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Posts Tagged ‘vacation’

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Low Airfares? Going Up!

June 26th, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 5 Comments | Filed in Travel Tips

Thursday’s issue of The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) pointed out a trend that travelers need to take note of. In, “After Months of Sales, Airfares Take Off,” the WSJ found that airfares which had been dropping since last summer have likely bottomed out. In fact, a recent survey by Harrell Associates LLC of one hundred domestic air markets found that fares had shot up by 11% in one week alone. Yes, cheap airfares are becoming scarce with further increases expected throughout the summer; if you’re planning to take a flight in the coming months, then locking in a rate now might save you a bundle of money later.

OregonThe most recent increase in fares is due to several factors including a rise in jet fuel costs, shrinking capacity resulting in fewer seats available, and increased consumer demand. Farecast, which is now part of Bing Travel, has noted that for some city pairs airfare has already doubled. The increase seems to have begun right after Memorial Day when airlines’ spring specials came to an end.

Buy Now Or Wait?

So what should you do if you’re planning a trip? Well, if you’re looking to travel this summer then securing a low fare now is advised. But, if you’re planning a trip this fall or over the Christmas holiday, then waiting to book until after Labor Day may be the best approach. Airlines typically roll out fall fare sales during that time, which means you could end up paying less for your flight if you are patient.

Although you likely won’t get the same low fare you may have seen online last month or even last week, you may be able to snag a deal if you keep a few things in mind:

Check the online travel sites – SayFunTravel.com, Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Priceline.com and Orbitz.com are each worth exploring in order to find and compare low fares.

Visit airline websites – Some airlines post their lowest rates right online, avoiding middlemen in the process. Compare what you find on the internet whether you’re visiting the travel sites or the airline’s website directly.

Don’t forget discount airlines – There are a handful of discount air carriers still in business, offering price advantages on city pairs that the big boys can’t or won’t match. Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, USA3000 Airlines, and Virgin America are just to name a few. If you’re accustomed to flying one of the legacy carriers, then take a look at discounters to see what they have to offer to you.

Be flexible – If you have some flexibility as to when you can begin and end your trip, then lower fares are still within reach. Choose off peak travel, specifically, those flights which leave during the middle of the week.

Hopefully, the recent run up in prices won’t take hold, resulting in discounts this fall and beyond. Regardless, there are still airline seats available where you won’t have to pay full price – carefully shop and compare to find what you need.

Adv. – Save money on your next trips whether you’re traveling to the beach for flying off to Honolulu, Tokyo or Sydney. SayFunTravel.com offers state guides to help you find places of interest all across the USA as well as information about cruises, car rentals, hotel stays and more.


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Saving Money On Last Minute Travel Arrangements!

June 25th, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 3 Comments | Filed in Travel Tips

It is Friday afternoon and you’re home from work, enjoying your company’s early release schedule that kicks in between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Suddenly it dawns upon both you and your spouse that you have no plans for the weekend and you’re itching to getaway. Whether you’re planning a last minute trip to the mountains or a quick trip overseas, you can save money on your travel arrangements with no planning ahead. Let’s take a look at some ideas on how you can save money when the travel bug bites with no time to spare.

OhioMountain Or Beach Getaway – If you live close enough to the mountain, beach or some other resort area, you may be able to strike a deal on a weekend stay. Lots of people post their rental information online, allowing you to see what is available right now and to book a reservation. If the rate appears to be too high, consider making a call to the owner to ask if they’d be willing to accept a lower rate. Chances are that if you treat them with respect and ask kindly, they’ll be agreeable to a discount. After all, your stay ensures that the owner of the mountain cottage or beach house makes some money that weekend instead of coming up empty handed.

Hotel Or Resort Stay – Perhaps you’d prefer to stay at a place where you’ll be pampered, letting someone else do the housekeeping. Hotels at busy resorts are usually booked up throughout the summer, especially on weekends but in this economy cancellations are on the increase and not every room may be sold. Call up the front desk to ask for their discount rate, negotiating the best deal possible. You may need approval of the hotel’s manager to get the lowest rate, so make sure that you talk with him or her if you’re not quoted a satisfactory rate by the front desk clerk.

