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personal loans for all of your travel fun!

Colleen — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:32:42 +0000

It’s that time of year again! Winter is almost here and kids across the country are going to be off from school for their annual Winter break. Millions of Americans are dying to take their families away buy may find
it hard to find any extra money to do so with all the holiday shopping. Consumers short on cash should consider taking out a small unsecured loan.

There are many online services that provide financing for people with bad credit. One such company is Choice Personal Loans, Inc.. They have been providing personal loans online since 1999. They have a variety of programs for people of all credit types, including those with bad credit. Besides your basic programs for consolidating debt, paying for taxes, etc., they also offer vacation loans and even no credit check loans! They boast that they will get you the cash you need no matter where you are looking to travel or when. Choice advertises that they will work with you to put together an affordable custom tailored loan package that will get you enough money for your airfare and hotel as well as help cover the costs for all things associated with vacations like eating, drinking, sight-seeing, etc..

What makes Choice stick out from the competition is the fact that they invite every applicant to contact them prior to submitting an application so that they can personally discuss with you your situation and determine if you will be able to achieve approval for a loan and the amount you are looking for. Once you submit your inquiry, you will receive a response from a Choice loan officer within minutes. They will analyze your past credit history and also discuss with you what you have done to help improve your bad credit. Their goal is to make you feel like an individual and not a statistic.

Bottom line…if you are looking to get affordable personal loans and you have bad credit, consider Choice Personal Loans. They will get you a loan that will fit your needs and budget. You can have your funding request deposited into your bank account the same day you apply!

hotel review: renaissance sea world in orlando

Colleen — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:59:23 +0000

I’ve been at the Renaissance Sea World in Orlando, Florida since late Thursday night for IzeaFest09.

Price: I found a pretty sweet deal for Florida residents only, so I’m paying $100 a night plus tax, and that includes free parking. More on the free parking later. Considering this hotel is within walking distance to Sea World (it’s literally across the street and just steps away from the Sea World parking lot) you can’t beat the price. It’s a more upscale hotel and I’m sure a room normally goes for closer to $150.

Location: See comments on price above. International Drive is just a few blocks away, but it’s the end of I-Drive without many dining options. If you were here without a car, you could walk to Sea World but not much else. There are dining options in the hotel, but they are vastly overpriced.

Cleanliness: The room looks clean…but appearances can be deceiving! When we checked in on Thursday I noticed a room service breakfast menu on my pillow. I opened it up to check out the options and noticed it was used – a previous guest had filled in her name and all of the food choices she wanted for delivery. I dumped the menu into the trash. When we returned to the room the next day, I noticed a room service menu on the pillow of the other bed. I again opened it up and it was the SAME MENU I had thrown into the trash the day before! It really creeped me out to think of a housekeeper removing items from the trash and placing them back on our bedding. Blech.

Staff: No issues at check in, but obviously I did call and complain about the trashed menu on the bed. While I was doing that, I brought up the fact that a staff member representing the timeshare program called our room and left a message at 8:43am. We were up and gone, but seriously? Do you want anyone calling your room to push a timeshare on you at that hour? The staff member asked what he could do to make the situation better, and I suggested free internet access. (The hotel charges $15 per DAY!) He agreed and here I am.

Amenities: There’s a great pool outdoors that I can see from my room, and it’s surrounded by a beautiful manicured lawn. There’s an overpriced spa as well – I won’t be taking advantage of any of that on this trip. There’s also a Starbucks in the lobby where we grabbed $3 muffins on day 1 for our breakfast. The hotel charges you for self parking which is regularly $12 a day I think – a complete rip-off in my opinion, since you are PAYING to stay here. My Florida resident deal included free parking. However, the gate to the self parking is wide open so apparently everyone is getting it this weekend. Is it wrong to feel like the deal I got really wasn’t that special after all?

Comfort: The room we’ve got seems a bit bigger than most regular hotel rooms. It has 2 queen beds, a large bathroom with double sinks, and a sitting area by the window. The bedding is very nice – high thread count and all that.

