foXnoMad

Post Highlights are a selection of the best and most popular posts from the past two weeks updated every other Saturday. Another great way to get the best of foXnoMad is to subscribe to my RSS feed (what is RSS?).

How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog

While in most cases you won’t be leaving your job or paying your plane tickets, here’s how to use your travel blog to help finance a few meals and small portion of your simple travel budget.

5 Former Best Places To Travel On A Weak Dollar

Places were your currency won’t go as far as it used to, food and hotel prices are increasing, and getting overloaded with tourists.

My Trip To Delhi (Part 8 of 8): Taj Palace Hotel Review

The Taj Palace is situated approximately 15 minutes away from Indira Gandhi Airport and close to many of New Delhi’s attractions, like the Red Fort and India Gate.

Has The Global Economic Crisis Effected Your Travel Plans?

I want to know, has the global economy effected your travel plans?

Unconventional Ways To Raise Funds For Your Travels

Before you cut your own plans however, consider the following unconventional ways to fund your
travels.

 Email This Post

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

0 Comments 

The best travel plans are those that take under 10 minutes. The basic steps are to research, organize, and prioritize your travel goals. A rudimentary travel plan is essential, especially for short trips to prevent you from wasting time in hotel rooms.

I posted my travel plans for Delhi yesterday and I’d like to walk you through the steps so you can create basic travel plans, even if you’re not a planner.

Research (3 Minutes)

A simple Google search for ‘places to see in’ or ‘Singapore tourism’ will give you an idea of the biggest tourist draws in the area. The top three search returns should be enough to come up with 3 sites at equidistant points.

• Take the legwork out of researching by posting your questions on social networks (like Facebook), travel blogs, and forums for suggestions on what to do. I’ve found personal recommendations to rarely disappoint.

Planning your trip around the major sites will help you with the next step, prioritizing.

Prioritize (3 Minutes)

Yesterday I categorized my Delhi travel plans into 3 categories.

• “Musts” - The 1,2 or 3 places and things that you simply cannot leave without visiting or doing.
• “Hopefuls” - Time permitting some items you can add to your itinerary. For example, if I have some time after visiting Chandni Chowk, I’l make my way over to the Akshardham Hindu temple.
• “Try if There’s Time” - Anything that could be cool with unexpected time, like if a flight is delayed or your business trip extended.

read the rest of this post >>

 Email This Post

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

[3] Comments 

The Worst Things To Do On Your Staycation

Over the last two weeks I’ve learned what to do - and more importantly what not to do on a staycation.

Use Your Digital Camera To Snap Lost Luggage

Take a quick picture of your suitcase and bags to decrease the amount of time that it will take to recover your bags, in case they are lost.

Do You Visit The Shabbiest Looking Restaurants For The Best Food When Traveling?

I recently submitted some traveling smarter tips for Darren of Travel Rants, including “eat at the shabbiest looking restaurant you run across, they tend to have the best food.”

Prices At The Pump Stay The Same, No Matter What You Pay With

Last week I posted on an ABC News story that reported drivers pay a few cents extra per gallon for gas when paying with a credit or debit card. I wanted to know if gas prices go up when you pay with a credit card, so I decided to found out - here’s what I found.

 Email This Post

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

0 Comments 

Many travel blogs go quiet when the writer is not actively traveling. The Nerd’s Eye View has 7 tips on avoiding the lulls that caught my attention. I especially found this one useful,

4. See it all as a trip - Even the shopping mall suburb has a story. Find the tiny community museums and learn about the place before the townhomes.

I’d also recommend setting aside time for blogging and idea gathering as well as maintaining a goal of how often you’d like to write. How do you keep your travel blogging passion alive?

 Email This Post

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

[2] Comments 

Today is the 4th of July holiday in the United States, celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence (from Britain) in 1776. Plenty of other countries have declared their freedom from some other country or another as well and you’ll be able to partake in unique celebrations by visiting on these dates.

