Things That Go Bump in the Night 10.15.11

Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Not me, but there are so many other things I am afraid of. Halloween is the time where you can face your fears and put a little scare into others. Why not spend this October hitting up places that have good old fashioned ghosts and goblins? The past few years we attended the Halloween events at Disney World's Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and I look forward to checking out the Disneyland events and returning to EuroDisney to check out the party happenings there. This year, I'll have to live vicariously through everyone else.

• Many park days at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland in Sept-Nov are cut short for this party that requires a special ticket to get in. From 7pm to midnight, many of the park guests come dressed in costume to enjoy 5 hours of trick-or-treating, dancing, nighttime thrill rides (only specific rides will be open during that time, not the whole park), Hall-o-wishes fireworks display, an all-villain musical show in front of the castle, villain meet and greets, amazing park decorations and, best of all, a special parade opened with the Headless Horseman on horseback. It’s all totally Disney and so out of their normal festivities that it’s worth putting off your vacation until that time of year.

• Knott's presents Knott's Scary Farm. Save $6-23 on your tickets by buying them online instead of at the gate, where they will be $57 each.

• Universal puts on Halloween Horror Nights. While ticket prices don't waver, you're sure to get your money's worth while riding select rides and being scared out of your wits with roaming creeps, themed haunted houses and scare zones. It's like being in your very own horror movie. 

• Busch Gardens in Tampa offers up Howl-o-Scream. Much like Universal, they have scare zones, haunted houses and themed entertainment. You can't get cheaper tickets for this event either, but it'll scare your pants off, which you maybe can't put a price on.

• Sea World has a great event for the little ones and admission is included with your regular park ticket. It's called Spooktacular and it offers trick-or-treating, silly and spooky shows and kids are encouraged to come in costumes.

Now, that's just the major theme parks that have fun activities. There are plenty of other activities the world over that you can get in on. Here are some inexpensive things you can do during the fall season or any other time of the year.

• The Dungeons are on my list of kitchy and kinda scary (if you're afraid of the dark and mirror mazes where you might be followed) and must-do attractions. The site offers best price guarantee and you can get discounted deals if you purchase a combination ticket with Madame Tussaud's and/or the London Eye. If you plan to visit off-peak hours, you can save up to 50%! You must purchase your tickets online though. Each dungeon (located in London, York, Hamburg, Edinburgh and Amsterdam) walks you through the "streets" of history and winds you through creepy stories and rides that take you from one area of the dungeon to another

• Paris Catacombs. There are miles of underground tunnels underneath Paris full of human bones that were put there when the cemeteries became overcrowded. Even now they are still crowded, but with tourists. Get there right at opening and beat the crowds. Lines can stretch up to 2 hours long and with prices at only 5 Euros per person, it's one of the cheaper things you can do in France. If you want to skip the lines and go on a 2 hour guided tour with a small group. Viator can help you with this if you're willing to pay more than 5 Euros. For a little more than $54 per person, you are guaranteed access into the Catacombs, which is extremely limited.

• Plenty of creepy things have come out of London. One of the most famous? Jack the Ripper. He was never caught and you can walk the same streets on a London night with a small group for around $15 per person. Feel some of the fear those women must have felt while standing in a dark alley and hearing about the gruesome and brutal murders that happened on the very spot.

• New Orleans has always claimed to have a rich history in the occult and creepy myths. For an hour and a half walk among the darkened streets on the New Orleans Vampire Tour for only $20 per person. Many other walks are available, but who wouldn't want to believe in the undead and the horrible things that happen in the shadows of the city?

• New England always seems to be the backdrop for creepy and bizarre happenings. Stephen King loves to write about New England in his scary novels, too. One such story, which happens to be true, is the tale of Lizzie Borden in Massachusetts. Not only can you stay in the very house both her parents were murdered in (whether she did it or not, as she was never convicted, but moved to live outside of town where she was shunned for the rest of her life), you can also take a tour of the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast. As cheerful as a B&B sounds, this one claims to be haunted. People have said to have had many encounters with ghosts while staying there, but if you can't get in to sleep there or are too scared, take the tour. They are only $12.50 per person and occur only during daylight hours, so there's (mostly) nothing to be afraid of, but what happened to the real murderer?

• Portland's Shanghai Tunnels are quite a tourist attraction. There is a whole city of tunnels under the Oregon town's downtown area. For $19 per person you take a flashlight tour of the tunnels and learn about how people would be pulled into the tunnels (often drunk), have their shoes stolen and forced into slave labor. If you missed my blog post on underground sightseeing, find it here.

• Winchester Mystery House. Tour 110 of the 160 rooms of the house that took 38 years to build and has stairs that lead to nowhere and doors that open into walls. There are several tours to choose from, including a flashlight tour special for specific October dates. Tours range from $25 to $33 per person and should be purchased online.