Overall rank: On a scale of 1 to 10, the Renaissance Sea World receives a 7.

aloha rents – kona hawaii car rental

Colleen — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:39:55 +0000

Last year, I made a sizable dent in my lifelong quest to visit all 50 states. I was able to take a trip to Boston for business, thereby knocking Massachusetts off my list, and this time last year I found myself in Las Vegas, taking Nevada out of the running. I’ve still got to hit most of the upper northeast, all of the northwest, and of course Alaska and Hawaii. I’m thinking a cruise for Alaska (operating on the “you’ve seen one glacier you’ve seen them all theory”) but Hawaii is a place I could really sink my teeth into. Years of Magnum P.I. reruns have given me breath taking views of the scenery, and I’d be interested in hiking, snorkeling, and looking for tiki idos a la the Brady Bunch.

So it goes without saying that my idea Hawaii trip would be at least a week or two long, and it would include traveling to multiple islands. I’d have to hit Molokai to see the former leper colony and I’d want to visit the famous beaches and a few quiet out of the way spots, a rental car is a necessity, and discount rental car rates are a must! You know I’m not paying full price for a rental car, right? I really like that AlohaRents.com offers discounted rates without a deposit or a credit card, AND no cancellation fees! So if you leave their office with your Kona airport map in hand and get sidetrack on your way to your next stop, you won’t get stuck with paying excess fees for a rental you didn’t use. The other neat thing about this Kona, Hawaii Car Rental is that they don’t charge you a fee to add your spouse as a second driver, and they don’t charge a fee if you’re a driver under the age of 25! They’re really catering to every type of Hawaii vacationer and trying to make your stay magical…not expensive!

norwegian cruise lines – quick review

Colleen — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:13:44 +0000

We recently took a cruise for a family vacation with Norwegian Cruise Lines – our first with that particular line. After you’ve been on a certain number of cruises (this was my 8th) you consider yourself to be a bit of an expert, and you compare the cruise ship you’re on with all of the cruise ships you’ve been on in the past.

Some things we liked:

The price was right – we took advantage of a kids sail free special and only paid port & tax for 2 of the kids
The common areas and multiple dining rooms were nicely appointed
Check in at the terminal was a breeze, and we were welcomed onto the ship with champagne
The slots were hot, and we won close to $1400
The kids club did activities in one central location and the kids really enjoyed their time there, and WANTED to be there instead of hanging with us
Freestyle dining means you eat when and where you’d like to

Some things, we didn’t like:

Norwegian’s private island, Grand Stirrup Cay, doesn’t even compare to Royal Carribean’s private island CoCo Cay
Because of the freestyle dining, you don’t get the benefit of a waiter who learns your drink or dining preferences on the first night, thereby catering to you for the rest of the cruise
The cabins were much smaller compared to the last cruise we took on Carnival

I plan to elaborate more at a future date, but for now, I would do Norwegian again as long as it went to places no other cruise line could take me too. We definitely enjoyed our time, but I prefer Royal Caribbean or Carnival.

jetblue does tampa to cancun

Colleen — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:47:22 +0000

JetBlue just announced they’ll be flying non-stop from Tampa to Cancun soon! Fares start at just $100 per person, one way. The only time we’ve ever been to Cancun, it was on a cruise, but I could definitely see rounding up the grownups for a long weekend there, especially with airfare at only $200 round trip. It’s nice to see an airline charging a reasonable fare for once…yes, I’m talking to all of you airlines charging $2 for sodas and $25 for a 2nd suitcase.

I flew JetBlue last year to Boston and loved it. I’m supposed to fly it again in October when I go to NYC. As long as they don’t start charging for the TV privileges, it will remain one of my favorite airlines.

northwest and delta merge

Colleen — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:17:03 +0000

I traveled on Northwest Airlines last year from Tampa to Detroit to visit Canada. I guess I signed up for their newsletter when I bought my tickets, because I found this in my inbox this morning:

As a valued Northwest Airlines customer and WorldPerks® member, I wanted you to be among the first to hear that we have announced a merger with Delta Air Lines. Subject to regulatory review, our two airlines are joining forces to create America’s premier global airline which, upon closing of the merger, will be called Delta Air Lines.

