Don’t let a pink slip stop you from traveling—or learning a new skill. Snorkel for science in the Bahamas, learn to cook in Italy, or join a luxury yacht crew and sail the Caribbean for free.

From March 2009

By Claire Berlinski

But who goes on vacation when they’ve just been fired? Isn’t that self-indulgent? Or worse, stupid?

Not necessarily. Travel needn’t be about luxury spas and hotels. Travel, as the cliché goes, is broadening, an opportunity to expand horizons. So, go—travel to transform your curiosities, passions, and unexplored talents into marketable new skills. Explore simpler and more satisfying ways of living. Or just regain your equipoise, perspective, and energy—you’ll need them, after all.

What do you really love to do? If it’s yoga, train to be a yoga instructor on a tropical Thai island. Have you always wanted to write a novel? See if you’ve got the chops at a writers’ retreat in a medieval French village. Learn carpentry in a mountain village in Venezuela. Lend a hand on an organic farm in New Zealand. The global economy may be unsteady, but we promise you it’s still a big, bright, beautiful world positively exploding with things to do and see and learn and enjoy.

Best of all, many of these vacations require little or no money—with a bit of initiative, you can volunteer or barter your way around the world. Some cost a bit more, but your savings or severance pay will go a lot further in some parts of the world than it will at home, and using your reserves to invest in a new life makes more sense than watching your bank balance dwindle while you gloomily thumb through your battered copy of What Color Is Your Parachute?

Grab your second chance with both hands, and never look back.

From The Desk of President Baldanza View Sale Fares | Send to a Friend         I would like to share recent key indicators that suggest that the worst of the economic crisis is behind us and give some details on a Spirit Airlines $100M stimulus package of savings. Retail sales were up 1% in January year over year after six consecutive months of declines.  That’s amazing and shows that consumer confidence is rebounding! Last week’s unemployment numbers were encouraging with 8,000 fewer new claims compared to the prior week! We are now seeing signs of recovery in the housing market due in large part to lower mortgage rates and confidence from buyers that we have reached a bottom! With energy prices half what they were a year ago, the savings goes to the bottom line of every family, saving the economy billions! Numerous experts have pointed to the fact we have found a bottom in the stock market and expect a rebound from here! The great news about the economy does not stop there! President Obama is expected to sign the long awaited stimulus bill tomorrow. Shortly thereafter, the United States Treasury Department will finalize plans to continue strengthening our financial infrastructure. So, if you are looking for even more economic stimulus that provides up to $100M* in savings and provides up to $1B* in total spend for the economy, then take advantage of Spirit’s Presidential Stimulus Plan. The stimulus provides a family of four $200* in travel savings with some families saving up to $750* per trip (based on a single mother with fourteen children)! To get this offer, all you have to do is enter 50OFF in the Promotion Code box on the home page when booking your flight. You will then receive $50 off* a roundtrip purchase when booking a qualifying flight! We're also offering fares from $1** each way. More offer details can be found here. The time to travel is now. Your travel will ensure that we stimulate the economy again and provide jobs for those seeking employment today. Have a wonderful President’s Day and we look forward to seeing you onboard a Spirit flight soon! Sincerely, Ben Baldanza President and CEO, Spirit Airlines $50 off* for 50 hours offer details This offer is valid for travel on flights between February 17, 2009 and December 16, 2009. All you have to do is enter 50OFF in the Promotion Code box on the home page when booking your flight. You will then receive $50 off* a roundtrip purchase when booking a qualifying flight! Between 12:00 AM ET on February 17, 2009 through 1:59 AM ET on February 19, 2009, just enter 50OFF (all caps, no spaces) in the Promotion Code box on the home page when booking your flight to save $50* off your roundtrip purchase for travel from February 17, 2009 through December 16, 2009. Once the promotional code is entered, fares displayed will automatically reflect a promotional discount of $25 off each way for a total discount of $50* when purchasing a roundtrip reservation. Please see the offer terms and conditions for complete details. Please note that the $50* discount is based off the roundtrip fare. DISCOUNT CODES ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ON SPIRITAIR.COM AND NOT THROUGH OUR RESERVATIONS CENTER. Online bookings will already reflect the $5 spiritair.com discount each way for a roundtrip purchase, except for flights to or from Detroit. Those flights will receive a total discount of $40*. Example Original Fare - spiritair.com Discount ($5 each way / $10 roundtrip) - 50OFF Promo Code Discount (Add'l $20 each way / $40 roundtrip) =$50* Total Savings   Book Now | View Sale Fares | Send to a Friend

