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	<title>Off the Beaten Path</title>
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	<link>http://www.gldcoast.com</link>
	<description>Cultural Subculture</description>
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		<title>Affordable Yet Chic Places for a Date</title>
		<link>http://www.gldcoast.com/affordable-yet-chic-places-for-a-date/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gldcoast.com/affordable-yet-chic-places-for-a-date/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:12:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Destinations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Extended Vacations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online dating service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scavenger hunt]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gldcoast.com/?p=29</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dating can get expensive. Dinners, movies, minicabs and more all add up. Dating should be fun, but it doesn&#8217;t have to be expensive. Here are some places to take a date and save a few pounds. A Picnic Under the Stars Grab a couple of sandwiches and a bottle of wine and you&#8217;re all set. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Dating can get expensive. Dinners, movies, minicabs and more all add up. Dating should be fun, but it doesn&#8217;t have to be expensive. Here are some places to take a date and save a few pounds.</p>
<h3>A Picnic Under the Stars</h3>
<p>Grab a couple of sandwiches and a bottle of wine and you&#8217;re all set. Find a nice park, beach or even your backyard and spread a blanket. Remember that the goal is to enjoy each other&#8217;s company. If you relied on a dating service, such as <a href="http://www.parship.co.uk/" target="_blank">parship</a>, your partner probably won&#8217;t count how much you spent to decide if the date was a success.</p>
<h3>Museums</h3>
<p>There is probably a rich vein of culture in your town. Museums showcase both history and art and are cheap and often free to the public. Take a tour and find new interests. If you relied on a dating service, such as parship, it will be easier to impress your date with who you are as opposed to how much you spend.</p>
<h3>Take a Bus Ride</h3>
<p>If you own a car, you probably ignore other forms of transportation. Buy an all-you-can-ride one-day pass for the bus or tube and explore the many stops. Find new parts of town or ride until the end-of-the-line and see how far you can go.</p>
<h3>Photo Scavenger Hunt</h3>
<p>Make a list of odd or silly things and grab your camera or mobile and go on a photo scavenger hunt. Have strangers take your picture when you find each item. The day will be full of fun and memories.</p>
<p>Dating doesn&#8217;t have to break your budget to be fun. If you&#8217;re looking for that special someone, try <a href="http://www.parship.co.uk/topics/professional-dating.htm">dating for professionals</a> and find your match online.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Hidden Fees, Broken Budgets: Traveling</title>
		<link>http://www.gldcoast.com/hidden-fees-broken-budgets-traveling/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gldcoast.com/hidden-fees-broken-budgets-traveling/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:14:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family Budgets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Concierge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hotel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gldcoast.com/?p=27</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Image via Wikipedia It’s an expectation of cost. An adventure has been carefully planned &#8212; all details mastered, all expenses noted. You’ve devoted yourself to crafting a budget, understand all possible costs. Hoarding money is a noble goal and one you intend to achieve. A vacation won’t siphon away your savings. Instead you’ve prepared for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zemanta-img" style="float: right; width: 310px; margin: 1em;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sheraton_Grande_Tokyo_Bay_Hotel.jpg"><img style="border: none;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Sheraton_Grande_Tokyo_Bay_Hotel.jpg/300px-Sheraton_Grande_Tokyo_Bay_Hotel.jpg" alt="Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel" width="300" height="210" /></a></p>
<p class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="font-size: 0.8em;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sheraton_Grande_Tokyo_Bay_Hotel.jpg">Wikipedia</a></p>
</div>
<p>It’s an expectation of cost. An adventure has been carefully planned &#8212; all details mastered, all expenses noted. You’ve devoted yourself to crafting a budget, understand all possible costs. Hoarding money is a noble goal and one you intend to achieve. A vacation won’t siphon away your savings. Instead you’ve prepared for all possible concerns.</p>
<p>It’s &#8212; naturally &#8212; a shock therefore when a hotel fee spirals beyond your calculations. The price is outrageous. The causes are far worse, however.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111595511" target="_blank">Creating a budget</a> for traveling demands understanding all expenses &#8212; even those hidden from view. Hotels often boast unexpected costs, with fees tucked between the room rates and package deals. Items that are often deemed <em>standard</em> by guests (such as Internet access, continental breakfasts, pool access and concierge services) are instead named <em>special</em>; and they can increase prices by up to 20 percent.</p>
<p>This number is staggering &#8212; if only because it’s unfair. Travelers must therefore <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2009-06-15/travel/hidden.hotel.fees_1_hotel-web-site-mini-bar-new-fees?_s=PM:TRAVEL" target="_blank">prepare</a> for it, demanding a listing of all surcharges before reserving their rooms. Hotels <em>must</em> disclose these items when asked; and calculating the true total becomes far easier when information is given.</p>
<p>Should these fees prove too costly, individuals are urged to seek other venues &#8212; or at least to threaten to do so. Many hotels (especially those suffering from off-season declines) will offer incentives for guests. Rates may decrease and savings can be found.</p>
<p>Price shapes all vacations. Choosing to manipulate the amount, however, is the right of all travelers &#8212; including you. Refuse the hidden fees and demand value instead.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<item>
		<title>The Process of Passports</title>
