FitSugar

Travel Tip: Pack Your Snacks and Staples in Tupperware

Fit Community — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:30:07 PST

In our Snack Attack: Healthy Snack Ideas Group, FitSugar reader Angelica shared how she's able to eat healthy even when traveling.

I'm a lactose intolerant vegetarian so saying I'm perceived as a picky eater is an understatement at best. I try not to impose or expose my needs to those around me, but it gets tricky when I am traveling and don't have easy access to my favorite staples and snacks. Sure, there are plenty of treats at airport kiosks, but how many packs of Skittles and pretzels does a girl need? Not too many. Whenever I go on a trip I try and pack my staples in hard Tupperware so they don't bust open during transport. This way I have them on hand for breakfast first thing in the a.m. or if I need a quick snack. I'd be thrilled to bring my Rice Dream along too because it's hard to find in random cities, but the TSA isn't too keen on that idea.

Do you have healthy snack ideas or recipes? If so, start sharing those great ideas in Fit's Healthy Snacks Group. While you're there, take a look at our other community groups - whether you run, rock climb, or need dieting support, there's a group for everyone!

Keep It Moving While on the Move

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:00:00 PST

Traveling can be rough on your daily routines, including your bodily functions. Changing times zones or just eating the processed carbs they hand out on planes these days can make it hard to keep your intestines moving. So here are some tips on how to stay "regular" when traveling.

Drink water whenever you can as your choice of beverage. Not only will it keep you hydrated, but it'll also keep things moving.
When traveling, bring your own snacks. Nibble on carrot sticks, apples (with the peel), trail mix with dried fruit, LARABARS, and Go Lean Crunchy! bars. These all have tons of fiber.
During meals, make sure to include fresh salads and fruits, cooked veggie dishes, beans, and whole grains.
Pack some methylcellulose pills, such as Citrucel. They're made of 100 percent soluble fiber, so they'll help you go, and for most people, they don't cause gas, bloating, or diarrhea.

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Travel Tip: Stay Sane on the Plane

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:30:00 PST

Flying can be one of the most stressful parts about the holiday season. Airplanes are hardly conducive to getting around and moving. Use these tips before and during flying to get the most of your flight:

Book a daytime arrival if possible. Once you arrive, do your best to drag yourself outside and do something active while it's still daylight - this should help you recover from jet lag much more quickly.
Book an aisle seat and walk the length of the plane every hour to prevent back strain, loosen your muscles, and get blood circulating.
It's no surprise that cabin air is super dry. To combat dehydration (which contributes to jet lag), drink a 16-oz. water before boarding. Then be sure to stay well hydrated in flight. I try to drink one small water bottle (airplane special size) every 30 minutes.

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Travel Tip: Stash a Jump Rope in Your Trunk

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:30:00 PST

It is not uncommon to be driving to your destination this holiday season, which means more time sitting in the car and less time walking or exercising.

One thing that I always make sure to have in my trunk for long car rides is a jump rope. My family tends to stop frequently while on road trips, so at each rest stop I like to do a mini jump-rope session (five minutes or so). Now that I have kids, I bring jump ropes for the girls too, so that they can burn some energy while mommy is burning calories. Plus, then I won't feel so bad indulging in a piece of pie (or two) once I get to my destination.

Fit's Tip: Jessica Simpson got great results from jumping rope, so it's worth a shot!

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The Cheapest Starbucks Secret Menu Drinks and Other Savvy Hits!

Emily Co — Sun, 27 May 2012 00:15:30 PDT

Try the most affordable Starbucks secret menu drinks.
12 chores you can pay someone else to do.
Expert tips on making your email inbox less overwhelming.
9 ways to earn extra cash when money is tight.
The best travel deals this Summer.
Here's a better way to research the companies you want to work for.
Important things to know about paying for college.
How to continue saving money after you've booked and paid for the trip.
Ways to reuse your dryer sheets.
Things to keep in your plastic folder when traveling.

5 Things to Keep in a Plastic Folder When You're on a Trip

SavvySugar — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:43:48 PDT

I wouldn't dream of traveling without my trusty plastic folder! Be it for business or pleasure, I recycle the same one, slightly larger than a standard piece of paper that I've used since my college days. Mine's hot pink so it stands out in my travel tote amid magazines and other goodies and extra sturdy with a Velcro flap so things stay in better than pocketed, paper alternatives.

While there are some obvious things to go inside - such as flight checkins - I pack quite a few items, each with a very useful purpose:

Confirm everything - Bring a record of flight, hotel, and car rental in this folder. To save the environment, only print the official flight one (and do double-sided whenever possible) or simply create a word doc on one page with all addresses, phone numbers and confirmation codes where applicable.
Take the notes - While it's easy to rely a bit too heavily on smart phones (and the numbers and notes stored within), still jot down some personal details of things to do. If you want to be extra prepped, color code the printout pages for easy finding.

Learn how to organize the trip while you're on it to save time (and headaches!) afterwards and

Hold it together - Depending on the length of a journey, toss in a few paper clips and a business-sized envelope as well. Group all small receipts together for expensing and checking the budget later.
Get ready to write - If I had a dollar every time someone near me asked to borrow my pen (especially on international flights with forms that need to be filled out before landing), I'd have money to buy a new purse all together! Sure, many times there's a pen in your bag but save the digging and keep one instantly available inside the folder.
Keep the worries at bay - Extra passport photos and copies of important documents can also be stashed inside in case of emergency. If checking bags, you can write out an inventory of what's inside your suitcase - before you roll your eyes, this can help when planning how to pack lighter and picking out outfits once you're there.
Bring it back - Having this folder also makes it easier to bring back a postcard or other reminders of the trip like a menu from a new restaurant or a clipping from the local magazine.

