November 21, 2008

Travel Tips for Families

family.jpgTips for inexpensive travel are certainly the budget conscious travelers' best friend when it is important to get the most out of your holiday for less than it would typically cost.

If you wish to save money without forgoing having a great time there are certain things you can do plus some unusual ideas you can take into consideration.

Discount Travel Clubs: Although there is a fee, travel clubs are a great way of saving money during your holiday. You can usually find these advertised or listed in travel magazines, newspapers or online by doing a simple search for them.

Rent an Older Car: Old does not always equal bad. This is definitely true when you are far from home. You are usually better off renting a vehicle that is just a bit older and more affordable, and stay within your budget, than driving around in the latest muscle car. It is easy to get an affordable car without burning your pockets.

Shop for the Best: The easiest way to have a good time-for less money- is to do a bit of homework on your own. Go online and compare different travel packages, air fares, and others that different companies may be offering and select the one that is best for you. You can also find them in your local magazines and newspapers or even your favorite travel magazine (and its online version). You would be surprised how easy it may be to get a good travel deal.

Discount travel has always been a reality with many people. You can be one of them if you take these tips a little seriously.

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November 18, 2008

Cost Cutting Ideas - Where to stay?

hotel_1.jpg1. Inexpensive Lodging: I agree that it may be tempting to stay at a five-star hotel during your holiday; however, it may not be the best thing for your wallet. It is a simple thing to do to still have respectable lodging without breaking the bank.

The first step is research the hotels in your destination city prior to your departure. You will want to look for low-cost hotels with decent facilities, easy access to local transportation and good customer reviews. Budget motels are also a possibility.

2. Home Exchanges: Another option is to arrange for a home exchange instead of paying for lodging. With this option you stay at the home of another family during your visit. By choosing this option you save money both for lodging and, typically, for food. You can search online for your destination country's or city's tourism council; you can usually find information here on home exchanges.

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November 16, 2008

Look into Renting an Apartment

apartment.jpgIf you are considering a longer than the ususal 2 week vacation in a city, investigate into  renting an apartment. This can work out to be cheaper than even the cheapest of hostels, and this is a very well known tip to most individuals who are savy on Discount Travel Deals!

Unlike the USA, where it is almost impossible to rent an apartment for less than a few months, many foreign destinations have many apartments available to stays as short as 2 weeks.

Renting an apartment can also help you in other ways. Mainly you will find that you become more immersed in the foreign culture by not staying at Tourist allotted areas, and presumable you will be able to cook in your apartment, which will obviously give you major savings on food costs.

There are sometimes rented apartments that are specifically on offer for those interested in discount travel. Many have only basic necessities and amenities. Keep an eye out for Locals, who are travelling out of town, and are renting their own houses or apartments to make a little extra money.

Which ever style of apartment you chose, if you are serious about discount travel, renting an apartment instead of staying in a hotel or hotel is almost the best way to go

 

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November 14, 2008

Discount Travel - Eating!

rustic.jpgPeople often forget to plan for Food Costs, while thinking about discount travel. Food costs can be reduced drastically by shopping in local supermarkets and eating “in” rather than by dining “out”.

Most tourists destinations are geared to get the most of out tourists, and sometimes you may not even realize, until you do  the currency conversion, that you paid almost $10 for a terrible breakfast at your hotel.

If you do decide to eat out, you will save money by dining on local cuisine, this will make a more interesting experience as well as being much cheaper  and most of the time better. American Style food is not the norm in most tourist destinations, so therefore will costs more.

Some Great Advice on trying to save on food costs, is not only to eat local food, but to actually eat at the same restaurants that the locals eat at. You can assume that they wont have as much money as you do, so the food will be cheaper and much more authentic.

Avoid restaurants and grocery stores filled with other tourists, selling typical North American fare. You will be glad you did!

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November 5, 2008

Hotel Deals on line too!

hotel.jpgOne of the most significant decisions for any traveler - whether business or holiday - is to figure out where to stay. For me I must figure out if I will choose a bed and breakfast? A condominium-cum-hotel? An out of the way traveler's inn on the outskirts of downtown? Will I choose a beach resort, a grand five-star hotel, a humble but practical apartment, or a vacation rental?

Will I decide to pamper myself, or choose a hotel that is sensibly priced? My personal preferences are not rigid: they depend on a variety of aspects, including the value-for-money, peak of off-peak season, length of my stay, my mode of transportation, etc. Where will I be staying? Where will I rest my head? These are questions I ask myself daily; this is why I use the Internet to look up the best online deals and promotions for hotels. The only hotel I won't consider is the one that is owned by Norman Bates.

After I have booked my room using whichever online deals I have found I usually realize that I have been able to accumulate an incredible amount of savings - most of them coming from booking discounts, cash-back rebates, credit card points, membership discounts, and loyalty guest promotions.

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Travel Agents - Not all Bad!

agency.jpgTrying to find the best holiday travel deals can be difficult. Many people believe that if they do all the work themselves (i.e. search for deals or call the airlines and the hotels and the cruise lines) they will get better rates simply because they are cutting out the middle man.

