Activities: By arranging to have your winter destination wedding at a location loaded with amenities and activities options, you’re relieved of the stress related to coordinating entertainment for your wedding party. Guests can enjoy the resort’s hot tubs and snowshoeing trails for free, and other amenities are there to be experienced at their leisure. Samantha Goldberg, a celebrity event designer in New York City agrees, pointing to the Poconos and Vermont as popular choices. Her top pick for winter wedding favors? Ski lift tickets from your event’s venue.

Extras: Many resorts are willing to toss in a few extras if you are booking their venue for your entire event, so it pays to ask the coordinator what they are willing to include. Book your wedding at the Edgewood Tahoe this winter for instance, and your guests will enjoy all house wine, champagne and beer for free during the entire event. Who doesn’t love an open bar? Similarly, the Mountain Magnolia Inn in Hot Springs, North Carolina includes breakfast the next morning for your overnight wedding guests.

Decorations: Most destination resorts splurge on elaborate decorations for the winter holidays. This means a little extra greenery with candlelight on the tables could be all you need, depending on where you hold the ceremony. Scenery is also a serious money saver. By booking a venue overlooking something spectacular, your decorating needs are drastically reduced. For example, at Vail Cascade – a resort in Vail, Colorado – winter wedding guests overlook a serene, partially-frozen creek which makes for dramatic photos and adds to the frozen wonderland theme.

Transportation: The resort also offers package deals which include airline tickets for the bride and groom, and other establishments offer similar perks for couples booking destination weddings. Additionally, by scheduling the rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception all at the same location, you eliminate the expenses of limousines, guest parking and possibly rental cars if the hotel offers a free shuttle service.

Photo Credit: Sarah Elvin Photography

Freebies:

Many ski venues offer no-cost lift tickets to entice travelers. For example, Big White Ski Resort in Kelowna, British Columbia allows children younger than 5 to ski, tube and skate for free all season. Complimentary mountain tours with experienced snow hosts are also offered every morning and afternoon to familiarize skiers with the resort’s trails. Similarly, Mt. Bachelor near Bend, Oregon permits children up to eighteen years of age to ski for free all season with the purchase of one adult multi-day ticket. Big Tupper in the New York Adirondacks lets active duty military members ski for free all season.

Location:

Booking lodging away from the slopes is a huge money-saving strategy. Ski instructor Kathy Bechtel of Italia Outdoors, an adventure tour company, agrees. Bechtel points to the town of Bolzano in Italy’s Trento-Alto Adige region as offering off-mountain accommodation value along with culture and charm. Traveler Leonard Lee uses a similar strategy for ski getaways to Salt Lake City, Utah where affordable urban motels offer significant savings compared to higher-priced resorts in the mountains.

Outerwear:

Vacationer Lori Lenz recently started planning her first ski trip. Her main hurdle? The specialized clothing necessary for a comfortable ski experience. Determined to get the best prices possible, Lenz is using several online savings strategies. For example, she saved $170 on a quality-brand ski jacket by purchasing it in gently-used condition on Ebay. Steepandcheap.com is another must-check resource, according to Lenz. The site offers daily discounts on many ski-specific gear items such as sunglasses, insulated pants and more.

Policies:

Booking months in advance to get the best deal leaves you susceptible to the whims of Mother Nature. When unpredictable snowfall impacts ski conditions, it pays to know your resort’s refund policies. ResortQuest.com for example, has a snow guarantee program which allows travelers to check the projected ski conditions at their chosen venue prior to departure. If it looks iffy, they’ll transfer your lodging reservations to a comparable participating resort, based on availability. Since the program includes several resorts in Colorado, planning your getaway to that state makes it possible to travel between venues with your rental car, skipping air fare change fees altogether.

