Hotel. Motel. Holiday Inn. 7.16.11

You’ve decided where you should go on your vacation and booked your airline tickets. Now what? I suppose having a place to stay is high up on your list. I know a lot of people don’t even bother making hotel reservations and just wing it when they get to their destination. This is scary to me because, 1.) I like to be prepared and 2.) I don’t want to end up in a dump. Although, I guess staying anywhere with a roof is better than getting there and not finding anything and having to sleep on a park bench or the train station. In any case, I like to do my research ahead of time, make my reservations and also get the best deal possible. If you travel on a whim and just choose a hotel when you get there, how do you know you aren’t settling? You can’t really shop around at that point.

In any case, I know you budget travelers are also planners, because that’s how you end up with a smokin’ deal that gives you extras and is located conveniently (usually). I have loads of websites I like to hit up, as you can see by my favorite links list on the right sidebar and you will also get the entire list when my book comes out*, but today I’m going to talk about my top five go-to sites. Why do I use them and why are they useful? While I’m sure you have plenty of your own preferred sites, you might find a new one with this list, especially when you see that they all offer something different.

Hotels.com – Yes, they are one of the most popular hotel booking sites, but with good reason. They have a fantastic low-price guarantee and also offer the Welcome Rewards program where after staying a collective 10 nights in hotels booked through their site, you receive a free night. Of course, it’s not just ANY hotel. You can’t have stayed in Motel 6s and put in a claim for a free night at the W. They add up what you’ve spent all 10 nights and then take the average of those. You can either spend a night for free within that budget or use that as a credit towards a higher-end lodging. Hotels.com is always having some promotion going, so it’s a lot easier to save than you think. Right now you can get 30% off participating hotels and a $50 gas card. That’s awesome if you plan to rent a car or go on a road trip. And if you don’t, use it at home to save money driving to and from work or taking the kids to camp.

Venere – I found this website when it was first starting out and only had accommodations in the UK and big cities in Europe. It’s come a long way since then – I found several hotels in Seaside, Oregon the other day – with worldwide listings. There are many great things about Venere, but my top three include not having to prepay, excellent hotel reviews from travelers and listings for accommodations that you can’t book online. Now, that sounds tricky, but usually, if you can’t book a hotel online, you also can’t FIND it online. Now, Venere doesn’t have the no prepay deal on all their hotels. It depends on where you are traveling, but about half of what I’ve searched now doesn’t require you to put down anything when you make a reservation. I love this! As much as I like to have everything paid for by the time I leave, what if I find a better deal elsewhere? I’m not saying I will, but I might. It’s a pain to have to cancel a booking, wait for your card to be refunded and then rebook elsewhere. To be clear, I’ve used Venere many times and have always been happy with my choice of accommodation and their rates and have never had any issues at all. They have a larger selection to choose from than a lot of sites, especially when you’re looking for places to stay in Europe and the UK. They even include apartment-hotels and B&Bs.

HotelClub – This is another site that has grown successfully over the last few years. Now covering worldwide destinations instead of just the UK, HotelClub offers a new twist on booking your accommodations. They give you cash back (which I call cash forward) towards  your next booking with each completed reservation you make through them. At first, this may seem like a ploy to get more of your money – let’s face it, it’s mostly that – but you can also see the value in getting a discount on hotel rates after making just one reservation through the site. Unlike other booking sites, HotelClub has attainable tiers that give you even more for your money. Your very first booking gets you 4% cash forward and puts you at Silver Club Membership. Bookings 2-5 put you into Gold Club Membership and get you 5% cash forward. On your 6^th booking you become a Platinum Club Member and get 6% of all bookings as credit toward your next one. The only break in these is when you make a last-minute reservation, which only garners you 2% credit. You must keep your account active over a 24 month period in order for your credit to not roll off your account, but that’s easy enough if you take at least one vacation a year. Even better, you don’t even have to use your club bucks on your next booking. You can save them up and choose to use them towards any reservation you choose. 2.5% cash back

