Trade:

Volunteering in exchange for accommodation is one of the best ways to control overhead expenses, according to Dunn. She’s taken care of dogs, painted murals, cooked and cleaned at retreat centers, milked goats, managed marketing plans and even led ecological treks on llamas. Another perk with volunteering she says, is the sense of home she receives from being off the beaten track and away from the hostel scene.

Transportation:

A self-proclaimed frequent flyer mile junkie, Dunn saves up her program points in order to upgrade her long-haul flights to business class. This strategy has previously cost her less than the price of an economy-class ticket! When she can’t manage to pull that off that minor miracle, Dunn enjoys traveling by train. The price is often less, and she prefers the extended scenery enjoyment that train travel provides.

Streamlining:

While it can be tempting to accumulate souvenirs and activity gear while you’re on the road, the reality of lugging those items around often destroys the fantasy of the extra comfort you hope they’ll provide, according to Dunn. When it comes to gear such as bicycles, snorkeling gear or similar equipment, Dunn chooses to rent if possible. If at the end of your research, you feel you need to buy a particular item, try to buy used. You may or not be able to sell it quickly when you move on she advises, and donating something you didn’t pay a great deal for anyway doesn’t seem to pinch as much.

Speed:

Moving at a breakneck pace is not only exhausting says Dunn, but it can wreak havoc on the long-term travel budget. Slowing down and getting to know the locals a bit before rushing off to the next destination will assist greatly in ferreting out the best deals. It’s also a sanity saver. Says Dunn, “In 2010, I traveled through over 10 countries on a whirlwind itinerary. Never sleeping longer than five nights in one bed, I emerged from the year completely exhausted. I had to simply stop moving for about six months to catch my breath.”

Photo Credit: Oakley Originals

Packages: A pretty penny can be saved by participating in package deals, and concierge services are a great way to find them. Northwest Golf Adventures assembles affordable packages to Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia based on the type of lodging, amenities and budget limits golfers want. Typical cost savings range from 10 to 20 percent. Similarly, Golf Maine helps travelers plan affordable golf getaways throughout the state.

Public: Private courses cost markedly more than public ones, many of which offer a comparable experience for a fraction of the price. Denver’s city park for example, offers a municipal 18-hole golf course located near the city’s science and nature museum. The Jekyll Island Club in Georgia is a popular public golf resort featuring 63 holes and a club hotel that is a national historic landmark.

Planning: Book a cottage or condo within easy driving distance to one or more golf courses at your chosen destination. The National Trust Holiday Cottages of Wales provide money-saving kitchen access in idyllic settings near several quality courses within the country. To save money in Scotland, the birthplace of golf, use Green Fee Savers for half-price savings at courses throughout the country. Golfholiday.com’s Chris King recommends later tee times and replays as two of the top ways golfers can save money. Afternoon and early-evening golf rounds routinely come with reduced fees compared to early morning sessions, and courses tend to offer discounted rates when you play a course for a second time.

Pairings: A single trip with multiple family activity options makes the most of your vacation dollars. For example, the Algarve region of Portugal offers beaches, thermal spas and historic architecture in addition to numerous golf courses. Golfing in the wine country of Washington state or California’s Napa Valley on the other hand, will bring numerous wine tasting opportunities. Lovers of tall, historic ships will enjoy the golf and sail getaways offered by the Samoset Resort in Rockland, Maine. For all-inclusive packages starting at $400, you can enjoy a round of golf along with a three-day windjammer cruise.

Photo Credit: Fevi Yu

Destinations: Choose a place that’s rich in bird life with affordable day-to-day expenses to maximize your money. For example, Uganda is home to half the bird species in Africa, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Numerous national parks offer spotting opportunities there, including the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Murchison Falls. Vanessa Townsend, tour guide for Volcanoes Safaris in Uganda, favors Queen Elizabeth National Park in particular, for the more than 600 species of birds that call the refuge home. However, according to Amos Wekesas, owner of Great Lakes Safaris, the entire nation is fair game. Says Wekesas, “In Uganda, birding starts at the airport and continues throughout the country.” Adios Adventure Travel’s Jacquie Whitt, recommends Mindo, Ecuador with more than 350 bird types, and rooms as low as $50 per night.