Photo Credit: Skistar Trysil

Clothing: Tunic dresses worn over leggings can be covered with warm sweaters in colder weather, and fly solo as vacation attire when you arrive at the beach. Separately, the leggings can serve as a base layer under lighter slacks or jeans, and fitness attire at your hotel’s gym, provided laundry facilities are available. Consider a tankini swimsuit for additional fashion functionality. Swimming pools are typically accessible in hotels at both ends of the climate spectrum, so packing a suit is a great way to take full advantage of free amenities. Additionally, the top portion of the suit can serve as a camisole under a sheer blouse when visiting balmy destinations such as the Bermuda, and provide extra warmth if you’re heading out on a cold-weather ski vacation to Aspen.

Footwear: Wear heavier footwear on days you’ll be traveling to or from a warmer climate. This will save luggage room for souvenirs and work-from-the-road gear like digital cameras, laptop computers and tablet devices. Dress boots are my personal go-to form of footwear, while my husband favors casual dress shoes with plenty of tread to handle snowy parking lots with hidden patches of ice.  Beachy flip- flops for the warmer end of the trip pack easily for both men and women, as do a variety of soft adventure sandals.

Health: Changing climates drastically can put you at extra risk for a case of the sniffles. Stay nourished and prepared by using hot water to mix up cups of miso soup, herbal tea, or even a packet of Theraflu if necessary. Hot water is a standard free amenity at hotel hospitality bars, and packets of your favorite beverages and soups take up minimal suitcase space.

Activities: Save luggage space and extra checked baggage fees by renting activity equipment where possible. For example, while packing your own ski boots is recommended for the most comfortable fit, the actual skis and poles are easily rented from the resort. Similarly, bicycles and snorkeling gear are typically available for rent in warmer destinations such as the Bahamas.

Photo Credits: Lorna Watt

While riding a Segway does offer many perks, it clearly pays to be prepared. Especially for your first time. When it came time to gather tips and advice for having a successful Segway experience, I turned to the pros at The Electric Experience, in Delray Beach, Florida for a bit of training. Our guide Zachary broke down the basics before we were ever allowed on the road.

HOW TO RIDE A SEGWAY

Whether you’re planning on riding a Segway to work in Manhattan, or simply want to squeeze in a quick tour as part of your family road trip, taking the time to develop a proper skill set is recommended.

1 – Subtlety rules.

The first thing you need to know about how to ride a Segway is that smaller, subtle movements will produce the smoothest Segway experience. For example, in order to steer left or right, a light lean in either direction is all that’s needed. Move too quickly or severely, and you may find yourself shooting out into traffic or worse. The good news? It doesn’t take long to get a feel for these machines. A short training session and a few turns around a parking lot or two, and I felt much more comfortable with my skill set than I ever thought I would.

2 – Pay attention to your foot placement.

The first few minutes of my training looked a bit like a Three Stooges routine. I wobbled and twitched, and generally didn’t feel like I was the best candidate to turn loose on the streets of Delray Beach. That’s when Zach from The Electric Experience suggested I shift my feet a little further forward on the foot boards. It made all the difference for me, so I can definitely attest to the fact that when it comes to riding a Segway, it’s best to keep your foot placement precise.

3 – Don’t panic, or your machine will too!

Remember what I said about subtle movements being all that were necessary? And the part about rapid, severe movements resulting in an equally swift reaction from your machine while you are riding a Segway? Well, when we panic we tend to react quickly, and with strong movements away from whatever is making us nervous. I’ll leave you to ponder the various lessons with a relatively steep learning curve I received during my Segway experience with whatever degree of humor you deem appropriate. Suffice it to say, it pays to keep your cool during any Segway adventure.

4 – The handles may look like a motorcycle, but they work quite differently.

Personally, I went into my Segway experience expecting the handle bars to serve some function besides balance and stability. They don’t. While at first glance they may look remarkably like the handles on your motorcycle or ATV, you don’t actually accelerate or break with them at all. They’re used for mounting, dismounting and maintaining the proper body position on the machine (Yes, ON the machine is the operative term here.) while you’re moving.

5 – Slowing or stopping requires a backward lean and weight shift.