Our last "family" trip to the corn maze

• Almost anywhere you go that has open land will have a corn maze. You can go during the day or the evening and enjoy getting lost in a labyrinth of corn! The daytime maze will be fairly tame and the maze at night is dark and may have several spooky surprises. Though you may not be able to take advantage of pumpkin picking, you CAN stop at the general store they have set up and get some local foods to take home, like pumpkin butter and huckleberry candy (okay, that's probably just what we have here in Oregon). 
• Check out some fun musicals for Halloween season. Search for discounts on great theater in London on BroadwayBox. Two musicals that might be of particular interest to you are Thriller Live and Wicked.

I look forward to finding out all the new fun Halloween activities for the this season. What are the cool things to do in your town that are fun and affordable?

Affordable Dining Options 10.12.11

You know that when I travel, I love to plan my activities around food, because dining in new places and trying local cuisine is a favorite hobby of mine on trips. Of course, this isn’t always the best idea, because it means I get in the habit of eating more every day and then when I get home, I have to get back to my normal eating routines, which is maybe don’t eat dessert with two meals each day and also don’t eat everything I’m served. I know, I know. Details. Calories don’t count on vacation, but they still come back with you, unless you walk a lot while you’re out sightseeing, which is always a good idea anyway.

So, while I love to eat as much native food as possible, you can’t save money by eating out 3-4 times a day without a plan of some sort, so let’s talk about some frugal tips on how to stretch your food budget, while still eating amazing food each day of your trip.

Here we are loaded up on cereal, milk, bagels, butter, beverages and leftovers for when we decide to stay in.

My first tip, always, is to hit the grocery store as soon as you get to your destination and load up on staples. Of course, this works much better if you have a kitchen(ette) of some sort that has at least a refrigerator. I always buy breakfast items, since that is my least favorite meal and also I don’t like to get up too early to get out of the house to eat eggs. If you loooooove breakfast, then you can grab lunch or dinner foods. Snacks are never a problem for us, because we bring quite a few on the plane.

A condo, apartment or house can not only help you save money, because many are the same price as a hotel, have a lot more space if you have a family/group of 4 or more and they also have kitchen facilities where you can make your own meals. I know that cooking on vacation doesn’t sound all that fun, but saving money does and sometimes a home cooked meal gives you time to relax and catch up from the long day you’ve had. Plus, many rental properties also have BBQ grills, and grilling is ALWAYS fun. Right?

Book dining reservations through Internet sites like OpenTable (which now has international restaurant locations as well as U.S. restaurants) and Toptable, which specializes in UK and European dining venues. What makes these great? Well, the best part is that you can gain points for each reservation you complete, which you can trade for free dining.

·         OpenTable – Most reservations net you 100 points, but every once in a while you get your 1,000 point dining options. Once you accrue 2,000 points, you can trade them in for a $20 dining certificate ($26 for Canada and £15 for UK) as well as waiting until you make it to 5,000 and 10,000 point levels.

·         Toptable – Owned by OpenTable, Toptable covers top restaurants in 15 countries in the UK and Europe. You can get free dining starting at just 7 completed reservations. Each one you book garners you 200 points and you can redeem at 1,400 points on. Unlike OpenTable, you get a choice of restaurants to use them at and they are good for certain meal options (i.e., 2-course menu or 3-course menu). The more points you have, the more expensive the restaurant you can redeem them at.

Having fabulous fare at Mac 24/7

I’ve recently been told about a new restaurant reservation site called Savored. It works in 10 cities (currently) across the U.S., including New York City, Boston and San Francisco. You sign up for free and then make a reservation for $10. Once you get to the restaurant and order, they take 30% off your entire bill (including alcohol, unless dining in Boston, where they will give you 40% off just your food instead). If you don’t order at least $35 worth of cuisine, your $10 reservation charge will be refunded, so you can’t even lose money on the deal. It’s a fantastic way to try some of the best restaurants in the city for less.

Look at all this food!

Split your meal. Sometimes you just can’t take your leftovers with you (because you’re in the middle of sightseeing or it won’t keep until you make it back to your room) or you are in a country where they don’t let you take your remaining food with you. If you aren’t hungry enough to eat a large meeting, then possibly finding something on the menu that your travel partner wants and you can split is a good idea. Most restaurants serve portion sizes that are enough for 2 or 3 people anyway. If you think it might be too small, order an appetizer or salad as well.

All this food I got at lunch at Morimoto's in Waikiki for much less.

Make lunch your main meal. If you are dying to try that fancy restaurant, stop in for lunch. The portions may be smaller, but the prices will be also. You can get the same great service and food, but at a better value.

