10 Ways to Reduce Your Holiday Expenses

As the holiday season ramps up, I'm trying to follow the advice of experts like Suze Orman, who helped me come up with 10 ways to spend less during the holidays. I especially appreciated Suze's cautionary advice that sometimes gifts can become burdens -- for example, if you're spending beyond your means, that $50 sweater can end up costing a lot more if you're not able to pay the credit card balance in full. Frightening, but true if your finances aren't in order.

And though it's easier said than done, it may be worth reminding ourselves why we're giving gifts in the first place. For ideas on how to stay within your budget this year, check out this GoodHousekeeping.com slideshow featuring 10 ways to cut costs on gifts, food (entertaining isn't cheap!), and yes, even decorations.

Photo by Amy Chen

How to Weatherize Your Home: 7 Busted Myths

After living in a newly-constructed Brooklyn apartment with radiant flooring to help me get through the (dreadful) New York winters, I'm now renting a two-bedroom house in Berkeley that was built in 1926. Though the Craftsman-style bungalow has been renovated, the insulation isn't great. So what's a renter to do?

I talked to several energy experts for this Bankrate.com piece about the myths of winterizing your home -- and learned a thing or two. From getting the scoop on air vent deflectors to discovering that ceiling fans have a "winter mode," I'm relieved that to find that there are blessedly inexpensive strategies to keep my energy bills from going through the roof. No construction required.

Travel Tips for the Holidays

I know, it's not even Halloween yet and people are already thinking about the winter holidays. In this Bankrate.com piece by Dana Dratch ("9 Ways to Manage Holiday Spending"), I shared some tried-and-true travel advice.

My biggest tip would be to cough up the extra money to fly nonstop. Blizzards have a funny way of occurring the busiest travel season of the year, and you don't want to deal with the extra stress of missed connections.

As for being flexible on travel dates, I've flown on Thanksgiving Day, when the airports were empty and the TSA agents were super-friendly. Upon seeing my slice of chocolate bourbon pecan pie that I was going to hand-carry onto the plane, the TSA agent joked, "No mashed potatoes?" A jovial TSA agent, imagine that.

Photo Caption: Last year's Snowtober, when it snowed in New York City a few days before Halloween
Photo by Amy Chen

Healthy Meals for Kids: Alice Waters Partners With Hyatt

Can vegetables and fruit be beautiful? After meeting Alice Waters earlier this week at Berkeley's Edible Schoolyard, I'm utterly convinced that they can be.

Waters has partnered with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts to create a three-course organic menu for kids. Here's what full-service Hyatt properties in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean will be serving up this summer, with Waters expected to dream up a winter menu next.

Salad: Romaine lettuce hearts with carrot curls and a radish rose, with lemon vinaigrette for dipping
Entree: Grilled chicken with pesto sauce, roasted potatoes, and cherry tomatoes
Dessert: Strawberry and orange slices served in a real orange cup

Photo Courtesy of Hyatt

The Alice Waters-inspired kids' menu ($16.95) is already available at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach and the Hyatt Regency Maui, with ingredients sourced locally according to the Chez Panisse founder's vision. Vacation calories don't count, we often joke. But as Waters pointed out Tuesday at the Hyatt media lunch in Berkeley, "[w]e have done a great injustice to (our youth) by feeding them food that isn't good for them."

Maintaining healthy food habits on the road isn't always easy when kids often have the option to order burgers every day. In Hyatt's new For Kids By Kids menu, the company has removed that temptation by taking the burger off its kids' menu. Though you can still request a burger off the adult menu (at half price for kids), the option just isn't staring children in the face at each meal.

If you've ever been overwhelmed by a bottomless buffet aboard a cruise ship or at an all-inclusive resort, it's clearly not just Hyatt hotel restaurants that could use a little bit of inspiration from Alice Waters. All this, of course, leaves the adults wondering if we'll get funny looks if we start ordering off the Hyatt kids' menu.

