Tica Travels: Keep it Movin' Part Dos

BOLT BUS vs MEGABUS...WHO WINS?

Our faithful follower, Christy, ignited this second battle between Bolt bus and Megabus on Part Uno of Keep it Movin'. Both companies are neck-to-neck in competition, so come get the STATS on each company and see which one fits your travel style and personality! With Memorial Day right around the corner, this information is timely!

Also, check out these tips for Surviving Budget Bus Travel, to prepare for your trip.

Decide who wins this epic battle by checking out my latest post on Centric TV here! Please feel free to leave a comment using your FB account on Centric, or come back here to show some love!

Happy Riding!

Fun Friday! Meet the Team

In honor of Administrative Professionals Week, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge all of those who help to make Her Journey what it is.

An extra special thank you goes out to Tracey, who is the Her Journey right hand woman. She jumped right in from day one. Bringing her creativity, a unique voice and love of travel, she continues to be a tremendous asset to the team.

Each bringing their own voice of expertise, the other contributors have been a pleasure to work with and have added so much to the Her Journey blog:

Special thanks is due to Andrew of Straight Design for showing of his design genius with every issue.

We also want to send a Thank You to all of our guest contributors.
And of course to all of you readers!

This has been an amazing journey and we look forward to continuing on a journey to somewhere even greater.


Image found here

Tica Travels: Keep it Movin'-Part Uno

I hope you're ready to save some money with this episode of Tica Travels where I keep it local and share the pro's and con's of travelling state-to-state with certain bus companies.
Even if you own a car, consider releasing your gas money worries, call your girlfriends and schedule a weekend road-trip the old-school way (you know, before you had a license). More than saving gas and money, you'll have more time to chat with your girls, update your social networks, and read your favorite blogs!

If you're a frugal traveler like me, you appreciate getting away for mini-weekend getaways from time to time. The luxury of living in a big city is that at any given time of the day there are countless ways of getting in and out-- by air, land, and even sea. If you only have one weekend to spare you might not want the hassle of taking a flight and might decide a road-trip to a neighboring state might suffice. Even if you don't own a car it's no biggie- taking the subway, taxi, or city bus to any major bus terminal or stop is only a Metrocard/credit car swipe away. If the classic Greyhound bus is still above your price range, have no fear the top two leading competitors are here.

Welcome to the "Chinatown" Bus vs "Bolt" Bus battle.



The "Chinatown" bus is not an official company name. Chinatown simply refers to the people who run these buses and the location that they're operated in. If you're familiar with any major city in the East you know they all house their own unique Chinatown. On the East Coast, these buses pick you up in one Chinatown and a couple of hours later, leave you in a next. Bus companies include: Lucky Bus and Fung Wah in Boston, MA, MVP Bus and Washington Deluxe in Washington DC and New Century Travel in Philadelphia, just to name a few. The man behind the wheel is almost always Chinese and that's another way to distinguish the buses. These operations might seem hush-hush by the lack of online information (don't expect to reserve your seats ahead of time for most) but make no mistake these companies have been in place since the late 1990's and they will be around for a long time to come!

CHINATOWN BUS STATS:

With round-trip Service includes:

• NY to Boston
  
• NY to Washington, DC


• NY to Baltimore


• NY to Philadelphia


• NY to Norfolk


• NY to Albany


• NY to Wilmington


• NY to Richmond, VA

PRICE:

Hands down unbeatable! Starting at $15 (one way tiks) and even $20 round-trip service for some destinations.

COMFORT:

You better hope the person in front of you is not a reclinee… because you just might be forced to recline your seat just to breathe.

When nature calls, don’t answer!

Make sure you stretch before you sit and bring some extra cushioning for that tush!

SAFETY:

These buses are operated by the scariest drivers ever in the history of ever. The upside: at least you’ll be at your destination 15 minutes early!

LUXURIES:

Your own personal plastic garbage bag attached to the hand rest.

On the right hand corner:

The Bolt Bus phenomenom began in March 2008 and it was Greyhound's profitable response to service more budget-friendly travelers. Bolt bus boasts newer-model coach buses, ample legroom so it gives you the feel of the classic Greyhound ride but at a fraction of the cost. The downfalls? Sporadic trips per day and less destinations (compared to the Chinatown bus). See how Bolt measures up below.