BookIt – You hear me say again and again how many great deals can be found on BookIt. I don’t say this because they pay me to. I say it because it’s true. I just told someone on Facebook that I have used them and recommended them to friends and family and we’ve all had excellent experiences with them. She was checking with me, because their prices were so low, she thought they might be too good to be true. I’ll admit, that was smart of her to be concerned, because not all sites out there are legit. BookIt partners with hotels and airlines to bring you the best deals on popular tourist destinations. Book just your hotel, book a package with airfare and even add activities. I found their prices for Disney tickets were even BETTER than those for AAA, which had by far been the best deal I’ve found, and they even had a small, but significant discount on Universal tickets. All in all, great value can be found on BookIt, whether you’re going to Jamaica or Las Vegas. If it’s a beach destination you’re after, I would definitely check here first, though they cover much more than sandy locales.

BedandBreakfast.com – I just discovered this gem a few months ago, because I never thought I’d actually want to stay in a B&B, or that I could afford one. Amazingly, BedandBreakfast.com has a lot of affordable options in very convenient locations. Some of the participating B&Bs are even cheaper than hotels. I’ve seen rates as low as $45 per night for beautiful home in a quiet neighborhood. The benefit of staying in a B&B over a hotel is that a meal is included in your price, making it an even better deal that many hotels. The accommodations are usually homey and also offer the peace and quiet of being in a lovely neighborhood instead of next to a busy freeway or bars, though they are still close enough to get to shopping and nightspots by foot or on public transportation. In addition to included breakfast, some B&Bs offer more extras, like cocktail hour or tea time. If you like to get to know new people everywhere you go and get treated like one of the family, a bed and breakfast is certainly for you. Traveling with your dog? Don’t worry. There are many pet-friendly accommodations on the site, too!

 Do you?

If you haven’t yet signed up for Ebates, it can really help you save even more on your travels (and everyday purchases). In fact 3 of these 5 sites are eligible for cash back with Ebates Travel: Hotels.com gets you 3.5%, HotelClub gets you 2.5% and BedandBreakfast.com gets you a whopping 5%. And not only hotel booking sites are on the list. There are dozens of fantastic travel merchants that partner with Ebates to get you the best deals around, including AmericanAirlines, Orbitz, Club Med, Courtyard, Enterprise rent-a-car, Delta, Golden Tours and Luggage Point. You’re seriously losing money by booking with the participating sites and NOT using Ebates. Just because you think two to three dollars isn’t worth your time, think about adding up several $3 worth of cash back. It doesn’t take long for a few dollars to be ten dollars and then even more. I’ve earned hundreds of dollars in cash back over the last 8 years I’ve been an Ebates member. That extra money has come in handy when traveling, too. I’ve used it toward spending money on my trip or for paying for things before I go!

*Shereen Travels Cheap will soon be a book! Do you want a free copy? Of course you do! We can help each other, because my book is LOADED with amazing travel tips, money-saving tactics, awesome sites, packing tips and suggested products. You want a free book, I want your great feedback: If you have praise for Shereen Travels Cheap (as a site) or if you’ve saved a good deal of money because of my tips or deals via this site, Facebook, Twitter or a guest post, leave a comment on my blog – or use the email me button – with your quote, first name and last initial and city/state or country. If I use your quote, which is highly possible, as I have very few to work with, I’ll contact you for your shipping address and you’ll get one of the first copies. I’ll even sign it for you!

Join me and Kristin from BonBonRoseGirls on Monday the 18^th at 5pm PST/8pm EST for a live chat on travel fashion for your upcoming late summer and fall trips. Learn how you can incorporate the latest trends into your travel wardrobe while still packing light and flying with only a carry-on. The Savvy Living Community on Ebates is where it’s at!

There will be a lot of useful information and you can share your own ideas and fab finds with us! Like I shopped the Betsey Johnson BOGO sale last week and got two amazing necklaces that are definitely making it into my travel bag for Hawaii. They will be fantastic for dressing up my outfits when I go out in the evening. It’ll save me room, because I won’t have to pack any extra clothes! Kristin is a wonderful blogger and is on top of all the new trends, be it clothes, shoes, jewelry or makeup. It’s going to be a fun hour, for sure.