Below are some photos taken at the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, where I could hardly believe that I was passing a bowl of hummus to the food legend herself.



Photos by Amy Chen

Bucket List Trip: Hot Air Ballooning

When I heard that Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta was "the world's most photographed event," I talked a college friend into meeting me in New Mexico for the weekend. I dreamed about taking aerial photographs of the ascending hot air balloons. Unfortunately, my friend failed to mention that she was afraid of heights, so I had to settle for watching from the ground. Though the view of rising balloons was breathtaking, I promised myself that I'd get a bird's-eye view one day.

Fast forward about five years. Calistoga's Bennett Lane Winery recently announced plans to launch a winery-branded hot air balloon, so I jumped at the chance to redeem myself -- even if it meant waking up at 5 a.m.

Granted, I had second thoughts when signing the release of liability -- there was, of course, the threat of death or injury from the "capsize of the basket" but also the potential of getting arrested for trespassing upon landing. Hmmm.

Though heavy winds thwarted the first two attempts to launch the hot air balloon, the third time was definitely the charm. I expected my stomach to at least flip-flop as the balloon ascended, but I didn't even feel dizzy. In fact, the ascension was so smooth that I didn't notice we had left the ground until I saw that the neighboring balloon was several feet off the ground.

Perhaps VIP guest Tony La Russa (three-time World Series champion manager) said it best at the press conference, "Everybody has a bucket list and I scratched one today. I've always wanted to ride a hot air balloon."

My only regret? Due to our late start, our one-hour journey was cut short to 30 minutes and we weren't able to float across the Napa Valley as scheduled. Even so, the uplifting (sorry!) experience over Lake County was enough to tempt me to return to Albuquerque for Balloon Fiesta.

On a side note, my college friend met her soon-to-be-husband that weekend at Balloon Fiesta. Isn't life funny?



The Details: Bennett Lane Winery has partnered with Calistoga Balloons for one-hour flights that are scheduled to leave from a launch pad behind the winery (from $399 per person, with a Champagne brunch at The Restaurant at Meadowood and a tour, tasting, and picnic lunch at Bennett Lane Winery). Private packages are also available with limo transportation and reserve tastings (from $1,999 for two people). How to Book: 707/942-5758; www.calistogaballoons.com Photos by Amy Chen

Disclosure: I was a guest of Bennett Lane Winery for the media launch, but all opinions expressed here are my own.

Post-Labor Day Travel Savings

When Kelli Grant of SmartMoney.com asked me for destinations that cost less after Labor Day but still feel like summer, I felt a slight tinge of regret for blowing several vacation days earlier this summer. If I waited just a few months, I could've saved hundreds of dollars.

Read the article here on SmartMoney.com.

My first money-saving suggestion was Cape Cod. A few summers ago, I visited in August and sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Saturday. After chatting with the bartender at the Bramble Inn in Brewster, I learned that Saturday is the absolute worst day to travel for a weekend getaway since many weekly rentals "change over" on Saturday. Lesson learned.

My other suggestion was Hilton Head Island, which apparently has a lower risk of being affected by hurricanes than, say, the Outer Banks. As much as I love the idea of traveling to the Mexico or Caribbean during hurricane season (cheap hotels!), sometimes the uncertainty cancels out the relaxation. For example, just this week, Tropical Storm/Hurricane Ernesto swept through coastal Mexico and many tourists at Cancun resorts were evacuated, according to this Associated Press article.

Depending on your flexibility or travel needs, I probably would try to pick a vacation destination with slightly less risk. Then again, I was in Seattle last weekend and my return flight was oversold (thanks, United!). I ended up at the airport Holiday Inn eating some pretty terrible food, showering in my flip-flops, and taking the first flight out, which meant waking up at 4:45 a.m. Monday and heading straight from SFO to the office. When is it worth adding something like the potential of a hurricane to your travel stress? Only you can decide.