Bolt Bus Stats:

Service includes:

• NY to Baltimore


• NY to Boston


• NY to Greenbelt, MD


• NY to Philadelphia and Cherry Hill Mall


• NY to Washington, DC
  

PRICE:

Not as cheap but still very reasonable. Prices fluctuate depending on demand and supply. On any given weekend the cheapest one-way may start from $18, but it can go lower depending on your destination and how full your bus is. The $1 Fare hype is a fluctuating feature that is supposed to occur on at least 1 seat per trip. The more people book tiks on that bus, the higher the tik prices go meaning you’ll most likely score a deal like this during low-season travel times/dates.

COMFORT:

Reasonable space between seats. Bathrooms are generally clean and functional.

SAFETY:

No adrenaline rush here. Drivers actually greet you (and don't grunt) when you say hello.

LUXURIES:

Greatest selling point. If you get bored quickly or get carsick while reading a book there’s:

1. FREE WI-FI

2. OUTLETS.

Also for those anxiety-ridden folks-on this ride you reserve seats and buy tickets online. You'll even get a trusty confirmation number (Additional perk: Take 4 round-trips within a year and 5th one is free!)

So, who wins the battle between Chinatown Bus vs. Bolt Bus? Only your wallet can decide.

Tracey Calvo Clarke, 24, was born on a Rich Coast (Costa Rica) and transported to the Big Apple (NYC) at the age of 7. Currently, she's a Contributor and Coordinator for Her Journey Magazine and its supplemental Blog. She is also a regular Travel Contributor for Centric TV's Culture List Blog. Her labor of love can be found here: Tica Tattleteller.

Fun Foto Friday

Can you guess where the Her Journey Team is now?



Surprise give-away to the first person who answers correctly and is a follower!

Tica Travels: Dinner in Philly

Welcome to the first episode of "Tica Travels", brought to you by Her Journey's very own Tracey! If you read my article in Her Journey’s Anniversary Issue entitled "Pura Vida" you might remember that ticos/ticas refer to people from Costa Rica. I am a proud Costa Rican by blood, born with a desire to learn more about the world through affordable travel. Two times a month, I will bring you new insight from not only a "physical" travel experience, but also any personal enhancement journey I may be undertaking.

I've never been to Philly during the day. I've not yet spent any real substantial time in Philly- our first introduction came in the form of a stop-over on a drive back from Virginia at like 2 or 3AM. Let's just say-- the irony of rats and drug fiends inside the famous Love Park, where the statue resides, left me scratching my head.

But, last Thursday night, Philly almost reedemed itself. In the name of spontaneity the boo asked me to hop on a bus and meet him there for dinner. I must admit, my natural reaction was to complain about how tired I was after a long day of work. But considering the alternative (Chinese food stop before heading home to watch the stupid box) I chose the adventure instead. I couldn't even complain about how late I would be getting to bed, because I have a habit of squeezing the most time of my nights, mostly because I feel like there's never enough R&R time during the weeknights.

The ride down alone transformed me into the silent watcher. Well, more like watcher, listener and note-taker. The perfect sociologist. Instead of tuning out with headphones, my cell phone, or my current read (Sidney Poitier's Measure of a Man), I took in all the sights, sounds and smells the marvelous Chinatown bus has to offer.

Funny how much our world has to offer us if we just took the time to unplug from the world of digital information. I didn't let the 18-month old squeaking baby boy across from me annoy me, I mean, isn't squeaking your real job at that age anyway?
Seated in front of the mother and baby, sat a tall black man, who had tried his luck at conversation with the young lady who occupied the seat before he sat down. When he realized he wasn't going to get very far, he simply advised her that if his music gets too loud, she should free to ask him to turn it down. She had headphones of her own on, so really, he should have told that to the 4 people in his vicinity, without headphones on. Including me. I then noticed the black woman primping in the seat behind me-- I assumed she was preparing to see someone special, and then started to wonder why I wasn't doing the same as she...

"We were all people from all walks of life, with one thing in common, we all had the City of Brotherly Love on our minds."

