Author Archives: jeremyassistant
The Best Laptops for Students in 2015
Computers are vital for students these days, but the need to spend less while getting the best possible performance is stronger than ever. Many are looking to acquire ultrabooks, which combine a light body with solid state drives (SSD’s) for a computer that is tougher, faster, and more quiet than laptops with normal hard disk drives (HDD’s).
The latter type of laptop is also getting smaller, though there are limits on how small they can get, due to technical issues with respect to how hard disk drives operate. Which of these small units are the best laptops for students in 2015? Check them out below…
You just need to get on the internet: Chromebook
These days, more functions that used to be handled by applications on your computer are being moved to the cloud. From word processing to games, most only need to access the internet to get work done or relax.
It is this cultural shift that the folks at Google are counting on, as they have entered the PC market in recent years with the Chromebook. Lacking the bells and whistles of its competitors (no CD/DVD drive for example), this sleek unit is the best option of those looking to spend the minimum on a computing system, as they can cost as low as $200 and no more than $400. They are also easily carried around to class or thrown in a backpack, and they usually get good battery life.
Google does not manufacture these computers, instead having companies like HP and ACER construct the units while they supply the operating system that runs the ultrabook.
You want a unit that can handle most tasks at a cheap price: Asus Vivobook X200LA
If you plan to use your ultrabook to download and listen to music, use applications like Microsoft Word to write term papers, or binge watch shows like the Walking Dead, you’ll need to move up the price ladder in order to achieve this end.
Of all the ultrabooks that offer the computing power necessary to achieve all these goals, the Asus Vivobook X200LA is your best choice. To realize the greatest performance without blowing this ultrabook out of your budget range, it does employ an HDD instead of a SSD, but makes up for it with a touchscreen that emulates the best features of a tablet, while retaining a keyboard for when its time to get down to business. For no more than $500, this well-rounded unit can be yours.
You are an artistic type, or consider yourself too cool for school: Macbook Air 11
While the Macbook Air 11 is the most expensive machine mentioned in this article, the features that this beauty boasts makes it well worth paying the $800 to $1,000 it costs to acquire it. With nine hours of battery life, feel free to work on your creative arts essay from the comfort of your favorite cafe, without worrying about the availability of power outlets, and with 128 GB of SSD storage, the responsiveness of this computer will make you question why you ever owned a PC in the first place.
Do you think you have another candidate for the best laptops for students in 2015? Drop your contender in the comments below!
5 Ways Students Can Save Money
With in-state tuition for public universities approaching $10,000 these days, and other costs like housing and books escalating in lockstep, it has never been more important for students to save money while at school.
While it is easy to just use credit to charge all these expenses, the bill will come due someday soon, so you owe it to your future self to not cripple yourself with an unmanageable debt load. As such, here are five ways students can save money so that they can give themselves a brighter financial future, as well as more disposable income for the important things in life.
Like beer.
And video games.
1) Take on roommates
While you might crave privacy after 18 years of living at home with your parents, the unfortunate reality is that college is more expensive than it ever has been. The good news is that you get to choose who you are sharing a living space with, making for a living atmosphere that will be much more lively than if you were to go it alone. This will divide your house or apartment rent to a level that will allow you to enjoy a diet that consists of more than ramen and water.
2) Cook meals with friends
When you share a house with friends, another opportunity to save your precious cash presents itself. Instead of cooking meals individually, you can take turns making meals for each other. This will require coordination when it comes to shopping at your local supermarket, but once you settle into a groove, you will be spending less per person, eating better than you would individually, and the kitchen will be less crowded. So much win!
3) Order as much as you can online
The internet age has made our lives so much easier, with no better example than online shopping. Why burn gas and time running all over town to buy the things you need for school and life when you could just click a few buttons and wait for it all to come to you?
If you want to save money on school supplies, this is the perfect way to do things in 2015, as many coupon sites allow you to spend even less than the already reasonable prices listed, and with many deals waiving shipping charges, you can spend the time you just saved playing Call Of Dut- … er, I mean, studying for that stats term paper coming up. Yeah, that’s right.
4) Have house parties instead of going out to the bars
With prices for booze escalating with every passing year, going out to the bars is a fun pastime that composes an ever-larger chunk of student budgets. While heading out to a venue out on the town is always a great time, the whole point of drinking is to have a killer time with your buds.
Why can’t you do that at home at least some of the time? Buy a 30 pack of PBR or Natty Ice, organize a playlist of awesome tunes from your totally legal song collection, and enjoy the fact that you can socialize without having to pay a $10 cover charge for the privilege.
5) Buy used textbooks
These days, it’s estimated that students in some faculties will have to shell out more than $1,000 for books per semester. This is truly insane, and while books have new editions every six months or so, they often change so little that students can buy them off each other for much less than what it cost new.