This message is sent from a computer system that hasn't yet figured out how to read and reply to messages. If you need help or have a question, please visit the HELP section on spiritair.com. Please do not reply to this email to unsubscribe or update your account. Terms and Conditions * Coupon usage/booking must be made on spiritair.com between 12:00 AM ET on February 17, 2009 and 1:59 AM ET on February 19, 2009. This offer is valid only on new roundtrip bookings with fares of $49 each way or higher at spiritair.com for travel between February 17, 2009 through December 16, 2009. This promotion is only available at spiritair.com and customers must enter the promotional code 50OFF to receive this offer. The $50 discount is based off the roundtrip fare if booked through our reservations center. Online bookings will already reflect the $5 spiritair.com discount each way for a roundtrip purchase, except for flights to or from Detroit. Those flights will receive a total discount of $40. This offer cannot be combined with other promotional code offers. Spirit Airlines will not be responsible for late, undeliverable or misdirected e-mails. All customers are allowed one free carry-on bag. Fees for bags paid in advance online at www.spiritair.com are $15 each way for the first bag only. The fee for Bag 2 is $25 each way, and items 3 thru 5 are $100.00 per item each way. When paying at the airport, fees for the first and second bags are $25 per bag each way. There is no charge to check wheelchairs, strollers, car seats, or other assistive devices. Items that are overweight or oversized will continue to be weighed and sized at the airport, and fees collected when checking in. Golf club and boxes/containers are acceptable and can be prepaid online provided they meet weight and or size restrictions. Additional bags can be pre-purchased at any time provided inventory is available. (No less than one (1) hour prior to departure). All checked baggage fees are non-refundable. Customers involved in a stop-over flight that involves a connection of over 4 hours will be charged based on point to point travel. All fares listed on spiritair.com are per customer for each way of travel and include the base fare plus a federal excise tax and all fuel surcharges. Fares do not include (a) a segment tax of $3.50 per U.S. domestic flight segment (a flight segment is defined as one takeoff and landing) of a passenger’s itinerary; (b) up to $18 per round trip in local airport charges; or (c) a September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement originating at a U.S. airport. International itineraries do not include governmental taxes and fees (including U.S. government excise tax) of up to $125 per round trip. Additionally, if sold in, or travel originates in a country outside of the U.S., additional taxes may apply (up to 22% of the fare value per country). Fares are subject to availability and may not be available on all flights or on all days, and will be highly restricted around certain holiday periods. Previously purchased tickets may not be exchanged for these new sale fares. Certain restrictions apply. For best results, please book early. ** Individual travel-date specific fares must be booked on spiritair.com between 12:00 AM ET on February 17, 2009 and 1:59 AM ET on February 19, 2009 for travel on the dates as specified by individual market and by market direction. To be eligible to purchase the lowest of these fares you must be a member of the Spirit Airlines $9 Fare Club -- please see spiritair.com for details. Date-specific fares to and from Bogota and Medellin, Colombia are available for purchase originating ONLY in the United States of America. No other discounts may be applied to these fares. Fares are for coach class travel unless otherwise specified and reflect the spiritair.com discount. Fares are each way based on roundtrip purchase, and roundtrip travel is required, but these fares may be combined with other valid and applicable Spirit Airlines fares on other dates of travel. Not all markets are operated on a daily basis during the travel period, or necessarily for the entire travel period -- please see spiritair.com for details. All customers are allowed one free carry-on bag. Fees for bags paid in advance online at www.spiritair.com are $15 each way for the first bag only. The fee for Bag 2 is $25 each way, and items 3 thru 5 are $100.00 per item each way. When paying at the airport, fees for the first and second bags are $25 per bag each way. There is no charge to check wheelchairs, strollers, car seats, or other assistive devices. Items that are overweight or oversized will continue to be weighed and sized at the airport, and fees collected when checking in. Golf club and boxes/containers are acceptable and can be prepaid online provided they meet weight and or size restrictions. Additional bags can be pre-purchased at any time provided inventory is available. (No less than one (1) hour prior to departure). All checked baggage fees are non-refundable. Customers involved in a stop-over flight that involves a connection of over 4 hours will be charged based on point to point travel. All fares listed on spiritair.com are per customer for each way of travel and include the base fare plus a federal excise tax and all fuel surcharges. Fares do not include (a) a segment tax of $3.50 per U.S. domestic flight segment (a flight segment is defined as one takeoff and landing) of a passenger’s itinerary; (b) up to $18 per round trip in local airport charges; or (c) a September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement originating at a U.S. airport. International itineraries do not include governmental taxes and fees (including U.S. government excise tax) of up to $125 per round trip. Additionally, if sold in, or travel originates in a country outside of the U.S., additional taxes may apply (up to 22% of the fare value per country). Fares are subject to availability and may not be available on all flights or on all days, and will be highly restricted around certain holiday periods. Previously purchased tickets may not be exchanged for these new sale fares. Certain restrictions apply. For best results, please book early. *** Click here for the full $9 Fare Club terms and conditions. Privacy is a concern for Spirit Airlines and we will not send unsolicited emails. This is sale information which you opted to receive when you requested a subscription to Spirit Airlines specials. You are currently subscribed to receive information from Spirit Airlines at travel@tyustours.com. You may unsubscribe or update your email address at anytime. © 2009 Spirit Airlines Spirit Airlines, 2800 Executive Way, Miramar, FL 33025 2957287

Quciken Loans Arena, Feb 8, 2009.. Kobe down with the flu, but still mange 19 points. defeated Cleveland Cavs 101 to 91. Lamar Odom had his best game of the season . He proved to be too quick for Ben Wallace or Anderson Varejao, too big for Wally Szczerbiak and too much for rookie J.J. Hickson.

He ( Lamar Odom) finished with 28 points and 17 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds Add Gasol's 18 points and they together destroyed the Cleveland Cavs. Cleveland gave up 62 points in the paint was outrebounded and outplayed by the Lakers who finished  their road trip 6-o.