I’ve been slacking on your cool “gadgets” and deals lately, so I feel like I should make it up with a couple extra things for you to ogle over. Look fantastic, smell fantastic and prepare fantastic food with these fun goodies.

Stila make-up palettes – Take all your make-up staples with you in one slim palette. Stila includes an eye shadow quad (great for a fabulous smoky eye and a pop of color), blush and a bronzer in a sleek, easy to pack case. It even includes instructions on how to get a perfect look every time. You just supply the applicators – or use your fingers like I do.

 

Soak wash – You don’t always know if you’ll be staying in a hotel that has or is close to laundry facilities, and even if you do, who’s to say that there will be enough to make doing your laundry convenient during waking hours? Soak Wash is a revolutionary detergent for hand washing your clothes on your trips (though you can probably toss it in the washer, too) that requires absolutely no rinsing. No more squishing your clothes forever trying to get all the suds out. Throw some Soak Wash into the sink with your clothes, let it set, wring it out and hang it up to dry. Easy!

Travel spice kit – If you find that a lot of places you go could use some spice, or simply plan to cook your own food, the travel spice kit is a must for you. With 15 spices included, you can make nearly everything you want just as you would at home. Most vacation rentals or hotels with kitchenettes only have the basics in their spice racks, if they have anything beyond salt and pepper. Kick your travel cooking into high gear and dine with flavor!

Did you miss getting an Entertainment Book this year, or need one for a travel destination? Right now you can buy 2 books for just $10. You can't lose with this deal, because even if you only use one coupon, you've already paid for the book!

Everyone wants a relaxing vacation in an exotic locale. How does and Italian spa vacation sound? Totsy has decided to offer travel deals and one of the first ones sounds awesome: a 6-night stay for two at the Grand Hotel and La Pace Spa that includes 8 spa treatments for each of you, free WiFi and free unlimited soft drinks for $2,532. Purchase this package by Thursday July 21 and stay by January 9th, 2012. (With each travel package you book on Totsy, you'll receive a $100 Totsy credit.)

Take a break in Morocco from KGBDeals: £99 for a three-night break for two at the stunning Dar Tassa Moroccan guest house – an eco-friendly mountain retreate – in Marrakech worth £265, including breakfast and taxi transfers. Purchase by Wednesday, July 20th.

Do you need some new walking shoes for your trips? Get an extra 25% off sale shoes on Shoes.com through 6/18 with promo code: 25SALE They have popular shoe brands for men, women and children. You also get free shipping!

Visit Hawaii and Waikiki Beach with this awesome Living Social Deal: 5-night stay for 2 in the Waikiki Gateway Hotel, which includes daily breakfast, free parking, free internet access, Hawaiian chocolates and a $25 activity credit. Blocks to the beach and close by major shopping and dining. Book by Tuesday July 17. Must stay by November 1.

Live and Learn – Ecuador 7.13.11

While thinking back on my travels, I’ve realized that there are a lot of lessons I’ve learned with each and every trip I’ve taken. Now, that’s great for me, but then I realized that it would be even more beneficial if I shared them with others, so that they can also learn from my mistakes. Of course, many of these will be included in my book*, but that doesn’t mean you can’t gain from hearing them more than once. In light of this, I’ve decided to start a new series called Live and Learn that you all can jump in on and contribute to. In short, it’ll be one destination and things I’ve learned from that trip that will stick with me on future journeys that you can learn from, too!

Ali Shungu Hotel in Otavalo

*Yup, Shereen Travels Cheap is going to be a budget travel book soon, chock full of amazing money-saving tips, product and website suggestions and packing information! I’m mostly done with additions and need to get through edits. I’ve got an ISBN and I just applied to register a trademark for my name, too. I am still on the lookout for great quotes I can use from readers. If you’re interested in getting a free copy of the book and seeing your name in print, send me a great positive quote from you on how Shereen Travels Cheap saved you money on your trips…or just to say how awesome it is!

