Adventure

Traveling on the Cheap

October 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image by mharrsch via Flickr

You hear about people who “see Europe on $45 a day,” but you wonder if that can really happen. With a little judicious planning, it can.

Consider alternative forms of lodging. Hostels, private homes, bed and breakfast accommodations and others can be cheaper than a luxury hotel. Also, consider checking with universities. During the summer months, when students are off-campus, it is not unusual for some of them to offer dorm rooms for rent. You may have to supply your own linens, toiletries, and other things, but the price may be very reasonable. In addition, since universities are often located close to downtown areas, you may be closer to the attractions you wish to visit.

Consider staying “off the beaten path.” Even staying a mile from a major downtown area or tourist center may save you as much as 50% on hotel and dining expenses. It doesn’t even have to be that far. In Gatlinburg, Tennessee, staying one block off the main thoroughfare can save you money on your hotel room.

Find out where the locals eat. Again, this may mean straying a little bit from the familiar, but then again you may find some of the most delicious food you have ever eaten.

Take advantage of discount coupons. These can get you savings on hotel rooms, dining, ski deals or even attractions.

With all the hoopla over paying for checked baggage going on, this can be a good time to reconsider how you pack. Pack as light as you can. Carry clothing that can be mixed and matched and only one or two pairs of shoes.

It’s all right to want to save money, but don’t make your vacation budget so tight that you can’t enjoy yourself. If you plan carefully, and make cuts or reductions in those areas that you really can, you’ll be able to have a little spending money left over.

Filed Under: Adventure, Hotels, Places, Random Stuff Tagged With: Cheap Hotels, Hotel, Lodging, London, Mexico, Tourism, Travel, Travel and Tourism

Picking a Great Destination

October 14, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Some people believe that where you travel is the most important part of your trip. While some others purport that how you get there is more important; would you rather see and experience something amazing and endure a little noise or inconvenience, or have a smooth and efficient ride through the land of boredom? Since travel agencies have pretty much gone the way of the dodo bird, you are mostly on your own when it comes to making your plans and arrangements to go somewhere. And this leaves you with the conundrum of having tons and tons of places to choose from.

Where do you go? And how do you decide on where you’ll be going? You could always go with a travel-oriented company like Hoseasons, where they have a lot of different places you can stay within their network. It really depends on whether you prefer a more traditional hotel type of vacation or whether you are more into staying in a cottage, city apartment, house boat, or some other kind of alternative living arrangement. These kinds of vacation stays are better for some people than they are for others, and preferences can vary wildly between different people.

What you pick can make a big difference in the vacation you end up having. Think about it. Can you imagine how much different it is to rent a place in a city than it is to rent a cottage that is pretty much in the middle of nowhere? The possibilities you can choose from are more than a little bit daunting. You might even want to just get a dart board, write out a few of your options on it, and then chuck a dart blindfolded. However, before you do that, make sure that nobody is standing anywhere near the board before you start your wild tossing frenzy. That’s how eyes get poked out.

Filed Under: Adventure, Hotels, Tourism, Travel, Travel Tip, Vacation Tagged With: Recreation, Tourism, Travel, Travel agency, Travel Agents, Travel and Tourism, Travel Services, Travelogues

How To Survive Long Plane Rides

October 5, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Long plane rides are almost as stressful as the whole airport experience. There is the fear that you could sit next to some restless traveler or someone that falls sleep and snores loudly. Then there is the possibility that you get on that plane with crying, screaming children. These types of situations can lead to a very stressful and nightmarish trip. However, there are a few tips that if followed could make your plane ride a relaxing, stress-free event.

Bring a book. Getting yourself involved with a good book can make the whole flight go by in a flash. Pick a book that you know you will enjoy. Preferably one that isn’t super long as you will have to carry the book with you. Once you get involved with the book the whole plane will seem like it disappears.