By the way, I second the suggestion of Hawaii, which was recommended by Courtney Scott of Travelocity. A few years ago, I spent Labor Day weekend on the Big Island with my mom. We tacked on a few days after the holiday weekend (the long weekend typically overlaps with my birthday, yet another perfect excuse to travel).

Photo Caption: A small beach facing one of the ponds in Cape Cod
Photo by Amy Chen

Summer Travel Gear: A Waterproof Camera

Beach vacations, lake getaways, city trips with summer thunderstorms -- there are some trips that require a waterproof camera.

Though I've been happy with my three-year-old Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP camera, I recently tested out the Samsung W300 ($139, www.amazon.com) waterproof pocket camcorder while traveling in Croatia.

When swimming in the Adriatic Sea, I was grateful to leave my DSLR in the hotel room and rely on the camcorder for video footage and surprisingly great still photos.

The Gist: The Samsung W300 camcorder is slightly smaller than an iPhone with a sturdy rubber grip. The buttons were easy to use even with wet fingers. Though my video footage out in the water had some wind noise, the camcorder shot solid HD video. The zoom was a bit jerky but I'm sure my unsteady hands didn't help.



The Samsung W300 is listed as waterproof to about 16 feet but I didn't test it beyond a few feet. It worked just as well in saltwater as in the pool -- no filmy residue built up on the lens. The underwater still photos were pretty clear considering it's technically a camcorder, not a regular point-and-shoot camera. Best of all, I was able to shoot about 50 minutes' worth of video over 10 days before the battery finally died. (I wasn't traveling with my laptop but I could've easily charged it via USB.)

Bottom line? This camcorder is so much more sophisticated than my waterproof Fujifilm point-and-shoot camera and much sleeker than the old FlipCams I have stuffed in a drawer. I was just sorry to have to return the camcorder to Samsung.

Photos & Video by Amy Chen

Smart Tips for Budget Travelers

I could talk forever about budget travel, so I was happy to oblige when the Chicago Tribune's Josh Noel contacted me for some quick tips. (Yes, I'm that person who was annoyed to see that a tourist shop in Venice charged me €2 for a bottle of water when I could get it for under €0.50 at a grocery store a few minutes away.)

Read the article here.

What can I say? It's flattering to have my money-saving tips included next to smart strategies from George Hobica (founder of Airfarewatchdog.com) and Marc Peyser (editor of Budget Travel magazine).

Photo by Amy Chen

Summer Travel: 5 Travel-Friendly Sunscreen Products

When it comes to flying to a beach vacation or a lake getaway, you need some travel-friendly sunscreen products that follow TSA's 3-1-1 rule. From Miami to Croatia, I tested out some samples.

Top from left: Control Corrective Day Cream SPF 30, part of the Sun and Sport Travel Kit ($82) or about $25 on Amazon.com -- The 2.5-oz. bottle held more than enough sunscreen to cover my body on a recent two-day beach trip to Rovinj, Croatia, where I swam in the Adriatic Sea. Bonus: The watermelon scent is a refreshing break from the coconut smell of other sun products.

Supergoop! SPF 40 Sunscreen Day Cream ($16, www.supergoop.com) -- After suffering an allergic reaction to other sun products, I've started using this 1-oz. travel-friendly size for my face. I like that it rubs in easily and doesn't make my face feel greasy. I also used this while in Italy in June, when temperatures in Rome reached above 90. Best of all, it didn't streak when I splashed my face with water to cool off.

Bottom row: Supergoop! wipes -- These space-saving towelettes are helpful for applying sunscreen to your neck and other hard-to-reach places.

Coppertone sunscreen stick -- Unfortunately this sunscreen stick dried out my face, but it worked fine on my legs during a trip to Miami's South Beach.

Aveeno -- When in doubt, I go with the 3-oz. Aveeno for my face. It's easy to find in drugstores in your destination for under $10.