Even though nothing went smoothly, we're still smiling

I think we learned enough things from our Ecuador trip to last a lifetime. It was just one learning experience after another with some bouts of sobbing in between. Oddly enough, it’s still one of the best trips we’ve ever had and we’ll have stories for years. If there was a word to describe it, boring would not be on the list! Frustrating, terrifying (at times), adventurous, frugal and enlightening would top the long list of things the trip was. Here’s what we learned and what mistakes we won’t make again when we travel to Ecuador.

Take a taxi everywhere – Normally this is on my list of no-nos, but in Ecuador, taxis are cheap like the bus is everywhere else. We took it 10 miles away and paid just $5 for the fare and tip. It cost us $1.50 to get from one end of Quito to the other. If you can walk there, do it, but if it’s night time or you have no clue where it is, just hail a cab. They’re everywhere. This can probably be said for many South American countries as well. Do you research before you leave (check sites like Lonely Planet for up-to-date info on transportation costs), so if you can save money and not rent a car, go with that option.

Getting the glass vacuumed out of the car after the new window was put in.

Don’t park your car on the curb after dark – This is probably a great tip for almost anywhere you travel, because thieves like to steal stuff out of cars. We rented a car and when we were in Quito we asked the hotel clerk if it was safe to park on the street. We didn’t specify that we meant overnight and she didn’t say “yes, but not after dark.” Unfortunately, our rental car was broken into on that first night and it took us all day to get it taken care of. Lucky for us, they only brok the window and stole my husband’s phone and some random junk left in the back seat. We were able to put a hold on the phone number and have the window fixed for around $30, but the filling out of the police reports and getting an interim rental car while everything else was being taken care of was a pain in the you know what. Spend the few bucks a night it costs to leave your car in an overnight, secured parking lot or garage. It’s cheaper than a new window and cell phone.

Rent a GPS – While I don’t recommend renting a car if you are staying within Quito, do get one if you want to be on your own schedule and do things in neighboring towns. You will almost never find a useful map for guidance, even within a town, and many streets aren’t even marked with signage anyway, so you can only guess as to what the name is in order to navigate poorly given directions from someone that may or may not get you partially to your desired destination. A GPS will at least tell you where to turn and how far to go.

Most highways are 2 lanes

Your blinker has two jobs – In America, and many other places I’ve driven or been driven, your blinker is a request to get in another lane or indicate a turn. In Ecuador it works very different. First of all, if you want in another lane where there are cars, you put on your blinker and just start to move over. Your blinkers tells people you’re coming and they will slow down enough to let you in. If you wait for an opening, you’ll never get in. The other job that your blinker does is let people know it’s safe to pass. This is pretty awesome and was easy to understand after a bit of highway driving where there was only one lane in each direction. If you saw that a car behind you was hoping to pass you, you would turn your left blinker on when there was an opening enough for them to pass you without getting hit by an oncoming car. It’s efficient and courteous and I would love for America to adopt this “law”.

Toll Booths

Carry small bills and lots of change – Ecuador is a country that is easy to travel inexpensively in. Small bills will be good for everything and if you are driving on highways, it will be necessary to carry a handful of random change to make it through toll roads. We hit a lot of them, but I still think we only spent a grand total of $3.00 the entire trip for toll charges. At least the roads are nicely paved! (U.S. Dollars are the official currency of Ecuador, so no need to even exchange your money.) This is a good idea in a lot of countries.

Credit cards are not widely accepted – Hotels, restaurants and car rental companies accept them, but there are many smaller shops that don’t, so don’t plan to rely too much on them. We made a purchase at a jewelry store and for a sale of hundreds of dollars, they required you to pay in cash. We had to make a quick run to the ATM before we could complete the transaction. Also, Discover Card is not accepted at all in Ecuador.

One of the many markets where you can haggle for goods

Know a little bit of Spanish – Just the basics are enough to get you by, like where is, how much, may I, excuse me, and so on. Numbers are a good thing to know, if you are into haggling. You will find English speakers when you least expect it and many more Spanish speakers where you thought catered to tourists. We purchased My Spanish Coach for the Nintendo DS and played for a month or so before we left. It helps you learn pronunciation, construct sentences and more. The higher the level, the more difficult the lesson, but it’s fun and really helped me to brush up on my language skills and my husband to learn at least the basics for communicating. I still did much of the translating, but we got by well enough. Of course please and thank you will get you quite far in any language.

