Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 88

My Portland Coffee Tour - Part 12

We have had a last-minute winter push here in Portland this month, complete with freezing winds and snow. It has not been fun and has made coffee consumption a lot more appealing, but walking to a shop much less, so I've been hunkering down mostly at home. 

I had a day off that I made a lunch date with a friend downtown and forced myself out of the house early to hit up a coffee shop...and boy was it needed by the time I walked the 4 blocks to get there. I only made it to two shops this m...

Win $10,000 on Monday playing Swag IQ! (US & Canada Only)

On Monday, February 26th, Swagbucks is putting up over $10,000 that you can win playing fun trivia games! SwagIQ (available for iPhone and. Android) is a live, multiplayer trivia game show you play from your phone! 


Each weekday, Swag IQ broadcasts a live game. Simply tune-in at the appointed time by launching the SwagIQ app and log-in with your Swagbucks account credentials. If you don't have a Swagbucks account, you can 
In celebration...

Keeping Your Hair Looking Great on Vacay

When you travel, if you want to travel light, there are some things you have to change. While it can be easy to get caught up in routines, and it's important to keep some of them intact wherever you go, sometimes you need to switch things up to fit your travel lifestyle. We don't compromise on our strict carry-on only policy unless it's coming back from vacation and checking a bag with our too-many-purchases is less expensive than shipping back the spill over. That being said, we are always l...

Budget March Destinations

Spring Break will be here before you know it and taking a trip during that time can be quite expensive. If you want to avoid the big budget splurges, but still get big fun and awesome out of your Spring vacation, there are great ways to do it. 

Spring is a great time to travel, because the weather is warm, but not too warm and most kids are still in school, so the crowds are small if you avoid typical Spring Break destinations like Miami and Cancun.

Set your budgetHere's a thought. Instead...

Introducing Swag IQ! (US Only)

Want to earn money while answering fun trivia questions? SwagIQ (available for iPhone and Android) is a live, multiplayer trivia game show you play from your phone! 

Each weekday, Swag IQ broadcasts a live game. Simply tune-in at the appointed time by launching the SwagIQ app and log-in with your Swagbucks account credentials. If you don't have a Swagbucks account, you can  sign up for one here and then download the app !

Our game show host will then ask a series of multiple-choice...

The Beauty of Food Trucks

Last weekend Eric and I tried the brand new food truck pod near our house. It's no secret that Portland is the King of food truck culture. We have quite a few pods where 6 or more trucks are parked, making it super easy to choose something to eat. Food trucks are awesome, because they often have restaurant-quality food, but at lower prices. That makes stretching your travel dollars easier when you're on vacation. 

Our new cart pod has a wonderful family feel, but not in a way that makes y...

Heart-shaped Travel Inspo

Seeing as it's Valentine's Day, I thought you might like to see some naturally heart-shaped places you can actually travel to. Perhaps you can plan a trip to visit one of them in the future or you might just like a little eye candy for the day. 
Heart Island, Croatia - photo creditCheck out these pretty spots:

photo creditHeart Lake, WashingtonThis naturally-occurring lake can be found in Washington's Olympic National Park. You can hike and even camp next to the lake, for a lovely rom...

What's On Your Bucket List?

We all have one. We may call it a bucket list, a travel wishlist or a life list, but it's all the same thing: The things you want to do or visit before you die. I've talked about mine before. Let's look at a few:
TurkeyThis is the ultimate budget travel destination on my list. Once you fly there, everything is quite affordable, plus it’s not like your typical European destination. I want to visit Cappadocia and sleep in a cave hotel and go on a hot air balloon ride and take a ride on a yacht....

Get $3 when you sign up for Swagbucks in February (US)

Want an extra boost to your budget in February?? 

If you haven't tried Swagbucks before, you can get a bonus $3 for signing up as my referral this month. Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash. 
When you sign up through...

Planning a Valentine's Staycation

If you're like me, you've got plenty of things planned for the year, so you don't particularly have money (or motivation) to plan a Valentine's getaway for you and and your sweetie. That's okay. Instead of a gift they probably don't need or paying way too much for flowers or a dinner out, why not surprise them with a creative staycation?

I love being a tourist in my own city, and I often just throw my camera in my bag and look at things as if I were a visitor. Here are some ways to get romanti...