Mappy August
Hyatt Mexico City Tour / 10 AI apps / No-Snap Challenge update / $25 Travel Insurance / Stretch-sit, Fix Your Back / Chase $400 Bonus Ending /"Invisible Man /Mind Distorts / Young Ukrainian Violinist
Well, hello!
You’re reading Mappy Monday, a free monthly newsletter about budget travel, quirky self-help experiments, thrifty money hacks, movie and book gems, and occasional silliness. You’ll also learn what’s new on my MappyEverAfter website.
New on MappyEverAfter: Video Walkthrough of Category 1 Hyatt House Hotel in Mexico City
AI Shenanigans: Play With These 10 AI Apps
Experiment: The No-Snap Challenge Update
Travel: Medical and Travel Emergency Insurance for $25/month (US residents)
Health: Stretch-sit To Fix Your Back
Money: Chase $400 Referral Bonus Ending on 9/3/24
Read: Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man”
Watch: “Shrinking” series, and Slovak comedy “Kavej”
Mind Hack: Is Your Mind Tormenting You?
Just because: Ukrainian Violin Player Karolina Protsenko
Note: I will always tell you if I’m getting any referral bonuses and how much they are. There are a few in this letter: My favorite travel hacking cards - Chase Sapphire (10k points = $100), and Chase Ink (40k points = $400), two books (1, 2) and a stretch sit cushion (about a dollar worth of Amazon referral bonus) that helped the hubby on our 10k-mile road trip. Thank you for using these links! It’s the best (and free) way to support my writing.
Just a reminder, you’ll get the same credit card sign-up bonus by applying on your own (without my link) and the books are most probably available at your library for free.
New on my MappyEverAfter website - Video: Category 1 Hyatt House Hotel in Mexico City
Hyatt hotels are my favorite way to use Chase Ultimate Rewards. For just 5,000 points a night, the hubby and I scored a sweet stay at the Hyatt House in Mexico City/Santa Fe. To put that deal into perspective, you could earn as many as 160,000 points, worth 32 nights, with one Chase Ink sign-up bonus plus one referral bonus (see the Money section below).
AI Shenanigans - New AI Apps to Try
Here are 10 fun (Android and Apple) AI apps that come recommended by Hayleigh Chamberlain, the woman behind the YouTube Channel Hayls World and the #1 Top Tech YouTuber in South Africa.
The apps are either free or “freemium” and help you take 3D pictures, count calories, find the name of the movie you only remember one line from, set goals based on your diary entries, redesign your house, fix your selfies, roast your outfit, or make a Google route from a spoken prompt.
Experiment - No-Snap Update
Remember that No-Snap Experiment we started back in July? Well, I’ve been keeping it up—until I left for Europe a few days ago, leaving the hubby to hold down the fort (totally unrelated, I promise).
The goal is to ditch irritation as our knee-jerk reaction. Instead, we’re trying to start every conversation calm and cool—or at least curious. If the other person notices our irritation and calls us out, we’re supposed to apologize and give it another try.
I’ve found that my biggest stumbling block has been saying “sorry.” It felt about as genuine as a toupee in a wind storm. I was getting even more irritated because, let’s face it, I always had a totally valid reason to be annoyed! Why should I be the one to apologize?
But then it hit me. It’s not about the why or who of the apology; it’s about breaking the habit of automatic irritation. And once I realized that, things started to get easier.
Did you give it a try?
Travel - Medical and Travel Emergency Insurance for $25/month (for US residents)
Travel insurance may not be the most exciting subject, but it can be a lifesaver in an emergency.
Given that my flights and hotels often cost next to nothing thanks to collecting points (more on that in "How I Travelhack with US Credit Cards"), I'm not too concerned about trip cancellation coverage. My recent flight to Europe cost me $5.
What I do care about is finding a reputable company with solid emergency medical coverage, good reviews, and a price that won't make me wince.
You might have seen some popular travel bloggers promoting policies that cost over $100 a month (at least for those of us who are more 'chronologically gifted’), SafetyWing and WorldNomads being the current flavor of the day.
But here's a little secret:
The Travelex Select plan is inexpensive and ticks all the boxes. It has been my go-to for several trips, including this one. They're based in Omaha, Nebraska, and backed by Berkshire Hathaway - not exactly small potatoes in the insurance world.
I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying in Europe, so I requested a quote for 11 months (they offer up to 364 days). I opted for higher medical coverage ($100k) and added adventure sports coverage just in case, you know, I get adventurous. The total came to $278, or about $25 a month. Here's what that covers:
For comparison's sake, WorldNomads quoted me $666 for a 6-month trip (their maximum length), while SafetyWing came in at $864 for similar coverage.
Tip #1: Play with the calendar. I found that a 4-month trip policy cost more than an 11-month one.
Tip #2: I usually put down $50 as my trip cost when getting a quote. This brings the premium way down. Many credit cards offer great trip interruption, delay, and lost luggage insurance so they pick up the slack if needed. I paid the $5 for my flight with Chase Sapphire Preferred which gave me all its travel benefits.
Disclaimer: I’ve never had to file a claim so my personal experience with payouts is lacking. Do your due diligence.
A bit of research can save you a headache - and a good chunk of change - down the road.
Health - Stretch-sit to Fix Your Back
Years ago, I stumbled upon the book 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back by Esther Gokhale, the "Posture Guru of Silicon Valley”. The simple stretching techniques in it are based on her fascinating studies of the healthy backs and postures of children and natural tribes.