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How-To: Continue Saving Travel Dollars After You've Booked and Paid

Emily Co — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:03:26 PDT

Scouring for deals before you make your purchase is always smart, but you can save even more if you go the extra mile and get some money back after you've booked. Here are some savvy tips to get you more savings after you've forked up cash:

Air Travel: You can save more money on air tickets if the price of the flight goes down. Get refunded the difference when you buy your ticket from airlines like JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, and Southwest. Some airlines will charge an extra fee because they will consider it to be changing reservations. AirTran and Virgin, for example, charge $75, while United charges $150. An easy way to keep track of the changing airline prices is to use online price tracker Yapta.com, which will do the work for you and send you refund alerts when your fare has gone down. Be sure to also check out Yapta's other cool feature that keeps track of the flights that you're interested in buying and sends you alerts when the price drops.
Rental Car: Although Yapta tracks rental-car fares, there is an even better site that will do most of the work for you. It's called autoslash.com; it basically books the car for you, checks around for a cheaper price, then emails you when it finds a lower rate. If you want to go with the lower rate, it will rebook it for you.
Hotels: Pick a hotel with a good refund policy or one that allows you to cancel without any penalties if you want to get your money back when you spot a lower rate on a hotel.Then use Yapta as a price-tracking system for hotels, which alerts you when the price of a hotel drops. If the rate does decrease, you can just cancel your reservation and make a new one. You can generally cancel your hotel booking if you don't pay up front for your reservation, but be sure to read the fine print because every hotel has different policy.
Bonus: Alternatively, if you book through travel sites, you can get some sort of price guarantee for your flight, hotel room, and rental car. Keep in mind that every site has different requirements. For hotel stays, Orbitz will refund you the difference if you find the same room at the same hotel and dates at a cheaper price elsewhere. However, the claim has to be submitted before the hotel applies cancellation fees (which requires paying attention to hotel policies) and only works with rates that have the "Low Price Guarantee" or “Price Assurance.” Travelocity, Expedia, and Priceline all have some sort of price guarantee with some differences, so don't assume that the same policy will apply to the other sites.

Enter Our Choose Your Summer Getaway Giveaway

SavvySugar — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:09:41 PDT

Are you sitting at work, dreaming of where you'd like to spend those long Summer days? You're in luck, because SavvySugar has teamed up with DailyWorth and CheapOair to make your getaway wishes come true.

What's better than a free vacation? A free vacation at your choice of three dreamy destinations. Do you want to feel the adrenaline on Las Vegas's streets or gawk at the bay views of San Francisco? Just maybe you want to feel the hot sands of Miami on your feet. Enter to win two round-trip tickets, a three-night hotel stay, and $750 in spending money to take you where your heart desires.

In addition, we'll be serving up tips on how to save for your Summer travel and how to find the best vacation deals. Enter below by May 28 to win your Summer getaway, and you'll be one step closer to getting there.

Enter Below

1. Like us on Facebook

SavvySugar

DailyWorth

CheapOair

9 Ways to Earn Extra Cash When Money Is Tight

Wise Bread — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:51:58 PDT

I'm sure everyone can do with a little more cash in their wallets. Here are some great suggestions by Wise Bread for you to make extra money.

Even though I'm self-employed full-time, I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to make more money.

Earlier this year, I wrote a Wise Bread post on websites that can help you earn extra cash. More recently, I came across a blog post on Zaarly titled, "10 Ways to Make Money Without a Job." After reviewing the latter post, I thought it was time to revisit the topic and let you in on a few more ways to get paid.

The ideas that Zaarly presents are perfect for the unemployed or those who just want to pad their pockets a little more. In addition, there are moonlighting jobs that I do that I thought you should know about. Thus, if you're without a steady paycheck or you just want to build up a rainy-day stash, here are some of your options.

1. Offer Experiences to Strangers

I recently learned about a new site called Vayable, which allows people with specialized knowledge and talents, local info, and time on their hands to create experiences that others can purchase. It's basically a touring and activity company without the company. Anyone can join the site and set up an experience. For instance, the Kan Brothers offer motorcycle tours of San Francisco - which include helmet rental, a drink at a local hot spot, and a city map - for two to four people at $75 per person. In New York City, Kim G. is offering a personalized painting lesson for groups of two to six for a flat rate of $300; the experience includes acrylic paints; canvas board and supplies; studio space; wine, cheese, and crackers; and Kim’s undivided attention. Consider this tip if you're interested in joining Vayable: Browse the site to see what other people in your area are offering. By creating a unique experience that no one else has established, you have a better chance of getting booked.

Read on for more.

Biggest Travel Bargains to Consider This Summer

Emily Co — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:16:50 PDT

If you're planning a Summer trip this year and the high prices are getting you down, don't fret, there are a couple of travel bargains you can take advantage of. SavvySugar talked to travel expert, AirFare Watchdog's Founder George Hobica, for the scoop on the best airfare deals to find this Summer.

Berlin

If you're jonesing to go to Europe but are holding back because of the inflated prices, Berlin would be an ideal getaway. The new Berlin airport (code BER) has been having a lot of great fares, according to Hobica. One reason being lower airport fees and taxes in addition to the airport being a brand-new one. Peak Summer round-trip fares from New York to Berlin are about $650 including taxes, a bargain compared with round trip prices for up to $1600 or $1800 for other European destinations. "Consumers should realize that even if Berlin isn't in their travel plans, easyJet flies between Berlin and, say, Paris for 64 euros round-trip including tax. So one could fly to Berlin, spend a couple of days exploring the city, and then head off to other European destinations cheaply," says the airfare expert.

Spain

If Berlin isn't for you, flights to Spain are generally cheaper compared to the other European countries, says the travel expert. That's partly due to the lower airport fees and taxes.

Read on for more.