Unfortunately the fact is that travel agents receive special deals that they can pass along to consumers that the airlines, cruise lines, etc. won’t offer to consumers themselves. These industries want you to use travel agencies since the travel agencies are their livelihood.

Return business is the chief reason for a travel agency to offer great customer service. If you don’t get the kind of customer service and the deals that you expect you will likely find a different travel agent the next time you want to travel. If you receive outstanding customer service, even if you feel you paid a little more than you would have elsewhere, you are more than likely going to use that travel agency again.

It is in their best interest to find you the best holiday travel deals and to treat you like you deserve to be treated.

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October 31, 2008

No Frills Airlines

ryan-air.jpg

There is no doubt, that one of the cheapest ways to fly these days is with the no frills airlines. Whilst some people may have a bad impression of no frills airlines, many are just as safe as the commercial airlines and their service is just as good if not better than some of the major carriers.

Most of the No Frills Airlines have web based ticket purchasing systems. This can help lower their labor costs. No Frills airlines do not serve meals during the flights, however they do offer a snack and a drink to you that is available to purchase if you would like them.

Jet Blue, Ryan Air, Easy Jet and South West are just a few examples of No Frills Airlines.  Expect to pay anywhere from  $20 - $200 a ticket to fly across country, or even to many International Destinations.

No Frills Airlines can be the best way to fly, if you simply are looking to get to your destination without spending  hundred of dollars for amenities that you simply find un necessary.

These Airlines do not have First or Business Class sections, everyone on board is treated equally!

If you are looking for a safe, and comfortable and most importantly affordable way to fly, I would suggest taking a look at the No Frills Airlines! You will be delighted at what you can find!

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October 29, 2008

Flying Business Class

business-class.jpgPeople that are looking for comfort and most importantly peace and quiet on long haul flights, are choosing business class. This is becoming a very popular way to fly, especially when you have work that needs to be done, or you are looking for the extra space, amenities and attention.

Business class is an extremely comfortable way to fly. The meals that they serve to you are prepared and served with greater care. You are given real plates, and real silverware. There is usual a wider variety of entertainment on offer, and most importantly the seats are wider, with much more legroom than is offered in coach. 

For many people, flying coach is simply unacceptable for Long Trips or International, if you are going anywhere “On Business” and have work that needs to be done on the plane, it is simply not an option to fly coach.
 
Business class can cost several hundred dollars more than coach, but still several hundred, if not thousand dollars less than flying first class, to many people business class is a happy medium between the two.

With some good bargain hunting, perhaps even with a few frequent flier miles, many people can fly business more often than they expected.

If you are looking for a great way to fly, I would definitely recommend that you try Business Class!

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October 23, 2008

An Indirect Route for Discount Travel?

plane.jpgYou are no doubt aware that there are massive fluctuations in the prices of airline tickets these days. Prices vary for a variety of reasons such as season, how well traveled the route is and also more mysterious reasons!. Flight prices change constantly and some times radically over night.

One of the most important things to think about if you are interested in cheap flights, is the difference between domestic and international flights, and then use this to your advantage when you want to travel internationally

In the USA, a typical flight from  NYC to Montreal, Canada costs around $300. $300 for a trip that is just over 1 hour in duration, for that same price you can travel across the country NYC to LAX  a much longer trip.   With a few exceptions, domestic flights are cheaper than international flights. They are subject to less taxes and regulations and are often more traveled  so airlines offer discounts.

Think about this, when you are thinking about  international travel, there are discounts to had! Look into splitting your direct international flight into 2 flights. Although its not the most direct route and a slight inconvenience you can save a huge amount of money this way.

Here’s an example, if you live in the Northern Part of the USA, and you want to go to Latin America, you will find that its cheaper to fly to a Southern Hub such as Miami or Dallas, and then take a flight from there to your desired destination. Even if you live in a big city, the chances are that a direct flight to Latin America will cost you a lot more.

Spilliting you flights may not even be as inconvenient as you think, often no overnight stay is required and you may only have a short wait time from one plane to another.

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October 22, 2008

Planning a Trip to Europe

europe.jpgIf you are thinking about going on a fantastic vacation this year, I would definitely recommend looking into Europe. Europe is a top vacation destination for many travelers, and now days, its easier than ever to plan a trip to Europe.

Planning is fun and easy and there are a million resources available to you that will help you out whist you are planning.

Its so simple to plan for a trip to Europe.  There is so much to see and do in Europe it just depends on what you like to do and how much time you have to see it all! From Museums, Outdoor festivals to a Romantic Honeymoon, no matter what you are looking for, Europe will surely have everything and more!

I would recommend buying a travel books Europe. You can find many good travel books on the market today, and most of them cover the A to Z of Europe. You will also find detailed information on the top destination spots such as Paris, Rome and London

It is so important to create a budget . However, no matter what your budget is, you can have a great vacation in Europe. You can easily find 4 star hotels just as you can find great hostels for $10 a night

Using the many sites on the internet, you can find flights to and from your selected destination, as well as arranging bus and rail tickets before you even leave home!.

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