As with the other skills required for a safe Segway adventure, it pays to practice this one in the parking lot first. Remember, leaning too far backwards can throw off your center of gravity and result in one of those unfortunate flips featured in the video above. What I learned from the folks at The Electric Experience was to focus only slightly on the full body lean and more on shifting my weight to the heels of my feet. As with any mechanized vehicle, stopping won’t necessarily occur at the same speed with which you can snap your fingers. Factors such as speed and the strength you put behind your weight shift will enter into the equation. Practice in large parking lots at different speeds and inclines in order to get your “sea legs”, so to speak.

6 – Acceleration requires a slight forward lean and the shifting of your weight as well.

The first few times you do this, chances are you’ll feel like you’re learning to drive a stick shift. At least that’s how it went down for me. Choppy and jerky are the adjectives I would use for my first few tries. Practice makes perfect however, and I definitely got smoother as my training progressed and I had more time to practice. In essence, take the skills and techniques required for slowing and stopping, and apply them to the front balls of your feet when you lean and shift your weight forward. A few trips around the parking lot, and you’ll feel more confident.

7 – Staying stationary is a matter of balance.

Having your feet too far forward or backward can leave you feeling “tippier” than you’d like, and result in a more severe angle of body placement on the machine. Speaking for myself (and at least one other person who was on our tour), this is far from the most confident position for a positive Segway experience. Try placing each foot firmly in the middle of the step area and using the balls and heels of your feet to shift your weight. Basically, you’re combining your skills from tip numbers five and six into something you can use to control when you stop and start the machine during your Segway adventure. It’s sort of like using a clutch on a manual transmission vehicle (one of my favorite universal travel skills). You may rock back and forth slightly, but you’ll pretty much be able to stay put.

8 – Mounting and dismounting should be done with care.

The same concerns that apply to tip number three (Don’t panic.) apply here. Subtle and swift motions are best, as are mounting and dismounting one side of your body at a time. During our training, Zachary prompted us to go with our left foot on the step plate and left hand on the handle bar first, followed by the swift ascent to the machine with both of our right limbs. The trick is to not put any of your weight on that first foot until you’re ready to step up with your side. You use the same technique in reverse when dismounting. You can certainly start with your right side first as well. The point is to complete your on or off motions before the machine can “misinterpret” them. Again, see tip number three. When all else fails, wait for your guide or trainer, and make sure you have perfected this skill before you start riding a Segway to work on a busy city street. I’m just sayin’.

9 – Know your limits.

The average Segway top speed is between 11 – 12 miles per hour. You’ll know when you’ve reached that limit, because the handle bars will press back towards your waist, indicating that you are now operating at maximum warp. At least as far as Segways are concerned. There’s nothing wrong with going this speed, provided your skill set and the traffic conditions fit the situation. Common sense and good safety judgement are the keys here.

10 – Plan your take along items.

Most Segways have room for a small pack that attaches just underneath the handlebars. This is the perfect place to tuck a bottle of flavored water, a smartphone with your favorite travel apps and a few healthy road trip snacks to get you by if you’re going to be riding a Segway for any length of time.

11 – Know where you are.

When learning how to ride a Segway, it’s definitely important to remember where you are. This is, after all, a mechanized vehicle that you’ll be taking on the road. A road populated with pedestrians, bikers, cars and canines on leashes. Keep your eyes on the road and practice basic courtesy. Of course, a smile and a wave never hurt either.

When all is said and done, most people find it more than possible to enjoy a successful Segway experience. The trick is to master the skill set, know your boundaries and practice reasonable safety protocols. For a peek inside just how extreme you can get with a Segway adventure, check out this movie trailer about some folks who embraced a cross-country tour on their Segways.

Sort of puts those daily commute concerns into perspective, doesn’t it? Have you ever ridden on a Segway for a family travel activity or used one to get to work? Share your tips and experiences with us below.

Photo Credit: Robert Hornung

Live Locations:

Live Olympic events coverage will be provided on large, outdoor screens in more than 20 urban locations throughout the United Kingdom, including Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and others. Sports fans looking to combine a bit of tourism with their Olympic visit will be able to keep tabs on the games while exploring a bit of history at the same time. Further information regarding these live sites and the community events they will be hosting can be found at www.london2012.com.

