Travel Credit Cards Worth A Look In 2013

by Chris Owen on

Having the right travel credit card can save hundreds of dollars via rewards, low interest rates, and credit-building capabilities. Knowing which one to choose is another matter. The right choice can make a significant contribution to our travel budgets. This week, online card comparison site Card Hub released its list of Best Credit Cards for 2013, a number of which are designed with travelers in mind.

Here are a few of the highest-rated cards that the experts at Card Hub say we should consider.

At the top of the list for travelers, the Capital One Venture Card, has long been one of the most popular and rewarding credit cards. This one provides those with excellent credit the equivalent of 2% cash back across all purchases. Spend $1,000 during the first three months to score a $100 initial rewards bonus. A $59 annual fee doesn’t take effect until the second year.

The PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express Credit Card, also designed for those with excellent credit, has the miles equivalent of 5% cash back on airfare purchases, regardless of the airline flown. Unique to this card, benefits can be redeemed for either cash or travel. That’s a flexible option that not all cards offer.

“It therefore saves you from having to peruse rewards flights in order to see how much your miles are worth and provides far more redemption flexibility than most other cards in its class,” said CardHub in a statement.To get the PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express Credit Card, travelers with great credit will need to join the Pentagon Federal Credit Union (anyone can) for a $15 fee.

PenFed also has a Platinum Rewards card that is one of the best gas credit cards on the market. Road trippers will like the equivalent of 5% cash back on every dollar you spend at stand-alone gas stations with no annual fee.

Not so “excellent” in the credit arena? There are cards for you too.

Travelers with limited or no credit might like Capital One Cash Rewards for Newcomers. This non-student card is good for consumers just starting to establish their credit worthiness, as it does not charge an annual fee but still offers 2% cash back on travel as well as 1% on everything else. That combination can often be hard to find.

Students might like the Journey Student Rewards card from Capital One. This one is designed to give rewards and encourage good credit practices at the same time.

In addition to generous rewards without charging an annual fee, the Journey Student Rewards card from Capital One also promotes good habits. On top of the 1% base rate you earn on all purchases, you get a 25% rewards bonus each month you make an on-time payment.

Bad credit? All is not lost. Secured or partially-secured cards can be the way back from dark credit days

The fully-secured Harley Davidson Secured Credit Card is one of the best secured cards on the market. Normally marketed to people with bad credit, this fully secured card is unique in that it gives rewards and does not charge an annual fee. After 12 months of responsible use, cardholders may be considered for an unsecured credit card.

Capital One Secured MasterCard is actually a partially-secured card. Charging a $29 annual fee, making it the least expensive partially-secured card on the market, cardholders may get a credit line that is in excess of their security deposit, giving you more available credit and expediting the credit building process.

Before applying for any cards, be sure to know the details and limit the number of cards applied for. Excessive inquiries into your credit worthiness can hurt your ongoing credit score.

Looking for more sources of travel credit card information? CreditCardCouncil.com offers these suggestions:


[Photo Credits- Flickr user Andres Rueda]

Video Of The Day: People Of The Coral Triangle

by Libby Zay on

In today’s video of the day, filmmaker James Morgan follows the people of the Bajau Laut, one of the last nomadic marine communities in the world who move between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. These countries are part of the Coral Triangle, a roughly triangular geographic area that is called the “Amazon of the seas” because of its marine biodiversity. As you’ll see in the video, the people of the Bajau Laut spend most of their time living in boats, but their way of life is being threatened. Press “play” to find out more.

To Find Discounts On Travel, Know The Lingo

by Chris Owen on


Discounts on travel commonly come from a travel service provider’s attempt to promote their business. An airline may have extra seats to fill so they discount them, offering a better value. Hotels promote traditionally slow occupancy times in one way or another and cruise lines do much of the same. But how do we know what is really a good deal or just an effort to encourage us to buy?

Start by learning the difference between “special” and “featured” when considering travel pricing. Its a tactic other businesses have used for decades, one we expect to see in travel more in the coming years.

“Special,“ in the world of travel, will most often translate to “discount,” offering the same travel product for less.

Travelocity, for example, has a cruise vacation special that came to an end recently where buyers could get up to $500 cash to spend on their sailing, based on the price paid. Assuming that price is competitive, that’s adding value to the deal by giving us more than we paid for.

“Featured” in the world of travel services, commonly highlights destinations, modes of travel and other offerings by a travel company that they want us to know about. “Featured” may or may not be sold at a discounted price.

Hertz car rental, for example, has a weekend, unlimited mileage car rental deal featured. It’s priced at $14.99 per day on an economy or compact car when you pick-up from Thursday through Sunday at select participating airport or neighborhood locations.Easy way to remember: A restaurant’s “special” is commonly a bundled offering that, if priced separately, would cost more. That restaurant’s chef may have created a fabulous new menu item so it is being “featured” on the menu today.

This is just one small piece of the discount on travel puzzle, but an important one.

Except for travelers who have never been anywhere, ever, “feature” pricing most often deserves no more than a passing glance. Spend that time on travel products that offer “special,” not normal pricing where actual gains can be made.