5 of the cheapest ski resorts in America
While skiing and snowboarding is a thrilling sport that many students enjoy on their winter break from college, it doesn’t come cheap. Gear (whether rented or bought new), lodging, food and lift tickets all exact a heavy toll on one’s wallet, making getting away seem a fleeting dream to many.
Don’t lose heart, as there are still resorts across America where one can get a lift ticket for a reasonable price. The resorts below are among the cheapest ski resorts in America, so scourge through your couch for change and return those beer bottles, and you might have that snowsports trip that you’ve been longing for recently…
But, before getting all exited and booking your ticket after reading the post, make sure you apply for your ESTA visa before heading there or you’ll be just dreaming about hitting the slopes on the plane back home.
1) Bridger Bowl (Montana)
A 2,600 foot vertical drop, 350 inches of snow annually, and there’s rarely ever a wait at the lifts … sounds like a place that you would shred in your dreams, or at least when you are out in the real world with a job? Nope. As it turns out, you can ski or board Bridger Bowl for the paltry sum of $49.
Even better, your apres ski will have you living it up in Bozeman, one of America’s highest ranked college towns for parties, atmosphere and overall quality of life. Ummm … one plane ticket to Bozeman please!
2) Powderhorn (Colorado)
Colorado may be filled with snow resorts, but most seem to be obsessed with becoming the next Vail or Aspen, making them unsuitable for our purposes.
For those of us that take skiing or boarding seriously (so much so that our gear bills leave us close to broke), places like Powderhorn are a breath of fresh Rocky Mountain air, as this area offers some of the best technical skiing in the state, as well as views of the rusty red rocks that herald the start of the deserts of the American southwest.
At only $61 for a lift ticket, you won’t believe your luck as you blast through powder stashes in challenging glades that get tracked out in hours at other resorts.
3) Mount Shasta Board and Ski Park (California)
Located in the shadow of Mount Shasta, California’s 14,000 foot sleeping volcano, you’ll find a ski and boarding park that offers something that’s really hard to find in this state these days – an honest-to-goodness deal.
For $49 for a weekday adult lift ticket, you can shred 275 inches of powder (and with El Nino set to roll through this winter, it may be a lot more than that!) over 425 acres of controlled terrain, during the day or at night.
With 75% of all trails being rated beginner or intermediate, Shasta is also a friendly place to bring your neophyte friends to get them hooked on the powder bug, and with an excellent snowsports school here, they’ll be planning a return trip with you before you know it!
4) Burke Mountain (Vermont)
In the northeast, Vermont has some of the best skiing, as the Appalachians has blessed them with some truly epic pistes. With the price inflation induced by affluent New Yorkers and Bostonians though, you may find that your wallet will be a lot lighter after visiting your average hill here.
Burke Mountain is the rare convergence of a quality hill at an unbeatable price, as $64 will buy you access to a peak full of runs that will test your mettle. 86% of the runs at Burke rank as intermediate or harder, keeping out the yuppies that cause collisions with their inattention, leaving only those that revel in a true mountain experience.
5) Dartmouth Skiway (New Hampshire)
In case you are wondering if there a college that actually has a snow resort in its backyard … yes. Yes, there is.
Dartmouth College in New Hampshire owns a hill 20 miles north of its campus in Hanover, using it to train its collegiate snowsports athletes, but also allowing the general public to carve up its nearly 1,000 feet of vertical for no more than $47 per lift ticket.
Looking for a reason to take a road trip up to see your Greek brothers or sisters in the ol’ NH? Now you have your excuse!
BONUS: Grouse Mountain (British Columbia, Canada)
While this is a list of American ski/boarding areas, we realize some of you have your passport and want to visit our Canuck cousins this winter. While you might be frightened by the cost of living up there, there are even snow areas here that are totally affordable.
Mix in a visit to friends at UBC with an outing to Grouse Mountain on the North Shore of Vancouver. With 1,300 feet of vertical, massive Pacific dumps of snow, and a killer view of one of North America’s most modern cities below, it is a killer deal, especially when you can get a lift ticket for no more than $58 CDN (~$64 USD).
Go at night, when the floodlights permit you to shred while admiring the glow of Van City below!
Rio de Janeiro on a Student’s Budget!
With South America being one of the world’s most popular travel destinations for budget travelers, it makes sense that at some point, you might find yourself bound on a plane or bus for Brazil. While much of the continent is affordable for student travelers, Brazil is a notable exception, with prices in the nation approaching first world prices in recent years.
That being said, it is still very possible to enjoy this country and its liveliest city, Rio de Janeiro, on a shoestring. While it does cost money to purchase, investing in a Rio de Janeiro city guide will pay you back by uncovering secrets that only a Rio local would normally know about, helping you to get the most from every dollar spent in this internationally significant city.