Ticketless Events:

While tickets for stadium-style competitions can be steep, there are a number of ticketless events that London locals and visitors alike will be able to witness for free. For example, the road cycling course will travel by some of London’s premier locations including Richmond Park, Hampton Court Palace and the natural history museum. Similarly, the marathon route makes its way past other famous London landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Admiralty Arch and the houses of parliament. Nature fans on the other hand should head to Hyde Park, which will host both the Olympic triathlon and the 10 km open water swim. For further information about no-cost, ticketless event times, visit www.londonandpartners.com.

Free Festivals:

Olympic fans unable to score tickets will still be able to experience their fair share of excitement through a number of free outdoor festivals scheduled for places like Trafalgar Square and Victoria Park, in Bow. In addition to large live event screens and other activities, complimentary concert performances by top acts will also be part and parcel of the party experience.

Budget Accommodations:

Open to an urban camping excursion? The Camping and Caravanning Club will be operating several temporary camp sites just minutes away from the Olympic action, with rates as low as £7.50 per person per night. Partner with friends to share equipment, and prepare your own food on site for even greater savings.

Photo Credit: TJ Morris

Footwear: If you want to look your best when traveling to moderate climates, plan to get by with two sets of footwear. One should be suitable for business, while the other stands ready for adventure activities. For me, this means a pair of high-heeled knee boots and sturdy hiking sandals. Every dressy outfit I pack works with the boots, while the hiking sandals function on trails, cobblestone streets and rocky beaches. If by chance I need something more pedicure-friendly, flip-flops are always available for a song at the nearest street-side stall.

Clothing: Since I’m usually not climbing Kilimanjaro, I can get by with one exercise top and a couple of thin dressy T-shirts suitable for dressing up a pair of jeans or wearing under a pantsuit. Aside from one heavy pair to deal with unexpected weather shifts, I keep it thin on the sock scene as well. Target has an affordable selection of quick-drying black dress socks by Merona that includes a variety of styles to suit your shoe preferences.

Storage: I’ve found that carrying a small, expandable clutch gives me access to everything I need for an evening out with clients or a day of shopping and exploration. It’s just slightly larger than a regular women’s wallet and moves easily between business totes, rolling duffels or whatever I happen to be using at the time. It also has a tabbed section for receipts, which helps me stay organized for things like expense reports and tax records. Many men prefer messenger bags when functioning on the road as a digital nomad. They’re more discreet than an expensive briefcase, and the extra space allows for the transport of files, gear and clothing.

Streamlining: Whether I’m combining business and adventure travel into a single excursion, or tackling back-to-back to back trips with different agendas, I’ve found success by maintaining similar routines and packing procedures for both. Certain categories of things such as tech cords, cosmetics and accessories always get packed in the same small pouches. Also, while varying climates and gear requirements have been known to get in the way, I try to use the same pieces of luggage for both types of trips whenever possible. This helps me handle unexpected travel stress related to logistical snags on autopilot, as opposed to digging around in an unfamiliar bag for critical items.

Photo Credit: o5com

Activities: Forgotten beach towels and misplaced shower shoes are replaced for a song at places like Dollar Tree, or even Goodwill. These are also great locations to restock those sand toys that Susie left at Grandma’s two days ago. Coupons printed from the hotel business center provide savings on everything from extra sunscreen to pizza delivery.

Weather: Packing light means you have to make your best guess as to what the temperature will be at your vacation destination. Stop at the nearest thrift store for sweaters and gloves if it looks like that drive into the mountains will be unexpectedly crisp, or grab some light-weight items if the weather at your beach cottage becomes unseasonably warm. There’s no need to pay full price for items you’ll only be using temporarily.

