Planning on getting away for spring break?

While I love to travel, the one thing that I don’t love about it is planning the flights. Trying to find the perfect flight on the date and times you want, without too many layovers, at the lowest price possible amidst the sea of flight options out there is enough to drive a person crazy.

But with Hipmunk, booking flights is now a whole lot less stressful.

Hipmunk is an airfare search engine that, like other similar sites, lets you search multiple airlines to find the right flight for you. However, it stands apart from the competition with its clear, easy-to-understand interface. For example, while Kayak also searches multiple airlines, it still generates multiple results pages. With Hipmunk, you’ll get only the best results on one page.

Hipmunk displays fares in colored rows on a timetable (with a different color for each airline), which makes it easy to find the flights you’re looking for with just a glance. By default, results are listed by which cause the least “agony” (a combination of price, travel duration and number of stops), but you can also display results individually by these categories, as well as departure and arrival times.

Other ways Hipmunk sets itself apart from other similar sites are by understanding the way people actually prefer to travel, such as including preference for nonstop flights by default and automatically hiding results in which there are better options (for example, not showing a longer flight that costs the same as another shorter flight on the same airline).

Next time I have to plan a trip, I’ll be sure to cause myself less agony by checking Hipmunk first!

This week, I had a lot of “those days.” You know, those days where you just feel so…blah. And it made me want to run away. Not like the way you used to want to run away from home when you were in middle school, though. I want to run away and go somewhere exciting. Somewhere awesome, somewhere I’ve never been before. Sadly, money doesn’t grow on trees, and I can’t afford an exotic getaway. But that doesn’t mean I can’t dream.

Here are the places I’d rather be…

[Lead image via Pierre-Yves Babelon/Shutterstock]

Ah, spring break. So close yet so far away. Is it bad that the semester just started but I’m already dreaming about it? I can’t wait for a chance to get away. Where will I really be going for spring break? Nowhere. But a girl can dream, right? Here are just a few of the great places I wish I could jet away to.

Ok, so it hasn’t been that rough of a winter in NYC. In fact, there’s not even any snow on the ground currently. But don’t let any of the aforementioned fool you. That hasn’t stopped me from dreaming of a tropical vacation.Warm sun, sandy beach, comfy lounge chair and a cold drink? Um…yes, please, sign me up!

Check out some of the warmer places I’d love to jet away to right now.

Instead of freezing over the holidays, it looks like most celebs opted for tropical vacations. Luckily for us, every single one of them decided to take a ride on a jet ski. From those who looked like they were born to ride the waves, to some others who seemed more than awkward in their puffy life jackets, this is one of those galleries you never knew you wanted to see…but you totally do.

Click through for some photos of celebrities living it up on the water.

After becoming a flight attendant, I’ve learned a little bit of something about spontaneous adventure.  In one week, I spent half a day in Jamaica (bought Roasted Ground coffee and coconut rum candies), I explored nearly every edge of New York City (found a killer pizza parlor, took mock pictures at Tiffany’s and ate cookies from Bouchon Bakery) and I sunbathed next to a clear pool in Florida while sending Twit-Pics of the palm tree-clad view.

I’ve learned a lot about myself through all of this exploring. I’ve learned that I love not knowing what I’m going to be doing next week. I’ve learned that I love taking photos of new things at different angles and color schemes. I’ve learned that I love hotel beds and being alone for at least an hour a day. I’ve learned that I will ask for help if I need it. Or directions.

That being said, adventure brews learning opportunities. Duh, pretty standard and obvious statement of the decade right? Wrong.  I bet you’re thinking; “Well, you travel for your JOB. It’s easy to explore and learn more about yourself!”

But it’s easy for everyone to learn through casual experimentation. I am willing to believe it’s the best way to understand who you are and what you want in life.  Exploring can go as far as trying out a new restaurant or walking a different sidewalk down the street to work. Exploring is going a little bit out of your comfort zone to discover something new. And in turn, you will learn more about yourself. What a win-win! Explore new food groups, new bands, new bars, new friends. New adventures are right at your finger tips — it just takes that extra boost to get there (or will require putting shoes on or taking a shower beforehand).

