The Black Dress Traveler

Frida & Diego Together Again On Mexico's 500-peso Bill

Artistic legends and star-crossed lovers Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera will be  immortalized on cold-hard cash. Starting on Monday, the Bank of Mexico will circulate a new 500-peso note bearing their images. According to the Los Angeles Times, "the faces of Rivera and Kahlo appear on opposite sides of the new bill, along with reproductions of works by them." Reunited and it feels so good!

In case you are wondering, 500 pesos is a little less than $50.

Tips from Catey Hill on How To "Travel Like a Queen on a Pauper's Budget"

Catey Hill, the author of Shoo, Jimmy Choo: The Modern Girl's Guide to Spending Less and Saving More, is a stylish expert on living fabulously without going broke! Her lively and informative book is a must-read for any fiscally-challenged diva looking for solid financial advice. I heard Catey speak tonight and she shared great information about travel websites that help adventure loving ladies "travel like a queen on a pauper's budget." Check out Catey's picks!

TabletHotels.com offers significant discounts, up to 40% off, on luxury hotels around the world. The site also showcases the favorite hotels of celebrity travelers like Sir Ben Kingsley, Richard Meier, and Selita Ebanks. Jetsetter.com, from the creators of the fashion website Gilt Group, e-mails big travel deals to their members.  

Save even more money by skipping the hotel and doing a house swap with HomeExchangeVacation.com or rent an apartment or vacation home with HomeAway.com. Airbnb.com, known as the"Ebay for space," is an online marketplace for traditional and non-traditional accommodations that offers everything from private rooms to treehouses!  

Shoo, Jimmy Choo: Save Money for Your Next Vacation

Let's face it, even budget travel requires money! Whether you are saving for a weekend escape or your dream vacation, join The Black Dress Traveler for a special evening with Catey Hill, author of Shoo, Jimmy Choo: The Modern Girl's Guide to Spending Less and Saving More.

This fun evening will take place on Tuesday, March 2 at the Williams Club (24 East 39th Street bet. Park and Madison Avenues) at 6:30 pm. The cost is $15 per person and includes hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine and soda. To reserve your space, please send an e-mail to programs@williamsclub.org and let them know The Black Dress Traveler sent you. Once you have made your reservation, you can pay cash at the door.

Catey will show you how to evaluate why you spend, tweak your spending habits (without completely depriving yourself), get out of debt, create a savings and retirement plan that even lets you splurge sometimes (because, really, who can live without at least the occasional mani-pedi or brand-new dress?) and how to make your travel dreams work with your fiscal reality.

Catey Hill is the money editor for the New York Daily News online. Previously, Hill was the marketing manager at Plum TV and the author of The Plum Wealth Report, a specialized blog focusing on the purchasing behaviors of affluent consumers. She first realized her need to kick her shoe habit and get her finances in order when working as the financial marketing manager for Forbes magazine.

Three Easy to Keep Travel Resolutions

Is traveling more one of your New Year's resolutions? Here are 3 easy suggestions for making your travel dreams a reality in 2010.

1. Say goodbye to Starbucks and bonjour to Paris. Let's face it, traveling without money is nearly impossible. Unfortunately, today's economic climate has forced many of us to drastically downsize our travel budgets. However, by reducing your spending in other areas you can add some serious cash to your travel coffers. 

For example, visits to my lovely neighborhood cafe cost me about $20 a week. I've decided to limit my croissant and coffee sojourns to one trip a week and put $15 a week into my travel kitty. Doing this faithfully, I will save $720 towards my next trip. This time next year, I could be sipping a cafe au lait in Paris.


2. Explore your own backyard: Fantasizing about your dream vacation can be both a great motivator and a bit of a downer. If that trip is too far off in the distant future, frustration can easily set in. Set aside one day every 4-6 weeks to nurture your inner explorer by taking an inexpensive day trip to a place close to home. Visit that vineyard, historical house or museum that you've never been to.

3. Wanderlust Begins in the Brain: When I was a little girl, I traveled in my mind before I ever left my neighborhood. Books, movies, music, and food are great ways to indulge your wanderlust with minimal effort. Are you dreaming of Barcelona? Pour yourself a nice glass of cava and curl up with Carmen LaForet's classic book Nada or watch Woody Allen's Vicki Cristina Barcelona. For a few hours you'll feel transported and absolutely rejuvenated.