Storage: Lost luggage or an unexpected windfall of family gifts can create storage stress. Why dish out retail dollars when a $6 replacement piece from the Salvation Army will work just fine for the drive home? Drawstring mesh bags and zippered pencil pouches from the dollar store are extremely affordable ways to organize damp beach laundry and other vacation incidentals like snorkeling gear.  Inexpensive carry-on totes provide overflow storage for extra items accumulated on the trip.

Delays: If unforeseen circumstances force you to extend your trip by a few days, there are ways to keep the costs from spiraling completely out of control. Vacation dining expenses can be culled by purchasing dime store utensils and other items to prepare simple meals in the room, and entertainment activities can be handled with a laptop computer, area parks and the hotel pool. Use the downtime to research the best gas prices available for the drive home, and to stock a cooler with meal items that can be consumed easily at highway picnic areas.

Photo Credit: iStock

Destinations:

Choosing a cave-rich destination extends your long-distance travel dollars. Virginia for example, has eight large cavern systems, making it a paradise for parents of budding speleologists. Of note are Mirror Lake and Giant’s Hall in Luray Caverns, as well as Shenandoah Caverns’ bacon formations and handicapped accessibility. Missouri is another speleological smorgasbord, with explorable caves and caverns throughout the state.

Access:

Hiking is a free way to access caves suited to your ability level. If there are several in a wilderness area you’d like to explore, plan to pitch a tent. Whether you choose to stay where there’s a site fee or not, camping is a fun and frugal way to control your accommodation costs.

Tours:

Tours provide an affordable way to discover if you are interested in moving forward with a caving hobby, and are available at many impressive caverns around the world, including Kartchner Caverns State Park in Arizona and cable-car-accessible Jeita Grotto in Lebanon. Guided experiences are available to wild caving newbies as well, providing practice, equipment and skill development. Travel writer Gretchen Kelly had just such an experience in Wales, in a cave called Porthyr Ogof. During a day-long preparatory class with a local adventure company, Kelly learned techniques for safely negotiating tight spaces at an off-site, constructed practice cave. These skills, along with the required caving suit, lighted helmet and gloves, were critical to her successful experience at the actual cave on the following day.

Training:

Theactiveexplorer.com’s Erika Wiggins, a 14-year vertical caving veteran and high-angle rescue technician, stresses training for conservation as well. Every caver, says Wiggins, should learn to avoid damaging the environment they will be exploring. Touching a growing formation can stop its development forever, and even a dropped sunflower seed shell will remain for generations. Wiggins advises beginners to contact the National Speleological Society to find a local caving organization – called a grotto – where you can meet and learn from other cavers.

Photo Credit: Tolomea

Funding: According to Poe, certain companies offer adoption assistance programs as part of their employee benefits package. For more information on this option, check with the human resources department where you work or the Dave Thomas Foundation’s web site for a list of adoption-friendly employers. She also points to the military adoption subsidy as a benefit many active-duty service members are unaware of. The program offers up to $2,000 per child, with a $5,000 annual calendar cap for multiple adoptions.

Access: Poe advises balance with how much cash you take. Foreign currency conversion fees can be extra hefty in certain countries, and while cash machine withdrawal fees can be tedious as well, the cost is often less than you would pay otherwise. Credit card purchases can also get out of control when out-of-country transaction fees get factored in to the equation, so plan accordingly.

Taxes: Tax credits and deductions are another area of cost management many adoptive families fail to take advantage of, according to Poe. Certifiedtaxcoach.com’s Dominique Molina agrees and states that for 2011, you can claim up $13,170 in credit for qualified adoption expenses, including reasonable and necessary fees, court costs, attorney fees and similar expenses. If the credit is more than the total of your final tax bill, you get a refund for the difference. For foreign adoption, Molina advises filing for the credit in the year the adoption actually becomes final.

Accommodations: While you may have little control over the cost of your airline tickets, where you rest your head while the process is finalized is totally within your control.  For free digs, check Housecarers.com for available house sits in the country you’ll be traveling to, or swap out access to your home with a family living in the area on Homeexchange.com. Both options provide a no-cost roof over your head, along with full kitchen access to prepare money-saving meals and skip the restaurant tab.

