Online Shoppers Blog - Become's Pocket Change

The average cost for a gallon of gas is still flirting around with the $4 mark, being a college student that really hurts the limited budget. I just filled up my car this morning and I ended up pulling out of the gas station down $67.95. I drive a 4-cylinder turbocharged car which gets descent gas mileage (approx. 28 mpg highway and 20 mpg city) but really the only way to avoid these high gas prices are to cut out the use of automobiles altogether. Cut the use of automobiles out altogether? Yes I know, in reality that statement will never happen to the average individual. What we can do is limit the use of cars for transportation and I will explore options that will hinder us from pushing the pedal to the floor. Here are my personal Top5 means of transportation to avoid hitting the pump.

1.) Bicycle- Being a college student this seems to be the most efficient and popular way students get to and from class. Choose from a variety of bikes such as cruiser, bmx, mountain, and road. Bicycles require very little effort to move quite a far distance (unless going up a very steep hill) making this my number pick for most effective automobile substitute.

2.) Longboard- Although most individuals don't know how to ride a skateboard or longboard, I'd highly suggest learning, this is personally my favorite way to get to and from class and around town. The only downside to a longboard is the fact that it is much more dangerous than a bicycle because it doesn't have a brake or stopping device. On the upside a longboard is very portable and can be carried around anywhere without much effort. I really enjoy skateboarding to school because I can store the board inside the classroom and not have to worry about it getting stolen.

3.) Scooter- Most individuals refer to scooters as "nerdy" if the owner rides it within the ages of 12-18 is my third choice for best alternative transportation. Scooters are very easy to ride and have arguably the best control out of the other options in my top5 list. They are also portable and fold up well, the only downside is that they aren't fast and require a lot of peddling to move at a quick pace.

4.) Roller Skates- Maybe roller skates have gone out of style but they are still a real efficient transportation device. The only negative opinion I have on roller skates is that they are a pain to get on and off, and not very portable. I feel that one can cover good ground on skates, on top of that they are also fun, fast, and secure.

5.) Walking- Come on get off that couch and go for a walk. Walking is a great way to get exercise and also for going to convenient places around your neighborhood, check out these comfortable walking shoes. If walking is too slow for you, quicken the pace and throw on some running shoes.

Jason the Intern

Posted by Jason the Intern at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here at Become, workers are gifted every fiscal quarter with a "fun day." Past events include a day at Shoreline park and lake, a volleyball tournament, bowling, and a trip to the movies. Our fun day this quarter was a trip up to the beautiful and scenic Napa Valley. Known as one of the worlds finest wine growing regions, we embarked on a wine tour to experience several wineries first hand, not to mention the wine tasting that comes along with the visit. We left the office around 830 and with minor traffic reached our first destination around 10:30. We were greeted at our first winery with some fine sparkling white wine. It was a great way to start the morning and everybody seemed to enjoy the sweet taste. We were given the traditional wine tour which included a brief history on the winery and the inside look at the wine making process. After this we were greeted with a red and white wine to taste. Being a wine novice and a college student, I really haven't acquired the taste or knowledge of fine wines. From some of the more experienced wine drinkers, I heard that it was some real good vino. I know my novice pallet sure enjoyed it. My inferior foosball opponent Brent on the other hand, you could see his face twinge at every sip due to his lack of appreciation of the grape-made beverage.

We carried on after a first winery, hopping on our elegant Napa wine tour bus, to another winery where we would enjoy an amazing Italian box lunch to accompany our wine tasting.

After lunch we hopped on the bus to visit two more wineries. Each winery seemed to offer its unique thing, whether it was a beautiful scenic view, amazing fountains, interesting wine making techniques, etc. At the end of the the day however, they all had one thing in common—great tasting wine. Many of us purchased our favorite bottle from each winery, a bit pricey but worth it. Plus the group discount was helpful, especially on the "still in college" financial status.

It was a great outing. We all really enjoyed it. It was a great opportunity for some of us new hires to really get to know our co-workers. The bus ride back can attribute to that. There was a heavy traffic load as it took us about an hour just to get out of Napa. One lane roads can be real doozies after a long day of traveling and wine tasting. One thing true, we all enjoyed our coworker company.

Interesting fact: Napa Valley is visited by as many as five million people each year, making it the second most popular tourist destination in California. Can you guess what number one is? Please comment if you think you know the answer. Don't think too hard, it's a no brainer.

Hope you enjoyed my first post, over and out.

Joe The Intern

Posted by Joe the Intern at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Getting in a full-pledged week off for vacation can be difficult at times, especially when you’ve exhausted all your PTO on emergencies like the opening day of H&M or the launch of the iPhone. Thankfully there are sites like 71Miles, which provide short, local getaways for those who do not feel like venturing out too far, or are vacation-days deprived.

71Miles is a network of travel sites that focuses solely on regional travel. Covering Northern California and the Washington D.C. Metro area (for now), 71Miles features top hotel deals (from Kayak.com), interactive maps, restaurant reviews, slide shows, and even events calendars. Combining a blog style format featuring various traveling topics from family getaways to exploring the wine country or coastal beaches, and up-to-date information on the best deals, 71Miles is a great solution for the need-a-vacation blues.

