Links for May 29th 2009

Why you should quit your job and travel around the world

Time lapse video of the milky way

Wotif.com – Great international accomodation finder

Location Independent Living – Live and Work Anywhere You Choose

International Travel

The Holiday Vacation season is coming up and many people will spend the time off from work enjoying what other parts of the world have to offer. In helping others plan for international travel and having gone to Mexico over the summer, I’ve accumulated a few tips that I would like to share beyond the obvious concerns such as passports, etc.

h3. Currency Exchange

Unfortunately the dollar isn’t used throughout the world though you will usually have good luck finding someone who will take it from you. For that reason, many travelers prefer not to carry much cash with them when going out in public, a good idea indeed. Most credit card companies, however, tack on an additional 3% surcharge to convert your purchases back into dollars, which can add up quickly. The good thing about credit cards is that you usually get a better exchange rate than you would at a typical street conversion service, and much better than at the airport or your hotel (Hotels usually have horrible conversion rates). Capital One is the only credit card company that does not charge this 3% conversion fee, so if you want the convenience, security, and better exchange rates of a credit card without another fee, that would be the best way to buy things overseas.

h3. Staying in touch

The vast majority of countries utilize the GSM standard for their wireless services — except the US. If you are a Cingular or T-Mobile customer in the US, you too use GSM, and can use the same phone you use in the US when you travel abroad. You need to make sure that your phone operates at the same frequency as a carrier where you will be traveling to (“GSM World’s Roaming Guide”:http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml is a good resource for looking that up) and arrange for service there. You can opt to roam on your domestic provider, but make sure you activate this service before you leave and be prepared to pay in excess of $1 per minute. If you would like to use your phone more economically you can buy a SIM card from a local provider where you will be visiting which can be purchased at company stores along major thoroughfares. Once again “GSM World’s Roaming Guide”:http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml is a good way to see what companies are available and do some price shopping. From my experience, “movistar por Llamada”:http://www.movistar.com.mx/n1/n1_prep_tipo.html is a good option in Mexico at about $2 for up to 30 minutes to call the US, and “MobileWorld”:http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/commerce/servlet/gben-server-PageServer?ARTICLE=MAIN.UK.INTERNET.STATIC.MOBILEWORLD.TARIFFS in the UK at less than 10 cents/min. Be aware also that most countries outside the US charge the initiator of the cellular call and not the person answering the call. Calling a mobile phone from a landline in foreign countries is surcharged, so try to get others to call you instead of calling them if you can.

If you plan on spending a lot of time talking and can bear being at your computer when you do it, “SkypeOut”:http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/ lets you call most first world countries for around 2 cents/min from your computer. The person you are calling does not have to be at their computer; to them it is as if you called them on a phone. If you make a lot of international calls from the US, this is also a good idea. So when you go away, set up Skype for your parents so they can stay in touch…on second thought, maybe just let your closest friends in on that secret. Also be aware that if you call a cell phone in a country that charges the call initiator, the price per minute goes up considerably so make sure you check the rate table before you call.

Travel Tips

I don’t get to travel as much as I would like to, but as a college student addicted to skiing, I have found some pretty good ways to travel on the cheap. Here are a few tips for maximizing your vacation:

h3. Air Travel

Once you select your destination, go to the website of the closest airport and see where they have non-stop flights. Chances are that there is an airport nearby that has non-stop flights to your destination. I have always taken non-stop flights and from what I gather, they are a much better experience with a reduced likelihood of flight delays, cancellations, lost baggage, etc. It is probably worth driving up to two hours to another airport to reduce your flight time considering most layovers take more time than that anyway. To get the best deal, check the regular travel sites like “Expedia”:http://www.expedia.com, “Travelocity”:http://www.travelocity.com, and my favorite, “Kayak”:http://www.kayak.com. Once you find the best airline, book through the airline’s website. This saves you $5-20 in fees that the online travel agencies charge, and it is usually easier to make any modifications to your plans and tie in to the frequent flyer program if everything is on the same website.

h3. Loyalty Programs

The first tip is to join the airline frequent flyer program. No matter which airline you choose or how many times you expect to use that airline, frequent flyer programs can always come in handy. My favorite is “Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards”:http://www.southwest.com/rapid_rewards which has a great deal for college students. If you sign up with your university email address, you instantly get 4 credits and in addition you get double credits on all flights. It takes 16 credits for a 2 rewards credits which count towards each leg of your trip (so 2 rewards means 1 round-trip ticket). They also typically have the lowest cost on tickets, so you get a free ticket with very little investment. I have had bad experiences with the frequent flyer programs of other airlines as they seem to be subtly making it hard and harder to redeem tickets with blackout dates and having it cost double points if you don’t book a year in advance. Southwest has been very fair in my experience and you can nearly always get a seat at the very last minute. Most hotel and car rental chains also offer some sort of loyalty program and sometimes tie in to the air program. It doesn’t cost anything to sign up so why not join? Also check the partners for other ways to earn miles. I joined the Delta program, got bonus miles for a credit card, signed up with Earthlink for more miles (which was cheaper than Time Warner anyway), and ended up with a free ticket back to Salt Lake City within 4 months of signing up that would have cost $1,600.