Photo Credit: iStock

Discover the power of digital documentation.

While it’s unavoidable you’ll have some paper to deal with, going with digital documentation as often as possible will serve you well. Whether you’re using Mozy for online backup instead of extra photocopies, putting your press kits on flash drives or carrying one of the new Kindle Fire tablet devices to save room on books and magazines, there’s no denying that digital files take up far less room than their digital counterparts.

Most of the time, scanning and sending a pdf or png of a document works just fine for me. That being said, there are still situations (particularly when working with international colleagues) where the need for an old-fashioned fax does arrive. If you find yourself still in need of fax services, companies such as eFax will enable you to send and receive documents digitally for a nominal monthly fee.

Wrangling your receipts can be a full-time job.

Personally, dealing with receipts on the road is one my least favorite aspects of business travel. Who’s with me? Whether you only need to coordinate them in order to file a proper expense report, or will also be hanging on to them in order to properly document tax deductions, the task is exceptionally tedious. And it only gets more so for those of us who spend extended amounts of time on the road.

There are several tools to help you out, however. One popular choice is Neat Receipts, which incorporates data from a mobile scanner into usable reports and documents. You also need to have a particular place to store your paper copies until you are able to scan and incorporate them. If there are only a couple each day, then perhaps you can get by with the (free) pocket plan. Otherwise, you’ll need to have a storage system that fits your lifestyle. For example, one of the reasons I love my Tenba messenger bag is that I have plenty of room for files and documents in addition to my tech gear. If you have a travel jacket with extra security pockets, that could work well also. And of course, there are a number of money app options for your smartphone.

Depending on the type of outing or trip, I have a couple of other options that work well for me. First, my wallet is also an expandable clutch purse. It fits both business and personal checkbooks, credit cards and other traditional items, but it also has tabbed sections for both coupons and receipts. So for those purchases where I have to stand up at the cash register anyway, this works well. I also have a day planner from FranklinCovey that comes with several storage slots and a clear plastic pouch that seals up tight, making receipts easy to spot at a glance.

This is great for those working meetings where everyone’s spread out in one of those coffee shop conference rooms. It also has a notepad in the back where I can take notes about incidentals like cash tips and cab fares. If your smartphone has a voice recorder, don’t be afraid to press that into service for those times when you are literally hopping in and out of cabs in the rain with no time to stop and jot things down.

Security is paramount.

When you spend as much of your life and career online as my husband and I do, and your time on the road both locally and further abroad is significant, having a security system in place for your electronic files is critical. The product we dish out for and actually use ourselves is Kaspersky. They’re pretty good about updating their system with the latest nasties your system needs to be protected from, and the fees are relatively reasonable. (Try a FREE 30 day trial of Kaspersky today! )

What do you do with your mail?

For those only on the road for limited periods of time, a locking mailbox is your best bet. This is what we used when we lived remotely on St. Froid Lake in northern Maine. The trick is to get one with a holding area large enough to do you for a week or two. That way, there isn’t even a need to let the post office folks know you’re out of town, which is just an extra security protocol it’s nice to have access to if you can.

For budget travelers looking to save money on accommodations, using the services of Home Exchange will allow you to do that and also have someone on hand to bring in your mail. You can do the same for them on the other end. We’ve also booked house sitters when we were away for a month in South America. Not only did they handle our mail, but also provided top-notch (free) care for our dog. Expats living overseas for a year or two at a time will want to try digital forwarding services which allow for scanning of critical documents and shredding of others.

Making the most of your time is probably the top tip I can provide.

Using Priority Pass lounges to grab a quiet corner while you wait for your flight, scheduling time at the end of each day to review your spending notes and learning how to make the most of flight delays are all ways you can maximize those smaller bits of time in order to keep your receipts and work flow on track.

Perfecting the paper chase will always be a challenge for frequent business travelers and digital nomads. Having a few favored strategies in place will go a long way towards reducing the burden as much as possible.

Photo Credit: iStock

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