About.com Budget Travel

Eight Tips for Holiday Budget Travel

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:35:13 +0000

Are you ready for the hectic holiday travel season? AAA estimates 38.4 million will be traveling in the U.S. during the Thanksgiving holiday, which is up slightly from last year. Air travel will be down a bit, but seats are likely to be filled because airlines have cut flights. Whether it's crowded trains or missed connections, traveling at this time of year can be exhausting and bewildering. Here are eight tips for holiday budget travel that should help you survive the crunch with dignity and bank account intact.

Eight Tips for Holiday Budget Travel originally appeared on About.com Budget Travel on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 17:35:13.

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Deals for the Week of Nov. 22

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:17:42 +0000

Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. For deals that aren't quite so fleeting, check out Winter deals. This week's deals include a 20 percent discount on rail passes for Italy, up to 100,000 bonus miles when signing up for an airline credit card and a sale on airfares to The Bahamas.

Deals for the Week of Nov. 22 originally appeared on About.com Budget Travel on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 16:17:42.

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Travel Books Make Great Gifts

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:21:13 +0000

Some say the age of travel books is coming to an end. After all, you can get the same (and probably more current) information online, print out what you need and stash it in your luggage. But I'm not sure that procedure is always the most effective way to go. On many trips, you encounter opportunities for which you did not plan. It can be helpful to have a travel book at your fingertips. In the same way, authors raise issues in book chapters that might not pop up during online searches. Travel books can also jump-start your planning and enthusiasm for that next adventure. So consider 10 books that make great gifts for budget travelers. There are links to reviews of each title, and all of them can be purchased online.

Travel Books Make Great Gifts originally appeared on About.com Budget Travel on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 14:21:13.

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New Moon Twilight Movie: Visit the Setting on a Budget

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:10:45 +0000

This Friday, the U.S. premiere of the long-awaited second Twilight movie hits theaters. "New Moon" will bring renewed interest to the book series set in Washington's scenic Olympic Peninsula and the real-life town of Forks (pop. 3,175). The first highly successful Twilight movie last year brought thousands of visitors, who sought out movie landmarks such as Forks High School. But you don't have to be a big fan of the book series or the movies to enjoy the rugged and unforgettable landscape of the Olympic region. Read more about visiting the Olympic Peninsula on a budget.

New Moon Twilight Movie: Visit the Setting on a Budget originally appeared on About.com Budget Travel on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 23:10:45.

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Deals for the Week of Nov. 15

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:28:11 +0000

Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. For deals that aren't quite so fleeting, check out Winter deals. This week's deals include hotel and resort offers all over the world, four airfare sales and some incentives for cruise shoppers.

Deals for the Week of Nov. 15 originally appeared on About.com Budget Travel on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 16:28:11.

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Winter Travel Deals

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:27:36 +0000

Holiday travel bargains have been far more elusive this year, but beyond December there can be some wonderful opportunities. In fact, some of the best budget travel bargains of the year are snagged in winter. Check out some seasonal offerings for getting around, airfares, cruises, hotels and ski deals. Check back frequently, because the pages will be updated.

Winter Travel Deals originally appeared on About.com Budget Travel on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 00:27:36.

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Europe on $5 a Day: 52 Years Later

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:18:59 +0000

Chalk up another one for Twitter. I was surfing there last week when an opportunity came to win a facsimile copy of Europe on $5 a Day by Arthur Frommer. The little book first appeared in 1957 and it revolutionized travel for thousands of North Americans. Wiley published a 50th anniversary edition in 2007, and happily, I was one of the lucky giveaway winners.

What's the big deal about a book with highly outdated information from 52 years ago?

Before this groundbreaking work appeared, most travelers were under the sad impression that visiting Europe was only for the rich. All others could read about the Piazza San Marco, Lake Geneva or the sidewalks of Paris in books. Frommer gave everyday people (like me) hope for visiting Europe by packing his little book with scores of practical tips.

Europe on $5 a Day came out two years before I was born. But a generation later, Frommer was still writing and updating his original copy. I think the first one I saw was Europe on $50 a Day. The prices had changed, but the concepts and advice still were sound.

