Falling Temperatures Means Falling Prices 8.24.11

It seems like only yesterday we were talking about summer (finally) arriving. Now the kids are going back to school and we’re headed towards fall. Time goes by so fast when you get older. It’s not always fun to think about, but, as you know, I like to put a positive spin on everything, so to lift your spirits we’re going talk about all the money you can save by booking your travel for fall and winter now (or in the near future). Now that summer is coming to an end, prices on airfare and accommodations are becoming more reasonable and they are adding extra incentives for people to book their trips now, because tourism takes a sharp dip in the months following summer break.

This gives you a huge range of places you could visit now, but I’m going to start you off with my top picks for fall and tell you where I would go if I were you. Since there are fewer people traveling this time of year, your trip will not be full of crowded destinations packed with tourists and waits in the longest lines ever. The reason I travel in fall is the same reason I go to the movies Saturday morning instead of on a Friday night: It’s cheaper and I get my own personal space. Shops and attractions may have shorter hours, but without the throngs of people, it’s a lot easier to see and do everything you want in that time and instead of being cranky from heat and irritated by all the people pushing you everywhere you go, you can be calm, take time to enjoy what you’re doing and also have more time to relax when you’re done.

You think that the 10-6 opening hours of many things is a hindrance, but really it’s a blessing. If you’re forced to quit sightseeing and go eat dinner and then go back to chill in your lodging, you’ll notice that you get more sleep, feel more energetic and aren’t as crabby (if you’re that kind of traveler). The downtime can really be useful, even if you just curl up and read a book for an hour. I find that after a full day out I just want a little quiet and if that means that my husband and I don’t talk to each other and do our own thing for a little bit each evening, we are cool with that. We love to travel, but we also like to have our own “me” time. Often, we’ve come back to the hotel and we’ll each be on the Internet or our handheld games. We recharge and then make a game plan for later that evening or the next day. If our itinerary gave us more time than needed and we saw extra stuff during the day, we think of how we can fill that space or if we even want to.

Look at all these people!

Okay, so let’s get to destinations and why fall is a traveler’s dream:

Europe is a favorite of many. If I could afford to go there every year, I probably would. Unfortunately, we’re on a budget and we can’t always plan a trip to Spain, Portugal, Scotland or Malta (though they are all on the list). I will assume this is the case with most of my readers. Europe is a crazy money pit in the summer. I would love to go during that time, but I also want to be able to DO stuff when I get there. It’s this that makes me wonder why anyone would pay $800-1000 for a round-trip plane ticket when they could wait a few months and pay between $400 and $600. You’ve already saved $800 on a trip for two! Okay, so maybe that’s the only time they can travel, but for those of us who can go other times of the year, planning strategically is the answer to saving money. I’ve also seen hotel rates drop 25-50% after summer as well. On top of that, you can get free breakfast, airport transfers, activities, spa credits, upgrades and more if you play your cards right. Many accommodations start throwing any incentive they can to get more business and fill up their rooms. That’s okay. You take them and save more on your trip. Breakfast itself can save you $25+ per day for two travelers.

 Look at the size of this "room". It has a kitchen, room for 10 people and included all our meals.

South America kinda gets a bad rap sometimes. Instead of people thinking that it’s a great travel destination, a lot of people think it’s just full of drug smugglers, murderers and college backpackers. It’s not true and many places in South America are totally beautiful. The other upsides? People are very friendly, there are endless things to see and do and SA countries are super affordable. Even though you still have to pay for airfare, which might run upwards of $500 per traveler, there are luxury hotels at these places that you can stay at for a fraction of the price of similar hotels at home. You can really plan to spend $50-60 per night for a 3- or 4-star hotel in a lot of locations. Many include free WiFi, breakfast and other extras. Plan to stay at a resort? You may only have to shell out $80 per night! You can barely stay at a Best Western for that price. One good piece of advice is to stay at locally owned lodgings. They are more authentic and don’t cater specifically to Americans (and other travelers) who are afraid to try to something new. This usually means they are less expensive, too. Most offer all the same amenities and then some.

The Caribbean wants you to visit! Okay, so I know that Hurricane Irene just swept through Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, but this is one of those things that you may have to take a chance on. Being a September traveler, we always run the risk of getting stuck in a hurricane or monsoon rains. Fortunately, travel is an adventure and we take or chances. We have yet to encounter anything untoward weather-wise. If you’re afraid to travel at that time, wait until November when hurricane season is over. Prices will still be low (if you book early) and the beaches will be far less packed. Actually, the last time we went at that time, there was hardly anyone on the beach. What’s nice is that it’s still shorts and flip-flop weather, so you can plan to get in a little sun time. Make sure to remember your bathing suit and sunscreen!

