ASHLEE IN ACTION

DrinkAde: The Perfect Companion When Drinking

Have you ever drank too much and woke up the next day thinking, “God please, if you make this hangover go away, I promise I’ll never drink again!” We’ve all been there. Trust me. Well now you never have to be there again thanks to the folks over at DrinkAde!

What is it?

DrinkAde is a sugar and gluten free hangover prevention drink with a natural formula that helps to neutralize toxins, restore vital nutrients, and re-hydrate the body. Its natural ingredients include aloe vera, green teen extract, B vitamins, potassium, milk thistle and gotu kola, all of which are great for processing toxins and increasing energy levels. Many other similar products on the market that contain 40 calories per serving (yikes), while DrinkAde only contains 5 calories per serving (about 3.4 fluid ounces). Is it too good to be true?

What did I think?

Let me preface the rest of this post and say that while yes, this post was sponsored by DrinkAde, I wanted to try the product myself before recommending it. I tested out DrinkAde on two different occasions with varying levels of alcohol intake.

I only drank a few glasses of sangria (let’s say three) socially the first time I tried it at Baltimore’s Diner en Blanc. I had DrinkAde about an hour before I sat down to eat and drink. I woke up the next morning with no hangover at all which is sort of unusual for me since I tend to have a slight hangover after a night of drinking wine. I credit that completely to DrinkAde.

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The second time I tried DrinkAde was during a night out with friends when I threw caution to the wind. We had A LOT to drink and when I say a lot, I mean about five shots and five cocktails each. (Yep, I’m still blackmailing a friend with video from this night!) They each tried a DrinkAde too so I could see how it affected people differently. I drank it literally five seconds before I had my first cocktail.

I woke up the next day with a Grade A headache, but I still believe my hangover would have been worse had I not had DrinkAde. I was still able to move about my day and my headache eventually subsided. My friends were not hungover much at all which I was glad to hear.

There are so many variables that go into how a body processes alcohol (size of the person, what they’re drinking, how quickly they’re consuming, etc.). I had not really eaten or drank my normal amount of water when I tried DrinkAde for the second time, so I believe that could have impacted my results too.

The lesson for me here is to drink two or three bottles if I plan to have a wild night, perhaps one before I start drinking and then another a few hours later. And also drink water. Because duh.

DrinkAde doesn’t taste the best, but it’s not terrible and completely drinkable. Your best bet would be to just chug it all in one sip!

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Should you buy it?

YES! It’s a great natural and low-calorie way to have fun and still be able to function at a high level the next day. And I think it’s a better, more natural alternative than taking ibuprofen or drinking PediaLyte the next day. (Come on, you know you’ve done this too.)

Where do I buy it?

You can get it on their website or in certain retailers like GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe. It’ll be on Amazon soon too! Use code WILLDRINKFORTRAVEL for 25% off on www.drinkade.com (valid until December 31, 2018)!

If you decide to give it a try, be sure to let me know if it worked for you too!

How I Booked 2 FREE Round-Trip Tickets to Paris

My mom and I are headed to France! She has a milestone birthday this year so I thought it’d be amazing to take her somewhere she’s never been. We are spending a few days in Paris and then heading to the French Riviera. Sounds amazing, right? We can’t wait.

When I first started researching for our trip, I planned to just buy our tickets outright. But then I thought why not use my hard-earned American Express credit card points? I became a card-carrying member of the American Express Platinum club almost a year ago, which by the way, I should have totally gotten sooner! I love it and all of its benefits but that’s a post for a different day.

After spending a minimum of $5,000 within three months, I received 60,000 points, which is equivalent to about $500 for future flights or hotel stays. I didn’t spend my initial 60,000 points right away because I wanted to use them for something special. I continued to accumulate points by using it as my every day card instead of my debit card. By the time I cashed out, I had over 120,000 points. And I couldn’t think of anything more special than treating my mom to a free trip to France! So how did I do it?

  1. Find a flight. I look for flights on several websites (Google Flights, Expedia, Skyscanner and others) before deciding to purchase a ticket. I saw on Google Flights that Delta had flights to Paris and from Nice during my desired travel dates. And Delta happens to be my preferred airline because I fly it most often (hello, status!).

  2. Always go to the airline’s website to book directly. I went to Delta’s website to see how much the flights were, both in points and dollars. I always go to directly to the airline’s website just to make sure I’m getting the best rate.

  3. Transfer Points. I saw that one round-trip economy class ticket to Paris was 66,000 points on Delta from BWI. I had about 75,000 points on Delta so it was only enough points for one ticket. But then I remembered that Delta and American Express are partners! I called AMEX and they were able to instantly transfer the remaining points I needed over to my Delta account. Since I was using points from both my Delta and AMEX accounts, I splurged for two Economy Comfort seats which were only about 20,000 more points. Score!
    *Note: You could receive more points if you booked your trip through American Express Travel, but I didn’t have enough AMEX points alone to book the flights I wanted directly through their site.

  4. Book the flights! It took about 3 minutes for my AMEX points to show up in my Delta account. Once they were there, I booked our tickets directly on Delta’s website and voila! We’re headed to Paris!

Delta still charges taxes and fees per ticket, so I paid about $120 for both tickets. But guess what? Those were paid too! One of the benefits of the AMEX Platinum is that you receive $200 per year to use for incidental fees on any airline of your choice. Because my AMEX is linked to my Delta account, I was immediately refunded the $120, making the tickets FREE.99!

I was on Cloud 9 that day not just because they were free, but because I was able to do something for my mother that I knew she would love and appreciate. I called her at work and she couldn’t believe it. This frees up more of our cash to dine at amazing restaurants, take great tours and stay at better hotels! It’s my mother’s first time to Europe so I want it to be amazing for her. Our trip is already off to an amazing start!

*This post is not sponsored by Delta or American Express, but it should be! Call me!
**Since they aren’t paying me, I didn’t include links throughout this post. But check out more benefits of the Platinum card
here.
***The fee for the AMEX Platinum is $550 per year. Please only apply for this card if it’s in your budget.