Cheap Cruising

Knowledge of a foreign is a must for the cheap traveler.  Being able to speak somewhat fluently ingratiates you to the locals and in turn leads you an areas hidden treasures.  Mango is a webapp that offers free courses in Spanish, Russian, Greek, German, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, French, Italian and Polish.  There is even an mobile option.  The free version of Mango lets you:

1. Learn over 1,100 common high frequency words in your new language. This is available in every one of our 11 language courses. As new languages become available, you will have access to those as well.
2. Learn grammar the natural way and learn to put those words together to engage in real and meaningful conversation.
3. Color coded translations for phrases and sentences so that you can clearly see what words and phrases in your new language actually mean in your native language.
4. Understood translations so that you sound natural when speaking your new language.
5. Literal translations so that you understand the literal meaning of the words that you are speaking and build a stronger vocabulary.
6. Native male and female voices clearly pronouncing words and phrases so that you can learn to understand native pronunciation and so that you can learn to speak like a native.
7. The first 5 lessons of every course will have the Pro level features for free.

I checked out the first lesson of French and it provides a decent knowledge of the language. Mango also offers a paid subscription as well. One month will run you $65. In return you’ll get more vocabulary words, memory building exercises, cultural notes, zero ads and some other bells and whistles.  I’ll stick with the free version.

Sign up for the Cheap Travel Newsletter and win a copy of Rick Steve’s Europe Through the Back Door

We’ve got our first cheap travel contest underway. The rules are simple. Subscribe to the Cheap Travel newsletter(on the sidebar) and you’re automatically entered to win a copy of Rick Steve’s Europe Through the Back Door, the 2009 edition.I won’t spam you. I won’t sell your email addresses to anyone. You can expect a email newsletter about three times a month. The winner will be drawn at random and you must be 18 to enter. The contest runs from now until September, 30 2008.  

Bank of America customers can take advantage of a free museum visit throughout the United States.  All you need to do is flash your Bank of America credit or debit card during any of the designated free weekends from now until April. BA customers have access to 70 museums in 28 markets across the United States. You can also sign up for email or text to remind you the weekends. . Check out this list of fabu museums. Most of of them are already vacation must stops.

2008 Bank of America Museums On Us™
Participating Museums

ARIZONA
Arizona Science Center

CALIFORNIA
California Center for the Arts Escondido
The California Museum
Crocker Art Museum
de Young Museum
Discovery Science Center
Explorit Science Center
Laguna Beach Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Mingei International Museum
Museum of African Diaspora
Museum of Latin American Art
Palm Springs Art Museum
Riverside Art Museum
San Jose Museum of Art
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Tech Museum of Innovation
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

CONNECTICUT
Mashantucket Pequot Museum
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

DELAWARE
Delaware Art Museum
Delaware Museum of Natural History
Winterthur Museum & Country Estate

FLORIDA
Miami Art Museum
Miami Children’s Museum
Miami Science Museum
The Morikami Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), North Miami
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
Museum of Discovery & Science
South Florida Science Museum

GEORGIA
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Atlanta History Center
Fernbank Museum of Natural History

ILLINOIS
The Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago History Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

MAINE
The Farnsworth Art Museum

MASSACHUSETTS
Danforth Museum of Art
DeCordova Museum & Sculpture Park
Harvard Museum of Natural History
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

MARYLAND
The American Visionary Art Museum
The Flag House and Star Spangled Banner Museum
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture

MICHIGAN
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
The Detroit Zoo
Henry Ford Museum

NEW JERSEY
Liberty Science Center
Montclair Art Museum
The Newark Museum

NEW YORK
Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium
International Center of Photography
The Jewish Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art(pictured above)
New York Hall of Science

NORTH CAROLINA
Levine Museum of the New South
Mint Museum of Art
Mint Museum of Craft and Design

PENNSYLVANIA
National Constitution Center
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
Philadelphia Museum of Art

RHODE ISLAND
Museum of Work and Culture
Providence Children’s Museum
The RISD Museum

TEXAS
Dallas Museum of Art
Fort Worth Museum of Science & History
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Museum of Nature & Science, Dallas
San Jacinto Museum of History

WASHINGTON
Museum of History & Industry
Tacoma Art Museum
The Wing Luke Museum

Bank of America, Museums, Travel, Vacation, Budget, Frual