Bring your own ketchup packets – This may sound weird, but if you like ketchup, you won’t find any in restaurants. The closest thing I ever got was tomato paste. Maybe ketchup is an American thing? I don’t know, but they served fries many places we went. Next time, I’ll load up on fast food ketchup packs or bring a small bottle of ketchup bought on Minimus.

One of the many phone banks in town

Know the telephone codes to call in-country – You can’t believe how important it is to know this until you realize you thought of everything else except how to call someone if you needed help or directions. We got lost trying to get to our eco-lodge and had to stop at a phone bank (a place with several phone booths that charge people to make calls) and ask them to dial for me…and pay them a dollar.

Common area of our eco-lodge in Mindo

Eco-lodge might be another word for electricity-impaired – While I’m not opposed to people saving the world by offering lodging with no electricity  and low-flow toilets, it IS a bit of a surprise when you don’t know when you’ve booked such a place before you get there. Again, this wouldn’t be a big deal either, unless you don’t like gigantic bugs and are planning to stay in such a lodging in the middle of the rainforest. If I were to stay at such a place again, I would bring a lantern flashlight, so I could see my way back from the main seating area to my cabin without almost killing myself. A candle is not all that helpful.

Bring extra batteries from home – While I brought a couple pair of my own batteries with me, it turned out not to be enough for the camera I had with me. We purchased at least 3 or 4 packages of batteries from “convenience” stores and they all worked for about 10 minutes and then were dead. No telling how long they’d been on the shelf, so make sure you bring fresh ones with you.

Free WiFi does not mean everywhere – When you stay in a hotel that claims to have free WiFi, make sure you find out if that includes service in your room, too. Our hotel, while awesome, only had Internet in the common areas...sometimes. After dragging your laptop up and down 3 flights of stairs at high altitude with no luck, you finally just leave it in your room and go to the lobby and use the public computer. Unfortunately, 90% of the time we were there, the same male guest was sitting in front of it doing things for hours, so we just decided that Internet access was not something that was that important during our trip. We also had spotty wireless in Otavalo, since the bungalows were widely spread out from the main house. We could get access, but only in a chair in the back corner of the room with the curtain open. LOL!

When all else fails, go to lunch

So, while we learned a lot and did a lot wrong, we still had a great time and was able to make the most of our trip. We put Ecuador on our list of places to return, so we can see things  we didn't get to on our last trip and hopefully travel a bit more efficiently next time we get there. The trip was made special by being together and the people we met along our journey. I mean, I joke that we can have fun at the DMV, but it's really true. We know how to take a bad situation and turn it into something positive, so ultimately our trip was successful and totally memorable.

Do you have plans to visit Portland or do you live in the area and just want to get out more and still save money? Subscribe to my Examiner feed and get 2-3 great money-saving ideas per week! Not only does it help you find affordable things to do, but it helps me increase my readership and puts a few pennies in my pocket at the same time, which keeps me writing for you guys. (I actually do it for free, but a little compensation for the effort doesn't hurt either.)

Want to see your trip photos on my blog?

I can always use great pictures, especially from my readers. Use the email me button on the right to send me a few of your favorites. I'll credit you if I use them! (Make sure you include what or where it is.)

Don't forget to join me on the awesome new Savvy Living Community sponsored by Ebates. Not only will you learn how to save money by better utilizing Ebates, but you will also be able to read Savvy blog posts and join in discussions and live chats with Savvy Leaders (like me!) to learn how to save money on all aspects of your life. With 16 bloggers who are experts on everything from travel to family life, you're sure to learn a lot of new information, find some great new blogs and even make some friends along the way. Join Ebates. 