Gear: Sheridan Samano of Reefs to Rockies, a conservation tour company, advises purchasing the best pair of binoculars you can afford. It will make a difference in the level of details you’ll be able to see. Samano says it isn’t so much the size, but rather the glass quality and light-capturing capabilities that are important. Audubonguides.com sells affordable mobile field guide apps for smart phone users, while traditional paperback guides are available from both Sibley and National Geographic.  A few sun-protective clothing items should also be included. Tilley makes an Audubon hat for example, that provides protection from solar rays and includes a hidden security pocket.

Parks: Wildlife refuges offer free and inexpensive bird-spotting opportunities. McCurtain County, Oklahoma has three, including Beaver Bend State Park, Little River National Wildlife Refuge and Red Slough Wildlife Management Area. Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources has a first-time campers program which includes two-night park stays with the use of all necessary gear for $20.

Share: Carpool and share accommodations with other birders to save money. The Blue Heron Inn in Darien, Georgia offers a four-bedroom cottage at $250 per night with a three-night minimum stay. The inn is minutes away from the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, part of Georgia’s drivable Colonial Coast Birding Trail. Similar trails exist in Maine, Oregon and Texas.  Of note is the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail, linking Minnesota to the Canadian province of Manitoba.

Photo Credits: These images were photographed by the Trek Hound team, and are available through a creative commons agreement with our sister site, Pictures of Travel Places.

Create a portable grooming kit.

Gym-sized hanging toiletry bags or zippered pouches purchased at dollar stores and international markets are the perfect solution for storing your cosmetics, hair accessories and personal grooming products. Bobby pins are a great secret weapon for having great hair on the road. You can match them to your hair color to craft elegant French twists and other hair styles. Invest in smaller, compact sizes of things like emery boards, nail clippers and cuticle sticks to remain prepared for proper nail care while traveling. One place to stock up on such things is the beauty supply store, but pharmacy chains also have a fair number of miniature travel supplies.

Manage your makeover costs.

In addition to free makeovers available from such merchant chains as Merle Norman and Origins, you can also check with local beauty schools at your destination to book discounted services such as hair cuts, colors, perms, facials, pedicures and more. This particular grooming hack works well for both men and women, and is a great solution for keeping Mommy and Me getaways affordable.

Stay posh with performance clothing and a few travel secrets.

Many travel clothing companies have stepped up with wrinkle-resistant, stain-avoiding, quick-dry items suitable for business attire as well as adventure travel. Wrap dresses, dress blouses and career slacks make my list of faves, as do camisoles, leggings, peasant tops and sarongs for quick weekend getaways. Instead of dishing out for stain wipes (which are great for tucking in a biz jacket), consider packing a few baby wipes into your suitcase. They’ll remove a wide range of things from your clothing should you suffer a spill, and are available in flat travel packs you can easily tuck into your messenger bag. If all else fails, there’s always the classic club soda solution. Ask your waitress for some after a spill, along with an extra napkin. I’m also a huge fan of carrying a small lint brush to remove bits and bobs you pick up from lobby furniture.

Shoes need love too.

In addition to giving them a bit of a shine before your trip, you can also grab a quick shine at various street stalls in the Middle East, airport venues and with smaller sponge brushes that pack into your luggage.

Save space with accessories.

You can save room in your luggage by packing accessories to create different outfits. Wraps, belts, bling and scarves can all be included while requiring less room than an additional outfit. A great hat is also a helpful addition, as it can keep you shielded from harsh rays and cover up a bad hair day when time won’t allow you to spend extra time on your do.

