This month, my wife and I had the opportunity to score $200 plane tickets to New York City. Jet Blue was doing a promotion that featured discounted flights to various major cities – some for less than $50 each way. We quickly capitalized on this opportunity and last week we made the journey to the Big Apple.

Prior to this trip, I had flown with a wide array of carriers but never Jet Blue. I have always preferred Delta because of their Sky Miles program. I’m not sure why, but I always thought Jet Blue was the worst. I don’t know where this idea came from but I have avoided them at all costs. I have since realized the error of my ways. After flying with them, Jet Blue is probably one of my favorite carriers. Not only do they provide blue potato chips as a mid-flight snack, they also have TV’s in the back of all the headrests, the flight attendants were stellar and their seats had lots of leg room (as long as you don’t sit in the very back). All-in-all, it was a good experience.

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One of our travel goals is to visit all the baseball parks in the country. So far we are doing well with our goal but it will take us quite awhile at the pace we are going, hitting one or two ballparks per summer. Anyways, because of our love of America’s favorite pastime- we decided to make a quick trip to Phoenix over the weekend and see a pre-season game. Both of us had always wanted to go to spring training but had never made it before so it was a treat to both of us. We went and saw the Dodgers play at their brand new facility they share with the White Sox at Camel Back Stadium in Glendale. It was a beautiful stadium, reminded me a little of Franklin Covey Field here in Salt Lake, but with a desert feel. I must say I was a little disappointed because only a few starters played and was really bummed there was no Manny. But despite those two shortcomings the trip was excellent and we ate at In-N-Out and had a quick visit with my grandparents.

If you are a baseball lover then a pre-season game is where it’s at. Tickets are cheaper at spring training venues than at the team’s regular ballpark and it’s a more intimate setting. You get a minor league feel for a major league team. Plus whether you head to Florida or Phoenix either way you get perfect 70 degree weather which is definitely a step up from the thirty degree weather we left behind.

Sometimes living in Utah we tend to overlook the mountains of our great state. While people from around the world flocking here to get a taste of our fresh Utah powder, we’re complaining about all the snow we have to shovel off of our driveways.

I have a friend from out of state that happens to be one of those flocking to Utah. Actually, the highlight of his year is his annual trip to the Wasatch Front. So naturally when he came into town a few weekends ago our plans were centralized around the mountains, more specifically, Solitude Mountain Resort. Solitude is a local favorite that prides itself with short lift lines and plenty of terrain to enjoy. 

After taking some warm up runs on freshly groomed, wide open trails, we headed to the more adventurous edge of the resort and found some hidden powder stashes left untouched from the previous week’s storm. The snow was great, the staff was super friendly, and due to a bad fall by my friend, we found out first hand that the ski patrol and on mountain clinic were great too.

Solitude truly has a wide selection of terrain and although the mountain has plenty of runs that suit the beginner or intermediate skier, it has some steeps that are sure to give even most advanced skiers an extra dose of adrenaline. If the in-bounds terrain isn’t enough of a challenge, Solitude offers a program called Backtracks, a guided tour that takes you out of the resort’s boundaries and into the untouched Wasatch back country.

Seriously, the hype that surrounds utah and it’s claim to the greatest snow on earth is true. Visit www.skiutah.com to schedule your trip and check out Solitude and Utah’s 12 other world class ski resorts.

Hey all- I did a guest post over at CheapOAir that I thought you might be interested in reading. In the post I offer five tips on saving money this year so you don’t have to get rid of your vacation just because of the economy! Check it out here!

The MSNBC article claims a Yale University student from Ohio has filed a lawsuit seeking $1 million from US Airways for a video game console he says was taken from his luggage. A few things are wrong with this picture. First off, what is a Yale student doing with an Xbox? Second off, how much do Xbox’s cost- a couple of hundred? Unless this student was on his way to a tournament where he could have won an easy million (unlikely) – how does he expect to prove damages amounting to a million dollars? Thirdly- Airlines only cover lost luggage for the value up to a little over $3,000 typically. Fourthly- you are a Yale student; you should be smarter than that.