Travel Tips on the Cheap
Hillary Easom, Travel Queen, shares ...
Just two things limit most of us who love to travel: time and money. I could go on for hours about how to find the time-and so I'll save that for another day.
As far as stretching your dollars to make wonderful trips more accessible, here's a slew of tips:
1) Plan the trip yourself. While package tours are simple and seem reasonably priced, you can generally follow the same itinerary at a lower cost if you're willing to take the time to plan it on your own. That said, tour brochures are an starting point for travel planning, as their itineraries usually hit the hottest sites. It's worthwhile to go a step further and find some more off-the-beaten-path attractions that may be less crowded and equally interesting.
2) Book your travel on the Internet. I've gotten excellent airfares and some cheap rental cars through web booking. Before making a final decision, be sure to shop around at a number of sites and compare prices. Some of my favorites include sidestep.com, orbitz.com, and hotwire.com. Also check independent airlines not included on these sites, such as Southwest Airlines (iflyswa.com), Jet Blue, and USA3000. They often offer Internet-only specials, and if you take the time to look you can find some hot deals.
3) Use budget travel guidebooks. Despite the connotation "budget travel" may have (ie, backpacks and youth hostels), these books list accommodations for all ages and tastes. They also offer money-saving tips for activities at your destination, such as free days to visit museums and discount tour guides. I've been happiest with Lonely Planet, Footprints, and Moon Handbooks.
4) Research your destination on the web and at the library. Before my husband Eric and I traveled around the world, we had a stack of guidebooks three feet high that we'd borrowed from the local library. This saved us spending the money on books for each country we'd visit, as we could copy the most relevant information into a notebook to carry along with us. The library is very good about keeping the newest guidebooks on the shelves.
5) Find lodging that permits you to cook your own meals. Eric and I stayed at an "auberge" in Argentina that had a wonderful, large kitchen for guests to use. By shopping at the local market and making our own meals, we saved a lot of money and also were able to make some exotic and romantic dinners.
6) Consider a bed and breakfast instead of a hotel. Not only are B&Bs more quaint and charming than most hotels; they also include breakfast in their price, and the food is usually fantastic. Prices are often lower and accommodations more comfortable.
7) Take the scenic route. If your journey brings you to more than one city, avoid flying and instead take a train or bus. You'll often see beautiful areas otherwise inaccessible, and the ride can be a cultural experience in and of itself.
8) Finally, read the fine print. Sometimes advertised specials are not as good as they sound. Does the week-long stay in the Bahamas require you to spend four hours attending a timeshare presentation? Will the beachfront hotel in Cancun be located beside the most raucous bar in town? Maybe you're willing to make these small sacrifices to travel on the cheap. Just make sure you commit to that before you get there!
© Hillary Easom 2005
Just two things limit most of us who love to travel: time and money. I could go on for hours about how to find the time-and so I'll save that for another day.
As far as stretching your dollars to make wonderful trips more accessible, here's a slew of tips:
1) Plan the trip yourself. While package tours are simple and seem reasonably priced, you can generally follow the same itinerary at a lower cost if you're willing to take the time to plan it on your own. That said, tour brochures are an starting point for travel planning, as their itineraries usually hit the hottest sites. It's worthwhile to go a step further and find some more off-the-beaten-path attractions that may be less crowded and equally interesting.
2) Book your travel on the Internet. I've gotten excellent airfares and some cheap rental cars through web booking. Before making a final decision, be sure to shop around at a number of sites and compare prices. Some of my favorites include sidestep.com, orbitz.com, and hotwire.com. Also check independent airlines not included on these sites, such as Southwest Airlines (iflyswa.com), Jet Blue, and USA3000. They often offer Internet-only specials, and if you take the time to look you can find some hot deals.
3) Use budget travel guidebooks. Despite the connotation "budget travel" may have (ie, backpacks and youth hostels), these books list accommodations for all ages and tastes. They also offer money-saving tips for activities at your destination, such as free days to visit museums and discount tour guides. I've been happiest with Lonely Planet, Footprints, and Moon Handbooks.
4) Research your destination on the web and at the library. Before my husband Eric and I traveled around the world, we had a stack of guidebooks three feet high that we'd borrowed from the local library. This saved us spending the money on books for each country we'd visit, as we could copy the most relevant information into a notebook to carry along with us. The library is very good about keeping the newest guidebooks on the shelves.
5) Find lodging that permits you to cook your own meals. Eric and I stayed at an "auberge" in Argentina that had a wonderful, large kitchen for guests to use. By shopping at the local market and making our own meals, we saved a lot of money and also were able to make some exotic and romantic dinners.
6) Consider a bed and breakfast instead of a hotel. Not only are B&Bs more quaint and charming than most hotels; they also include breakfast in their price, and the food is usually fantastic. Prices are often lower and accommodations more comfortable.
7) Take the scenic route. If your journey brings you to more than one city, avoid flying and instead take a train or bus. You'll often see beautiful areas otherwise inaccessible, and the ride can be a cultural experience in and of itself.
8) Finally, read the fine print. Sometimes advertised specials are not as good as they sound. Does the week-long stay in the Bahamas require you to spend four hours attending a timeshare presentation? Will the beachfront hotel in Cancun be located beside the most raucous bar in town? Maybe you're willing to make these small sacrifices to travel on the cheap. Just make sure you commit to that before you get there!
© Hillary Easom 2005
posted by Allyn Evans at 12:08 PM
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