Keeping coiffed doesn’t have to require an entirely separate suitcase, as these tips demonstrate. What are your favorite travel beauty tips?

Photo Credit: iStock

Equipment choice will play a large role in how successful you are with one-bag travel.

Luggage with expandable compartments or removable inserts like the Tenba laptop messenger bag for media professionals or rolling backpacks for adventure travelers will serve you well. Choose gear that’s functional and available in the smallest size possible. Universal earphones with retractable cords, tablet devices like the Kindle Fire instead of bulkier reading material and toiletry bags designed more for the gym than packing the kitchen sink are all great places to start.

Wear what you can.

Travel jackets with hidden storage pockets large enough to store a small laptop and cargo pants are a huge help. They allow you to physically wear a fair number of items and tech gadgets that would otherwise need to take up space in your daypack. When it comes time to navigate security, simply remove the jacket and place it one of the security bins like you would any other bag. Bulkier clothing and footwear are also best to wear on travel days requiring a plane ride. Save your flat-packing flip flops and thinner layering tees for your carry-on bag. Remember, it doesn’t cost more to wear extra clothing, but it does to check luggage. Pack accordingly.

Road warrior wardrobe choices will serve you well.

Thin, light quick-dry clothing suitable for layering works well on the road. Not that I don’t appreciate a good pair of dressy jeans when I’m traveling for a longer period of time, but leggings, sarongs, thinner tee shirts and wrap dresses will provide wardrobe flexibility while still allowing you to pinch pennies on luggage fees. Pack the thinner lightweight items and use Space Bags to save even more room.

Toiletry choices can either cost you or save you money.

Trying to squeeze on that giant bottle of perfume or specialty lotion will likely get you flagged for luggage check and result in having to watch a smug security guard toss it into the confiscated items bin. Invest in a practical kit of smaller containers that are airline approved and can fit into the one-quart bags required for TSA screenings. These containers can easily be refilled from the bulk sizes you purchase for home, saving you the cost of paying more for travel sizes of your favorite products. I like the kits that have labels included so you can easily identify sunscreen from conditioner and other frequently-mistaken personal care products.

When possible, choose solid shampoo and conditioning bars instead of the liquid versions. This will allow you more room for other products such as nail polish and skin toner. Certain cosmetics can perform multiple duties. For example, I like to use lip liner for its original purpose, as well as for lip color and an impromptu rub-on blush.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably admit that traveling with one bag has gotten more difficult since I’ve become a full-blown media professional, although I can still manage to pull it off for an overnight if minimal wardrobe changes are required. That being said, those who simply need to check in occasionally for email can easily accomplish one-bag travel. And save a ton of cash as a result!

Photo Credit: Cea

At roughly $110, Tenba’s large engravable messenger bag might seem a bit steep. Until you compare it to other pro gear bags on the market. There are a number of reasons why I dished out the dough for this particular Tenba bag. What follows is my complete Tenba messenger bag review, along with the several ways I use this product on the road.

The large Tenba laptop messenger bag can actually accommodate my 17-inch monster of a machine.

Yes, yes. I know. Why don’t I bump down to a smaller laptop size and make my life easier? Believe me, I wish I could. Lugging this beast around through airport terminals along with all of my other gear is absolutely brutal. But the truth is, with what my husband and I do for a living the only machines strong enough to do what we need are the juiced up gaming computers. And they’re not cheap. So having a piece of professional luggage that can keep a computer that size buffered while still being easy to remove for airport security was critical. And as I discussed in my travel bags for digital nomads article on Wise Bread, the search to find such a bag was not an easy one. So I was thrilled to find the Tenba large messenger.

These Tenba bags come with one of the better padded shoulder straps I’ve seen on the market.

If you’re not sure why this is a huge perk, then try loading a boatload of pro gear into your average duffel and carry it across your body for even a half mile. Crippling will be the word that comes to mind. Mind you, even with fantastic shoulder padding a loaded gear bag will still be heavy and a bit cumbersome. But at least these Tenba bags will distribute the weight more appropriately and keep your equipment organized in an efficient manner.