• Independence Days Around The World

I’m taking the day off and will return next Monday with the sexiest travel story submissions so you can decide who wins $250 towards their next trip.

 Email This Post

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

0 Comments 

Rising fuels costs are causing the airlines to implement common sense ways to stay in business which may improve air travel.

In recent months, the insanely high price of jet fuel ($3.22 per gallon last week), the credit crunch and the slowing economy have done what regulators and politicians were unable to do: persuade airlines to give up valued landing slots.

As transportation gets more expensive we can all learn from how the airlines have been cutting back to reduce our own travel costs. Paying more for gas can improve your travels too simply by modifying some airline recession tactics.

• Combine Your Trips - The airlines are not paying as much for extra landing spots and neither should you. Waiting to take two international trips all in the same leg (rather than in two separate installments) will lower your airfare.
• Slow Down A Bit - Many airlines have been reducing their flying speed slightly to save a lot. Southwest Airlines for example is saving an estimated $42 million this year by shaving off 1-3 minutes per flight. Driving 20 miles over the speed limit gets you places and average of 9% faster but reduces fuel economy by 31-37%.

read the rest of this post >>

 Email This Post

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

1 Comment 

The first words we learn in a foreign language are usually hello, how are you, and grandfather fucker. Let’s face it, the curse words aren’t too far behind the basics. Cracked has compiled a list of the 9 most devastating and an explanation for each.

• “Stick your hand in my ass and jerk off with my shit” - Romanian cursing is a bawdy, imaginative mix of the perverse and the profane.

The article also provides you with backup phrases in case you really want to dish the dirt on an annoying waiter (after they serve you your food of course). Which are your favorite you’ve heard along your travels?

Thanks Chris!

[photo by: ecentor]

 Email This Post

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

[2] Comments 

Travelers headed on longer flights tend to overestimate the amount of time they’ll spend reading and pack their carry-ons with too many books. You can easily calculate the amount of time you’ll actually get to read with the flight reading formula.

(Total flight hours - 4) + (Total layover hours/2)

• Add up your total flight time and subtract 4 hours per flight for international trips (2 hours for domestic). The first 30 minutes of a flight is taxi, safety instructions, and takeoff. The second hour is usually when meals are served, plus 30 minutes to go to bathroom, doze off, and look out the window.
• Cut Your Total Layover Time In Half - A 3 hour layover means that you’ll at most get only 1.5 hours to read. You’ll spend the rest of the time getting to your gate, looking for food, peeing, and boarding.

You’re reading ability and desire will also drop off as you get closer to your destination. On your way back home double all of these numbers. Fatigue will have set in and jet lag is compounded as you return home. Take the total number of hours and divide it by the number of hours it take you to read one book.

Save space in your carry on by bringing the realistic number of books you’ll be able to read - which is usually 1.

[photo by: florian.b]

 Email This Post

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

0 Comments 

Frequent travelers can create electrical opportunities by unplugging vending machines in the absence of easily accessible outlets. Most airports restrict the number of outlets they make available to travelers.

Although many vending machine outlets are locked or bolted into the wall, look around other smaller devices such as lighted advertisements and video games.

This advice is best during non-peak airport traffic hours like when you’re spending the night. You can also check for specific outlet locations at the airport of your choice on the Airport Wiki (the site wasn’t working when I last checked though).

The AirPower Wiki chronicles the location of power-outlets in the world’s airports. Those of us who’ve had three hours to catch up on email and recharge before making another eight-hour flight know what it is to be a voltotropic voyager.

read the rest of this post >>

 Email This Post

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

0 Comments 

Find free online translators, language pronunciation, and community all at one location at Word2Word Language Resources.? The site is? good starting off point to pick up a few words and phrases before your next trip.

Word2Word is not the easiest site to navigate but patient searching will yield countless free ways to sharpen your foreign speaking, writing, and reading skills.

For more traditional ways to learn a new language the easy way check out these (also free) resources.

[via Get Rich Slowly]

 Email This Post

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

0 Comments