Jill

Posted by Jill at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I received a notice last week in the mail that informed me that my frequent flier miles on American Airlines are about to expire. From what I have learned, if the account is inactive for 3 years, then miles will start to disappear. Along with the notice they tell me I can purchase a magazine subscription with my miles. I am not a big magazine kind of gal, unless U2 is on the cover, so I went searching for a different option.

After much clicking around on the American Airlines website, I discovered a website called Points.com. American Airlines was offering 100 frequent flier miles when program members register on the site.

American Airlines is not the only airline that has a relationship with Points.com. Delta Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, US Airways, Frontier Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines are the others that do as well. After more clicking around I discover that you can exchange your frequent flier miles for some really cool stuff. I actually have enough to get a $55 gift certificate for Amazon.com. Many merchants participate in the program; Starbucks and Target are only just a few of the many that do.

I also discovered that I can swap miles from one program to another. I was able to swap the miles that I earned on Hawaiian Airlines to my American Airlines account. The only down side to that was American Airline miles could possibly be compared to the British Pound Sterling. My 5000 Hawaiian frequent flier miles transformed to only 240 American miles. *sigh* Ah well, hopefully that was enough to keep my American Airlines account active, because I am only a few thousand away from being able to actually use them for a free upgrade later on.

This is a great option for folks that have frequent flier miles sitting around collecting dust.

Jennifer

Posted by Jennifer at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

[Ed.: Mercedes checks in from law school, where she does not yet seem to have become evil.]

Getting into the home stretch of my first semester of law school was tiring, but now I'm looking forward to winter break next month. After finals I knew I needed to get my mind off of school and give my loved ones a much needed break from hearing me babble boring legal talk. I researched cheap get away deals since tuition has left me destitute, and I found Get Away Today to book my trip to Disneyland. For under $475 I booked a trip for two at the Castle Inn for 3 nights with 3-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Tickets included. Get Away Today also offers trips to Vegas and other fun locations so I think I'll use them for my spring break trip. Enough blogging, I need to get back to studying...

Mercedes

Posted by Mercedes at 05:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

OK, I’m becoming a big fan of Kayak.com. I found my last two flights after using them and I’m about to make it three. That’s not the only reason why I like them though: I have a soft spot for any company that ridicules Dick Cheney like they do in their ad campaign. (Although in what I suppose is an effort to avoid the wrath of Bill O'Reilly, they make fun of Democrats, too.) Now, they have finally given me the feature that has always been on my wishlist: a price-over-time graph. This is the ultimate feature for helping you gauge when to actually purchase your tickets. I have found that there is a sweet spot for buying the tickets right around 3 weeks ahead of the trip date—not the earlier the better as most people assume. It will be interesting to check see how ticket prices were affected by that thwarted terrorist plot. Maybe they’ll drop because no one wants to fly dehydrated. I’m down for that, though: less getting up for the joker in the window seat who’s got a bladder the size of a stale roasted peanut.

AJ

Posted by AJ at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Priceline always seemed like a good idea, although the Shatner commercials worried me a little. But I never actually used the site to make reservations, because the idea of placing a blind bid without knowing what I should be asking for (the Name-Your-Own-Price model) is a little scary. Whatever price I end up getting, I'm going to wonder if I could have gotten a couple dollars cheaper. But shouldn't it be possible to ask other people what prices they got? Obviously Priceline doesn't want to tell their users about this, but somebody should be organized enough to get this together.

Apparently someone has been organized enough, and they did it a couple years ago but failed to inform me. Bidding for Travel has users post the deals they've gotten from Priceline, as well as some tips for making more informed bids. They don't seem to have a lot of data about airline prices, but the hotel data is pretty recent, and all they ask in return for the savings is that you tell them what deal you got.

Mike

Posted by Mike at 02:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recently I spoke to a close friend and fellow traveler, and she gave me a heads up on Airtreks--a cool website that lets travelers create customized multi-city/around-the-world itineraries with an unrestricted number of destinations and immediate pricing estimates. After a bit of research, I realized that Airtreks has been around since 1987 (though it was known as High Adventure Travel, Inc. then) and featured in numerous well-known publications and television programs like the Today Show, National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times, and USA Today—never mind that I was the last to know.

The best part about Airtreks is that it isn’t just another airfare search site. Airtreks allows you to create a custom-made excursion with its easy to use TripPlanner tool and then seals the deal by enlisting the help of knowledgeable, reliable, and professional travel consultants to answer all your questions.

Airtreks offers a bunch of other noteworthy services such as travel specials, airfare search specifically for business class, travel blogs, and even a travel gift certificate good for use on any multi-stop international airline from their site.

The next time I plan an around-the-world trip, I know where I’ll be getting my fix.