My hubby has dealt with decades of back pain, including spinal surgery at the age of 21, and the stretch-sitting and laying instructions from the book turned out to be a godsend.
Here’s a short TED Talk by Esther:
While Mark's back improved, he was still in pain while driving, so in preparation for our two-month, 10,000-mile road trip, I splurged on a $60 StretchSit Cushion that could be attached to a car seat, hoping it would help.
Now that we’re back from our trip, I can report this unassuming cushion worked wonders. Mark’s back felt great, even after all those endless drives!
While Gokhale's products can be helpful, you don’t need to spend a dime to benefit from her teachings. She offers plenty of free information online and shows you how to use towels or other household items to get rid of back pain.
More resources:
https://paw.princeton.edu/article/esther-gokhale-82-straight-talk
https://gokhalemethod.com/esther_gokhale
https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-gokhale-8908a67
https://www.nasa.gov/people/esther-gokhale-nesc-academy-biography/
Money - Chase $400 Referral Bonus Ending on 9/3/24
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are my favorite travel hacking currency. When I first wrote about the 40k-point referral bonus (worth at least $400) for Chase Ink Business cards in March 2023, I thought it was too good to be true, and surely just a short-lived promotion. But the offer is still here—until the 3rd of September, that is. (Read How to Get a Business Card without Owning a Business).
Here’s the scoop:
If you have any Chase Ink card (Ink Unlimited, Ink Cash, Ink Preferred, or Ink Premier), you can generate a referral link and send it to your friends and family (even those living with you). If they sign up and get approved, you’ll get $400 (per person, for up to 5 people)!
You can use it as a $400 statement credit or keep the 40,000 points to book travel with (that’s what I do).
If you don’t have a Chase Ink card, there may still be time to earn the bonus:
Apply with my referral link (please and thank you)
Get approved
Call Chase to have the card shipment expedited
Generate your own referral link
Send your referral link to your friends and family
Earn even more: If you spend $3k to 10k (depending on the card) in the first 90 days, you’ll get a $350 to $1200 sign-up bonus. Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited have no annual fee.
Enjoy your referral and sign-up bonuses!
After 9/3/24, Chase Ink will pay a $200 referral bonus, instead of the current $400.
Read - Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man”
A book recommendation from the hubby:
A few months ago, I came across an interview with the legendary Spike Lee who mentioned “Invisible Man” as an inspirational work. I assumed he was referring to the H.G. Wells' classic “The Invisible Man”.
Intrigued, I delved deeper, only to discover Ralph Ellison's “Invisible Man” (without the “The”), a true masterpiece that had somehow slipped beneath my radar. The only novel released by the brilliant Ralph Ellison during his lifetime, it’s a powerful and beautifully written journey through the eyes of the unnamed narrator, taking us from the South to New York City, challenging his mind and self-perception while holding up a mirror to ponder our own.
I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates stunning prose and is willing to dive into a man's soul, wherever that journey may lead. Thank you, Spike Lee... again.
Watch - Shrinking series, and Slovak comedy Kavej
On our flight back from Mexico, the hubby caught an episode of "Shrinking," the Apple TV+ series starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford. When we got home, we signed up for Apple TV+ to binge the rest.
It’s a brilliant mix of laugh-out-loud moments and heartfelt emotion. Segel plays Jimmy, a grieving therapist who starts giving his patients brutally honest advice, while Ford shines as his gruff mentor, Paul.
Season 2 is already in production, so now's the perfect time to get on board!
If you find yourself in Slovakia, be sure to catch the brand new comedy “Kavej”. I watched it in an outdoor cinema on a perfect, balmy summer night, with one of my favorite people beside me. I might be biased, but I found it hilarious, touching, and almost too relatable.
Mind Hack - Is Your Mind Tormenting You?
When I was 6, I narrowly escaped being plowed down by a bright blue car—in a dream. Decades later, I still have a deep-seated aversion to ultramarine blue. I own nothing in that shade, and I might like you a little less if you wore it, no matter how delightful you are. Just looking at the picture above sends shivers down my spine.
It sounds absurd, but this is what our minds do constantly: they overlay past experiences on reality and distort it. Before we know it, we’re choosing partners, switching jobs, buying cars, and navigating life, all ruled by these irrational old patterns.
Mindfulness may be the way out of this madness. It simply means becoming aware of what your mind is up to and choosing to see the present as it is right now, without the filter of the past. Instead of reacting, you pause.
Don’t suppress your emotions.
Don’t express them either. At least not yet.
Watch them. Take a moment and let them do their thing.
Then act, respond, and live with a clear mind.
Emotions are just chemicals racing through your veins (dopamine, serotonin, cortisol, and the like). They will fizz out of your system within about 90 seconds if you let them. But if you keep feeding the fire, they can turn into an inferno that can last for hours, or even years.
This attention, awareness, mindfulness, or whatever you want to call it, breaks the hold your old patterns have on you. It turns them into objective memories that can be recalled when needed without haunting you or forcing you to pick your partners based on the color of their wardrobe.
As for my ultramarine blue, it's time to sit with those pictures and see what bubbles up.
Just Because - Karolina Protsenko
Hubby’s uncle recently introduced us to a young violinist named Karolina Protsenko and we ended up watching hours of her performances during our last visit to California. This girl is a total sensation!
Karolina hails from Ukraine, and her entire family is musically gifted. They made the big move to California in 2015 and Karolina started playing the violin soon after. If you haven’t seen her yet, you’re in for a treat.
So there you have it. That’s August for you. Now go do that thing you've been procrastinating on by reading this. You know the one.
Be Mappy,
Mags
