Hasta La Gadget!

By Holly Hammersmith, Contributor

If you like to vacation in style but you’re on a budget, you probably know that travel isn’t so cheap. The average cost of a vacation is $1,005 per person, or about $4,000 for a family of four, according to a 2015 survey by American Express.

Fortunately, travel upgrades can come at a great discount — or for free in some cases — when traveling. Here are the lesser-known tricks travel insiders use to upgrade vacations and still save money on all the vacation basics, including hotels, airfare, attractions, dining and more.

Read the full article on GOBankingRates>>>

1. Take Advantage of Hidden-City Ticketing

Airline ticket prices aren’t based on distance traveled, but by market demand, said Jessica Festa, a travel blogger for Jessie on a Journey and the editor of Epicure & Culture, an online tourism and culture magazine.

“Your most direct flight won’t always be your cheapest option,” she said. “In fact, adding an extra leg to your itinerary that you won’t actually fly can save you tons of money.”

Festa said you can play around with what city leg combinations work best, or use Skiplagged.com, a website that does the work for you. “Just make sure to book two one-leg trips, instead of two round-trips, as once you don’t complete a section of your booking, the rest typically gets cancelled,” she said.

Potential savings: Save up to 80 percent on airfare using this method, according to Skiplagged.

2. Use Free Days and Discounts for Attractions

Many top attractions in cities are free or can be discounted, said Katie Lara, Forbes Travel Guide correspondent and travel blogger for Travelingpanties.com. “For example, there are plenty of free museums or at least days where fees are waived,” she said. “You just have to do your research in advance.”

In New York City, museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art suggest an amount to pay, but any amount can be paid for entry, even though it isn’t advertised, Lara said. Museums that offer this practice usually use wording such as a “suggested ticket price.”

“Most parks and outdoor attractions are free, and this is often where locals actually hang out,” Lara said. “Central Park, for instance, is the best place to hang in NYC, and it’s totally free.”

A student ID can also help snag discounts on attractions and possibly even free admission. “Even if you’re no longer a student, if it’s not expired, it will work,” she said. “Some museums also offer teacher discounts so bring your I.D.”

Potential savings: The Met’s suggested ticket price for adult general admission is $25 per person. Offer to pay $20 at the door and save $5 per ticket.

3. Upgrade to First Class at the Last Minute

Consider a same-day travel upgrade on airfare, and fly first class for as little as $50 more. Buddy up with check-in agents at the airport and see if you can get an low-fee upgrade on your ticket at the time of check-in. Also, ask for a travel upgrade on any connecting flights, said Meghan Khaitan, a travel expert and the founder of MyBuckleMate, a device that makes it easier to secure seatbelts.

“Today it doesn’t take a hefty chunk of cash or a ton of air miles to upgrade to first class,” she said. “Can’t swing first class? Request business or premium class instead.”

Potential savings: Travel upgrades can be added for as little as $50, according to USA Today.

4. Use a Travel Membership Program

By becoming a member of a travel membership program, travelers can save on everything from rental cars, to cruises, hotels and more, Festa said. One such website is SnazzyTraveler.com, which has a $99 per-year membership

“I’m a member myself. The deals are fantastic, not to mention you earn rewards to redeem for later travel,” Festa said. “They also have a free membership, though it’s limited to $100 savings — with the other membership you stand to save a lot more — and there’s no rewards program.”

Potential savings: Save as much as 75 percent on all travel-related expenses, according to SnazzyTraveler.com.

5. Be an Airline Club Member for a Day

Instead of paying fees to be an airline club member year-round, join the club for just one day, Khaitan said. “Instead of hanging out at the souvenir shops, use your wait time to relax and kick back in style,” she said.

This deal can be especially lucrative when traveling as a family. For example, with the American Airlines program, up to three children can upgrade with an adult at no extra charge. American Airlines charges only $50 per person for a one-day pass, she said. This allows the flyer to gain access to club rooms full of free snacks and free WiFi access.

Potential savings: A new annual membership with American Airlines starts at $400, according to its website.

6. Take Advantage of a Loophole

A loophole in the “Name Your Own Price” feature on Priceline.com might help you save money when booking travel accommodations such as hotels, according to Russell Hannon, owner of travel tip website BreaktheTravelBarrier.com.

“You have to enter your credit card information before you bid, and if Priceline accepts it, it automatically charges your credit card a non-refundable booking,” Hannon said. “When Priceline asks for your credit card information, use a prepaid Visa gift card with a small balance — i.e. $2.”