Jill

Posted by Jill at 04:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (36) | TrackBacks (0)

When one of my best friends headed to New York for medical school, I vowed that I would fly the 2582 miles each year to pay her an annual visit. Well, 2006 is halfway through, and I have yet to see a Broadway musical, fight the throngs of tourists in Times Square, or devour the ubiquitous New York style pizza ::drool::. Because airfare can be steep, I compiled a list of tips for finding the best deals on airfare.

It’s up. No it’s down. No, no it’s up again. Wait it’s back down. Oh, I give up: Finding the best price can feel like a losing battle, but first checking with aggregator sites like Travelzoo’s SuperSearch, Qixo, Kayak, Mobissimo, and SideStep, which allow customers to simultaneously search multiple travel sites as well as airlines, is a quick and easy way to find the best airfare deal.

The early bird gets the worm: When your travel dates are not flexible or you’re traveling during the holidays, book your flight early. Prices usually increase and flights sell out quickly during holiday seasons. Booking seven days in advance for domestic and twenty one days for international is a good rule of thumb to follow when buying airfare.

Timing is everything: Check for flights shortly after midnight. This is when airlines reload their computers, so you might be able to score a flight that someone reserved but didn’t pay for. If you’re feeling extra diligent, check for flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; this is when airlines release the week’s new deals.

I’m feeling lucky today: Flying out on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday are the best days for the cheapest airfare. If your schedule permits, include a Saturday stay to lower your fare to as much as an additional 25%.

Won’t you be my neighbor: Flying to major airports is sometimes more costly, so make sure to check neighboring airports for a sweeter deal.

Tis’ the season to be wary: Traveling during high season can tack on a couple extra hundred dollars to your ticket DUH!, but what most people don’t know is that during high season most airlines treat some days (e.g. December 25th and January 1st) as low season, offering flyers flights that are much more economical. Make sure to ask airlines which days are considered low season to save yourself that extra dollar.

Now that you are fully equipped to be a lean, mean airfare-deal-finding machine, I am off to the Big Apple! D.J., break out the AeroBed!

Jill

Posted by Jill at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Summer is here, and that means the time has come to slip into your sassiest summer clothes, shed those extra pounds, fake bake to a nice golden brown, and hop on a plane to ::insert destination of choice here::.

There are numerous travel packages and websites that offer a wide selection of destinations, but one of the most attractive is the All Asia Pass offered by Cathay Pacific. The pass allows you to visit any or all of the 17 carefully selected cities in Asia for the budget-friendly price of $1499, plus taxes (or $1299 for CyberTravelers, which has a convenient membership fee of FREE).

The deal allows you to fly roundtrip (economy class) to Hong Kong from New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles with 21 days of travel to any of the 17 cities in Asia, although I wouldn’t recommend anything more than three or four cities, unless you are prepared to run from airport to airport and go days without sleep. For an additional fee, you can widen your selection of cities or extend the travel period of your trip from 21 days to 30 or 90 days. You must enlist the help of a travel agent to book the All Asia Pass, which is great because all you have to do is choose your itinerary and the agent will perform all the necessary work for you! One minor hitch is that in most cases you must return to Hong Kong before flying out to a different city, but for the bargain price and excellent service it is well worth it.

If Asia is not your cup of tea, you can tour all over Europe with a Flight Pass by EuropebyAir for just $99 per flight. With no blackout dates, fare zones, minimum purchase or charges for reservation changes, EuropebyAir has made sightseeing around Europe simple. Now the only task left is finding 21 days of vacation time--is there a website for that?

Jill

Posted by Jill at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

As wikipedia notes, a New York minute is shorthand for a brief, jam-packed period. Such was my experience Saturday. With six free hours and trying to act like a real New Yorker, I hoofed it everywhere. I managed to visit the World Trade Center site, a gash of open space in the crowded cityscape. I nearly had a spectator role in a Bacardi commercial by walking into a filming scene (btw, the folks standing next to me were getting $150 for the day's work of spectating) and I witnessed one of the largest protest marches I'd ever seen as New Yorkers by the thousands filed down Broadway to protest/support many causes in one teaming mass of humanity. Since NYC is the world's shopping heartbeat, I also managed to hit three neighborhood hotspots, South Street Seaport; Wall's Street's Century 21 emporium, a department store jammed full of deeply discounted imported clothes from the hottest manufacturers;and SoHo, where the desperately beautiful stay at the desperately hip SoHo Grand Hotel and shop till they drop. All the biggest brands and newest, coolest stuff are purveyed in the trendy boutiques lining the SoHo neighborhood while street vendors hawk their wares ranging from art to clothes to suspect name brand items. One of my favorite retail shops was the Campers shoe store which sells the colorful, stylish walking shoes and sandals I first discovered in Spain. The day was topped off with the requisite slice of New York pizza whose thin crust oozed with cheese and sauce and glistened with oil and oregano. Sated, exhausted and foot sore, I slept enroute to JFK in the taxi. A New York minute is a slice of life like no where else. That's why I love New York.

Mimi

Posted by Mimi at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)