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Category: Travel Tips

Euros or Dollars?

Euros or Dollars?

You’re dying to know about the whiskey. And how my mom ended up dressed like a leprechaun (spoiler alert: whiskey was involved). Or whether or not you can blow right off the Cliffs of Moher. But first a little heads up about converting your currency while you’re abroad, specifically when using your credit card. More than likely, as you check out, you’re going to hear, “Would you like that in euros or dollars?” If you’re paying with a credit card, you…

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A Defense of the Selfie Stick

A Defense of the Selfie Stick

There’s been a lot of negative chatter about selfie sticks over the last couple of months. Run a quick search for “selfie stick bans,” and you’ll find a plethora of places that have disallowed the little device; albeit the majority of places on these lists appear to be museums, and why people want to take a picture of a piece of art when there are so many beautifully done prints is completely beyond me. Disney World has been the most recent place…

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The Most Boring Post Ever

The Most Boring Post Ever

This is possibly going to be the most boring post ever. I’m not joking. Spreadsheets should be your best friend. Seriously. Have I lost you yet? Maybe I should re-frame this post as “How I Picked Our Tour of Ireland…Using Spreadsheets.” When my mom first decided she wanted to do a guided tour of Ireland, I knew there would be some anxiety when it came to the actual act of choosing a tour. My mom likes options, and even if…

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Bag Lady: Carry On

Bag Lady: Carry On

*I wrote this last week, but for reasons that will be obvious at the end, I’m not posting this until today. Mom’s birthday tour of Ireland is just over a week away. I can count the number of days on my fingers (no toes required), and the pile (as my family affectionately calls the stuff you want to take on a trip) is growing. Over the last month and a half, I’ve been receiving updates from my mother about what she’s…

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Flight Tips: 5 Tips for Booking

Flight Tips: 5 Tips for Booking

Remember the good ole days, when the internet didn’t exist, and flights were purchased over the phone? I remember my mom calling several airlines to inquire about price, making the purchase over the landline, and then mailing my brother (and eventually me) a plane ticket so we could fly home from college over Thanksgiving break. The internet has changed how we book flights in tremendous ways. Now, it’s easy to shop around. You can go directly to the airlines or…

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Scammy Scammers Got Scammed

Scammy Scammers Got Scammed

So here’s a little update on my adventure with the magazine subscription salesman. I followed my own advice. I cancelled the check. I contacted my bank and closed my bank account. And I sent in the cancellation notice to the magazine company with a very lawyerly letter. (I should mention that throughout my childhood I worked in my father’s law office, so I have some reasonable experience writing lawyerly letters.) I did not expect to hear from Mr. Magazine again….

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Scammy Scammers Scammed Me

Scammy Scammers Scammed Me

Or “The Story of How I Thought I Disappointed My Father” My father did not raise this person. He did not raise a person who isn’t skeptical, who doesn’t have a working bullshit meter, who doesn’t ask questions, who doesn’t trust their own instincts. My father did not raise someone who falls for a scam. But he did. And I totally lost some dignity points this weekend. Sunday morning, I was snuggled up on the couch, browsing the internet in my…

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Finding the Sweet Spot: Knowing When to Travel

Finding the Sweet Spot: Knowing When to Travel

If you’ve ever played baseball, or co-ed slow-pitch D-league softball like this one here, then you know that the hitter is always trying to find the sweet spot on the bat. It’s that place on a Louisville Slugger that turns an average hit into a game-changing swing. Research further, and you’ll find all kinds of techniques on how to find this elusive place on the lumber; hitting the ball on the sweet spot isn’t as simple as it sounds. Picking…

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Keep ’em Overrated

Keep ’em Overrated

Back in August, I ran across this article on The Huffington Post: These Are The Most Overrated Vacation Destinations, According To HuffPost Readers; although, I’m reluctant to call it an “article” since it’s little more than a list of places with stock photo illustrations. While I believe there is a larger conversation to be had about top-travel-anything lists, this one really got to me. Google “most overrated travel,” and you will find an abundance of articles and people who want to tell…

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