Another feature that immediately caught my attention was the Tenba messenger bag insert.

For those that need to carry around even a moderate amount of camera gear, the Tenba messenger bag insert is a Godsend. With padded sections that meet professional protective standards for your lenses and camera bodies, you can confidently carry your gear in the same bag as your laptop and other tech equipment such as cables, extra batteries and additional memory chips. Since the insert is removable, you can also store other items in the bag on days when you don’t need your full photography arsenal.

Note: Photographers who normally take several wheeled cases of various lenses and giant tripods will likely not be able to use this bag to carry their full range of equipment. The people I’m referring to here are those who make their living across multiple platforms and need to carry pro cameras along with screaming laptops, smaller video cameras and other writing supplies. That being said, if you have a multipurpose work day on your horizon and need only a lense or two along with a way to send the photos in to meet a deadline, then you can likely put the large Tenba messenger to use and justify its purchase.

The Tenba laptop messenger bag has a discreet access point for crowded areas.

This is pretty critical when you don’t want the entire coffee shop or group of surrounding tourists to see what you have for gear inside your bag. While this isn’t a good idea for anyone, it’s an especially bad idea for someone carrying their entire livelihood along for the day. A livelihood that would cost a small fortune to replace. The top zipper allows you to access your camera and other items without opening up the entire bag, and is one of my favorite features on Tenba bags in general.

The fact that the large Tenba messenger doesn’t look like a designer piece is a good thing.

It certainly looks like a nice piece of gear, don’t get me wrong. What I’m saying is the fact that it’s made of something that looks like ballistic nylon makes it stand out less. At most, the average person on the street might assume you do indeed have a laptop inside, but they would certainly never guess about your camera equipment. It’s the sort of messenger bag that looks like you’d have files, a few clothes and perhaps a few toiletries.

Where and when do I use my Tenba bag?

Well, for starters it comes along with me to any media event. Typically, those types of professional situations require anything from live tweeting and Facebook updates to photography, email access and the ability to meet outside editorial deadlines from the road. In short, I need access to all of my gear, all of the time.

Second, I typically pack up the Tenba bag whenever I head anywhere to work outside of the house for the day. This could be anywhere from my favorite coffee shop down the road, to an area bloggers’ meeting or lunch with a PR contact when I’m searching for story ideas.

Also, whenever we travel anywhere for the weekend or even to stay overnight with friends, the Tenba large messenger comes with me. When your professional and personal lives are as integrated as ours are, being able to crank out a quick article during a half hour of downtime or snag an unexpected yet iconic photo op with no prior warning is pretty critical to maintaining a location independent lifestyle successfully.

Sure, we’re still downsizing and figuring out where to go next from our Tampa Bay location. It’s been a crazy few years with flood recovery, bulldozing the lake house that got destroyed, finishing up my husband’s degree and transitioning into the second career stage of early retirement. But our work requires we hit the road quite often, and we’re also getting itchy international feet again. So equipment such as this messenger bag that allows things to flow seamlessly between travel and traditional home life is pretty critical to our long-term lifestyle mission.

Photo Credit: Amazon

Getting Around:

When it comes to navigation, we lean towards a hybrid approach which includes both traditional and techie solutions. There are many parts of the world that haven’t bothered to coordinate with app developers, so counting on the latest technologies will only get you so far. In addition to smart phone travel apps and your favorite GPS product, road atlases, local maps and MapQuest directions printed in advance should combine to provide you with all of the navigational support you need. When in doubt, call your hosts from the road or roll down your vehicle window and ask for additional directions the old fashioned way.

