Travel Deals and Tips

Ok well actually I haven't got any amazing deals to tell you about at the moment. The thing about amazing deals is that they don't last long. If I posted one on here, it would likely be gone or sold out by the time you read this and try to reserve it.

You might have noticed a recurring theme in our recent blog posts in that many of us like to travel and we try to do it cheap too! Here are some a few tips that have been useful for our family.

1. You can find great deals each week on Travelzoo's Top 20 List.  We booked a 7 night cruise off of this list last year. Click here to sign up. You will receive a list each week of travel deals, including international deals too!

2. If you are traveling with a group, it is often less expensive to rent a vacation house and share it with friends than it is to stay in individual hotel rooms.  Plus you can prepare your own meals and save on restaurants! I recommend www.homeaway.com because they let you search on very specific criteria. However, www.vrbo.com is a great site as well.  This worked out great for us when we went to Hawaii in February. Our group of 11 stayed in a gorgeous house rather than each staying in a hotel room. The house was much nicer than anything we could have afforded on our own.

3. Check out www.tripadvisor.com for reviews and tips on your travel destination. This website is the best thing to happen to travel since the airplane. Well not really, but it is fantastic! Check it out!

4. Google audio guides for the museums and historic sites or cities you plan on visiting. There are often free audio guides available that you can download to your mp3 player. Check out www.ricksteves.com for audio guides all over Europe.

5. If you can handle not having a plan or knowing exactly where you are staying, then you can often save by booking hotel rooms at the last minute, as in the day of. Hotwire, Priceline, and Travelocity are great places to book last minute stays, especially 4-star hotels. If you are traveling abroad, just call around to different hotels a day or two in advance until you find something that works for you. We did the latter in Costa Rica a couple of years ago and it was a great adventure. I carried a Frommer's guidebook with me to find hotels in my budget as we traveled from town to town. It worked out great but this method is definitely not for everyone and works best when you are traveling with a small group.

6. Do your research. Check the State Department's website for travel warnings and advisories. Be safe and know your surroundings. 

7. Have at least an idea of the itinerary you would like to follow. Many museums are closed on certain week days and others require reservations made months in advance. Make the most of your vacation by knowing what you want to see and do but allow some time to relax as well. Again Frommer's books and tripadvisor are fantastic resources for planning. Frommer's even has suggested itineraries for many destinations that are specific to interests and length of stay. For example, we followed the 'One Week Adventure' when we were in Costa Rica.

Hope this helps! I would love to hear any feedback you have.

Icela Reets - Marketing Coordinator