Photos by Amy Chen

How to Keep Your Credit Cards Safe While Traveling

Traveling internationally is not the time to run into problems with your credit card. Yes, you already called your bank to add a travel note so your account isn't shut down, but what if you encounter any travel delays on the way home?

On a recent trip to Europe, my bank suggested that I tack on an extra day in case a canceled flight left me stranded overseas. Brilliant tip.

Read more smart ways to keep your credit cards safe in this piece by Dana Dratch, featuring advice from Peter Greenberg and yours truly.

Last-Minute Travel: How to Get to London for the Olympics

It's not too late to visit London for the Olympics — if you're willing to pay gold-medal prices. These travel experts reveal how you can still save a little money if you're London-bound.

Read the story on CNN.com. (UPDATE: After CNN and Money mag parted ways in 2014, the online story is now lost in cyberspace... You can see a version of the story here).

Thanks to these experts for their money-saving tips:

George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com
Ruthanne Terrero, editorial director of Travel Agent magazine
Kimberly Wilson Wetty, co-president of Valerie Wilson Travel in New York City
Adam Dailey of Ludus Sports
VisitLondon.com
Kayak.com

Photo by Amy Chen

How to Find Spring Travel Deals

For Money magazine's April issue, I chatted with a few travel experts about their secrets and strategies for nabbing spring savings. Here's the online version on CNN.com.

3 Ways to Plan a Spring Getaway for Less

1. Don't wait to visit Europe. Expedia's Jeremy Boore found that visiting the French Riviera in mid-May would cost 35% less than traveling in June or July. The analysts at Hotwire.com also pulled some numbers and came back with a solid 20% savings if you traveled to Dublin in May versus June.

2. Pick a package. The team at Travelzoo is always a good source for package deals that bundle airfare with hotels. But be aware that sometimes the included hotels aren't in the best locations; you may have to pay to upgrade to a nicer hotel in a better location.

3. Head to the Caribbean before hurricane season starts in June. Lastly, the folks at CheapCaribbean.com can get you to the Caribbean for less. Yes, prices will go even lower once hurricane season starts in June, but no one really wants to risk having their vacations get rained out. Traveling in May, on the other hand, was cheaper than in April: Prices in May dropped off by 24% when compared to an April departure -- all the more money to spend on those tropical drinks with paper umbrellas.

How to Plan a Romantic Getaway for Less

I was flattered to be included in Dana Dratch's piece on Bankrate.com: "Spend less on romantic weekend getaways".

In addition to reading great tips from Peter Greenberg and Travel + Leisure's Rich Beattie, you'll find some of my affordable ways to plan a romantic getaway:

-- Savored.com: Skip the Groupon or LivingSocial coupons to avoid the cheapskate label. Honesty may be the best policy in a relationship, but do you really need to let your partner know that you're saving 30% on the bill at Le Cirque? (And yes, Le Cirque is a participating restaurant.) Frugality isn't so romantic.

-- SelectRegistry.com: You could spend hours sifting through B&B listings on TripAdvisor, or you could look at this association's website of well-maintained B&Bs and inns. Don't expect to find lace doilies and outdated decor here. Instead, many of these B&Bs are done up with crisp duvets and modern furnishings -- think boutique, not tacky. And the breakfasts! We're talking omelettes, French toast, homemade pastries, and more as part of the included room rate.

-- Always compare packages to a DIY price before booking. I write about travel deals a lot and unfortunately, I reject more than I'm able to cover. To me, a package is a great deal only if you're saving money -- and it's more convenient than booking everything a la carte. Some packages have inflated prices and all too often, these packages include things that you won't end up using. Be honest with yourself. Will you redeem that restaurant credit or those museum passes? Or could you book just the hotel room at a lower price without the package? (If all you're looking for is convenience, then you're probably not traveling on a budget anyway.)

Photo Caption: On a beach in Santa Barbara over Valentine's Day. Photo by Amy Chen