Source: Shutterstock

Summer is around the corner, and one of the things I really look forward to is planning trips for me and my friends.  I love coordinating plans, exploring new places and looking for discounts. It’s all fun in the sun until it’s time to book and suddenly no one can pay for a few days in paradise.  Traveling with friends can be tricky because you really don’t know someone until you’ve traveled with them.  Some people get “brand new” in unfamiliar places, and others have the best of intentions but no follow through.

Vacations are one of those things that will truly test a friendship, but new adventures shouldn’t end old friendships. Keep the following in mind before you book your next getaway with the besties:

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Someone queue up Will Smith’s “Summertime” and pass along a fruity drink with a small umbrella. Ladies and gentlemen – summer is just about here, which means the time has come to start planning for a much needed vacation!

Everyone needs to pack up and get away at some point during the summer months. You need a break from the hard work you put around the office, or to simply seize the opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with your children once school goes on hiatus. Whatever the case, just know you are worth it and deserve a summer trip, whether you plan to stay in the United States or travel abroad.

Keep in mind, a vacation requires money. You don’t want to come home to financial stress. So be sure your bank account can handle the cost of travel, accommodations, and all of the sights and sounds of the destination. ICYMI: We offered some tips for traveling like a baller. Check it out here.

There are some getaways that take a little more time to plan. Here are the summer vacations you should start planning ASAP.

The Double Saving Divas, Tai and Tarin Perry

Our last Facebook chat with the Double Saving Divas tackled a variety of issues having to do with budgeting, saving, and personal finance. Here’s a quick summary of nine of the topics we tackled.

We host Facebook chats with the Double Saving Divas twice per month. Don’t miss the next one! Besides their regular articles, which appear on the MN Business site, we also send reminders on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest!

Source: BlackVoices.com

From BlackVoices.com

For Teri Johnson and Andrea Adams, traveling the world is a year-round pursuit. But with summer (unofficially) underway, it’s as good a time as any to knock some cities off your travel bucket list. For the next eight weeks, the Travelistas are taking us along as they explore the sights and sounds and culinary delights of eight destinations, from the closer to home (New Orleans and Detroit) to the farther flung (Italy, Antigua, Mali and Johannesberg) — but first, New York City!

Find out where Teri and Andrea are vacationing this summer at BlackVoices.com. 

More on Madame Noire!

• Allow Me To Vent: Why I Can’t Take The Black Salon Culture
• Where Are They Now? 10 Black Actresses Who Should Have Blown Up Big…
• How Important Is Sex? My Journey Through Celibacy and Dating
• Cute Kid Alert: Roc and Roe Continue Jet-setting, Solange and Daniel, DWade’s Fam and More
• True Life: The Revenge Was Sweet…or Sour
• Kanye I Want You To Take Your Own Advice: Drive Slow Homie
• Uh, Somebody Lied to You: 8 Misconceptions About Single Black Women

Source: hellobeautiful.com

From HelloBeautiful.com

With summer right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about summer plans for the kids. Summer camps are great places where your kids can have lots of fun and develop new interests. Here are few things to think about when choosing the right camp.

1. Type – There are so many different types of camps–from language immersion to arts and theater to adventure, etc. Talk to your children about their interests and go from there. Choose a camp that you both can agree on. If your children are small, go for a camp that ecompasses all different activities. This way they can be exposed to a number of different experiences.

FInd out what else you should be looking for at HelloBeautiful.com

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• Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind the Making of “What’s Love Got to Do With It”
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• Can We Ever Get The Black Family Sitcom Back?
• Ratch on Ratch on Ratch: 6 Questions I Need Answered About Basketball Wives’
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• Post-Baby Fab: Fantasia Shows Off New Curves, New Hair & New Colorful Look

Photo:ww.allwaysgirls.com

As the weather warms and spring breaks and summer vacations are on the horizon, the search for the perfect, body flattering swimsuit becomes a top priority. A summer staple, the right swimsuit can either make or break your day at the beach. That’s why it’s important to find the perfect one for your style and body type. You know, the one that plays on the parts of your body you like and diverts attention away from the ones you don’t.

So unless you plan on hitting the beach topless, having a few swimsuits to choose from is just as important as the perfect beach hair ‘do. Check out a variety of some of our favorite swimsuits.

(Kiplinger) — My family recently took a road trip out West, and we relied heavily on technology to help us get where we were going, find restaurants and attractions once we were there and book last-minute lodging when our Grand Canyon camping plans were thwarted by extremely high winds. Several mobile applications were especially helpful during our two-week trip. Here are ten free ones you should consider downloading if you plan on hitting the road for the Fourth of July weekend:

Google Maps provides step-by-step directions, satellite and street views, and tracks you as you drive along your route so you can see how close you are to your destination. If you have an Android, you can download Google Maps Navigation, which speaks directions to you so you don’t have to watch your phone as your drive.

Read More…

It’s vacation time, Madames! I’m planning a few mini-vacations this summer by land and sea.

Where are you going? An island, a foreign country? Are you keeping it within the States? Or very local?

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