Newflash – Signature9

How to Guarantee the Cheapest Ticket

Vanessa Quirk — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:18:18 +0000

You know the feeling. You wait and wait for a ticket price to go down, only to find you waited so long that it went up.

So you buy it. Only to find it went down, again.

Don’t let that sinking feeling in your stomach ruin your trip! Budget Travel has revealed the four sites you can use to get your money back when the Travel Industry goons get ya.

#1. For Vacation Packages: Travelocity just started a refund policy this past Wednesday giving you the price difference should you spot the deal for cheaper.

#2. For Flights: Yapta (a price-tracking Web Site) and TripIt (a free travel organizer) have paired up to alert you if you’re eligible for a refund after you’ve booked your flight. Just forward your itinerary to plans@tripit.com and Yapta will do the rest.

#3. For Hotelts: Both Yapta and Orbitz offer automatic alerts when others book a hotel for cheaper.

Don’t you love it when technology really does make life a little better?

Read the Full Story {Budget Travel}

White House/Green Christmas

Vanessa Quirk — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:42:08 +0000

Like many families trying to cut costs and think greenÂ this Christmas,Â theÂ Obamas haveÂ decided to eschew the traditionally opulentÂ decorations of White Houses past and go for a subtle, stylish look this Christmas season.

Instead of ordering mass quantities of ornaments and trees to deck the White House halls, the First LadyÂ decided to digÂ around the Presidential basement, re-use the 800 or so ornaments from previous administrations, have 60 community groupsÂ bedazzle them with local flavor, and then decorate according to the theme: “Reflect. Rejoice. Renew.”

While you may not have 800 ornaments in your basement (at least, we hope you don’t), this holiday season is the perfect time to take a leaf from the First Family’s bookÂ andÂ “renew” and recycle your old decor – allÂ in the name of good taste and green living, of course!

Return of the Jeti

Vanessa Quirk — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:24:13 +0000

Jet Blue’s at it again.

The enormously popular All You Can Jet Pass, a one-month $599 pass for unlimited travel on Jet Blue routes, Â finished up just a few months ago – but Jet Blue’s promised to bring it back (ETA still TBD).

The Passes, which sold like hotcakes this past August, caused a media maelstrom – the lucky pass-holders quickly started chronicling their travelsÂ on blogs and twitter accounts and became minor celebrities, earning the airline millions in publicity and a 700% increase of web traffic to their route map page.

If you’re curious to learn more, check out the blogs of the intrepid travellers – including this one of the man who travelled the entire month without leaving the airports. Our worst nightmare – but strangely enjoyable to experience vicariously.

ReadÂ theÂ Full StoryÂ {Jaunted}

Pride And Prejudice

Gabrielle Hennessey — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:33:38 +0000

Our friends across the pond have got it all right: Jill Berry, president of England’s Girl’s School Association, speaks out against those who may deride fashion as being shallow, pointing out that intelligence and an interest “in being seen [as] attractive… are not mutually exclusive.”

(Did you know that stunningly-beautiful actress Hedy Lamarr, for example, was an accomplished inventor who contributed to the development of wireless technology?)

Berry chides the tendency of people — irregardless of gender — to judge women harshly, instead encouraging a spirit of education and tolerance which allows women and girls to be who they want to be.

The “love thyself” philosophy is by no means new, but it’s something we could all learn to incorporate into our lives more often. Â Remember that fashion is something you put on to express your self and your ideas — not the other way around.

Read the full story {The Guardian}