Make a meal of appetizers. Happy hour can save you quite a bit of savings. Another reason to do appetizers for dinner: You had a big lunch or you want to try a bunch of menu items at one time. When 4 entrees seem like too much (which should be always if there are only 2 of you and you aren’t at a buffet), get 4 appetizers instead. You’ll spend about the same price as you would for dinner, but get more options and not totally stuff yourself.

Eat at food carts. Not only are food carts becoming the gourmet restaurants of right now, but they can save you money and offer you so many more options for food, are less than a sit-down restaurant and can get you back to sightseeing more quickly. With the lower prices, you can treat your food cart meal like an appetizer buffet. See my Examiner article on food cart dining.

Hit up the local farmer's market. Check out my last post on why the farmers' market is awesome and money-saving.

So, now you have some ideas on how to eat well, while not breaking your budget. Food will probably always be a big part of your expenses, but you can make it more affordable and not feel like every time you sit down to a meal that there are more things you can't do. Do you save money other ways when you travel? How do you do it?

Review: Eagle Creek Pack-It™ Cubes

Do you find that even with packing advice, you still have problems with getting everything to fit in your carry-on bag? I love packing and getting everything I need into my bag, but I know that everyone is not as pack-happy as I am. I also know that not everyone wants to spend their weeks up to their vacation practicing their packing skills. Fortunately, Eagle Creek has developed the Pack-It™ Cube System, mesh cubes that hold your clothes and organize your carry-on. If you want all of your similar items to go together in your bag and then be able to quickly and easily unpack at your destination, these are definitely for you.

The concept is easy: roll your clothes as I normally tell you to do and then fit them snugly into your cube and then stack them into your bag. They are great, because they come in many different sizes and are meant to help you pack more efficiently and they can go right from your bag to dresser drawer when you get to your hotel. You’ll know exactly what is in which cube and can pack them back in your carry-on just as simply when your trip is over.

Eagle Creek sent me a set of cubes to test out at home, which I promptly and excitedly did as I was unpacking from my trip last week. I received both the double cube and the original size cube. The double fit perfectly in my large carry-on as a foundation layer. I was able to fit 75% of my items into both the double and the original (which is more than I would pack for just myself) and then strapped them down, added my shoes and toiletry bag and still had more room, both in the cubes and in the bag itself. I easily could have packed everything I took with me on vacation into both cubes, though I chose to show you how a bag could be packed for one person who routinely packs more than they need. My bag was nicely organized and everything was readily accessible. Another pair of shoes could even fit in there!

Look at this nice foundation

Enough clothes for 2 weeks, pair of walking shoes and toiletry bag

The cubes have convenient handles, come in fun colors and also have two-way zippers that run ¾ of the way around the top of the cubes. The tops are made of mesh, making them breathable instead of trapping odors, and they are soft-sided, so if you don’t totally fill them, they won’t take up more space than necessary. (Unless you need extra protection for items, in which case, there are Protect-It™ Cubes available.) Eagle Creek also makes a point to use the best materials possible, so you know your cubes will be the highest quality and highly durable. They are made to last a lifetime.

Remember the great Eagle Creek Emerson bag I reviewed last week? Well, if you purchase that or a similar bag, the original Pack-It™ Cube fits perfectly into it. You can fill it with 3 days’ worth of clothing and undergarments and be set for anything a weekend getaway throws at you. Not only will you be organized, your travel clothes will have less (if any) wrinkles, which is another great thing about rolling your items.

Tube Cube                                        Quarter Cube

Use the different sizes of cubes to make the best packing system for you and your travel needs. Maybe you will opt for two Double Cubes or four Originals or one Double and three Half-Tube Cubes. However you want to pack, Eagle Creek has a Pack-It™ Cube solution for you. Cubes range anywhere from $8 to $42 for more advanced pieces and you can buy sets for between $25 and $40.

Other stuff you need to know:

What are these bags made of? Recycled EcoLite™ Weave, Mesh Poly, Hydro-Tech™ (Protect-It™ Cubes)  

Available Colors: Bali (light blue with dark blue design), Black, Cypress Green, Elevation (grey background with black wavy pattern), Morocco (red background with subtle Moroccan pattern), Pacific Blue, Rio Red
Where can you buy them? Look on the Eagle Creek website, where you can also find retailers, both online and off worldwide.

                Expandable Cube                        2-Sided Cube                    Complete Organizer

Disclosure: I received the Emerson bag from Eagle Creek in order to write this review, but the opinions are all 100% my own. Thank you again to Eagle Creek for allowing me to tell all my wonderful readers about this amazing bag. Want a review of your product? Find more information here.