Just Fly Away – Can you imagine spending this weekend in Paris? With an updated passport and identification at the ready, you could find yourself winging to France on a Friday and returning home late Sunday. Call the airline directly to see if a scheduled flight has seats available. Even normally filled flights have last minute cancellations meaning that your timely call could result in a weekend getaway with a view of the River Seine. Flexibility is the key – you may have to take a red-eye (overnight) flight to your destination, but if tickets are available you could save hundreds of dollars per passenger.

Your Car Rental – Perhaps you want to drive to your destination, but you don’t want to take the family sedan. Maybe you have your eye on a two-seater roadster but wonder if you’ll pay through the nose for this type of car rental. Just like contacting the airlines, contact your local car rental store to see what they have available for the weekend and whether you can secure a special, low rate. That Pontiac Solstice is just sitting on their lot, waiting to be rented!

Book A Cruise – Normally, you must book months in advance in order to secure a low rate on a cruise. But, with so many passengers on-board, cancellations are frequent resulting in berths that are going out empty. A direct call to the cruise line should turn up an opening even for that popular weekend cruise to nowhere.

As with anything, you don’t have because you don’t ask. If you want a last minute discount, then you must anticipate that discounts are available for the asking for those times when your getaway plans are hatched on the spot.


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How To Save Money On Your Next Cruise

June 22nd, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 3 Comments | Filed in Travel Tips
If youre looking for a fun way to rest and relax, a cruise onboard a world class ship may be the best medicine for you. Save money by planning ahead -- we offer to you seven tips to help you keep your expenses under control.

If you're looking for a fun way to rest and relax, a cruise onboard a world class ship may be the best medicine for you. Save money by planning ahead -- we offer to you seven tips to help you keep your expenses under control.

Cruise ships provide some of the best opportunities for rest and relaxation of any kind of vacation option.  Meals, entertainment, cabin services and trip planning is handled by the crew and cabin staff, allowing passengers to turn over almost all of their cares to someone else the moment that they set their feet on deck to when they disembark for the final time.

According to cruise industry officials, the period extending from the new year through the middle of March is the busiest time of the year for cruise lines. With many ships porting at tropical destinations, winter weary travelers see a cruise vacation as the perfect time to escape, forgetting seasonal chill along with freezing rain, ice and snow.

7 Ways To Help Save You Money

As with any vacation planning, careful consideration of all your options can provide for you and your family a fun and relaxing trip with good savings too. You can save on your next cruise by considering several money saving ideas:

Plan Ahead – If you’re planning to take a cruise next winter, start planning now. The sooner you book, the better the deal. Also, consider taking your cruise during those times of the year when travel is down. You might not imagine yourself spending Christmas on-board a luxury liner, but it could yield significant savings for your family.

Join A Tour – Your favorite charity or community organization may be sponsoring a cruise. If so, consider taking your cruise with them. Group travelers get a discount whether they reserve the entire ship for themselves or pull together a handful of friends to go together.

Avoid Package Deals – It sounds great to book a cruise package especially if you need to fly into another city to meet up with your ship, perhaps also wanting to spend a night at a local hotel the day before you set out to sea. Cruise regulars will tell you that this is a bad idea as you’ll pay more for the flight and hotel stay then had you booked them separately.

Interior Cabins Are Cheaper – Some passengers demand a room with a view, which is fine. But, if you think that all the scenery you need is when you are on deck, then book a windowless interior cabin for a deep discount.

Get A Discount – Some cruise lines will readily give you a discount if you ask. Military personnel, whether active or retired, may be eligible for a price reduction. You will have to show proof of service which may mean sending your separation papers to the cruise line in order to secure their low rate.

Find An Agent – Should you book your cruise yourself? A website such as SayFunTravel.com can help you compare prices, but would you do better searching for rates or should you find an agent that specializes in cruises? Try the “super agent” to see if her rates and deals are as low as what you might find online – you don’t have anything to lose, except some money if you don’t explore your options!