I arrived at the Chinatown bus station in Philly, a place equipped with no heat, the dirtiest bathrooms known to woman, and a fully-lit and decorated Christmas tree. My boo is waiting there with a Zipcar, and we made our way to dinner.

We arrived at Alma de Cuba, a fancy-shmancy "Modern Latin cuisine" restaurant in which the chef, the boo shares, beat Bobby Flay in his famous Throwdown show. The decor is beautiful. I feel under-dressed with some plain black work pants, a sweater, and some Diesel's but because this was a spontaneous outing, I'm not too concerned about it. We are seated on the second floor, check out the menu, decide on some chicken (for me) and beef (the boo) combos and wait in anticipation.


Alma de Cuba gets an "A" on presentation, for sure. The first thing that came out was yucca bread, an Ecuadorian favorite for me! They were delicious, not compared to the real deal I had back in Guayaquil, but pretty darn close! Our appetizers, my Black Bean soup and the boo's Sancocho soup were next. My Grandmother would not have approved of my soup, simply because the beans were still intact, and I agree, black bean soup should not look like a side of beans with sour cream on top. You gotta mush those suckas up! The sancocho soup was okay, if you like coconut flavored broth.



For the main course we had the Chicken Combo (marinated grilled breast over "Arroz Imperial") and Vaca Frita or "Fried Cow" (skirt steak with onions, black beans and white rice), the boo also had a side of more rice, "Respado de Arroz con Pato" which basically looked like a batch of leftover rice, mixed with vegetables and duck and toppled with a runny egg on top (needless to say I had none). I would say dinner got 3 stars out of 5. The rice that came with my chicken was very potent with flavor, too much for even a seasoned Afro-Latin woman like me! The boo said the steak was good, something to be had only once in a while, because we all know how long it takes for beef to digest. We were both full well into lunch the next day!




My favorite part of dinner was dessert, a pumpkin dessert, which I had never seen offered anywhere! It had goat cheese, some piece of "sugar glass" sticking out of it, and "Pepita" ice cream. I don't know who the heck Pepita is, but she knows a thing or two about good ice cream...Check this beaut out...


Well, that brings me to the conclusion of this week's Tica Travels. Overall, Alma de Cuba gets 3 1/2 stars from me, for originality, presentation and taste. This place might leave a big hole in your pocket, but for the dessert and yucca bread, I would say it's worth it. There's also a lounge area on the first floor, which means that you don't have to go there and buy dinner at all. Maybe you won't get complimentary yucca bread, but the flavorful Latin soundtrack, projected photos of random Spanish people I couldn't recognize and intimate atmosphere of the place might be what the "Soul of Cuba" is all about.



To follow Tracey's personal blog, check out Tica Tattleteller. If you have a travel story you'd like featured on our blog, e-mail herjourneyblog@gmail.com with your submission. Love Park picture courtesy of Fairmount Park website.

'Tis the season to be... Broke?!: 6 Smart Saving Tips for the Holiday Season

Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the season, came and went. Many people brag about how much money they saved in exchange for waking up early and waiting in the cold on long lines. But what’s the point of “saving” all that money on Black Friday, just to go into debt a month later shopping for Christmas gifts?

I’m sure we all don’t mean to spend as much as we do, but this year let’s try to turn intention into action. Here are 6 simple tips on how to make this Christmas more jolly and less stressful on you and your bank account.

1. Try to limit your gift giving to family and closest friends. If you’re a gift-giver like me it might be tough to limit the amount of people you shop for, but you should use the recession to your advantage. It won’t be around for long! Categorize your gift giving to those people who absolutely desire store bought gifts (ie: toys for kids), those who can appreciate homemade gifts, and those who will cherish the thoughtful nature of a personalized card.

2. Make a shopping list and don’t depart from it! Identifying what you’re going to buy ahead of time (ideally before you enter the store) saves the last-minute pressure of buying because you need “something” to give.

3. Once you have a list and ideal budget, make a commitment to it! There’s no excuse for not taking a couple of minutes to sit down with pen and paper and estimating the amount of money you feel comfortable spending this holiday season. Count on the money you already make and have in your account, instead of any bonuses or credit limit you’re hoping to increase.


