When I travel, I like to throw a few healthy snacks in my overnight bag. Just in case.Kind Bars are my latest healthy snack obsession. These delicious bars are made from nuts, fruit, and whole grains and are packed with fiber, protein and antioxidants.
I love them, but they are expensive. I’ve seen them sell for $1.50 per bar at Walmart, and for $4.00 apiece at an airport vendor.
When The Girl and Globe alerted me to an opportunity to save $30 on $50 at Relay Foods, I jumped on it. Relay Foodssells over 20 varieties of Kind Bars — and until October 31, 2013, they are on sale for $1.
With the introductory discount, you can pick up Kind Bars for as little as 40 cents each!
There were several factors that played into my decision:
I had two other Amex accounts that I planned to close when the annual fees posted.
I I wanted to retain my full credit line with Amex, by transferring the credit from the closed credit cards to an open account.
I hoped to accumulate more SPG points over the course of the year, that I could transfer to various airlines to top off my frequent flyer accounts.
I was close to reaching the 20,000 point threshold, when transfers to airlines earn a 5,000 point bonus.
Amex currently has targeted deals offering statement credits for over a dozen promos. If you click on the “Offers for You” tab, you will be directed to up to a dozen targeted offers for savings off various purchases.
The Radisson gift card that I was lucky enough to win in an online contest arrived in the mail last week. 150 Euros to spend at any Radisson hotel in Europe or the Middle East.
Maybe you can win one of these gift cards too, as Radisson is running an ongoing contest.
With hundreds of hotels to choose from my imagination went wild.
I don’t have any trips to Europe in the works, and I have two years to use the gift card, but what if . . . ?
Of course you’d have to be half crazy to fly to Europe just to get a free night at a hotel. But what if you were looking at not one night, but three or four free nights?
I just happen to hold the Club Carlson credit card and one of the benefits it confers is “Gold Elite” status with Club Carlson hotels. Club Carlson includes some upscale chains such as Radisson Blu, Carlson Rezidor and Park Inn, and more pedestrian chains such as Radisson and Country Inn & Suites.
Hotel Missoni Edinburgh
The chain also includes Hotel Missoni, with interior design by Rosita Missoni. Their hotel in Edinburgh looks like a blast.
Thanks to The Deal Mommy, I learned about one of the biggest deals in hotel loyalty programs.
Members of Club Carlson’s Gold Elite program are eligible for a “Weekend Extend” offer at hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen fares this low from New York to Scandinavia!
$145 nonstop JFK-OSL, including taxes and fees!
To be fair, a round trip ticket is $467.30 — still a terrific bargain, especially since it includes fuel surcharges.
This week’s Bloomberg Business Week featured an interview with Norwegian Airlines CEO Bjørn Kjos, about the airline’s bid to launch low cost service to Europe.
Norwegian Airlines placed orders last year for an astounding 222 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s!
Will it work? Previous low-cost, low-fare ventures have consistently faltered because the cost of fuel for transoceanic flights is enormous. Kjos, an attorney and former fighter pilot for the Norwegian military, has heard the skepticism before. ‘They haven’t had the tools to do it,’ he says. ‘The Dreamliner is the first airplane that can do it.’
The Business Week article prompted me to take a look at upcoming fares.
If you have a reluctant spouse, maybe you can sympathize with this story. My husband’s Chase United Explorer Card was coming up on its first anniversary. On this month’s statement, he was hit with the $95 annual fee.
The last time he faced a similar situation, he told the Chase customer service rep that he wanted to cancel his Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card because he no longer flies Southwest. No, no no! He should have said that he loves to fly Southwest but was concerned about the $69 annual fee. Chase was happy to cancel his Southwest credit card.
The fact of the matter is that we do fly Southwest. When my Rapid Rewards credit card came due for the annual fee, I asked to speak to the retention specialist and was offered an extra 3,000 miles (6,000 total miles) for the $69 annual fee.
So this time, I offered to make the call for my husband.
My husband and I honeymooned in Maine, so every year we try to go out for a celebratory lobster dinner.
Lucky for me that Clyde’s, my favorite restaurant chain, has extended their lobster special through the month of October.
Luckier yet that Clyde’s of Tyson’s Corner in Northern Virginia is part of the Dining Rewards program.
By signing up for the US Airways Dividend Miles Dining rewards program, you can earn 1,000 miles the first time you dine at a member restaurant, spend $40, and write a review.
Lesser known restaurants participate in the Dining Rewards program to attract customers and favorable reviews. The Metro construction at Tyson’s Corner must be deterring customers, because Clyde’s is well known for its high quality food, fanciful decor, and reasonable prices.
If you are having an illicit affair, I can think of no better place to meet your lover than Point Lookout on the Palisades Parkway. It’s beautiful, romantic, easily accessible from New York City, yet quite isolated (at least on a weekday.)
We drove to New England one Tuesday in early September, to drop our daughter at school. Traveling north on I-95, the New Jersey Turnpike ends in Fort Lee, New Jersey. You can continue on I-95 to New York City and beyond by taking the George Washington Bridge, or you can travel north above the Hudson River via the Palisades Parkway.
We wanted to avoid traveling through New York City because our car was loaded with stuff.
I couldn’t believe the natural beauty that awaited us just minutes from Manhattan!
Teens and tweens can be tough customers to please on a family vacation. We are back from a week in Salt Lake City where we discovered some fun attractions that appeal to this age set.
Salt Lake City and Utah in general are an outdoor lover’s paradise — but these suggestions mostly focus on quirky attractions of the urban variety.
The Tracy Aviary
We enjoyed a stroll through this bird zoo at the southeast corner of Liberty Park. Liberty Park is an 80 acre retreat in Salt Lake City that offers all manner of outdoor recreation. The Tracy Aviary displays 400 birds representing about 135 different species in a tranquil wooded setting.
The Aviary is an old-time zoo with large, attractive enclosures. Our teen was captivated by the strange, beautiful and diverse birds on display. Plan about an hour for a visit. If your family includes younger children, they might enjoy the retro amusement rides,including a ferris wheel, adjacent to the aviary.