Headphones. Soundproof headphones were almost invented with travelers in mind. Grabbing a pair of these headphones before you head out on a long plane ride will make those loud plane trips a memory from the past. Many travelers that use these types of headphones can easily put on these headphones and fall asleep. Everything always seems to go by faster when your sleeping.

Hand-held DVD players. Personal DVD players are a great plane ride survival tip. As airlines are cutting back on movies and other entertainment, it falls on the traveler to bring their own entertainment. These players are small enough to fit in carry on luggage and will provide hours of entertainment. Pick a movie that isn’t too involved as many travelers sometimes fall asleep, but also make sure that the movie is something you will want to watch!

While you have no control over who you sit next to or who is on your plane ride; you do have control over what you do on the plane ride. By following these tips you’ll be able to survive those dreaded long plane rides.

Filed Under: Adventure, Travel, Travel Tip Tagged With: Audio, DVD player, Electronics, Headphones

Making Air Travel Enjoyable Again

August 31, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Everyone loves a vacation but no one loves to air travel. It seems that with all the fees that are coming up and the long lines and waits in airports that flying anywhere seems to have little appeal to the common traveler. However, since flying is a necessity for so many vacationers there is this constant struggle to make flying less stressful and more enjoyable than it already is. So how do you do that? How do you make flying fun again? Well, while there is no concrete answer, these are some helpful tips to making air travel better for everyone involved.

You must be ready to do it right from the start. Getting to the airport with 2 and ½ hours to spare is a good rule of thumb. It won’t take you nearly that long to get to your gate and so being early with not give you the feeling of being rushed and will actually give time to settle in and be ready for travel.

Another idea is to bring as little onto the plane as possible. Sure they charge you a fee to check your bags at most airlines but it might be better than lugging all those bags around with you. The other argument against checking your bags is that there is always the potential they will get lost but if you ask the people you know that have traveled they will tell you that it’s unlikely and infrequent that they would get lost. So do yourself a favor and just check your bags and bring either your purse, multi-media bag or nothing at all and have a relaxing and freeing experience waiting for your flight.

Once you are on the plane there isn’t much you can do for extra comfort expect making sure you have some relaxing music to listen to and maybe something to read. Take with you a neck pillow so it will be easier for you to sleep. Then just enjoy the flight as much as you can and think ahead to the wonderful vacation you are about to take.

Filed Under: Adventure, Places, Travel Tagged With: Air travel, Aviation, Consumer Goods and Services

Why To Take A Road Trip

August 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

When planning your vacation you usually run into the usual suspects. There are three vacations that everyone looks forward to booking.

1. The Tropical Paradise – This is a wonderful vacation somewhere just outside the country with words like “all inclusive” and “resort” it’s a way to drop a big amount of money on a relaxing week of drinks and beautiful ocean views.

2. The Out of Country Vacation – This is just to see how a different culture lives. It’s generally over a couple of weeks and involves probably 20 hours or so of being stuck in an airplane and another 10 being stuck in an airport going through customs and worrying about your luggage.

3. The Tourist Attraction – This vacation is usually stateside and involves the big places the rest of the world goes and at the same time that everyone goes. It involves very little privacy and nothing new and genuine and nothing you can experience any ole time you’d like.

If these sound on target to you then maybe you should do something different, like take a cross country road trip. There used to be a time when people would pile into their cars with the radio and a good friend and go explore America, but those days seem to be long gone. Today there is too much emphasis on a gallon of gas and getting somewhere quickly instead of enjoying the journey.

But a road trip is a perfect way for you to experience America in a way you’ve never seen it. To be captivated by the beautiful interior of the Rocky Mountains or to enjoy the expansiveness of the Grand Canyon. You can see them from a plan but until you’ve made the journey there you can never really know what promise and wonder they hold. It’s why taking your car across country is a time honored tradition that is fading away. That why this is a call for your to not just take a vacation but create an experience that will last a lifetime.