When you bid what you are willing to pay for a room, if Priceline accepts it, it will say it was unable to charge your credit card, Hannon said. “Now you can re-bid at a lower rate, and continue doing so until it rejects a bid,” he added. “Then you know the best possible rate, and you book it at that rate with your real credit card, and not pay a penny more.”

Potential savings: The amount will vary depending on each hotel, but this tactic might just help you get the best possible rate.

7. Travel Where Your Money Counts for More

When determining where to take your next vacation, purposely travel to a location where your dollar will go far, Festa said.

“You would be amazed at how luxurious your travels can get once you travel somewhere your currency stretches far,” she said. “For instance, I recently went to Honduras and had a Caribbean vacation, where I enjoyed free beachside cabanas serving $6 margaritas, lavish meals for $5, a gorgeous waterfront hotel with a private hammock-clad balcony for $30 and access to over 150 dive sites.”

Potential savings: Exchange rates vary depending on each country and the economy.

This article, 7 Secret Tricks to Upgrade Your Entire Vacation for Less, originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com.

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• 23 Overseas Colleges Cheaper Than U.S. Colleges

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As Father’s Day approaches, it’s the perfect time to celebrate dads and all the awesome ways they empower their kids.

This Special Olympics ad produced in Mexico shows the power of a father’s love and support. Titled “Surprise,” the heartwarming video features gymnast Maria Barbara Wetzel and a sweet voiceover narration about parenting. 

The dad tells his child, “In the end, it was you who ended up teaching me about life. I am your biggest fan.”

Beautiful.

H/T Adweek

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As we wind down the last primaries, there are all kinds of suggestions and demands as to what Democratic Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders should do to unite the Party. There are calls for Sanders to withdraw, some saying he should not be on the ticket, and there are calls for Clinton to do more to energize the base. I hear the noise – there are some things I agree with and some that I do not. What we ought to do however is look at the larger goal and gauge our strategy on that as opposed to drawing lines of division amongst ourselves. At the end of the day, 10 years from now it will not matter who got more face time on cable news or who got more headlines in newspapers if we regress rather than progress. There is far too much at stake from Supreme Court nominees to protection of the Affordable Care Act, Affirmative Action, voting rights, women’s rights, LGBT rights, criminal justice reform and more. This Presidential election is at a pivotal moment when we cannot allow divide and conquer to push us back further and lose many of our gains. If we don’t wake up now, we will look back at this time period and realize that this is when we were effectively silenced.

It’s easy to forget exactly where we were as a nation when President Obama was first elected into office in 2008. And it is just as easy to overlook the substantive changes he ushered in despite facing the toughest opposition in Congress and elsewhere that one could imagine. In addition to reviving our economy from the brink of catastrophe, President Obama was successful in bringing about historic health care reform, saving the auto industry, bringing many of our troops home, changing our image on the world stage, getting a historic nuclear deal signed with Iran, reviving relations with Cuba, enacting Wall Street reform, directing his Justice Department to investigate corrupt police departments, deliver a criminal justice bill (that is on the brink of passing) and much much more. What our first African American President also did was serve as a symbol that everything – even the highest office in the land – is attainable regardless of the obstacles placed before you.

It is that sense of hope and aspiration that we must hold on to as we begin to wind down his Presidency. We cannot become complacent or disillusioned into thinking that we can stop participating in the process. And we must never become so comfortable as to believe that our work is done – far from it. Our collective goal must be to continue the legacy of President Obama, to elect someone that will choose the next couple of Supreme Court Justices who best represent our interests. Whether it’s preserving voting rights, keeping the Affordable Care Act in place so that millions of Americans continue to receive health insurance, protecting Affirmative Action (the case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin) and more, the Supreme Court will make critical decisions that will directly impact all of us. Whoever the next President is will make key choices regarding who to nominate to the Court, so we must not take this election lightly.

It is perfectly normal to have disagreements within one’s house. But when those small divisions tear from the greater objective, then we have lost focus from what truly faces us long-term. It doesn’t matter how many people Sanders draws to a rally if they do not lead to these longer goals and victories. And it doesn’t matter how many votes Clinton wins if the Party doesn’t bring in everyone and stay focused on the main target. We sometimes confuse the preliminary for the main bout; the main event must be that we continue moving this nation in the direction that President Obama and others did when they steered the ship towards even more advancement.