Go cruising in the fall and winter and get free upgrades, onboard credits and deep discounts. Again, see the same warning about weather if you plan to do a Caribbean or Mexico cruise, but if not, you’ll find that prices can be half that during this time as they were in high-season. Again, now that cruise enthusiasm has dropped dramatically from summer, you are bound to see crazy enticing offers that are not only cheap, but also include a multitude of extras. Want something like a cabin upgrade? Ask for it! The worst thing they can say is no, but when they are trying so hard to get cabins filled, it’s more than likely they will give it to you. From free spa treatments to land excursions, nothing is really off limits at this point.

So, there you have it. My top 4 fall travel recommendations. Have you gone somewhere fantastic and frugal during the fall season that you want to tell us about? We’d love to hear it! Want more tips and ideas? Join me on Facebook or Twitter for great budget tips and current travel deals. 

Live Chat with Shereen Travels Cheap 8.23.11

I know I don’t normally post on Tuesdays, but today I felt like telling you something fun that is happening tomorrow on the Ebates Savvy Living Community that you don’t want to miss. For those of you who don’t get my newsletter (and really, all the cool kids are doing it!) you should know about my live chat on fall travel happening at 5pm PST / 8pm EST.

Are you planning a trip this fall? Need some encouragement to do it? What about low, low prices on airfare and hotels? Join me and my co-hosts (Kristin from BonBon Rose Girls and Michelle from Everyday Celebrating) for a fun chat where we will talk about where to go, what to do and how to save even more money! Bring your questions, if you have any, and we will be more than happy to answer them. If you have questions about what to wear and how to pack, we can answer those, too! Kristin is a fashion blogger and has all the latest info on current trends and I am a world-class packer! (Okay, maybe not world-class, but I am really good at it.)

If you can’t make the chat, it’s okay. The feed will be available indefinitely at this link and you can read all the contributions at your leisure. (If you have a specific question you want answered, you can email it to me and I’ll go over it in the chat and also send you our best answer.) But if you can, please consider joining us, because the chats are always so much fun and informative. Our fellow community members are really awesome and supportive!

If you haven’t joined the Savvy Living Community yet, please do so. I’m one of your savvy travel experts over there. That’s right! I’m a proud community leader along with 15 other fabulous bloggers. Join discussions, ask questions and find out how to be savvy (aka frugal) in everything you do. I mean, who doesn’t like to save money? The leaders blog on everything from coupons to child wrangling to cooking to parties.

Next week you can also catch me in a live chat about the current season of Project Runway. Kristin brings her love of fashion to this chat that she is hosting with several co-hosts. We’ll talk about what we like, what we don’t, who has the best clothes and Kristin’s interview with Tim Gunn himself. I’m so jealous. We’d love to see you there. Here’s the info on both chats again:

What: Live Fall Travel Chat

When: Wed. 8/24 5pm PST / 8pm EST

Where: Savvy Living Community

What: Live Project Runway Chat

When: Mon. 8/29 6pm PST / 9pm EST

Where: Savvy Living Community



Food, Glorious Food...Around the World on a Budget 8.20.11

When you go on vacation you have to eat. It's not something you can just not do, like buying souvenirs. If you're anything like me, you greatly look forward to trying new foods and having people cook for you. The great thing about food is that, unlike airfare, it comes in a large range of prices, meaning you can save a bundle on your dining when you travel. I have ten awesome ways you can save even MORE, get to eat delicious foods and enjoy more of the culture of your destination. Just because you are trying to save money doesn’t mean that you have to eat fast food or sandwiches for every meal or can’t experience the best cuisine a place has to offer.

Chicken and waffles!

1. Ask the locals where they eat. Odds are, people who live where you’re traveling don’t eat at the fanciest restaurant in town. You know who eats there? Tourists and people celebrating their anniversaries. The “normal” people eat at affordable dining establishments that are also delicious and serve food from the local area. They are going to want to point you towards some of the city’s gems and impress you because, unlike hotel staff, they don’t get paid for recommending the crazy expensive steakhouse down the street.

