar with at least one road trip game. Some suggestions: The Alphabet game (choose a topic and run down the alphabet starting with A. Take turns listing anything starting with that letter until you hit Z. Add a time limit to really turn up the heat), and the license plate game (look for states, numbers, or even letters in the license plates of other vehicles).
3. Read a book:
   You might be thinking, “Duh, this ones a no brainer,” but seriously, you would be surprised how many travelers tote a book with them but forget to crack into it. Don’t carry the weight for nothing, get past the first chapter, and you’ll be surprised how many hours a good read will eat up.
4. Read up on your destination:
   Besides your guidebook, hopefully you took the time to print out some tidbits from Wikipedia or something like that. Brushing up on your local knowledge during a long overland trip is a great way to hit the ground running.
5. Catch phrase:
   This should probably be in the games section, but being that it’s one of my favorite games I gave it an honorary section all its own. You’ll need to customize it for the road, but the idea is thusly: think of a word/phrase and shoot out some clues without saying your chosen word/phrase, and have your road mates guess it.
6. Cats cradle:
   A blast from the past! You’ve read my list of paracord uses right? One of the often overlooked uses for paracord is the ability to play cats cradle. If you’re not familiar with the game, check it out here: http://www.momsminivan.com/how-to-do-cats-cradle.html
7. Choose your route wisely:
   Some roads are purely utilitarian. The sole objective is to get you from point A to point B. Try choosing a path that, although might be a bit longer, has better scenery where you can plan stops along the way. Break up the monotony with some side adventures.
8. Write in your journal:
   This is a good habit to get into regardless. Take advantage of the down time and catch up on documenting your trip. You’ll be glad you did.
9. Learn the language:
   Sometimes guidebooks will include a rudimentary dictionary or common phrases, but even better, purchase a book or download a language-learning app.
10. Watch a movie, or listen to music:
    If you have a great data plan, then you’re set; you can watch movies, email, chat or search for cat vids. If you’re traveling internationally, load up your devices with movies, music, and books-on-tape for hours and hours of entertainment.

The post 10 Fun Things To Do On A Road Trip 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.

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!

Paracord is such an amazing and useful piece of gear, that in order to do it justice, I’m going to split this hack into 3 parts.

This is Part 3 of the Paracord series.  If you want to learn more about why paracord is so awesome, and you haven’t yet read part 1:  How to Make a Paracord Belt  and part 2: How to make a Paracord Bracelet

If you’re not yet convinced of the overall cool factor of paracord, and still need a bit of a nudge, I’ve put together a list of the many possible things to do with paracord. The list I’ve put together is not finite, as what you can do with it is limited to your imagination. Its versatility is due to its sheer strength and lightweight nature. Conventional ropes could do the trick, but thin gauge ropes just don’t have the strength, and thick gauge ropes are too damn heavy. Best of all, paracord is low profile and can be worn as a belt, a bracelet, and even a bandolier, saving on precious bag real estate while adding another layer of usability.

Related Posts:How to make a paracord belt
Related Posts: How to make a paracord Bracelet

Remember, it’s one of those things you never know you need until you actually need it. So don’t leave home without it!

So without further adieu, we finally get to the fun part.

27 things to do with Paracord:

Surprisingly for all the uses of paracord, you can get paracord for pretty cheap online.

Here’s where I buy paracord

Amazon.com – you can buy pretty much any denomination of paracord, from 10’ to 1000’ spools.
REI – a little more expensive than the options at Amazon, but you know you’re getting the paracord 550

Hopefully I’ve persuaded you on the importance of having some paracord in your gear sets.  The list above is nowhere near definitive and what you can do with the stuff is truly limited to your ingenuity.

Do you think you have better ideas for paracord?

The post Travel Hack Friday: 27 Things to do With Paracord 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!

Paracord is such an amazing and useful piece of gear, that in order to do it justice, I’m going to split this hack into 3 parts.

This is Part 2 of the Paracord series.  If you want to learn more about why paracord is so awesome, and you haven’t yet read part 1:  How to Make a Paracord Belt

Last week I showed you guys how to craft a belt using nothing more than paracord and a buckle. This week I’m going to show you all how to make a paracord bracelet to go along with that nifty new belt of yours (you did make the belt right?). Remember, it’s all about accessorizing. If you’re going to do something, do it with style!

