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Get ready for a rewarding summer.
Spend less money and more time with your family.
After one of the coldest winters on record, the travel industry is predicting a banner year, as people do everything they can to shake off the winter doldrums. According to a recent TripAdvisor& survey, 89% of Americans are planning a leisure trip this summer, and 36% of those who responded plan to spend more this summer than last.1 That&s great news for the economy, especially when you consider that the average American family typically spends about $1,600 on a summer vacation.2
Of course, you don&t have to spend an arm and a leg to have a great summer vacation. Many families manage to have truly magical, memorable experiences without jetting off to some exotic location or expensive resort. If you&re looking to spend less money, and more quality time with your family, here are a few ideas.
Go against the grain.
While everyone else is flocking to the beach, why not head inland to a cozy bed and breakfast. Since this is likely their off season, rates could be extremely affordable–and you won&t have to fight for lounge chairs or dinner reservations.
Camping can be a wonderful family vacation&and an affordable adventure. If you don&t own the equipment already, many outfitters rent out everything from sleeping bags to fishing poles. Combine it with a scenic trail hike or canoe trip, and most of your daytime activities are covered just enjoying the wilderness.
Sign up for last-minute deals.
If your plans are flexible, you may be able to take advantage of some terrific deals. Cruise lines are well-known for offering steep discounts if you can leave at the drop of a hat and help fill their cabins. You can register with them directly online, or through some of the top travel sites.
Food can be a major expense during vacation&especially if you have kids. To keep costs down, look for hotels that offer free breakfasts, or rooms with kitchenettes where you can prepare your own meals. All-inclusive resorts can also be a good value, but they may come with unexpected fees. Before booking, make sure you know exactly what&s included in your rate.
Get friendly with hostels.
While hostels aren&t for everyone, they do offer low-cost, basic lodging. Contrary to popular belief, many come with private rooms, are open to families, and are abundant here in the U.S. You can look them up by state at .
Look for free activities.
In the summer, many cities host free events like art shows, music festivals, and movies in the park. Check out local websites and try to schedule your trip around the events that sound most appealing.
Redeem credit card points.
Many credit cards offer reward points and other incentives that can help make your vacation more affordable. Review your terms and conditions to see if you can use these points to help cover airfare, hotels, rental cars, or anything else you might need.
1&U.S. Travelers Hot to Trot for Summer in 2014, According to Trip Advisor Survey,& Wall Street Journal Online, April 30, 2014.
2&The Business of American Vacations,& VisualEconomics, May 13, 2014.
New York Life Rewards Visa& makes it easy to save for your next vacation.
The New York Life Rewards Visa& card is a secure and easy way to pay for your vacation. If approved, you&ll receive a special promotional offer on purchases and balance transfers, and be able to earn points through our rewards program.1 Your points are redeemable toward airline travel, merchandise, gift cards&it&s completely up to you. Points will expire on or after the fifth anniversary of when they were awarded. Best of all, there&s no annual fee.2 To learn more, .
1See the Rewards Terms and Conditions in the Summary of Credit Terms for details.
2For additional information about annual percentage rates (APRs), fees, and other costs, see .
This card is issued by First Bankcard&, a division of First National Bank of Omaha, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
VISA and VISA SIGNATURE are registered trademarks of Visa International Service Association and used under license.
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Connect with usICTV’s newest shows get ready for a new season
& Grace Clauss/The Ithacan
ICTV's studios plan to roll out five new shows.
— Staff Writer
Off The Field
Many people watch basketball games, know all the football players’ names and hear about the hockey players’ accomplishments in the news. But how much do viewers know about what happens off the field? One of ICTV’s newest sports shows is helping to fill in those blanks.
“Off The Field” is a sports debate show that goes way beyond statistics. Producers junior Audra Bastyr, senior Meghan Graham and sophomore Riley Ludwig came up with “Off The Field” through their mutual interest in sports, but desired to learn more about what happens after the final whistle.
“I wanted to talk more about the impact that sports have on society, and that really just inspired me to create something to do so,” Graham said.
Graham said this show will focus on social justice issues and sports-related current events. The “Off The Field” crew members said they want to discuss the effect that these happenings in sports have on society.
“We really want to dig deeper behind the players’ lives and what goes on behind each foundation, whether it be NFL, MLB, NHL or anything like gender issues and human rights,” Bastyr said.
“Off The Field” sees the sports debate show as so much more than game and current-event coverage. Bastyr said this show will take a more humanistic approach and focus deeper into the players’ lives.
Campus Retreat
Reality television without the reality? That’s exactly the concept behind “Campus Retreat,” a scripted spoof on reality TV shows. Producers junior Myra Rivera and junior Kate Zasowski said they thought up this comedic idea while discussing how ridiculous today’s reality TV shows are.
Rivera describes “Campus Retreat” as a parody reality TV show in which college students engage in a campuswide face–off.
“It is two teams of college students, each with five contestants, and they’re competing in campus-related challenges,” Rivera said. “We can’t give away what the challenges are, but the content features some actual challenges and also all of the side drama, the relationships and everything that a real reality TV show would have.”
The teams will complete in vigorous challenges, betray each others’ friendships and unfold some major drama, all while competing to come out victorious and win the grand prize.
Sketch Me If You Can
Ready, set, draw! This student-run game show is a fight to the death using paper and pencils. Two teams of three contestants will face off in this Pictionary-themed game show. The producers of “Sketch Me If You Can,” junior Remy Litvin and senior Patricia Wall, said they hope to draw out some great talent for this new ICTV illustration game show.
“There are three main rounds,” Litvin said. “One of them is a speed round, another where they just have to guess a single object and another is a puzzle round.”
Litvin said he took on the idea for “Sketch Me If You Can” after a suggestion from a fellow ICTV insider.
“I was actually given this project by Alex McKeen, another producer for ICTV, and he presented me with it and asked me if I wanted to take it on,” Litvin said. “I said yes, and we had the opportunity to flesh this idea out and build it from the ground up.”
That Other News Show
“Since the news has been bringing everyone down lately, we want to bring everyone back up again,” junior Ethan Johanns, one of the producers of “That Other News Show,” said.
Johanns, along with co-producers junior Ben Smith and junior McKenzie Nelson, have created “That Other News Show,” a satirical news show resembling “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “Saturday Night Live’s” Weekend Update.
The producers said ICTV has never had a satirical news show before. “That Other News Show” will feature news from national and local sources on subjects like sports, weather, current events and entertainment and will take a more creative approach to news, adding comedic bits and a little embellishing to the average news routine.
“We’re a little bit more goofy than your average comedy news show,” Nelson said. “We tend to put our own spin on things rather than keeping it completely fact-based.”
The Week That Was
Political satire is the name of the game with one of ICTV’s newest shows, “The Week That Was.” This news-based show will discuss local, national and international topics, especially in relation to politics. It will be filmed both in the studio and in the field, using a diverse combination of stand-ups and pre-recorded packages.
Senior producers Robert Adler, Kenny Chapman and Will Tarshis said they saw a real need for a show like this at ICTV.
“ICTV doesn’t really have any political satire stuff,” Chapman said. “Our age group is all about political satire and comedy in politics, so we think this will be a good stepping stone for a lot of viewers.”
Chapman said “The Week That Was” will resemble “SNL’s” Weekend Update and feature both quick-form and long-form jokes. The producers said they hope “The Week That Was” will be an informative yet comical experience for their viewers.
“The motto is to educate and be funny,” Chapman said.
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