Some other terms to know the difference between are “value-based” or “cost-based” pricing, as explained in this video-



[Photo Credit- Flickr user miskan]

Gadling Gear Review: Pelican Elite Tablet Backpack

by Pam Mandel on

When you see the baggage handlers hurling your suitcase on the car or you watch a fellow passenger trying to crush their carry-on to the already packed overhead bin, you start to ask yourself: is it time to switch to hard-sided luggage? Pelican makes super rugged packs that are something of a compromise. Your heart won’t lurch in your throat as you remember that you left your tablet in your pack at the same moment that the bus driver hurls it up on to the luggage rack, but there are some tradeoffs.

The U140 Urban Elite Tablet backpack is built around hauling your tablet from A to B and getting in there in one piece. It’s got a hard-shell, a plastic case built right in. There’s a divider to keep it separate from your keyboard, if you’ve got one – it’s removable or you can keep it as a little extra padding. The compartment clamps shut – it is not going to fall open, but you could add a cable tie or a padlock, if you’re feeling extra security conscious. Your iPad or netbook will be well secured; that’s for sure.

The rest of the pack has your typical daypack features. The front pocket has lots of compartments and sleeves for your phone, your business cards, the kind of stuff we all carry around. There’s a sleeve-like middle pocket where you could stow any paperwork or a sweater, but it’s a little shallow – you’re not going to get a lot of bulky stuff in there. If you pack carefully, you might be able to stow a change of clothes, but it’s going to be tight and you’ll have to be a master folder. You can strap your jacket (or beach towel) on to the bottom of the pack and there are lash hooks on the side that do not feature a water-bottle pocket.When you flip the pack over, there’s another compartment at the back. You could absolutely stow a minimal photography kit in here. There are no dividers provided, so you’ll have to figure out your own system, but I was able to get my DSLR with the 300 lens in there, no problem. You will have to take off the pack to access that pocket, but it’s a great place for things you’d like to secure and don’t need ready access too.

The back of the pack (where that lumbar pocket is) and the straps all have comfortable padding on them. Everything is adjustable for fit. There’s a chest strap, but no waist strap – I’m a little surprised by that given that you could be carrying quite a bit of weight.

The weight is the thing you’ll sacrifice on with the Tablet Elite pack. It’s heavy. The built-in case, the plastic handles and grips … it weighs just short of seven pounds. There are scenarios where it’s worth making the trade off around weight. Any traveler who’s mentally inventoried the contents of their pack while watching it sail off a roof or hearing it slide around in the bus hold or… let’s just say it’s not a good feeling. I watched the backpack holding my camera drop to the floor from a coat hook once. There was a sickening crunch and later, I unpacked a shattered telephoto. That would not have happened with a hard side extreme conditions pack.

The pack retails for about $250, though I’ve seen it for about $100 less, so shop around. When you add up the potential replacement value of the gear inside it, you may find that spending the money on the pack gives you peace of mind. The gist? Pricey. Heavy. Your sanity could be worth it.

Related – I rather liked the Gregory Border day pack, gear guy Kraig Becker had favorable things to say about ECBC’s Javelin day pack.

[Images courtesy of Pelican]

Start The New Year With Your Head In The Right Place

by Chris Owen on

New Year’s Eve brings ball-dropping fun to thousands in New York’s Times Square and around the world via television and streaming video. New Year’s Day has its share of events too and marks the official end of 2012’s holiday season while opening the door to a unique chance to change ourselves, if only a little bit.

A brand new year is ahead of us. So, what will we do with it? Keep on doing what we have been doing? Start something new?

New Year’s resolutions commonly include strong initial efforts to live a healthier lifestyle by eating better and exercising more. It’s a time when household budgets are reviewed, long and short-term financial goals get a look and when travelers gaze ahead to what’s scheduled for 2013 and beyond.

No plans right now? A great way to help roll in the new year is by trying new and different things. That does not have to mean skydiving for the first time, a solo kayak adventure that pits us against nature or climbing a mountain. Something new and different, outside of our comfort zone, can be as close as a computer or just outside our back door.

Take a ride on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
An easy way to get this whole “trying something different” ball rolling is by checking in with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Dream Pass. Visiting the Dream Pass website, we first come to a 360-degree interactive experience on the flight deck. Continuing on to Boeing’s New Airplane website, we see the latest new airplane products and other innovations from Boeing.

Right about here would be a time to mention any one of a hundred new travel-related apps for our smartphones. Although there are plenty of them, that’s not our focus here. Not right now.

Walk outside
We can get very wrapped up in activities that require us to be inside without trying. Work, school, meetings, shopping, dining and other things we do are inside things. Walking outside, we might go in a different way to lunch, take a few minutes to consider the place we are at the moment and, if we really want to get into it, talk to a stranger. Go crazy; leave home with no phone or communication device, on purpose.What’s Important
It’s a recurring theme that comes out eventually whenever someone talks about travel. It may take a while to sort through the places we traveled to, highlighting iconic monuments, destinations and world-famous landmarks. But eventually, some of our most cherished travel memories come from interaction with people we meet along the way.




[Photo Credit- Flickr user Vermin Inc]