Avoid The Tourist Traps – As your ship pulls up to various ports, you’ll be greeted by all kinds of people who will want to separate you from your money. If the port has a reputation for safety then walk a few blocks away from port to see whichever other retailers are in the area. Shop like a local and you’ll get local prices; shop like a tourist and you’ll pay top dollar.

Ask Around For Advice

Of course, consulting with cruise veterans is perhaps the best way to save money as the pros will tell you which cruise line they prefer, what their favorite itinerary is and offer their own money saving tips. Find a message board community of like-minded travelers and you could come away with ideas for your next trip.

Photo Credit: Emre Nacigil


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You Can Save Money On Travel This Summer

May 12th, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 1 Comment | Filed in Travel Tips

No matter where you are planning to take your vacation this summer, you can save on kiddie train rides, museum admissions, trips to the zoo and other fun events if you plan ahead. Hitting the road can do you and your family wonders, but dont allow a challenging economy keep you at home.

No matter where you are planning to take your vacation this summer, you can save on kiddie train rides, museum admissions, trips to the zoo and other fun events if you plan ahead. Hitting the road can do you and your family wonders, but don't allow a challenging economy keep you at home.

Families who are making vacation plans for summer travel are understandably hesitant to commit their funds early on given the current economic climate. In addition, recent small increases in gas prices and a stabilizing in hotel room costs is showing that this year will be cheaper to travel than last, but maybe not by all that much.

Hitting The Road This Summer

For most Americans, staying home this summer is not an option — getting away for one or two weeks is the best therapy the doctor ordered, at least it can be the best way to ensure family togetherness. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the ways you can save money on your road trip this summer.

Fuel Up — You cannot do a whole lot about fuel prices and considering that gasoline topped $4 per gallon last summer, anything less than that this summer can seem like a bargain. Still, if you are planning to take a long trip this summer you can save on gas usually in two ways — use regular gas wherever possible and use your gas station affinity credit card to save money on your purchases. Besides that, a well tuned car is the best way to hit the road and pay less.

Eat Out or In — Most hotels include breakfast with your room, meaning you’ll have just two other meals to pay for the rest of the time you’re away. Without putting the burden on the family members to cook, consider having one meal in your room, perhaps using the microwave to cook hot dogs or heat up some easy to make meal. Chances are you’ll be out of the room most days, so if you are ask the hotel desk clerk for local discount options. Why pay full price?

Hotel or Weekly Rental? — Families on the go won’t be staying in one place long enough to rent a house for a week, but if you can stay put then shop for a weekly rental. This summer, many resort locations will be hard pressed to rent out their places meaning you should be able to save quite a bit off of the weekly rate.

Save even more money if you can travel in June or September as July and August are typically the two busiest months for travel and costliest to families. Even if you are spending a night here or there, hotels are offering the biggest discounts seen in years. Marriott, for instance, is offering weekend specials all through the summer, with a three night minimum stay.

Museums, Zoos and Attractions — You may be able to get free admission into most museums and zoos especially if you already have an annual pass to one in your area. Many zoos and museums around the country offer reciprocal admittance for free, so log on to your membership site to see what sort of arrangement is available to you before planning your itinerary.

For other attractions, try to go during the week when crowds are down and prices are most reasonable. Some theme parks, such as Six Flags, extend discounts which are printed on the front of your Coke can.

Shopping — Beach resorts are notorious for having stores with some of the priciest items for sale. But, they can also offer a boatload of bargains if you know where to shop. A rainy day is the perfect time to shop, allowing you to go from store to store to compare prices. The further you go into summer, the more likely that bargains will appear, especially if summer retailing turns out to be a bust for the local market.

Research Your Options Online

You can also discover ways to save by crafting an itinerary before you leave home. Use your internet connection to hunt down bargains, but also tap the front desk clerks, your restaurant waitress and other helpful people who can point in the right direction.

Traveling can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be prohibitive if you plan carefully.

Adv. — Besides saving money on your next vacation, you can save money on everything you buy for your home. From kitchen faucets to kitchen sinks, you can shop online for the best deals.  Get your home in order by choosing the best organizers on the market; check out online organizing for additional products and helpful tips.

Photo Credit: Steve Woods


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