LoungeBuddy App

 I travel quite a bit in the summer. Sometimes I go overseas, sometimes not but there are many times when I have several hours between arriving and my connecting flight. Trying to wait in the terminal, near a charging station or even finding a charging station is a pain.

I spend a lot of time going through the SeaTac airport which is undergoing expansion and the plugs that used to be there are no more.  You find them in walls along the walkways so you have to park there.

The app, LoungeBuddy,  I downloaded today is designed to help people like me.  I have not tried it but it had decent ratings and looks good.  This app is designed to let you type in an airport such as Frankfurt or Seattle and they will let you know how much it costs to purchase access to one of the airline lounges.  That helps so much because I do not always know where any are or I am not a member of one so I don't know where to go.

What's cool about the app is you can check out the airport for lounges who have day passes available, the price, its location, hours, amenities available, pictures, etc so you know what its like.  On the location, it even tells you whether its inside or outside security.  If the lounge offers an overnight option, you'll know.  For instance, in Philadelphia, the lounge offers an overnight option so you can rent a suite for up to 8 hours to sleep.  It's priced by the hour but still may come out cheaper than renting a regular hotel room for 4 hours.

In addition, you can check out specific airline lounges such as Alaska Airlines or American to see what lounges they have at each airport and the going cost.  I like that it even tells you limits to visitors such as needing to show a boarding pass to prove you are traveling, limits on alcohol, etc.  If you want to use the lounge, that day, you know how much and where to pay. 

Furthermore, if the lounge does not accept walkup payment, it will tell you. At the bottom of the page, Lounge Buddy lists other possible lounges in the same concourse regardless of if you can purchase a day pass through this app.  I checked the Frankfort airport and discovered the Sky Lounge offers access to a shower for just 2 Euros more.

I checked the reservation process which is streamlined and easy.  When you purchase the pass, you are told the length of time, that it is per person so you can buy multiple passes ahead of time, you can usually cancel up to 24 hours in advance at no charge.  You even provide the time you are planning on arriving at the lounge.

I even learned about a program called Priority Pass's Lounge Program with several different levels of membership and allows entrance to over 1000 lounges world wide.  The least expensive, the standard level, offers admission at a reduced price but the other more expensive levels offer either limited or or totally free but all guest are still charged the $27 fee.

I have not used this but since I'll be traveling to Europe this next summer and doing a lot of travel, I plan to use this when I'm stuck in airports for multiple hours and need a place to hand.  I love the information provided and not just on the lounges you can book through this app but through others.

Le me know what you think, I'd love to hear from you, especially if you've used this service before.  Have a great day.

Retiring Overseass

  I am reaching a point where I am thinking of retiring since I've put in the required 20 years necessary.  I have a friend who retired to Thailand due to the lower cost there but he eventually returned to the United States.

I read that if you want your retirement money to last longer, go over seas but I'm not sure that would be a good thing because there are other factors one should keep in mind.  Factors we do not usually think of.

The biggest one I can think of has to do with distance.  When you retire overseas, you are usually a long airplane ride from your family. So if you want to visit them or they visit you, that costs.  You can't just hop into the car and drive a few hours or a couple days to get there.  If you don't mind being away from your family fine but I'm not sure I want to be that far away.

I'd also want to make sure the country has the type of medical care I'd need so I could get it.  For instance, do you have a cardiac problem so if you had a heart attack, could the local hospital and doctors give you proper treatment?  Can you get the insulin dependably should you need it?  I'm in good health but I'd want to make sure I had access to good medical treatment in that locality.  What about long term care should it be needed?  Can you find it there or would you have to return to the states?

It is highly recommended one rent rather than buy in a foreign locale because you might not be able to get a mortgage since you do not have regular income in the traditional sense. You'd have to tie up a chunk of your retirement monies to buy the place. In addition, you'd have to understand the contract which is probably in another language. 

Furthermore, investing in a house overseas means less flexibility should you need to leave suddenly or you want to move elsewhere. It is recommended that if you must buy, live in the area for at least a year before deciding to do buy so you know if you really, really want to settle in the area. 

Another thing is to keep most of your monies in the states because accounts in the United States are federally backed.  You can also use ATM machines to get cash if you end up in a place that uses mostly cash.  I know the next time I go to Germany, I need to have lots of cash because they prefer cash to credit cards.  When you have to use ATM's overseas make sure you are with an institution that refunds foreign ATM fees.

In addition, there are tons of headaches if you try to buy or sell investments  or try to deposit certain funds overseas.  Depositing 401(k) or IRA funds overseas can trigger a 10% withholding fee while one thing that is tax exempt in one place may not be in the United States.

