Long gone are the days you need to depend on somebody for something. We have access to everything at our fingertips via marvelous apps! Travel agents were your go to for planning trips but if you are a DIY person, then I’ll share my top 5 apps that even I, a travel agent, use even booking flights. I’ll also show you my process!

**Hopper

I want to mention that on Hopper, you don’t book flights. But it does help me with finding the best time to buy a flight if I have to caught on to an airline’s pricing schedule yet. Just search flights and track prices until you see a good deal.

Kayak

Kayak is considered old but it keeps itself up to date with up and coming new apps. I use it because it’s not complicated an it has that beautiful calendar that shows you if it’s cheaper or expensive to fly on certain days. It’s sort feature is like no other too! I made an account with them a while back and even now when I book flights, rent cars, plan...

The travel industry was deeply affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Flights were canceled, countries closed borders, refunds were made. However, cruise lines may have been hurt more than any other. ALL CRUISE LINES canceled sails and dreams of eating and dancing while at sea were canceled too. Cruising is slated to return in Spring 2021. There are new guidelines for ships that plan to sail in US waters. Here are just a few ways cruising — when it comes back — will be different during the pandemic (and maybe beyond).

1. Length of Cruise. There will be a cap of days out at sea. Gone are the 14 days and more.  The new maximum number of days is seven. 
2. Temperature Checks. There will be temperature checks before almost everything. Getting on and off the ship, before meals and excursions will be met with a quick scan of the forehead. 
3. Social Distance. Cruises are great places to meet a lot of people in a short amount of time. That will not be encouraged....

There have been some new updates when it comes to entering the USA! As of January 26, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) latest requirement that all U.S. bound air travelers test negative for coronavirus within 72 hours of departure.  One more item to add on your list of things to keep up with while abroad. Don’t worry! Many destinations are ready! Some of them have already required travelers to arrive COVID free.  They even have resources for you to test upon arrival. They are ready to test us before we leave accommodate us upon positive results. Here are a few tips to make sure you are traveling stress free and can get tested before coming back to the USA.

1. Stay at an all inclusive hotel/resort! Please know this is all I prefer to book anyway!  As a busy person in every day life, I don’t want to worry and stress over food, drinks, activities, and now a COVID test! Many of these resorts have complimentary testing!  You...

So many people have sworn off traveling during this pandemic. It could be out of fear or they feel they are doing their part to stop the spread! Others, such as essential workers, might need to travel for their job. Some people reunite with family members, and if you’re anything like me and my family then you might be going stir-crazy at home and just need a vacation. Below are a few tips to help you stay safe.

1. Do your research to stay informed

Before traveling, you should research how the pandemic is affecting  destination so that you know what you're getting into BEFORE you get there. Are you allowed to visit? What requirements are needed? Do you need to test before going?

Research will also allow you to follow the local law and not end up in jail like some travelers have done recently. Is there a curfew? Is there a certain mask the find unacceptable? Are their any maximum capacity rules for areas? Do I have to quarantine once I arrive and for how long? 

...

1. Check the hotel’s website so they can give you a summary of their COVID precautions. Some things are mandatory masks worn by employees, hand sanitizer dispensers everywhere you look, and less traffic of housekeeps in your room.
2. Try to make reservations at a hotel that has keyless entry. My recent trip included a stay at a Hilton hotel. I was able to pick my room via the app and did not need a key card to open my room. My phone unlocked it for me.
3. Try to choose a hotel with no carpet. There’s no true way to confirm...

Saturday mornings, loud music, cleaning products in hand, and washing machine going all day was how I grew up! Ugh, I couldn't stand it.  I promised myself I would not do this once I graduated from college and got a nice job! Skip to adulthood, I kept my promise. I pay for someone to clean my home and a laundry service that wash/dry/fold my laundry to free up time for my kids and me. Yet During this quarantine, I have stopped “non-essential” traffic to my house to protect my babies. My nanny (who also did light cleaning) is gone and so is the cleaning and laundry company (for now).  I seem now to have more “free time” at home to clean and take care of my kids all while maintaining full-time employment.  As if homeschooling wasn’t enough to pull out my hair, add cooking and cleaning to the list. I decided to come up with a cleaning schedule so I can enjoy more weekends in my bed binge-watching shows on  Netflix.

Below is a printable...

Side Hustle is a job that you can work on top of your full-time job. It is a flexible second job that brings in money, but it is also typically something that you are passionate about, that you don't get to pursue in your main job. ... Maybe teaching music lessons after work is the right side hustle for you. Problem is, with obligations, debt, and high healthcare costs, we tend to be afraid to leave our full-time job with benefits. Sometimes we need more flexibility to work the side hustle when you can due to home situations too. Why pay for night-time childcare to do a side hustle away from home? Why sacrifice quality time with friends and family due to a side hustle not that takes all of your free time? Here are 5 side hustles you can do from home and the average amount they pay per hour while working a full-time job.

 

1. Sell your things and other people’s things online- You’re home now and look around and see what you don’t need. ...

So You’ve decided to do a side hustle to reach whatever financial goal you created. Some will have money goals, travel goals, and like me,  plan to fire their boss in a year or two. Well, goals that aren't written down are dreams. If you plan on turning your side hustle into a full-time gig and starting your own business, you should start off with a business plan.

Oh Em Gee! Really?! A business plan?! Aren’t they like thirty pages long, boring, and have graphs? I promise you,  big named companies like Target, Amazon, and Apple weren’t only successes due to ideas of the creator’s thoughts. They had to have a plan written down. Plus side is, for now, you can start with a one-page business plan. As your company grows, mission changes, or need investors, you can add on the other twenty-nine pages.

What is important now at this stage is 1. Identifying your product/service, 2. The need for it, 3. Your claim to fame, 4. Expenses and sales, 5. Marketing 6....