Trafalgar - rediscover the romance of travel

If you are looking for some travel ideas, this is a great place to start.  Their catalog and website have a pretty amazing list of vacation ideas that start at about one week in duration and can go up from there.  I have not personally participated in any of their packages, but most of the lodging and food and travel appear to be included.  There are some meals and optional activities that may not be included.

If you do not like to "micro"-plan your vacations, then just buy one of their packages.  If you want to have full control over your itinerary and pace, then you pay want to see what their schedule is like and try to reproduce it.  Of course, you need to balance this with the possible increase in cost to your trip. 






I had previously posted on a similar service that Disney offers called "Adventures by Disney" which you can read by clicking here.

Related websites:

• Adventures by Disney
• Trafalgar

I see some itineraries that look very interesting.  Just need the time and resources to go.

To see how you can support me, click here.

Stop upgrading everything...

Just watched this video on Yahoo! Finance which talked about the Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.  Mike Daisey visited the Foxconn manufacturing plant where a lot of our electronics are built.  He says that the United States exported jobs, but not values.

One way to "revolt" against the poor working conditions is to fight back the internal feeling of the need to upgrade everything you have as soon as something new is released.


For more information, click here to view the video.

To read about Foxconn on Wikipedia, click here.


To see how you can support me, click here.

Doh! Boba Tea House was closed

I lost count of how many times I have received my 10 percent discount for wearing my Boba Tea House T-shirt.  We were going to treat the kids today, but it appears that they closed early.

Yeah.  We have saved a whole bunch, and some of it may have been money we would not have spent, but it is an occasional treat, so it is all good.

We will have to take a rain check on this one.  I usually post pictures on my photoblog, but here is one for you:

To view pictures on my photoblog, click here: http://leftyphotoblog.blogspot.com/

To see how you can support me, click here.

Money Magazine's 2012 Retirement Guide

Yeah, I must be going through a Money Magazine issue (still receiving for free).

They start living well on less with six recommendations:

1. Fine-tune your budget
2. Turn time into money
3. Live smaller
4. Move to a lower-cost area
5. Work part-time
6. Become debt-free

They also have articles on the following:

• How to draw the max - safely
• The right portfolio now
• Five great low-cost towns
• Medicare: What no one is telling you

To read what to do or for further details, click on the link on how to support me and purchase a subscription through Barnes and Nobles.com

To see how you can support me, click here.

You can also read more details on Money Magazine's website.

Money Magazine - Three Reasons to Love the Slowdown

In a recent Money Magazine issue (still receiving this one for free), there was a feature in their "Economy Watch" section titled Three Reasons to Love the Slowdown.

The reasons are:

1. Stocks are more attractively priced
2. Interest rates will remain low for a while
3. Investment properties are a deal

To read what to do or for further details, click on the link on how to support me and purchase a subscription through Barnes and Nobles.com

To see how you can support me, click here.

Visit? Get sailing

In a recent Sunset Magazine, they mentioned that the 2013 34th America's Cup will be held off the coast of San Francisco.  They have a feature that goes through some of the basics of what to expect as well

In the following link, they have listings on where to sail.  Their favorite charter companies include:

• Aloha Yacht Charters, San Diego
• Marina Sailing, Long Beach and Newport Beach
• Sail Channel Islands, Oxnard
• Sail San Diego, San Diego

Click here to go to Sunset. com to read more about how to get started sailing as well as find places in Seattle, northern and southern California to sail.


To see how you can support me, click here.

Visit? Sunset Magazine - Secret Park Escapes

Some of these will be quite a drive from southern California, but can be included if you are willing to drive further.

In a recent Sunset Magazine article (still receiving for free) they talked about how to find Secret Park Escapes.  They outlined their three strategies to "outsmart" the crowds.  They include:

1. Finding the gems
2. Using the backdoor to the big guns
3. Explore north of the border (Canada)

Their top pics include:

• Capitol Reef, UT (Golden Throne Trail, Hickman Bridge Trail)
• North Cascades, WA (Sourdough Mountain Trail)
• Great Basin, NV (Lexington Arch Trail)
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO (North Vista Trail)
• Crater Lake, OR (West Rim Trail)
• Last-minute campsite in Yosemite (Camp 4 or Tamarack Flat)
• Yellowstone (Grant Village)
• Zion Canyon Scenic Drive (Kolob Canyons and Timber Creek Overlook Trail)
• Kootenay, southeast British Columbia (Kootenay's STanley Glacier Trail)

To see how you can support me, click here.