There are a lot of instructions that utilize two separate pieces of paracord for the bracelet, but from a usability standpoint, this isn’t the best method. Two separate lines create a weak spot in the paracord and also diminishes the overall useable length.

You can size it for your wrist, but keep in mind the smaller the wrist the less overall paracord length you’ll have at your disposal. For most, 10 feet of paracord will be standard. However, this isn’t set in stone, as there are ways of increasing length while keeping the overall diameter the same. I’ll get to that in a second. It’s better to create the bracelet based on how much cord you want to bring with you as opposed to wrist size. Of course this is within reason. If you plan on bringing 30 ft plus, it makes more sense to consider the paracord belt instead.

Also, generally I do prefer the belt, only because the bracelet just doesn’t have enough length for it to be useful in demanding situations. But this doesn’t mean it doesn’t serve a purpose, as you’ll see in my list of uses for paracord.

There are two methods when making your paracord bracelet.

How to make a Paracord bracelet method 1:

Materials/Equipment

1. At least 10ft of paracord 550
2. Buckle or clip
3. Lighter

For our example we used about 10 feet of cord and made our paracord bracelet for an 8” wrist circumference.

1.Cut a piece of paracord about 10 feet in length and seal off the ends with a lighter

2.Fold the paracord exactly in half, creating a loop on one end

3.Open the buckle and take any of the two sections and run the looped end of the paracord through the buckle,

4.Thread the loose strands through the loop and tighten

5.Wrap the paracord, buckle end, around your wrist to get the size. Preferably, keep it a little loose, because as you create the bracelet, the paracord will tighten

6.Mark the length of the circumference from step 5. This mark will be where you begin tying the bracelet

7.Take the other half of the buckle from step 3, making sure it is positioned properly to lock with the other buckle half, and thread both open strand ends through the buckle until it reaches the mark in step 6. Make sure the length of both ends are still the same.

8.Thread the open strand ends through the first buckle in step 3 again. We sized ours for an 8” wrist circumference, so for a smaller wrist size, you can thread it a 3^rd or even 4^th time alternating between buckle ends. However, the more you thread, the bigger the buckle you’ll need. For larger wrists, you can skip this step entirely.  Also, if you want to use a longer piece of paracord, and still keep the same circumference, just keep threading it over and over.  Again, you’ll need a larger buckle the more times you thread the paracord.

9.Separate the two open strands of the paracord, with one side to the right (Strand 1), and the other to the left (Strand 2).

10.Now start weaving the ends together. Take strand 1 and bring it under the center loop and cross it over strand 2

11.Take strand 2, and bring it over strand 1 and over the center loop and then through the loop created by strand 1

12.Now pull the ends of both strands to tighten, making sure the knot is below the buckle. It will be a bit off on the first knot, but don’t worry, as you thread it will begin to fall into place

13.Take strand 1 again, which will now be on the left side, and bring it under the center loop and cross it over strand 2 on the right

14.Take strand 2, which will now be on the right side, and bring it over strand 1 and over the center loop and then through the loop created by strand 1

15.Pull both ends of each strand to tighten

16.Rinse and repeat from step 10

17.Weaving will be complete once you’ve either run out of paracord or have reached the other buckle

18.Pull and tighten

20.There are two options to complete the cord 1) stick the excess cord under one of the knots, and seal off with a lighter, 2) tie the excess cord using a simple overhand knot

Voila, you now have a perfect set. If you find you have too much excess paracord, or not enough, go back to step 8 and fiddle with the number of times you thread through the buckles or increase the amount of paracord. It’s always better to have more than not enough.

How to make a paracord bracelet method 2:

Materials/Equipment

1. At least 10ft of paracord 550
2. Buckle or clip
3. Lighter

This method works for greater lengths of paracord. Follow the exact same instructions used to make the paracord belt, but with a smaller buckle suitable for your wrist. But once you begin exceeding lengths of 30 feet or more, it’s probably better just to make the paracord belt.

You can find the instructions here: How to make a Paracord Belt

The most difficult part of the paracord bracelet is getting the perfect size for your wrist. Unfortunately there isn’t a universal rule that can apply to all paracord lengths, sizes and fits that I can think of, but just follow the instructions and do a couple of test runs, and you’ll get it.

Next week we will cover the many uses of paracord!

The post Travel Hack Friday: How to Make a Paracord Bracelet appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.