Filed Under: Adventure, Places, Travel Tagged With: Road trip, Rocky Mountains, Travelogues

3 Rules for Road Tripping

August 20, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

1. Stay off the highway – This is obviously just a title but it’s true to a lesser degree. Anytime you can take a back road you should. America is about more than the interstates, it’s the long roads that run alongside the interstate that have that personal flavor and flare that stretch through the mountains and down into the valleys and across the great planes of a great nation. Taking these really takes you through the heart of America. Use them when you can.

2. Stay Away From Chains – Every city has the usual big name places to eat. Avoid these places. This trip is about getting to know the flavor of your country and each part of the country and each city is uniquely different so take the time to enjoy the cuisine of each city. If the place has a specialty and it is something you think you would like, try it. But make sure to enjoy the food that is different than what you can get anywhere.

3. Stop When You Want – Don’t make the trip about a place to be but rather the things to see. Stop when you can and check out anything that suits your fancy. Road trips are made up of little moments and small memories that can last a lifetime.

Perhaps you have made the smart move to do something different with your vacation this year. Maybe you have decided to go against the usual place and ideas and have decided to get back to the time honored tradition of the cross country road trip. If you have then good for you. You should be excited about making the choice to enjoy the journey. There are more than a lot of places you can go by car but for you it’s about doing the trip right and enjoying every minute of the experience. If you are dedicated to doing the trip the right way and having the best memories of a vacation you have ever had then you need to follow a few road trip rules.
1. Stay off the highway – This is obviously just a title but it’s true to a lesser degree. Anytime you can take a back road you should. America is about more than the interstates, it’s the long roads that run alongside the interstate that have that personal flavor and flare that stretch through the mountains and down into the valleys and across the great planes of a great nation. Taking these really takes you through the heart of America. Use them when you can.
2. Stay Away From Chains – Every city has the usual big name places to eat. Avoid these places. This trip is about getting to know the flavor of your country and each part of the country and each city is uniquely different so take the time to enjoy the cuisine of each city. If the place has a specialty and it is something you think you would like, try it. But make sure to enjoy the food that is different than what you can get anywhere.
3. Stop When You Want – Don’t make the trip about a place to be but rather the things to see. Stop when you can and check out anything that suits your fancy. Road trips are made up of little moments and small memories that can last a lifetime.

Filed Under: Adventure, Places, Travel Tagged With: Roads and Highways, roadtrip, Travel

Road Tripping With Friends

August 19, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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The idea of taking a road trip evokes a romantic feeling. It’s you in your car, with your tunes and the open road. It’s you exploring the vast landscape of the country and taking on the sights and sounds and people that come along. It’s diners with worn down booths and countryside that holds more promise than you ever thought possible. It’s can be the best time of your life so you think “why not share this amazing experience with my friends?” Doing a road trip with your friends could be one of the best and worst ideas of your life depending on what ground rules you put in place. If you play your cards right you’ll be waxing romantic about this for year. If you do not you could end up never wanting to take a road trip again.

Gas – Don’t make the mistake of letting gas be paid for in turns. This causes all kinds of problems with who filled up when it was at empty and who filled up when it was at a quarter tank, plus each state has differing rates for gas and it could end up giving one of your passengers the short end of the stick. Do it this way: everyone put in 100 dollars for gas. At the end of the trip if there is any left every can split and if you need to re up then everyone should put in the same amount.

Food – Decide as a group when you are stopping for big meals. If someone needs food in the meantime you can hit a gas station but it’s best to stop as a group or you’ll spend your trip looking for food. Also, do not make a collective fund for food. Everyone eats different portions. It’s only bound to work out unevenly.

Silence – There are lulls in the trip and there will be times when you just need quiet. Don’t force a conversation if it isn’t there. There will be plenty of time to talk. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

Filed Under: Adventure, Travel Tagged With: Roads and Highways, roadtrip, Travelogues