When I was a young kid watching and listening to those leading the great civil rights movement, I remember many would sing a song with the lyrics: “hold on, hold on; keep your eye on the prize”.

We must keep holding on today.

The prize is not noise, but rather using noise to change the melody of the mood of American social policy.

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This is an incredibly volatile and precarious time in the annals of history. Crucial votes on our leadership and governmental policy could shake the very foundations of our democracy. The ideologies of those who would assume power are so polarizing that to remain on the sidelines is nothing short of unconscionable. There is a lot at stake, and I so want to engage in the political process and make a difference.

Unfortunately, there is a cat on my lap.

I can’t move. I mustn’t move. For to move would be to disrupt this peaceful, purring creature from the sanctuary of its Zen-like state. And we can’t have that. Not to mention, this furry, four-legged entity is providing me with perhaps the only true affirmation of my worth as a human being I may ever receive. “Your lap is good,” it seems to say as it gratefully receives a robust chin scratch, “therefore you are good.”

So, as I say, it would be nice to get online and maybe sign a few petitions, or mark up by sample ballot or even post an angry, politically-charged meme to Facebook. But, none of that is going to occur because even though my laptop is within reach, it would be far too awkward to have to balance it on top of this cat’s rump. Not to mention placing a foreign object directly on top of said cat would most surely cause it to dart away from its position of being perched across my thighs. And that simply cannot happen.

This cat must never leave my lap. It is right and good that it should be there, and all activity must cease while it rests, sphinx-like, on my legs. And if that ceasing of activity includes working toward change for the very life’s blood of my nation, well so be it.

In fact, this cat’s basic lap-sit could easily progress to a full-on splay, wherein the feline goes into an even further relaxed state and dissolves across me in a heart-achingly beautiful display of complete trust and comfort. If you think I am going to pass that up just to have an impact on some legislation that could make it easier on the people with whom I share this precious planet, you are crazy.

Yes, my phone is within easy reach. I could probably accomplish some Internet advocacy with Wi-Fi, but, you know, I don’t think that’s going to work, either. I mean, just the slightest movement from me could cause kitty to bolt, and I simply cannot take that chance. You guys probably all know about the studies they’ve done on the therapeutic aspect of pets. It can result in lower blood pressure, reduced feelings of hopelessness and fewer bouts of anxiety. When’s the last time the political process could claim to do any of that good stuff? I ask you! So, my apologies, various web sites soliciting for my virtual signature on petitions to my representatives in Washington–not gonna happen.

In closing, I guess I should apologize for whatever nightmare scenario you could all end up living through just because one citizen willfully refused to become engaged politically.

But, hey, I’m sorry. There’s a cat on my lap.

More of James Napoli’s comedy content for the web can be found here.

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When the marketing began for “10 Cloverfield Lane,” a question loomed over the movie: How could this be a sequel to the New York City monster flick, “Cloverfield”?

Upon the movie’s release on March 11, it became clear that this “sequel” had nothing to do with the first flick, except for its spirit. This is a trend that has become popular in television with series like “American Horror Story” and “True Detective,” but not so much for movies.

It makes total sense, though, that the inspiration for the “Cloverfield” follow-up came from TV, and now producer J.J. Abrams has confirmed it.

“It was like a ‘Twilight Zone’ idea,” Abrams says in this exclusive clip provided to The Huffington Post. Abrams, who produced both “10 Cloverfield Lane” and “Cloverfield,” adds, “I think the great stories are great what-if stories.”

Watch the clip (which is also featured on the just released Digital HD version of “10 Cloverfield Lane”) below: 

“10 Cloverfield Lane” director Dan Trachtenberg previously mentioned this connection, telling Slashfilm earlier this year that, at first, he was going to call the movie something else. As Trachtenberg explained, “It didn’t have that title, but when J.J. came up with the title ’10 Cloverfield Lane,’ I thought it was genius because that name sounds like a ‘Twilight Zone’ episode, and this movie is like one giant ‘Twilight Zone’ episode.”

Trachtenberg also told Cinema Blend that “certainly [’10 Cloverfield Lane’] does take place in a different timeline.”

Most often, episodes of “The Twilight Zone” did not connect to each other, except for the theme of asking a “what-if” question, as Abrams references in the segment.

Perhaps Abrams’ passion for not connecting narratives also finally explains what the hell (or purgatory) was happening on “Lost”!

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