4. Carry cash instead of debit or credit cards. It’s a sure way to keep from spending more than what you’ve allotted for your Christmas budget. If you have a hard time disciplining yourself, this is a great way to make sure you don’t have access to money you shouldn’t be spending. Some people believe that psychologically, the plastic “tricks us into forgetting we are deducting money from our account,” so this year use paper instead of plastic.

5. Do not open store cards. According to Accion USA, “Many people find that their credit score goes down in January, and the dip in the score is usually due to two reasons:
1. High balances on their credit cards (from used credit and unpaid balances)
2. The amount of inquiries in their reports is relatively high (don’t be deceived- 10% off your first purchase is not worth the drop in your credit score when opening several new cards in a short period of time)."

6. Remember, Christmas is just one day- Is it financially sound to go into the New Year in debt over gifts? Can some of those on your “store bought” list wait 2 days after Christmas to get their gifts? If so, why don’t you wait to catch those after-Christmas sales? Think about the bigger picture instead of whoever might be upset at you and “de-friend” you on FaceBook because you sent them an e-card instead of the generic soap and lotion set you usually send them. Focus on beginning 2010 in good financial standing, let positive spending habits spill over into the New Year.

To a happy and financially healthy holiday season,

Her Journey Team

Tracey Calvo Clarke, 24, enjoys stumbling upon great writing, food, and travel deals. Her ideal job gives her the freedom to write about travel experiences, personal enhacement and entertainment events. She has been a member of Her Journey's Support Team for about 6 months and looks forward to seeing what's in store for the magazine

Serving on Thanksgiving Day

Have you ever stopped to think about the word "Thanksgiving"? It's a compound word made up of the abused word "thanks" and undervalued word "giving." Although most of us "give thanks" (sometimes consciously as a pre-cursor to eating by praying or simply by thanking the cooks/contributors for a meal well prepared) how many of us actually perform a substantial act of service on Thanksgiving? On the contrary, how many selfish statements do we make on Thanksgiving Day?

"Today is Thanksgiving, my day off to relax"

"When is the food going to be ready, I'm starving!"

"Run to the store and get what? I have to find an open supermaket in this cold?"

"Who's washing the dishes? Not me!"

How about changing your mentality this year from Thanksgiving as a verbal assertion to Givingthanks as an action? For some, it is hard to recognize that we are taking our home and families for granted. We just expect that Mom/Pop or Grandma are going to cook every year, that cleaning up the house before our relatives get there is enough service on our part, and that there will be sufficient money for such an occasion every year. This year, don't let setting the table or taking the garbage out at the end of the night be justified "enough" help from your part. Service, ideally, should begin at home.

Here's a couple of ways you can "give" more at home, what I like to call In-house services:

1. Ask your parents/relatives if there's anything they would like you to do throughout the day, and when they ask you to do that and more be a cheerful giver.


2. Have rugrats running around your house on Thanksgiving? Sit down and engage them in a game (For ideas and printables visit: Nickjr.com) instead of warning them to keep out of your room.


3. Offer a service to someone in your family who you know lacks it (for example: a ride if you have a car, an outing with a younger cousin if you have extra cash) Remember, your time is a valuable gift. All gifts are not monetary.

If you're already satisfied with your in-house services, consider extending your gift outside of your home. Think about the thousands of people this year who won't have a choice between pumpkin pie or apple pie, white meat or dark meat. Instead, they must visit soup kitchens and be grateful with whatever food is served to them. There is something about physically volunteering yourself and being humble enough to receive instruction in order to make someone's Thanksgiving Day a bit more comfortable. Doing a bit of research to find the right organization that fits your availability might be a bit challenging, but the pay-off is definitely worth it! Start with your local churches (they most often offer weekly soup-kitchens) and ask them if they are serving Thanksgiving meals. For those living or planning to stay in the NYC Metro Area, the Bowery Mission's Thanksgiving Volunteer Registration is now closed, but they have another list of opportunities on their website. Also, New York Cares and Volunteer NYC highlight chances to serve this upcoming week.

Happy Volunteer Hunting and Givingthanks Day!

Tracey Calvo Clarke, 24, enjoys stumbling upon great writing, food, and travel deals. Her ideal job gives her the freedom to write about travel experiences, personal enhacement and entertainment events. She has been a member of Her Journey's Support Team for about 6 months and looks forward to seeing what's in store for the magazine.