Monday, October 12, 2009

Giveaway winner for the Stephanie Johnson Glitter Bag

#17 out of 72 contestants, as selected by Random.org, is Vanessa! You're the super-lucky winner of the Stephanie Johnson Glitter Bag.

Send me your contact info (ava AT avapierce DOT com) by 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 and your prize will be on its way to you ASAP.

Stephanie Johnson, your products are seriously awesome! Thanks for sponsoring my giveaway.

Major gratitude and fabulousness to all of these amazing contestants who commented and tweeted before the deadline. As if you didn't know it...you are amazing!!

Peace, love and fantastic travels,

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2 new Fresh Scents giveaway winners

Last week, Taylor and Gloria didn't claim their prizes in the Fresh Scents giveaway. So, thanks to Random.org's selections (#15 and #30), Julie (auntieegem@) and Kimberly (kirbycolby@) have each won a Fresh Scents sachet!

Ladies, you've got until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 to send your contact info to ava AT avapierce DOT com.

Thanks again to Fresh Scents for sponsoring the giveaway and to everyone who entered! Stay tuned for more great prizes coming soon.

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Friday, October 9, 2009

JSTD: Get a heads up on flight delays





Hate hanging out in the airport because of flight delays? FlightCaster claims that it can predict delays up to 6 hours in advance 95% of the time. You can check your flight at the website and you can download their iPhone app for mobile use.

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Thursday, October 8, 2009

JSTD: Learn a language with Livemocha





Taking language classes may not always fit into your ultra-busy schedule. However, if you're serious about learning a new language (or learning a few words before your next trip) and you need to find native speakers, try using Livemocha, a free language learning community with over 2 million registered members.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

JSTD: Microchip your pet

If you're traveling with your pet for the first time, check Pet Travel to see what kind of microchip is needed. Microchips, which are used to track your pet if it gets lost, are mandatory in many countries.

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Rio, Summer 2016 - CHECK!

Today's Annoyance: People who focus on the empty half of the glass
Mantra of the Day: Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records. - William A. Ward

Don't be too bummed out that Chicago didn't win the bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Look at it as an opportunity to travel to a cool, new place. A city that's famous for Carnival, the samba, rain forests, and white, sandy beaches like Copacabana and Ipanema has my name written all over it. I've had Brazil on my travel schedule for a while now but haven't taken the opportunity to check it out. A dear friend traveled there with her sister a few years ago and fell so madly in love with the country that they were in tears on their return flight. That's quite the testimonial!

Although I'm not a very athletic kind of girl, I absolutely love watching the Olympics. It's always so cool to cheer on the Americans in the various sports. Since London is one of my regular stomping grounds, I'm not sure that I'll go there for the 2012 festivities but, it's early. One never knows what may happen...

Mark your calendar for August 5 - 21, 2016! For more info on the big event, go to the official website.



[IMAGE: Courtesy of rio2016.org.br]
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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

JSTD: Jet set-ready parents





Border officials are becoming more stringent about checking single-parent travelers (to minimize runaways and parental kidnapping) so, you need to make sure that you have proper I.D. for you and your kids. Additionally, you need to have a notarized permission letter from the custodial parent (if that's not you). To be further on the safe side, contact the tourism bureau or embassy of your destination countries.



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Ava's Faves: Kevan Hall

Today's Annoyance: People who don't clean up after their pets
Mantra of the Day: Fashions fade. Style is eternal. - Yves Saint Laurent

When I feel the need for classic, uber-feminine styles that are made in America, Kevan Hall's name always comes to mind. It's simply impossible not to feel like the ultimate girlie girl in any of his garments.






Who are some of your fave fashion designers?



[IMAGES: Courtesy of zimbio]
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Monday, October 5, 2009

JSTD: Credit card chips





Be prepared to take more cash and travelers checks on your trips abroad. Apparently, more and more overseas retailers are only accepting credit cards with chip-and-PIN technology. Unfortunately, the vast majority of American banks rely on magnetic stripe technology and they have no plans to change any time soon. See the N.Y. Times article here.

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New Giveaway: Stephanie Johnson Glitter Bag

If you haven't heard of Stephanie Johnson, you've been missing out. She's a high-powered executive-turned-accessory designer whose travel collection was made just for jet-setters like you and me.