Trying new things creates brand new stories for you to tell. Spontaneous adventures (even if you just spending a Sunday baking when you never have before) build your character and give you depth. I think of it like stretching out a plastic bag. The more experience you shove in, the longer it stretches and the more experiences you can fit inside. Obviously this bag would never break.

I’m the biggest homebody in the human race. If it was up to me, I would sit at home all day and drink hot lemon water and write in my diary. But after getting out more, seeing the world a different way and documenting every moment…I feel refreshed. Every time I try something new, I feel like a re-charged battery. And there’s nothin’ better than that.

[Hey everybody! Sarabeth here with a new feature that, quite frankly, I'm stoked about. Each week I'll be bringing you an album that I feel is particularly awesome in the hopes of building iTunes libraries everywhere! It could be something new, old, hugely popular or fairly unknown, so keep checking back for our suggestions to awesome-ify your music collection.]

Sigh…my and everyone else’s winter breaks are very quickly coming to an end. And while I may currently be spending time at home with the fam, I will soon return to my friends and there needs to be some serious drinking action. Not only do I want to mourn the end of my last semester break of college, but to also drink away this past week with my entire family under the same roof for the first time in a year. For this last weekend of break, I highly recommend AWOLNATION’s debut EP, Back From Earth.

About the Band:

AWOLNATION is the new solo project of Aaron Bruno of Under The Influence Of Giants and Home Town Hero. The name AWOLNATION comes from his nickname Awol, which he’s had since high school.

Top 3 Tracks:

Sail

Dirty Filty Soul

Burn It Down

Why You Should Listen to It:

Although only being 5 tracks, Back From Earth delivers– and each track for it’s own reason. Burn It Down and its remix are great for when you’ve had a bad day and just want to party to forget about it. Dirty Filthy Soul is bluesy/funky while being catchy as heck. This might be TMI, but Sail makes me want to grab a drink and a guy. MF rounds out the bunch with a bad ass vibe. This is the perfect album for a weekend of debauchery to prepare you for spring semester

Bonjour, mon amis!

Sorry, couldn’t help it. I’ve just taken up French and I’m getting so obsessed! The language is so gorgeous (especially when it’s coming from the lips of a sexy Parisian man) and a nice change from Spanish, which I’ve studied all my life. Plus, every French class I sit through takes me back to my days in Paris this past summer. I loved everything about it: the food, the people, the fashion, the scenery.

Well, everything except for all the smoking. It seemed like everywhere I went there was a cloud of smoke around me. Call me crazy (a lot of people do), but all that smoke just made me super paranoid. I couldn’t shake the vision of my lungs getting just a little bit blacker and my skin getting clogged with wrinkle-causing smoke particles. Not that I know if smoke particles exist, but my imagination usually doesn’t adhere to scientific fact, so whatev.

This made me imagine what it would be like to actually be a smoker, which led me to wondering:

Would You Rather be forced to pick up an unhealthy habit you hate (smoking, eating fast food for every meal, etc.) OR give up your absolute favorite activity?

Things to Consider: Disease, feeling gross, not getting to watch Jersey Shore anymore (hey, don’t judge).

Think about it. Think about it some more. Vote. Then tell everyone why below.

Ah, summer. The temperatures rise, the air thickens, our tans darken (unless you work in an office like me), and we go back to the old friends from home that we haven’t spent much time with in the past year. But among the mass of people you used to see all the time in high school, there are six different types of people that you will never see over your long summer vacation at home.

The Facebooker (or The Texter): She writes on your wall. She texts you. Every. Week. “OMG, when am I seeing you??” “What are you doing tonight? Can we make plans?!” She’s always in contact with you, but when you actually want to make plans, she’s vague and flaky. There’s always a conflict in your schedules, and she can never hang out even though she’s all up on your Facebook, sending you notifications like there’s no tomorrow and keeping the red light on your BlackBerry constantly flashing. Get it together, girl — do you want to hang out with me or not?!