Research:

When problems arise that need a bit more time to solve such as construction detours or last-minute freelance assignments with an immediate turnaround, having access to Wi Fi is critical. If you have access through your wireless communications provider, fantastic. Many companies are stepping up these days with either tethering or traveling hot spot services. T-Mobile and Sprint are two such providers, Virgin Mobile is another.

If cell phone service sucks where you are (Hey, it’s been known to happen.), then search out a place to grab a coffee where the business is providing it for free. Panera Bread, Whole Foods, McDonalds and even Dunkin’ Donuts offer complimentary internet access, as do a number of shopping malls.

Information:

Local tourism offices and information bureaus are a great source of intel when it comes to searching out a great place to stay or have dinner in an unfamiliar place. Even the best researched vacations and business trips can hit a snag. Severe weather, construction delays, vehicle snafus and more have all been known to rear their ugly heads to interfere with my travel plans over the years. Chances are it will happen to you too, eventually. The other cool thing about tourism bureaus is they tend to have brochures on hand that include discount coupons for new visitors. Gotta love a bargain shopping opportunity when it presents itself.

Thrift Stores:

Speaking of bargains, North American thrift stores provide me with an affordable network of establishments within which to shop for things like sweaters, gloves and scarves when weather on the road takes an unexpectedly cold turn. Similarly, I can usually find some sort of luggage there if mine gets lost by the airline. It might not be comparable in price or functionality to what I have lost, but it can get the job done until I have a chance to file the reimbursement paperwork.

Store Locators:

I actually rely on these quite a bit. If we are in the middle of a long road trip, it’s extremely helpful to be able to find the nearest location of our typical go-to stores for things like Wi Fi, denim replacement, vegan fast food and more when an unplanned detour becomes necessary. We also use these to plan where on the route we can stop for an afternoon email check, and coordinate for fuel-up at the same time.

Do you have a favorite way to roll with the punches on road trips? Share your travel strategies below! We love hearing from you.

Photo Credit: Chovee

Markers: Historical markers provide free family entertainment, and the treasure-hunting experience of finding as many markers as possible during a particular trip. The Historical Marker Database lists plaques around the world, from Hawaii and British Columbia to Argentina and Kiribati. Georeader, a free smart phone application, provides information about individual historical markers you can listen to upon approach, making it a helpful travel tool to use while hiking, driving or riding a bicycle.

Charity: Volunteering for historical projects can provide significant travel savings compared to traditional daytrip adventures. Dr. Jessica Voigts of Wandering Educators, a web site for traveling teachers, favors the Caribbean Volunteer Expedition program, where travelers pay for their own expenses, but are allowed hands-on participation in the organization’s programs. Expeditions include archaeological projects, historic building restorations, and cemetery surveys throughout the Caribbean. Similarly, the Council for British Archaeology has a variety of volunteer programs available to travelers.

Inns: Historical inns allow travelers to immerse themselves in their destination’s past, at a cost that often trumps prices offered by modern resorts. Craig-y-Nos Castle in Wales for example, has rooms for less than $200 per night. The castle’s location allows easy access to the famed Brecon Beacons National Park, a nearby village from the Iron Age and multiple cave systems. St. Augustine, Florida is a walkable, seaside city pairing history with European charm and a high concentration of historic hotels. Innsofelegance.com lists several of them, including the notable St. Francis Inn. With room rates starting at less than $150, guests receive a gracious breakfast buffet, various beverage and snack offerings throughout the day, and free use of bicycles.

Walking Tours: One of the most affordable ways to see a city’s history is on foot. Londonwalks.com provides a variety of historical tours for less than $15, including such themes as Jack the Ripper, Shakespeare and the hidden older pubs of London. Boston’s historic Freedom Trail can be experienced with free, ranger-guided tours courtesy of the National Park Service, and the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society offers free walking tours throughout the city, including one of the historic Barbary Coast Trail.

Photo Credit: This image was photographed by the Trek Hound team, and is available through a creative commons license with our sister site, Pictures of Travel Places.