Look at her AVA small Glitter bag that I'm giving away this week (and yes, "AVA" is part of the name; isn't that too cool?):
It's small enough to use as a cosmetic bag yet big enough to use as a cute little purse for a night out on the town. Pair it up with some gold wedges or strappy sandals and you'll be unstoppable (not that anyone could stop you NOW).

Want to win it? Here's what you have to do:

THE RULES:
You have 4 different ways to enter (max entries = 4):

1. 1 entry for leaving a comment below naming your favorite Stephanie Johnson product.

2. In your comment, you can get 1 extra entry by telling me how you found out about my blog.

3. 1 entry for sending a tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to reference my Twitter account - @avapierce - in your announcement so that you receive an entry.

4. 1 entry for leaving a relevant comment on any of my other blog posts. (Spam and single-word comments don't count. As usual, comments posted before today don't count.)

The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends on Friday, October 9, 2009.

One winner will be selected using Random.org and will be announced on my blog and via Twitter on Monday, Octber 12. You must check the site to see if you've won; all the more reason for you to subscribe via e-mail or RSS! ;o) The winner must contact me by e-mail (ava AT avapierce DOT com) within three days of the announcement to claim their prize. If the winner does not claim their prize within that time period, another name will immediately be drawn for the prize.

E-mail me with any questions: ava AT avapierce DOT com. Bon chance!


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Winners of the Fresh Scents sachets

Random.org selected numbers 11, 18, 26, 32 and 38, which means that Elaine R., corieandnickolas, Susan K, Taylor, and Gloria each win a Fresh Scents sachet! Major congrats to each of you!! Don't ya just love winning goodies?!

Each of you has to send me your contact info via e-mail (ava AT avapierce DOT com) by Wednesday, October 7, 2009 11:59 p.m. ET in order to collect your prize.



Fresh Scents totally rocks for sponsoring the giveaway!

Until next time...

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Friday, October 2, 2009

JSTD: Travel safely

When you're leaving the country, it's best to stay aware of heightened travel alerts. Before booking your trip and just before a pending flight, check the U.S. State Department's travel warnings and alerts.


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The Amazing First Ladies

Today's Annoyance: Misguided media
Mantra of the Day: Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me. - Maya Angelou

Whenever mentioned, the First Ladies of the world are typically regarded for their fashion statements. Headlines read: "Who's the most stylish First Lady?", "The First Lady's Spring Style"; and "Fashion battle of the First Ladies". It should never be a surprise that they tend to be more fashionable than not, considering the massive desire of every fashion designer in the world to dress them. I can only imagine the huge piles of clothes that they receive on a daily basis - suits, sheath dresses, gowns, silk, cashmere, the jewelry, the shoes, and on and on. I can't help but drool with envy.

The media, somehow, rarely highlights the fact that most of these women are well-educated and have led exciting and inspiring lives outside of their positions next to (or sadly, behind) their powerful husbands. Some of the First Ladies are attorneys, entrepreneurs, doctors, authors, artists, politicians, and yes, we mustn't forget France's supermodel First Lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. If only the media would pay more attention to their professional accomplishments!



[IMAGE: Courtesy of Yahoo! Shine]
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Thursday, October 1, 2009

JSTD: Don't forget your tax refund





Far too many tourists travel each year, leaving behind a portion of their money in the form of VAT, or "value-added tax". Although not all retailers participate in the VAT-refund program, you should always ask if they do before you make your purchase. To get your VAT refund (which can be up to 25%), you'll need to show the participating retailers your passport, request the appropriate from from them, attach your receipt to the form, and hold onto it. Have your forms stamped at the airport customs export desk; then, you can turn it in to a VAT-refund service at the airport, such as Premier Tax Free.

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Ava's Be Fabulous Blogroll for October 2009

Today's Annoyance: That I can't find more time to see the beautiful fall leaves
Mantra of the Day: Autumn is a second spring when every leaf's a flower. - Albert Camus


Be Dazzling (jewelry sites)

Be Fashionable (clothing and accessory shopping)

Be Featured (fun reading)

Be Green
(eco-friendly travel & related products)

Be Healthy (health and exercise)

Be Positive (for positive mental fabulousness)

Be Pretty (beauty and makeup)

Be Ready (jet set/travel-related products)

Be There (travel and social event links)

Be Wealthy (finance and money management)

The current month's Be Fabulous Blogroll is always posted in the left column. Best wishes for a most awesome October!


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