When my facsimile copy of the $5 version arrived this week, I expected to find some interesting prices from 1957, and I wasn't disappointed. On the very first page, Frommer decried an unnamed guidebook that he said implied authentic Parisian tours could only begin from five-star hotels: "This tome states that one really can't consider staying in Paris at hotels other than the Ritz, the Crillon or the Plaza Ath�n�e (at $30 for room and bath)..."

According to the usinflationcalculator.com, $30 in 1957 equates to $231 in 2009. At this writing, the cheapest rack rate I can find for the lowest level of room on the Ritz Paris Web site is �550 (about $820 USD).

But not everything was cheaper in 1957. Consider overseas airfares: Frommer cited a New York-London round trip coach class airfare of $522. Usinflationcalculator.com says that's $4012 in 2009. Most times of year, you could probably fly four people for that amount today. But Frommer mentioned that in 1957, there was an installment plan for airfares called "Pay Later." He also cited "excursion fares" for people who would spend 15 days or less overseas. The New York-London round trip excursion fare was cited as $425.

Read on, and you'll discover Frommer directed his 1957 readers to a three-course meal in Paris for 85 cents, a second-class Venice hotel room for $1.30/night and deluxe hotels in Athens for between $2.00 and $2.85 per night.

Even when adjusted for inflation, most of those opportunities could not be found today. But Frommer (whom I consider the father of modern budget travel) demystified places like London, Paris and Munich. He showed people they could indeed afford to visit these places without going broke if they were willing to look for no-frills options and live like the locals.

Mr. Frommer, thank you for writing that book back in 1957. It started a travel revolution from which we all benefit to this day.

_{Image courtesy Frommers.com}

Europe on $5 a Day: 52 Years Later originally appeared on About.com Budget Travel on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 00:18:59.

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Deals for the Week of Nov. 8

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:07:33 +0000

Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. For deals that aren't quite so fleeting, check out Fall deals. This week's deals include some beachfront holiday bargains, shopping trip savings, and airfare discounts for Asia.

Deals for the Week of Nov. 8 originally appeared on About.com Budget Travel on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 18:07:33.

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Airline Credit Card Questions

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:28:20 +0000

Is the airline credit card still in its heyday? I think not. These cards became popular many years ago because they allowed budget travelers to earn frequent flyer miles from everyday purchases like groceries and oil changes. But airline frequent flyer miles have become increasingly difficult to use as a budget travel tool. Many of us like to shop multiple airlines for a good deal, pay for those bargains in cash, and then use travel rewards to book hotels or car rentals. A bank-based travel rewards credit card works quite well in that scenario. What is best for you? There is no blanket answer. You must look at your own patterns of spending and travel. You must ask yourself if being tied to one carrier through an airline credit card is best.

Airline Credit Card Questions originally appeared on About.com Budget Travel on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 16:28:20.

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Holiday Travel Plans

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:27:22 +0000

I am usually quite skeptical of news releases with polling data or "research" conducted in the best interests of a business. Many deserve to be ignored because they are transparent attempts to get the company's name into news content.

But two recent studies pertaining to the upcoming holiday travel season prompted me to take a second look.

Travelocity did an analysis of holiday flight bookings showing the costliest flight itineraries a passenger can purchase ($459 on average) are for Nov. 22-29 (Sun.-Sun.) or Nov. 25-29 (Wed.-Sun.). When adjusted to a Nov. 26 departure with return Dec. 1 (Thurs.-Tues.), they found an average fare of $280. As always, the travelers with flexible schedules get the best deals.

American Express Spending & Saving Tracker reports current consumer attitudes about spending and savings: Although 19 percent of those surveyed who traveled last holiday season plan on staying home this year, 41 percent still plan to travel in the next 30 days. Notice this: the survey found about eight in 10 will spend more on dining out but cut back on grocery expenditures.

Half of the current Deals of the Week are airfare sales. But budget travelers who search online can find deals on hotels, resort stays and ski trips, too.

Bottom line: despite the economic gloom, lots of holiday trips are planned or booked, and there are still deals out there for the taking.

Holiday Travel Plans originally appeared on About.com Budget Travel on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 18:27:22.

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