Furthermore, you'll need to get credit cards that work in the country of your choice but which do not charge a foreign transaction fee.  This saves you money.  You also need to make sure you have medical coverage via a policy of some sort because Medicare will not work there.  The last thing to think about is you will still be required to pay United States Taxes if you are a United States citizen.  Often you will be able to deduct the taxes so you pay little or none but be aware of that policy.  Please check the last bit about taxes if you do decide to go overseas because tax rules change and this may no longer be the case at the time it is read.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

The 8 Most Expensive Liquor in the World

I will preface this column with the note that I am not a drinker in anyway shape or form but the rest of my family does.  My father's favorite is Talisker single malt whisky from Scotland.  It's the one thing I know I can give him at Christmas, Father's day, and on his birthday and knew he'll love it.  He's reached an age where he appreciates its taste even more.

I know that some liquors are more expensive than others so I thought I'd check into those because I'm always interested in prices of the finer things even if I can't afford them.  My list is not necessarily in order of price, just to let you know.

1.  Armand de Brignac Midas is a wonderful champagne from a small vineyard in France.  It comes in a gold painted 30L bottle packaged in a minimalistic black box for a measly $200,000 price tag.  A regular bottle of champagne from these same producers is still rather expensive at $300.

2. Bombay Sapphire Revelation is a limited run of five bottles filled with a high quality gin.  The bottles are adorned with  Baccarat crystal, diamonds and sapphires and goes for $200,000 per bottle.

3. The Dalmore 62 is one  of the most expensive bottles of scotch in the world for only $215,000.  The liquor was aged for 62 years before being bottled.  In addition, only twelve bottles were ever produced so its a very limited run. It has been suggested a person buy a bottle and keep it because as the other bottles are opened, the value for the unopened ones will increase.

4. Royal Salute Tribute to Honor is  another scotch one can purchase at $215,000 per bottle.  The liquor is a mixture of its various scotches, the youngest of which is 45 years old.  The bottle is encrusted with over 400 black and white diamonds.

5. The Macallan 64 Year old in Lalique: Cire Perdue is a scotch that goes for $460,000 per bottle.  The bottle is filled with 64 year old whiskey but what makes it so expensive is that only one bottle was ever made. 

6. DIVA Vodka goes through a process where it is triple distilled from natural spring water and other ingredients before its filtered through sand made from diamonds and gem stones before being placed in a bottle encrusted with tons of diamonds.  The price?  Only one million dollars.

7. Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne is an extremely rare cognac aged for 100 years before being bottled in a sterling platinum and 24 carat gold container encrusted with  over 6000 diamonds.  This is yours for $2,000,000.

8. Pasion Azteca, Platinum Liquor Bottle is the most expensive in the world at $3.5 million.  For that you get the most expensive tequila in the world.  Must of the cost is due to the bottle it comes in.  The four year old tequila is found in a platinum and white gold bottle covered with about 6,400 diamonds.

As I said, I am not a drinker but its interesting to see three scotches on the list and finding out the tequila is the most expensive but it appears much of the cost is due to the fancy container they come in.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

It Started With A Glove!

 Imagine trying to hit a ball with your hand instead of a racket.  Along the way things changed to what we know today.

There is theory that tennis originated in the town of Tinnis in Egypt by the Nile.  The same theory states the word for racquet evolved from the Arab word for hand.

Unfortunately, there is no real evidence to support this particular theory.  The best evidence for tennis is that it began in French Monasteries. 

It started by bouncing a ball against a wall or over a string strung across part of the courtyard.  It gained the name of "game of the hand" or jeu de paumes because they used their hands to hit the ball.  Another theory is that the term Tennis came from the french word tenez which means "Take this!", the comment players are reputed to have yelled out before hitting the ball.

Originally the game was played with a bare hand but that was uncomfortable so people began using some sort of glove that either had webbing between the fingers or used a paddle.  This evolved into a crude racquet with webbing attached to a handle.  Balls were made of wool, hair, or cork, covered in string, or even cloth.  Over time, they became hand stitched and resembled the modern ball.

The monks taught the French Nobility and they loved it so much, it is said that there were over 1,800 courts in France.  The pope and the king both disapproved of it to the point they tried  to ban it but were unsuccessful.  The game migrated over to England where King Henry VIII loved it and promoted it.

The wooden frame racquet strung with sheeps gut became popular by 1500, along with the three ounce cork centered balls.  The tennis courts of this era were much narrower, with walls used by player to bounce balls off of.  The net was not the same height all the way across, instead, it was five feet tall at the ends with a center of only three feet.

Unfortunately over time, interest dwindled until there were few players left but it was the invention of rubber which renewed interest because tennis balls with a rubber core were much bouncier and moved better than previous ones.  In addition, the game moved from being played inside to outside which demanded a different set of rules.

In 1874, the first rules and pieces of equipment were patented for a game resembling modern tennis.  At about the same time, the first tennis court appeared in the United States and equipment had been sold across the world. However, the court and rules were critisized because the court was hour glass shaped and the rules hard to follow so both were changed by players. Within a few years, Wimbledon began with its annual competition.

The Wimbledon committee came up with the current shape and size of the court along with the rules all matches are played by today.  Wow, I never realized it had such a fascinating history.  This topic came out of one of my math books when we read a teaser on it and I wanted to learn more.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.

Happy Labor Day

Really?

Awwwwwweeeeee