By combining Northwest and Delta, we are building a stronger, more resilient airline that will be a leader in providing customer service and value. Our combined airline will offer unprecedented access to the world, enabling you to fly to more destinations, have more flight choices and more ways than ever to earn and redeem your WorldPerks miles.

You can be assured that your WorldPerks miles and Elite program status will be unaffected by this merger. In addition, you can continue to earn miles through use of partners like WorldPerks Visa®. And once the new Delta Air Lines emerges you can look forward to being a part of the world’s largest frequent flyer program with expanded benefits.

The combined Delta Air Lines will serve more U.S. communities and connect to more worldwide destinations than any global airline. Our hubs – both Delta’s and Northwest’s – will be retained and enhanced. We will be the only U.S. airline to offer direct service from the United States to all of the world’s major business centers in Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa and around North America.

Both airlines bring tremendous strengths to this new partnership. Our complementary service networks form an end-to-end system that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. This is a merger by addition, not subtraction, which means all of our hubs – both Northwest’s and Delta’s – will be retained. In addition, building on both airlines’ proud, decades-long history of serving small communities, we plan to enhance global connections to small towns and cities across the U.S.

All of these positive benefits of our combination mean that we can:

Offer a true global network where our customers will be able to fly to more destinations, have more schedule options and more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles in what will become the world’s best and most comprehensive frequent flyer program.

Continue to serve our current roster of destinations and to maintain our hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Salt Lake City, Amsterdam and Tokyo.

Improve our customers’ travel experience, through new products and services including enhanced self-service tools, better bag-tracking technology, more onboard services, including more meal options, new seats and refurbished cabins.

While we work to secure approval of our merger, which may take up to 6 to 8 months, it will be business-as-usual at both airlines. We will continue to operate as independent airlines and the people of Northwest will remain focused on providing you with the very best in safe, reliable and convenient air travel. At the same time, both airlines will be planning for a seamless integration of our two airlines, one that delivers to you the enhanced benefits that will earn – and retain – your preference.

As we work through this process, we will keep you informed at every step along the way. Thank you for your business and we look forward to serving you on your next Northwest flight.

Sincerely,

Bob Soukup
Managing Director, WorldPerks

airfare can be tax deductible!

Colleen — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:47:41 +0000

If you’re writing off business expenses (that you have NOT been reimbursed for by your employer, of course) this year, don’t forget about your travel expenses! I just dug the receipts out for my airfare and hotel in Las Vegas out of my laptop bag…I knew there was a good reason for saving those things. I wouldn’t have been in Las Vegas if not for the PayPerPost / Blog Expo conferences, which is related to my blogging income, and therefore, tax deductible. My total for airfare was $507.70, and my hotel was $843. Of course, I’m only deducting the things I have receipts for, which means all of the food I bought related to the trip won’t be going onto my taxes. I didn’t think to save any of those receipts.

Travel expenses related to charity work are also deductible. I not only donated money to the 3-Day for Breast Cancer last year, I walked in it as well. I had hotel expenses related to the walk (we paid for a hotel when our campsite was rained out, rather than sleeping on the concrete floor of a stinky, loud parking garage) and I can deduct the cost of the hotel under the charity section of Turbo Tax.

visiting the anne frank house

Colleen — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:32:09 +0000

My trip to Amsterdam was AMAZING, and while I’ve not posted much of a recap about our journey, I do have pictures on Flickr, and quite the lengthy recap of our visit to the Anne Frank House on my other blog, Simple Kind Of Life. In the past 7 months, I’ve seen a lot of amazing things – natural wonders like Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon, and historic sites like the Anne Frank House and Old Montreal. Without a doubt, walking through the Anne Frank house was the single most moving experience in all of my travels, past and present!

where in the world contest

Colleen — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:04:28 +0000

I’m going on a trip next week – can you guess where I’m headed? I’m making it easy by giving you a clue each day to help you figure out where I’m going. This is the 6th clue:

The city I’m going to was founded in the 12th century!