Unagi

2. Look forward to lunch. You probably aren’t always frugal. While on vacation, it’s okay to splurge sometimes. If that includes going to a top-rated restaurant that you know is spendy, make reservations for lunch instead of dinner. The food will be just as tasty, but cheaper than at dinnertime.

3. Split an entrée. Most restaurants serve you at least twice as much food as you can eat. Don’t be weighted down having to carry around leftovers or feel bad about food left on your plate. Share a main dish with your travel companion. Most hotels will split an entrée for no fee, but even if you have to pay for an extra plate, it only costs a few dollars, which is cheaper than paying for a whole other meal.  

A monte cristo is always totally filling

4. Order an appetizer for a meal. Most appetizers can be plenty to fill you up and can be as little as a third of the price of an entrée. This is also a great option for you if you like to try many different dishes. Order two to three for the same price as a meal.

5. Hit up the food carts. Food carts can offer a huge variety of different local and international foods, but can be half the price of (or less) than dining at a sit-down restaurant. With this kind of savings, you can try fare from several carts with no regrets.

Look at what you could make with farmers market ingredients

6. Shop the farmers market. There’s no better way to experience local cuisine and interacting with residents than a visit to the closest farmers market. You will find a variety of food, including meats, fruits, vegetables and cheeses. Purchase enough for lunch and enjoy the afternoon having a picnic in a nearby park.

7. Rent a vacation home or stay in a hotel with a kitchen(ette). This is my favorite way to stretch my food budget, because there are so many options. Renting can be a great value over hotel stays if you’ll be visiting for a week or more, plus it gives you the chance to check out the local grocery store. Make many of your own meals and save considerably. I don’t often like to spend money on eating breakfast out, so I love to buy new cereals and pastries I can enjoy in my room.

Free breakfast tastes delicious

8. Stay at a hotel that offers free breakfast. You don’t realize how much dining out can cost until you go on vacation. A reasonable breakfast can cost between $8-15 per person. If you multiply that by the number of people you’re traveling with and the number of days you’ll be staying, that number can be huge. If you find a hotel in your price range that offers free breakfast, you’ve hit a jackpot of savings.

9. Sign up for Groupon. Groupon.com is an amazing little site that offers daily deals on a wide assortment of things, not least of which is dining. Each day a new offer goes up at a big discount off the regular price. Dining certificates can be purchased quite often and many times I have gotten a half-off gift certificate to a new local restaurant or one just trying to bring in new customers. It works! Sign up at Groupon.com for the destination of your next vacation (they cover many international locations as well as the United States) and eat for less! Want to know more about Groupon? See my post here.

Sliders are perfect for little ones

10. Don’t order off the kids’ menu. If you travel with children, you’ll notice that most kids’ menus seem to have the same small rotation of foods. Obviously, little ones don’t just live on hot dogs, pizza, chicken nuggets and PB&J sandwiches. Not only do they charge an outrageous amount for these “staples” that cost hardly anything to make, but they offer hardly any nutritional value and your kids are likely to eat only half of it before declaring they’re full. Instead, order a meal that you both will eat and share. This saves you money and might get them to eat a vegetable or two.

While there are other ways to save on dining, these have proven to be the most useful for my travels and are my first suggestions to anyone asking how to cut costs on their trip. They are easy to do and will enable you to try a bigger variety of foods, too. You’ll experience more of the city and its people, giving you a greater vacation experience. 

(Most of this post originally posted on Cheap Like Me as a guest post. See it here)

Winner! I have two great giveaways happening. 

The first is for a Travelon Flat Out HangingToiletry bag stuffed with a bunch of awesome stuff: GoToobs courtesy of Human Gear, rinseless laundry detergent courtesy of SoakWash, a selection of LaFresh wipes, some travel sizes of men's Jack Black toiletries, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, Colgate Wisps, nail polish remover wipes, anti-bacterial wipes, sunblock, body wash, Man on the Move soap leaves and (not shown) 2 toothbrush sanitizers. What more could you ask for? Throw in some lip balm and your toothbrush and go! Enter here or click on the Current Giveaway tab at the top of the page.

The second giveaway is sponsored by Travelon. They have generously offered to send one of our readers their fantastic Pack-flat Backup Bag. It's an extra carry-on bag for your travels. Packs flat for your journey there and then unzips into a full carry-on bag that fits under the airplane seat for all the goodies you bought on your trip. Click here to enter.

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.