Storage: Choose luggage with extra storage compartments and pockets.  Space bags allow excess air to be squeezed out, making for more efficient storage. Compression sacks work similarly for things like sleeping bags. Clothing can provide storage for your travel gear as well. Cargo pants for example, can hold maps, rain ponchos, sunscreen and gloves.

Choices: Wrinkle-resistant wardrobe items made of thin fabrics suitable for layering provide the most options in the least amount of luggage space. Layering tees, leggings and tunics form the basis of several outfits for women, while conversion pants, turtlenecks and travel shirts with tabbed sleeves provide flexibility for men. Multipurpose items are also helpful. While traveling in Ayutthaya, Thailand, a thin sarong served as my skirt, towel, bathing suit cover, laundry bag and picnic cloth. My husband and I used military Recon Wraps – stretchy fabric tubes that fit over our heads – for face masks on a dusty Cambodian bus trip, and impromptu neck scarves during an unexpected cold snap in Jordan.

Size: Smaller travel items save room. Sea to Summit makes a compact travel clothesline which takes up less space than a deck of cards. Solid shampoo bars take up less room than the liquid version, and a similar approach can be applied to cosmetic products. I’m a huge fan of skipping liquid foundation in favor of compact, pressed powders, which store flat. For hostels and late-night reading, Petzl makes an extremely compact headlamp that goes the performance distance while still saving space.

Limits: Reduce the number of actual items you carry. Travel writer Shelley Seale took this to the extreme on a recent journey to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. With just six wardrobe items, she put together enough outfits for her entire trip. Seale selected a dress that could be worn alone or over pants, a short jacket that coordinated with everything, two pairs of summer slacks and two tops. The key to success with this strategy? Choose coordinating colors and styles.

Traveling with less luggage is definitely doable. What are your favorite strategies for accomplishing this frugal travel feat?

Photo Credit: 05com

Few devices have gotten as much buzz lately as Amazon’s new tablet, the Kindle Fire. With full-color access to digital magazine subscriptions, streaming video, Android apps and more for just less than $200, the price point seems poised for a huge presence in this year’s holiday sales figures. What finally convinced us to dish out the dough? Read on.

While the Kindle Fire doesn’t directly compare to the functionality of the iPad, it isn’t designed to. It’s an entertainment device with web access and minor communications functionality for a fraction of larger tablet’s price. Here are eight of the main reasons we decided to dish out the dough for the Kindle Fire, including how it fits in to our semi-nomadic lifestyle. 

The Kindle Fire fits nicely into our downsizing plans.

Since we gave up cable service years ago, and recently ditched the TV as well to consume media exclusively through laptops and smartphones, it’s nice to have something else we can use to stream video news coverage and other entertainment while we use our laptops for work. Also, we’re in the process of slimming down the rest of our belongings to be able to travel and work from the road for a while. Our Kindle Fire fits in with that lifestyle nicely.

We’re already an Amazon family.

David and I have been buying from Amazon since they first launched, have one of their credit cards and even used our reward points to dish out for the Kindle Fire we’re now enjoying. We also have the Amazon Prime membership which allows free unlimited streaming of a wide variety of television programs and movies. With the extensive content options available through Amazon, and the fact that we’re already about as comfortable with the company as a family can get, the decision to dish out for the Kindle Fire was a natural extension for us.

We didn’t already own a Kindle.

When the basic Kindle came out several years ago, the price point was relatively comparable to what the Kindle Fire costs now. At the time, we just couldn’t justify dishing out a couple of hundred bucks for something that was basically a reading device. That doesn’t mean we weren’t tempted, and it certainly would have been lighter than lugging multiple books along during our travels. We just weren’t convinced we really needed something that could only be used for one thing. However, with the ability of the Kindle Fire to surf the web, stream Amazon, Hulu and Netflix videos, display full-color digital magazine subscriptions and more, the $200 price tag seemed more reasonable. The fact that we can also read digital books on it is a bonus. There are also a number of newspapers offering free digital subscriptions which can easily be enjoyed on the Kindle Fire as well.