		<link>http://www.gldcoast.com/the-process-of-passports/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gldcoast.com/the-process-of-passports/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:23:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Quick Trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Passport]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gldcoast.com/?p=23</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Image via Wikipedia Passports! If you want to be an international traveler and citizen of the world, these are for you! &#160; You may have accounted for all the other aspects of your international trip – how you&#8217;ll get there, where you&#8217;ll stay, your budget, your plans – but to get through the gate, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zemanta-img" style="float: right; display: block; width: 310px; margin: 1em;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Us-passport.jpg"><img style="border: none; display: block;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Us-passport.jpg/300px-Us-passport.jpg" alt="Biometric United States passport issued in 2007" width="300" height="438" /></a>&nbsp;</p>
<p class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="font-size: 0.8em;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Us-passport.jpg">Wikipedia</a></p>
</div>
<p>Passports! If you want to be an international traveler and citizen of the world, these are for you!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>You may have accounted for all the other aspects of your international trip – how you&#8217;ll get there, where you&#8217;ll stay, your budget, your plans – but to get through the gate, you&#8217;ll need a <a href="http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html" target="_blank">passport</a>. It&#8217;s the international ID badge, and getting one takes time, so you&#8217;ll need to plan ahead.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>In order to secure a US passport, you&#8217;ll need to fill out a form and fulfill various criteria. The specifics depend on your circumstances, but in general, you&#8217;ll need to provide <a href="http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/immigrationnaturalizatio/a/proofofcitzenship.htm" target="_blank">proof of US citizenship</a> (typically in the form of your birth certificate) and some other proof of identity, such as a driver&#8217;s license. You&#8217;ll have to pay a fee for the processing of your application and the generation of your passport (assuming you clear the approval process). You&#8217;ll need to decide what format of passport you want – in addition to the traditional passport book, you can get a passport card that is wallet-sized. It&#8217;s much cheaper, but provides only limited access. You can use it to go Mexico or Canada, but not to fly overseas. You&#8217;ll need a passport book for overseas travel.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>You&#8217;ll also need to supply a photo to <a href="http://travel.state.gov/passport/pptphotoreq/pptphotoreq_5333.html" target="_blank">very specific spec</a>; fortunately, most passport application facilities either feature or are nearby a place that will take such a picture for you. Once you&#8217;ve submitted all the proper documentation, you&#8217;ll have to wait for approval and then for the passport to be mailed to you. The process may seem cumbersome, but once you have a passport, it&#8217;s good for ten years.</p>
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		<title>Tips On Preparing For Vacation</title>
		<link>http://www.gldcoast.com/tips-on-preparing-for-vacation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gldcoast.com/tips-on-preparing-for-vacation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 May 2011 19:09:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Destinations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quick Trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family (biology)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Passport]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gldcoast.com/?p=20</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Image via Wikipedia(sourced: family vacation) When it comes to planning a vacation, no matter where you are going, things can get confusing and jumbled in the hustle and bustle.It becomes even more confusing when you are trying to plan for a vacation that takes you to a different country. Here are several essential tips  [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 310px;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Studio_281.jpg"><img style="border: medium none; display: block;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Studio_281.jpg/300px-Studio_281.jpg" alt="take on family vacation" width="300" height="225" /></a>&nbsp;</p>
<p class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="font-size: 0.8em;">Image via Wikipedia(sourced: family vacation)</p>
</div>
<p>When it comes to planning a vacation, no matter where you are going, things can get confusing and jumbled in the hustle and bustle.It becomes even more confusing when you are trying to plan for a vacation that takes you to a different country. Here are several essential tips  and suggestions on how to prepare yourself and your family(if they&#8217;re going along too) for a vacation:</p>
<p>First  and probably most important, make sure you are not over-spending on your decided vacation budget. Over spending can not only ruin a vacation, it can hurt your finances for when you return home as well. <a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/productivity/vacation-time/">10 Tips for Staying Productive During Vacation Time</a> .</p>
<p>Second, If your family has pets at home, make sure you have lined up some form of daycare for them, or someone to come and check on them occasionally.</p>
<p>Third, Make sure you have the proper Identification taken care of for you and your family. Most of the time, you won&#8217;t even be allowed to leave the country without a passport<a href="http://www.changeofaddress.org/blog/2011/10-reasons-people-need-a-passport/">( 10 Reasons People Need a Passport</a> ) , so make sure that you and your family each posses their own passport ID.</p>
<p>Fourth, When traveling internationally, it is always a good idea to take along things that will keep your family entertained on a long plane ride.</p>
<p>Fifthly, make sure that you ALWAYS keep your purse or wallet with your money,credit cards, ID and passports near you. If your visiting a different country, it would be horrendous to lose your important information or money. Identity theft is a major problem.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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