No! I’m willing to bet that on more than one vacation, someone has come up to you and offered you something free to sit in on a timeshare sales pitch. If you ever wondered what that experience was like, today is your lucky day! I sat in one of these when I was fresh out of college. We’ll discuss what a timeshare is, followed by a pitch experience I endured in 2004, followed by some of the math. Then, we’ll round it out with thoughts from a friend of mine who loves his timeshare and uses it often. Table of Contents What is a Timeshare? What is a Timeshare Pitch Like? Why Timeshares Work for U ..read more

You may be familiar with the difficulties foreigners can have in obtaining U.S. visas. But did you know that foreigners can “buy” visa status in the United States and dozens of other countries? Referred to as “golden visas,” these countries offer citizenship in exchange for investment. Unfortunately, the price is on the steep side in almost every country. But if you have the funds and a great desire to live in a foreign country, obtaining a golden visa may be the best way to do it. Table of Contents What Is a “Golden Visa”? Other Golden Visa Requirements 1. Germany 2. Italy 3. Spain 4.&nb ..read more

Have you ever wondered how to rent a car without a credit card? Or if it’s even possible? Renting a car without a credit card may be necessary for some and a preference for others. Perhaps you’ve chosen to live your life without credit cards in the name of financial stability. Not everyone cares about earning credit card rewards and welcome bonuses. Or maybe you went through a rough financial patch and can’t get qualified for a credit card (if that’s the case, a good secured credit card may help you get your credit back on track).  No matter your reasons, the good news is that you don’t n ..read more

Chase has long been known for having some of the best cashback credit cards on the market – especially when you consider some of their best ones have no annual fee. Two that come to mind are the Chase Freedom Flex and the Chase Freedom Unlimited cards.  What can be chalelnging is picking which one is best for you because they are similar in many ways. They have the same welcome bonus, introductory offer, and neither have an annual fee. The key difference is in how they earn reward points: The Chase Freedom Flex gets 5% on rotating categories and then earns 1% on other purchases. The Chas ..read more

With the world reopening, travel credit cards are making a comeback and two of the best cards on the market come from Chase – the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve. While they’re both from Chase, they’re designed for slightly different travelers. Both offer a great rewards earning schedule. Both have annual fees. Both cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards on purchases, which if you’re new to “maximizing travel rewards,” Ultimate Rewards are the most valuable points for booking award travel in many instances. If you’re deciding between the two, this post will help you pick the bes ..read more

If you’re planning on traveling outside the country in the next few months, you’ll need to obtain a passport. It’s a fairly complicated process, and generally takes several weeks (or longer) to complete. Even if you’re not planning on international travel in the foreseeable future, it’s always a good idea to have a passport anyway. You can never know if you may need to travel outside the country on short notice. In addition, a passport can serve as personal identification in certain situations even here at home. Because of the time it takes, it’s always best to apply for a US Passport before y ..read more

New York City is a destination everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. Whether you enjoy culture, shows, shopping, or just amazing views from the top of some of the most iconic buildings, NYC has anything and everything for every kind of visitor. If you've ever had to go into Manhattan for work and don't go often, chances are you took a few extra days to check out the sights and sounds. If you haven't visited in many years, you'll recognize a lot of the famous places (Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, etc.) but a few new spots are popping up in re ..read more

In a recent article, I went over a few of the best travel insurance companies. I also chose World Nomads as our top pick because it offers the most flexibility in terms of coverage for adventure activities, price, and how they aren't just a corporate company, but are run by travelers themselves. All of these things put together make them an extremely valuable travel insurance company. They have been recommended by various large travel sites such as Nomadic Matt and Lonely Planet. And, if you look up “World Nomads Travel Insurance” in Google, you'll see a ton of other blogs with review articles ..read more

If you want to travel outside the United States, you’re going to need a U.S. Passport from the U.S. Department of State. According to the State Department, nearly 12 million passports were issued in 2020 (in a pandemic year!). Overall, there are 145 million passport holders out there. Some are traveling the world. Others are collecting dust. But if you want to join of the international traveling citizens, it’ll cost you. I recently had to renew my passport a few years ago before a trip and was surprised at the cost, after having not done it for so long! If you’re planning on traveling within s ..read more

I love living so close to BWI Airport. It's about a twenty-minute drive from our house and after I got TSA PreCheck, I know I can be through security in about ten minutes. I don't fly a lot, maybe a dozen times a year, but I'm always thankful to have PreCheck. The TSA PreCheck at BWI (at least the one that is open) is at the B Concourse. Right next to the TSA PreCheck line is the CLEAR line. It never has a line. The TSA PreCheck line moves pretty quickly but nothing beats no line. As soon as someone with CLEAR walks up, a representative helps them use the computers to authenticate, then they g ..read more