While it will have many pointers on how to save a buck here, start your budget planning here so you will have an idea on how to experience Rio de Janeiro on a student’s budget.
Hike up Sugarloaf Mountain
Start your trip to Rio by getting the adrenaline pumping on a hike up the area’s most iconic peak. No matter where you are in Rio de Janeiro, Sugarloaf Mountain dominates the skyline, but as nice as it is to look up at this granite monolith, it is quite the experience to gaze down upon the urban chaos that comprises this city from the top of it.
While the true summit of Sugarloaf requires a pricey cable car ride to reach, the lower of the twin peaks is free to access on foot, giving views that are no less impressive than the ones had on the slighter higher point nearby.
Hit up any one of its fabulous beaches
After dropping near your body weight in sweat, you will have earned your dip in the Atlantic at any one of Rio’s world famous beaches. After cooling off, you can continue to carve up the surf on a body, surf, or SUP’ing board (Barra da Tijuca is best for this, with 11 km of surf breaks that gives everybody room to do their thing), or you can indulge in the active social life that takes place at beaches here.
On the latter point, beach soccer and volleyball are available for active types, while others will enjoy having some cervejas (not cervezas … that’s Spanish, Brazilians speak Portuguese) with the animated and very good looking locals.
Of all the beaches in Rio, the best place to take in this scene is at Copacabana and Ipanema, as they are both the focal point of social life on the many excellent days that Rio enjoys during the year.
Go on a favela tour
Unfortunately, not everyone in Rio is having a fabulous life, so if there’s any guided tour to go on while you are here, be sure to go on one to a favela (Do NOT attempt to go to one alone, unless you like being mugged for all your worldly belongings).
These competitively priced tours will show you how less fortunate residents of this city get by every day, even as their well-off neighbors live in luxury next door, with less other than a security fence separating them in some cases. Definitely an eye-opener!
Live it up in Rio after dark without going bankrupt
Before bidding Rio farewell for points further afield in Brazil, party in style without emptying your wallet of Reals. Two places that stand out for an affordable night out here include Cinelândia, which is an outdoor bar set up on a street offering reasonably priced drinks that pair well with street food and local samba musicians, and Lapa, which allows its many bars and clubs to spill out onto the streets.
In a city with such an infectious party spirit, it doesn’t make sense to keep it all bottled up in a building, especially when the weather is so agreeable much of the year.
Tips For Cheap European Travel
GET A EURAIL PASS
A Eurail pass can help you save a lot of money especially if you are travelling across vast countries. Europe boasts of some of the best railways and speed trains across the globe. However, if you buy a single ticket for every time you travel from one point to the next, it may be too expensive. According to sites like this, Eurail passes are a fantastic way to save money when travelling across several countries in Europe. All you need to do is plan your itinerary carefully, to avoid ending in one place twice and book in advance.
EAT LIKE A LOCAL
Have you ever wondered how chameleons survive in the wild? Well, they change their color to match with the environment. This concept should help you as you travel on the cheap in Europe. Avoid the touristy high-end restaurants, cater for yourself in markets, and eat in places where you see most locals, chances are, the food is great and affordable. Eating local dishes also gets a taste of authentic dishes as well as great services. You can also shop for snacks in local department stores and have picnics in any of the numerous parks across UK.
BOOK A LARGE VILLA WHEN TRAVELLING IN A GROUP
Group travelling is always fun and apart from offering safety in numbers in a strange country; it is also a fun way to save money on travel in Europe. Accommodation can really clear your travel budget, and fast, however when travelling as a group, you can enjoy all the comforts of a villa like this and split the cost. Villas are a smart way to save money for groups as they often have more rooms, kitchens to prepare your own meals and offer privacy. Some villas also allow parties on the premises, so you can always party with your friends as you explore Europe.
TRAVEL SECOND CLASS IN TRAINS
Travelling first class is tempting, with all the comforts, but it could end up leaving a huge hole in your pockets. However, travelling second class can cost about 50% off compared to first class but it will still get you to your destination same as the first class. The differences in comfort are always minimal yet the difference in cost is vast, so save money and travel second class.
TRAVEL OFF SEASON
Travelling across Europe when everybody else is on the move can really end up being costly, travel agencies, airlines and hotels are looking up to recover from the low seasons. However, in the low seasons (usually in the winter) you can travel in Europe on the cheap, you can save on flights, hotels, restaurants and avoid long queues in major attractions. During the low seasons, the attractions have fewer tourists and you can be able to visit more attractions than when they are overcrowded. Major cities in Europe such as Paris and London are always fabulous to explore any time of the year, hence travelling during low seasons does not mean missing anything, but it saves you a lot of money.