If you can guess where I’m headed, you can win a Travelocity gift card! And don’t worry, there are 5 other clues, and more coming each day to help you figure out where I’m headed. By the end of the Where In The World Is Colleen contest next week, it’ll be quite obvious where I’m headed.

an american tourist in north korea

Colleen — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 03:04:57 +0000

I came across a fascinating account of a trip to North Korea this week online. An American Tourist in North Korea, 2007 gives a great deal of information about how North Korea wishes to be portrayed by those who visit, and the country has easily earned itself a spot on my “Places I Never Want To Visit” list. While the site is a bit lacking in pictures, the information presented is amazing. It’s very rare that American tourists are ever let into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and when they are, the list of rules and regulations to follow is long. I don’t ever wish to visit a place where I could be arrested for folding a newspaper across a photo of Kim Jong-il, but reading about it was simply amazing.

Read the site, and be thankful to be living wherever you call home. Things could be much worse.

where in the world?

Colleen — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:06:08 +0000

What was that I just said about a low key trip to the mountains in January?

Scratch that. A whole new vacation just came up out of thin air – one that involves NO children, and rescheduling our mountain plans for a later date. And, Jim and I will get to break in our new passports! I’m keeping mum until everything is booked and set, which I plan to do today.

travel medical insurance

Colleen — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:07:19 +0000

If you’re spending thousands of dollars on your dream vacation, it makes sense to spend a few extra dollars on insurance to protect you, especially if you’re traveling outside of your home country. What would happen to you if you injured yourself on that trek through the rain forest in Belize? What would happen if you feel ill in Prague? Do you think the local doctors are covered under your regular insurance? I don’t think Blue Cross Blue Shield has that far of a reach!

I’ve seen people get sick on trips and end up paying BIG bucks for medical care they received. There was the guy on our cruise who had heart issues while snorkling, and the family member who fell ill in Panama. Getting sick in another country equals big bills for you – can you imagine the bills if your insurance company only covered 50% of your claim…or nothing at all?

Travel medical insurance can cost you as little as $1 a day, and the cost is well worth the coverage you’ll get. Maybe nothing will happen on your trip…but peace of mind is worth the money. For a FREE Quote, click here, and let your next trip only cost you the cash for airfare, hotel, and food – not a hospital bed.

the trip lives on…3 weeks later.

Colleen — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:41:41 +0000

When you return home from a trip, are you the kind who gets everything cleaned and put away neatly? Or do the remnants of your vacation live on…in your bedroom and bathroom? I’m the latter, and it’s been a few weeks since my trip to Las Vegas, but I still haven’t put everything away! My travel cosmetics case is still out on the bathroom counter, and I’ve got a bag of S.W.A.G from the blog expo I attended in the corner of my bedroom. I’m not sure why I’m keeping it…do I really need my name tag and the bracelet I wore to get into the private party I attended?

I think not.

san diego tours

Colleen — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:11:12 +0000

One of my favorite things to do when I visit a new city is to take a tour of the city, by someone who knows it a lot better than I do. I’ve taken tours in London, Paris, Dublin, New York, Toronto, and Montreal, and all of them gave me a great overview of the cities, and a quick glimpse of things I wanted to go back and visit more.

Trusted Tours and Attractions is one such tour company, and they offer tours and discounted tickets to attractions in Key West, San Diego, and Savannah. Enjoy a discounted admission ticket to the famous San Diego Zoo, or a fun Old Town Trolley tour. I love this type of tour, which allows you to hop on and hop off at 8 destinations. It’s like having a private driver to take you to all of the highlights of the city, but you get to see everything on YOUR schedule. The Old Town Trolley tour in San Diego stops at:

Old Town
Seaport Village
Balboa Park
Horton Plaza
Coronado
San Diego Zoo

If we went to San Diego, we’d have to pick a tour or tickets that included a stop at San Diego Legoland – my son wouldn’t have it any other way!