h3. Credit Cards

Most loyalty programs also offer some sort of credit card and there are literally hundreds of credit cards targeted toward travelers. Once again, I recommend the “Rapid Rewards Visa”:http://www.southwest.com/rapid_rewards/visa.html from Southwest Airlines and Chase. You receive 1 Rapid Rewards credit for every $1,200 charged to your card and the annual fee is fairly low at $59. Make sure you read the fine print on any credit card offers and only accept an annual fee if you think the rewards of the card will make up for it. Southwest is definitely worth it – I have used my rewards for tickets that would have cost over $1,000 had I bought it without the awards. You can also change your flight for no penalty or fee so if you are not sure when you will need to come home, pay normal price for your departure and use your reward credit for the return leg.

h3. Cars and Hotels

If you are under 25, renting a car affordably is near impossible. Rental agencies typically tack on a surcharge of $10-25 per day just for being under 25, but one way to get around this is to check with your hotel and see if they have any packages that include a rental car. If they book the car through their corporate account with the agency, the age of the renter doesn’t matter so you can probably get a corporate discount in addition to not having to pay the extra fee. Check the usual travel sites as mentioned above, but if you know anyone that has a timeshare or belongs to a timeshare company, they have a program where you can get last minute condo deals. An efficiency is like $150 for the entire week and $50 for a guest fee. I did this to get my hotel room at Snowbird and it was great. I only was able to stay 4 days but it was still cheaper than paying the $150/night rate that I would have had to pay for comparable accommodations. I also got a kitchen and had groceries delivered so I could save on dining expenses.

Other incidentals like ski rentals, transportation, and activities are harder to give advice for since they are so specific to where you go. Get on the internet and look for several places that offer what you want and pick the best price with the most convenience. It is your vacation after all and it isn’t much of a vacation if you are going way out of your way to save a buck or two.

Enjoy your trip!

Skiing in May

So until I graduate and move to Utah, ski trips are few and far between. It’s hard to find a time that’s economical enough for a college student and doesn’t conflict with my hectic schedule. I went to Utah in December, during dead week, and absolutely fell in love to the point that I’m making plans to move there after I graduate. Right now I’m planning yet another trip during dead week, again to Snowbird, but this time in May.

Everyone I’ve told asks how it’s possible to ski in May, but contrary to popular belief, several ski resorts have extremely long seasons. Arapahoe Basin on the continental divide in Colorado has a ski season that lasts all the way to early summer. The resort I went to in December, Snowbird, plans to stay open until May 29. In fact, last year they stayed open until July 4! Here’s a picture to prove it. Even as late as June 13th, they were having snow. Mount Baker in Oregon boasts year round skiing atop a glacier, and this is where the US Ski Team trains in the summer.

Hopefully I can make one trip before May, though. The plan was to visit Honor in San Jose at some point in the semester since I only have Monday and Wednesday classes and then drive up to Lake Tahoe to ski on Saturday and Sunday, but he still is living in a hotel so I don’t know when that will be able to happen.

Back to blogging…

As a requirement of one of my classes, I will be writing in my blog for the next two weeks at least. I haven’t updated in a while, but I plan on recapping some of the more interesting events that have happened since I last updated and how things are going now. Additionally, I’ll be attending the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive conference this weekend into the beginning of next week and then several of the free concerts that will be in town for the music conference.

Here’s a preliminary listing of the events I’ll be attending over the next few days:
Friday:
7pm – BarCampAustin meet and greet – Thistle Cafe

Saturday:
11:30am – 5pm SXSW Panels – Comment if you will be attending the conference and would like to have lunch.
6-8pm – SXSWi University Social & Austin on Rails Happy Hour – Buffalo Billiards
Rest of the night – BarCampAustin

Sunday:
10am-5pm SXSW Panels – same as before, comment if you’d like to lunch
5pm-7pm – Flickr, Upcoming.org, and Dec.icio.us party (hopefully) – Iron Cactus
7:30pm – Web Awards Ceremony

Monday:
10am-5pm More SXSW Panels
9pm – Adaptive Path + Consumating + Odeo Party – The Velvet Spade

Tuesday:
10am-12pm – SXSW Panels
8pm-11pm – Media Temple Closing Party

At least there’s something to look forward to

As always, I have been busy once again. I finished one class, but I don’t think I did too well on the exam. Oh well. Next week is going to be crazy as well…I’ve got a final paper due Thursday, a finance exam Thursday, a quiz Thursday, and a group programming project due Friday. I finally got my media center pc working, and my laptop is supposed to be delivered today. Just one more week of school!!! And as soon as I finish, I board a plane to Salt Lake City, UT for a 5 day skiing hiatus. I got an awesome deal on a condo, just $150/week, but nobody I have asked is able to go. Looks like I might be going alone…I wouldn’t mind too much, but if you want to go skiing in Utah Dec 10-14, let me know!