Travel Archives - Page 32 of 32 - Making Sense Of Cents

Travel Reward Cards

Last Updated: December 8, 2014 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

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Wise Bread had an article on Travel Rewards Cards, and it got me thinking. I don’t have ANY reward cards. I always hear about people getting their trips for free, which is definitely appealing to me.

I just realized that all of my posts today are about traveling. I did not plan it like this. Obviously my brain is trying to tell me that I need a vacation. Here are some tips on how this lady scores free trips:

Find credit card offer sign-up bonuses. Lots of credit card companies offer different types of bonuses, such as more miles or cash back. Compare and save!
Utilize credit card spending. There are different ways to earn more points. I’ve heard of people (just like it says in the article as well) buying certain coins and so on in order to earn more points.
Get bumped. Getting bumped on your flight can also lead to more rewards or cash. I have friends who have gotten bumped before and if you wait out long enough when your flights about to depart, usually they’ll bump up the amount that they are giving out. Sometimes they will give a couple hundred dollars and reimburse you for your plane ticket.

Do you have any travel rewards cards? Recommend some! What are your tips?

What are your holiday dreams?

Last Updated: October 1, 2014 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 5 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Daily Worth had an article about Holiday Dreams. This got me to thinking and dreaming.

Mine would include a nice snowy vacation in a mountain town with everyone that I’m close to. There would be a massive Christmas tree and lots of decorations!

Also, me and the BF would take cute pictures like this:

One can dream right?

What’s your dream holiday?

Getting a Passport

Last Updated: April 7, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 4 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

LearnVest recently had an article about how to get a passport. I’ve been traveling a lot lately, but not out of the country because I don’t have a passport. The BF doesn’t have one either, and we are always talking about getting one, but the costs of obtaining one have been pushing us to push the date of when we get to get them back further and further.

Here are the steps if you’re thinking about getting one:

1. Fill Out Form DS-11: Application For A U.S. Passport
2. Submit Completed Form DS-11 In Person
3. Submit Evidence of U.S. Citizenship
4. Present Identification
5. Submit a Photocopy of the Identification Document(s) Presented (Step 4)
6. Pay the Applicable Fee
7. Provide One Passport Photo

Processing Times

Processing times can be found at the link above, but generally it is within 4-6 weeks and 2-3 weeks for expedited service
For expedited service, I know someone who got it within 1 week, so sometimes it CAN be sooner, but not always

Fees can be found here.

Do you have a passport? Do you have any tips for speeding up the process for a person who needs one at the last second?

Would you Couch Surf?

Last Updated: July 13, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 10 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

People will do many things to save money while on vacation. Not eating out, getting an inexpensive hotel, not flying too far away and so on. Vacations can be expensive and something I heard of a couple of months ago was called couch surfing. I heard about it on the radio and the morning talk show host was trying to convince his intern not to do this and then many people called in and called her crazy also.

The website for this is CouchSurfing.

The website touts that this is very safe, and just like with Ebay, couch surfing hosts are verified and rated by others who have used their couches. This can be a very easy way to save money. Also, it’s not always a couch that you get, most people have extra rooms or beds for you to use.

I on the other hand have a hard time trusting someone. I don’t like the thought of leaving my stuff at someone’s house while I am sightseeing.

What do you think? What would you do to save money? Would you sleep on someone else’s couch/floor/room without knowing them? Would it be more about the experience of meeting new people who are locals or about saving money?

How I’ve cut expenses and adjusted my budget

Last Updated: July 13, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 15 Comments

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We had a great time on vacation! However back to reality now. I start my classes today and I’m not super excited. I’m taking 12 credits this semester for my MBA, while also working full-time of course, so I will not have much time left.

This is also a good thing because I will most likely be saving money because I won’t have time for anything.

[Read more…]

Saving while on Vacation

Last Updated: August 19, 2011 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

I’m in Puerto Rico now! We’re having tons of fun and the weather has been pretty great so far. We already spent over $100 on food the first day and we weren’t even here for 12 hours.

Any tips on saving money while on vacation? We’re thinking we’re going to go to the Walgreens up the street and stocking up on simple foods, drinks and alcohol.

Any tips?