Right now, you can enter to win 4 free tickets to tours in the city of YOUR choice, just by signing up for the Trusted Tours and Attractions e-newsletter. Sign up by Friday, December 14th, 2007, because that’s when this contest official ends!

burned out on travel

Colleen — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:01:38 +0000

I’ve flown a LOT this year. In June we were off to Canada (via the Detroit airport), in July it was Pittsburgh, in September it was Boston, and with November came a trip to Las Vegas. I had a trip to New York City in the works for next week, but it never came together, and I’m honestly thrilled. I love traveling, until I take one too many trips, and I’ve officially reached my travel limit for the year. I could never travel for work and be on the go constantly.

And with that said, our next trip is in January. However, we’re not flying, and we’re spending a relaxing week in the mountains. Very low key.

southwest sucks

Colleen — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:43:10 +0000

After a flight to Vegas last week that took over 5 hours, I’m rethinking my desire to go back to Europe. I had forgotten how painfully long flights could be! 4 hours into the flight, I had finished my book, exhausted my laptop battery, and my legs were cramping up from being crammed into such a small space. We were stuck in the very last row of the plane, thanks to Southwest’s cattle call boarding, and our seats didn’t recline. And, NO MOVIE!

What a contrast to the delightful flight I took on JetBlue!

(At least no one got kicked off the flight for wearing suggestive clothing!)

vegas, baby!

Colleen — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:28:52 +0000

In just two weeks, I’ll be in Las Vegas!

Originally, we planned to swing in a side trip to the Grand Canyon. Our plans have changed however, and the new plans require me to leave Vegas a bit earlier on Monday and head to California. That means no trip to Arizona for me! I’m a little bummed, since it would have been a great time to see the Canyon, but I guess this means we’ll need to plan another trip and take the kids, eh?

And trust me – the thing in California is JUST as exciting as the Grand Canyon, if not more so. The Grand Canyon will be there for years to come, but I’ve got a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something, and I’m taking my chance!

*Yes, I’m being extremely vague, but I don’t have a green light to talk about what I’ll be up to in Los Angeles!

looking forward to the next trip

Colleen — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:44:27 +0000

Now that my 3 day, 60 mile charity walk is behind me, I can begin looking forward to my next trip. In just a few weeks (two, in fact!) I’ll be heading off to Las Vegas, followed by a quick one night stop in Los Angeles. My injuries from the walk this weekend should be healed by then, so I’m looking forward to walking up and down the strip and seeing the sights. We’ll be meeting friends for dinner one night, and possibly doing breakfast with bloggers on another day, so there will be plenty of sitting down and socializing as well, in case my feet get tired.

Most importantly, I don’t have to sleep in a tent, like I did this weekend!

3-day in tampa

Colleen — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:47:00 +0000

I’m heading off for the 3-Day walk tonight. I just got done printing out the locations of all the cheering stations, complete with directions and maps to give to my husband. A lot of the places I’ll be walking by this weekend are familiar to me, and I know there are several stretches on the beach without shade. I hope we have decent weather for the journey! I don’t think walking 60 miles in this area will be quite as interesting as it was in Philadelphia. It’s hard to beat walking through downtown Philadelphia and seeing the old homes, churches, and historical sites.

interesting arizona facts

Colleen — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:13:37 +0000

I’m going to be making my 2nd trip to Arizona in just a month. I went to Phoenix in 1997, and when my husband and I go to Las Vegas next month, we’re planning a side trip to Arizona so that we can visit the Grand Canyon. Did you know that the Grand Canyon is 227 miles long, 1 mile deep, and has an average width of 10 miles? I can’t wait to see it in person. (I guess I need to look at Grand Canyon hotels!) I only wish the kids were going to be with us, but that means we’ll just have to plan another trip someday. The sun shines in southern Arizona 85% of the time, so no matter when you plan a trip there, you’re practically guaranteed a sunny day!

Speaking of interesting facts about Arizona, did you know that the state never adopted Daylight Savings Time. I hope that doesn’t mess with my head when we’re traveling. Nevada is in the pacific time zone, and Arizona is in mountain time – add in that one state follows Daylight Savings Time and the other doesn’t – sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it? LOL! I can just see us being late getting back to the airport in Las Vegas due to the time change!