The In-Class Friend: You were great friends in AP English, and AP biology, and AP calculus. She was that one cool girl you found amongst the nerds in your classes, and she helped you get through every last one. You got along really well, and you genuinely liked each other. You’d share notes, study together, laugh at your teacher’s ridiculous outfits, and share hilarious weekend stories on Monday morning. But that’s it. Once that bell rang every day, you didn’t really talk much. You’d actually like to hang out with her and catch up, but you’re in completely different circles of friends, haven’t texted her since your group project senior year, and basically lost touch in college, so it just never happens. But you can’t help wondering what she’s up to…

The Girl Who’s Always Working: She’s a bit of an over-achiever. She’s got an internship in the city, two weekend jobs, and a babysitting job at night. This girl is literally NEVER available; she’s either working or too exhausted to hang out. She wants to hang out with you, but she barely has time to breathe, let alone text you. She’s concentrating on building her resume and fattening her wallet this summer instead of soaking up the rays by the pool. You don’t really like it, but you can’t help but respect her for being in an office at 10AM on a Monday instead of sleepily rolling out of bed to go downstairs to eat last night’s leftover sesame noodles for breakfast. Not that any of us do that. Ever.

The Hideaway: This girl is legit MIA. You see her once in awhile, and then she just completely disappears. She’s never on Facebook, doesn’t answer her phone, and never contacts you. You often wonder if she is still alive. You have no idea what she’s up to this summer, except for that she’s taken it upon herself to completely isolate herself from the world. And the worst part is, she’s actually a fun friend who would bring something to the group. But she doesn’t. Because she’s nowhere to be found.

The Girl Who Got a Boyfriend at College: This girl was THE BEST – until she got a boyfriend. She was  that one friend who was always up for a froyo date, a spin class, or a kegger. But now she’s with him – ALL the time. She’s always planning her next visit to see him or going to the zoo with him or going to the beach with him or going back to school with him or video chatting with him or posting pictures on Facebook of the two of them in sepia Apple Photo Booth pictures. She used to be awesome, but now she’s got her boy whipped and is psyched about it. She’s never around, and even when you do see her on an extremely rare occasion (a.k.a. when her boyfriend has a funeral or a doctor’s appointment), she’s preoccupied with texting him, or doesn’t shut up about how amazing he is and how much she misses him. She views your single life as a phase she’s totes over (“I’m just so not into the whole random hookup thing anymore”), and makes you feel bad for not feeling the same way.

The Annoying One You Choose Not to See: The day you graduated, you bade this girl fare-freakin’-well and never looked back. She followed you around in high school and was obsessed with you and everything about you, but you never felt the same way about her. You politely invited her to things in high school because you felt bad, but as soon as you went to college, you knew you never would have to hang out with her again. She’s essentially “the friend nobody likes.” Now she won’t leave you alone, and you can’t stand it. You hate being a jerk, but you constantly have to blow her off by passing yourself as any of the girls above.

Ah, summer. There’s something about this time of year that brings back memories of the beach, county fairs, baseball, and, of course, family vacations.  Although at times, my family drove me crazy on those trips and I’d much rather have been anywhere else than with them, there are still tons of great memories of all those long drives to see relatives, camping trips, and visits to amusement parks that filled my summer vacations growing up.

So in honor of both summer (which officially starts next Monday) and Father’s Day this Sunday, I give you: Dads on Vacation.

Dads on Vacation is a hilarious Tumblr blog that features (you guessed it) photos of readers’ dads on vacation.  The concept is just as brilliant as it is simple, and you won’t be able to help smiling when you get a look at all the pictures.  There’s plenty of examples of classic “Dad style” that makes me nostalgic for my own dad’s vacation outfits: the high white socks with either sneakers or sandals, short shorts, the wide-brimmed straw hat, canteen strapped around the waist for hikes, and the inevitable Hawaiian-print shirt for more “dressy” occasions.

Do yourself a favor and check out Dads on Vacation–not only will it make you smile, but it’s also a great way to celebrate both Father’s Day and Summer!