I Feel Pretty and Witty and Gay* 7.9.11

We've talked about romantic travel, family travel, travel with little ones, but we have never talked about gay travel. It can sometimes be hard enough to find places that are affordable, but possibly even harder to find those that are gay-friendly and let you feel comfortable being yourself. Amazingly, there are a lot of accepting destinations for those that are in a same-sex relationship or looking to get into one on vacation. I mean, who doesn't find a travel fling exciting...and if it turns into something more, even better. Vacations are all about having fun, so everyone wants to go where they can let their hair down and get a little wild. Which brings us back to the topic: How to find an affordable and gay-friendly destinations, accommodations, dining options and activities.

I would love the world to be tolerant of all lifestyles (as long as they don't hurt others) and that a gay travel website was active to let gay travelers know which destinations, restaurants, bars and shops were the best, but since we don't live in an ideal world, it does help to have sites like the the up-and-coming website called GayTravelBuddy which has some fantastic resources for travelers. Written by actual travelers, the website has been around for around a year, and gives first-had suggestions on hotels to stay in, restaurants to eat at, where to go and what to do. While there is plenty of room for them to grow, GayTravelBuddy has some really candid reviews of places other gay travelers recommend as well as news, info and festivals within the gay travel world. Right now, much of the info is on San Francisco's can't-miss Pride Celebration that wrapped up last month, but you can also find info on worldwide destinations with dining, beaches, nightclubs, coffee shops and stores to seek out. They have the most info on major vacation spots like the San Francisco Castro Area, New York City, San Diego Hillcrest Area and Las Vegas Area, but there are plenty of other travel destinations available as well.

If you love to party, there is an extensive list of gay bars for anywhere you want to go. Heading to Las Vegas, there are plenty of hot spots to choose from! What about Spain? Say "Ole!" to Madrid and dance the night away at some of these awesome nightclubs. Whether you are looking to run with the younger gay crowd or want a romantic B&B getaway, GayTravelBuddy has suggestions for you. I would recommend checking out the suggestions and then coming back here to use my list of handy travel links on the right to find a deal on the accommodations, activities, airfare to get there or to find discounts on shopping and dining. Remember, not all the places suggested are exclusively gay or merely gay "tolerant", but gay inclusive and friendly, which is what we all want. Go where you can be yourself and have a fantastic vacation. 

Even I'm finding some fun suggestions on GayTravelBuddy, like Hunky's in Dallas. I'm a lover of onion rings and giant burgers and I've been known to frequent gay establishments in my home city of Portland, so why not in other cities? My husband and I are always up to hang with a fun crowd of any persuasion. Whether we're out with friends having brunch or going out dancing, we are always looking for a good time and I can tell that GTB can keep the good times coming for anyone looking to have them.

*I apologize if this title offends any of my gay travel friends. It was meant to be cheeky and fun.

I promise I'm still working on my book. Additions are going well and should be done very soon. Edits will follow and then cover art, layout and printing! Woo! We're still on schedule and as soon as I have a publish date, you guys will be the first to know! Which reminds me: Has Shereen Travels Cheap helped you save money through the blog, Facebook or Twitter? Would you like a free book copy? I’m looking for positive quotes for my book cover (or maybe the inside) and need your help! Leave a comment – or use the email me button on the right – with your quote, your first name and your location (city/state or city/country) and if I choose yours as one I use, I’ll contact you to get you a free copy of my book!

Do you have plans to visit Portland or do you live in the area and just want to get out more and still save money? Subscribe to my Examiner feed and get 2-3 great money-saving ideas per week! Not only does it help you find affordable things to do, but it helps me increase my readership and puts a few pennies in my pocket at the same time, which keeps me writing for you guys. (I actually do it for free, but a little compensation for the effort doesn't hurt either.)

Want to see your trip photos on my blog?

I can always use great pictures, especially from my readers. Use the email me button on the right to send me a few of your favorites. I'll credit you if I use them! (Make sure you include what or where it is.)

Don't forget to join me on the awesome new Savvy Living Community sponsored by Ebates. Not only will you learn how to save money by better utilizing Ebates, but you will also be able to read Savvy blog posts and join in discussions and live chats with Savvy Leaders (like me!) to learn how to save money on all aspects of your life. With 19 bloggers who are experts on everything from travel to family life, you're sure to learn a lot of new information, find some great new blogs and even make some friends along the way. Join Ebates.