The Kindle Fire provides a reasonably-sized screen for launching Android-style apps.

While there are some apps I enjoy using on our smartphone, the truth is there are many I don’t bother with because I still find the screen a bit too small for comfort. One helpful feature of the Kindle Fire is its ability to run Android-style apps for things like Map Quest, Netflix, List Master Pro and Zinio, an app that lets you integrate digital magazine subscriptions not purchased through the Amazon platform. My husband uses that one specifically to enjoy his National Geographic subscription.

Document reading from the road.

Because the Kindle Fire provides users with an email through which to receive documents while traveling, it’s easy to approve and discuss items that need my immediate response. Can I still fire up the laptop and review them that way? Sure. But I have to wait for the entire system to fire up, which isn’t something I always have time for when I’m running errands or experiencing extremely short flight layovers. The Kindle Fire offers web access within seconds of turning on the device.

The price is right.

I remain unconvinced the iPad is an effective full laptop replacement, particularly for the price. Would I likely enjoy one if it landed in my life free of charge? Sure. But for five hundred bucks I can have an entirely separate laptop with full functionality. And to be honest, I also remain unconvinced of the benefits of the smaller netbook computers which cost more than the Kindle Fire as well. If I can’t have a full-sized keyboard, I don’t want to pay top dollar.

I know some people use the smaller netbooks and iPads with great success on the road, but everyone I talk to that is using those devices successfully for travel has work parameters that are radically different from mine. Because we require tools and belongings that let us live as seamlessly as possible between travel and home life, it’s critical that we’re able to accomplish everything on the road that we can from the home office. Netbooks and iPads just don’t make that happen. While it’s true that the Kindle Fire doesn’t either, it’s the first affordable device we’ve seen that works for those transitional times on the road where we don’t have time to fire up the laptop. Even the smartphone we’re looking to upgrade to costs more. So in the end, the price was a huge factor in finally taking the Kindle Fire plunge.

Access to additional entertainment and other web resources eliminated our resistance.

As I mentioned above, we had been tempted for some time to take the plunge with the basic Kindle, but didn’t feel it provided enough bang for the buck. The Kindle Fire’s easier access to the web and email than our smartphone can provide, streaming movies, international real-time news shows from places like Al Jazeera, and apps for family faves like the Weather Channel and Map Quest eliminated the resistance we had hung on to for years.

As Amazon Prime members, the added value really hit the Kindle Fire ball out of the park.

Because we already use Amazon’s services enough to make membership to their Prime program a huge financial value, purchasing the Kindle Fire gave us on-the-fly access to a couple of major perks. First, unlimited streaming video entertainment from Amazon’s extensive library set aside for Prime members. While there are still pay-on-demand videos for sale, a wide-reaching selection has been set aside on Amazon for access by those of us with a Prime account. They also have a digital book lending library that allows one free book per month to be downloaded to the Kindle Fire and other Kindle readers. Throw in the fact that I can seamlessly shop for gifts and have them shipped to family members while I’m on the road and the purchasing decision became even easier.

Will you find other opinions expressed for the Kindle Fire? Sure. Many of them are from the perspective of what the iPad does that the Kindle Fire doesn’t. While it’s certainly arguable that the device doesn’t provide the same functionality as its higher-priced counterpart, I didn’t really consider that the point when making my purchasing decision. I wanted a mid-range device that gave me a rapid-access method of getting things done on the road that were tedious from my smartphone.

If the company upgrades to a more elaborate device later, I’d certainly be interested. For now though, it’s tough to beat the price tag of the Kindle Fire for what it does, especially if you’ve priced higher-end Android or Blackberry devices. The decision we made was the right one for us, and we feel comfortable recommending it to busy parents, commuters and people with a lifestyle similar to ours.

Image Credits: Amazon.com

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