Get the Book and Travel For Less! 11.2.11

After countless months of me telling you my book is being written and then revised and then edited and then edited again, it’s finally a tangible thing! It’s true! Shereen Travels Cheap is now available online for you to purchase and use as your go-to guide for all types of travel anywhere you want to go. It’s over 200 pages packed full of money-saving information, my favorite websites, packing tips and more! Why not learn how to go wherever you want on the budget you have? There’s no reason not to! Anyone can go on fabulous vacations for less, if they know how to do it!

What specific things will you find in the book?

• Choosing a destination
• How you can get discounted theme park tickets 
• Get the best deal on a rental car
• Pick the perfect carry-on bag
• Making your packing list
• Finding non-traditional vacation activities
• How to pack light and what to take with you
• How to do more and spend less
• Tips to get a cheaper hotel room 
• Tips to get cheaper airfare
• And a LOT more!

Aside from giving you budget travel tips, you will also see the reasoning behind them, how I learned some of them the hard way and also tips to help make your traveling easier. Most of these are tips I use myself (obviously I don’t travel with children) and many I have discovered in my own trip-planning. You already know I’m not a travel professional, so I’m not going to suggest things I wouldn’t do myself. I don’t get paid to fly first-class or stay in fancy hotels I wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford. We have a limited amount of disposal income, much like all my readers, which makes it imperative that we find ways to save money in order to go to all the places we have on our wish list.

 Visit cool places like this!

We strategically plan our trips based on our budget. We know that we can’t afford to go to Europe every year, but we can save and go to a more affordable destination for a few years in between Europe trips, making it easier to plan the bigger journeys and giving us more time to save up and find more cool stuff to do.

 And be happy like this!

You can purchase the book now on Amazon or my eStore as the hard copy or Kindle version. You can also purchase for other ereaders, like Nook, Pantech and Sony through Smashwords! (Don't forget that this blog is continually adding tips and giving destination overviews are more that wouldn't fit in the book. You can also subscribe to it on your Kindle!) And it's no accident that we have published near the end of the year. The holidays are coming up and I'm sure your family and friends would love to learn how to travel more for less, too. Why not buy multiple copies as gifts? Look at me helping you finish your holiday shopping early! 

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If you are a blogger or member of the media and would like to review Shereen Travels Cheap, please let me know! We are still working on a media kit, but can put something together for you if you're interested. I am also available for interviews. 

Visit the Dead in Paris 10.29.11

Since Halloween is just a few days away, I decided to recall one of the most interesting places I’ve ever been that was creepy, cool and also almost free! You don’t often come upon places like this in your travels, and if you do, it doesn’t seem like other people think it’s as fascinating as you do (which can be good if you’re trying to avoid crowds). When I go to a place, I like to see things that tourists are into and then things that most tourists wouldn’t even think of doing. In London we took the train to Orpington to visit the Chiselhurst Caves (also creepy if you are in the area and looking for something to do this Halloween) that were old mining caves used as a bomb shelter and later as concert venues for up-and-coming acts, like the Rolling Stones. In Paris, our stop was Cimetière du Père Lachaise, the final resting place of over one million people.

Now, why would we choose to go to a cemetery when there are so many other amazing sites to see in the City of Lights? The obvious answer is: Why not? There are so many other amazing sites to see in Paris, but this is one of them. It’s a great way to get away from the crowds near the regular tourist attractions, like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, plus, even with a bunch of tourists entering at any given time, you barely see another person as you wander the cobblestone “streets” between the graves and mausoleums. The cemetery is so large, it requires a map to find your way around. Walkways are labeled with street signs and you could spend the entire day here without ever seeing the whole thing. It is 110 acres and the largest cemetery in Paris. I would wager it is also one of the most unique.

For the donation of a Euro or two, you are supplied with a map and sent on your way. Instantly, you know this is unlike any gravesite you’ve ever been to. Pere Lachaise opened in 1804 and was far enough from Paris that not many people wanted to be buried or to bury their loved ones there. To make the place more enticing, the city moved the remains of Jean de La Fontaine, a French litterateur, and the French playwright Molière to Père Lachaise and then in 1817 the remains of lovers Pierre Abélard and Héloïse along with their crypt where love letters of other lovers or those unlucky in love are placed – either to commemorate the couple’s love or find some luck in finding their own true love. After these two were moved to the cemetery, Père Lachaise became the “It” place to be buried, proving that celebrity doesn’t fade just because you died. Within a few years over 32,000 newly deads were buried in the cemetery.

These streets are better than some neighborhoods

Today you can see the tombs of those dead for hundreds of years and those dead for only a few decades. While the cemetery is brimming with the deceased, the living are “dying” to get in, too. Beyond the first few French celebs buried there, you can also visit the grave of Oscar Wilde, Marcel Marceau, Jim Morrison, Sophie Blanchard, Chopin, Max Ernst, Gertrude Stein and many more. We wandered the streets for several hours and did find Jim Morrison’s grave, which is now cordoned off after being replaced several times due to vandalism, but were so engrossed by the tombs, graves and mausoleums themselves that we didn’t really hunt for those of the famous dead. Some graves have been there so long that tree roots have become one with them, cracking through the large slabs of cement covering the ground over their plot. Not everyone is buried in the ground though, just as many that are buried underground are “buried” above. The cremains of those wishing to be cremated are held in the columbarium.

Jim Morrison's grave

This tree just grew right through this grave

Among the tourists, you will also find those coming to visit the graves of their family and possibly a few sweeping the grave and the area around it to keep the site of their loved one tidy. It’s an amazing place to visit, whether it’s Halloween or the middle of March. Bring your camera and snap pictures of some architectural wonders in the cemetery world. You wonder how much one would have to pay for columns and a roof with a surrounding yard, especially when you know how much a regular plot near your home costs to keep you there for all eternity. All the photos here are ones I took on our visit and for every one you see, I have 20 more that you don’t. There was so much that caught my attention, I wanted to remember it all. I could easily get enlargements made in black and white and use them all over the house for Halloween decor. They would be both spooky and attractive. Père Lachaise is definitely a must-see on my list for those visiting Paris for the first time or the twelfth time. Enjoy the peace you feel over the place where the dead still speak to the living. You can certainly see why anyone would be honored to spend their afterlife in such a beautiful and well-known location. The dead never truly die in Père Lachaise. They are visited every day by people from around the world.

Have you been to Cimetière du Père Lachaise? If so, did you love it and would you go back? What are your other unusual must-see “attractions” for visiting Paris.

Happy Halloween!

We have several good things to talk about this time! Shereen Travels Cheap has been going through some good changes. The STC book will be available for purchase in the next few days. Woot woot! Look for a dedicated blog post and newsletter:

Which prompts me to remind you that we have a great newsletter that goes out once a week (maybe twice if something too good to miss presents itself) with updates, tips and blog reminders...you'll get a fancy one as soon as the book is available for you to buy copies for everyone on your holiday list!

I've become a new frequent contributor on FareCompare, which is a fantastic site that brings you amazing travel sales, tips for finding the best airfare anytime of year. Next up, saving money and time as a business traveler. If you've missed my last few posts, you can read them here:

5 Strategies for Avoiding Airline Fees

Making Overbooked Flights Work in Your Favor

Explore London While Staying Within a Budget

Cruising into the Holidays 10.26.11

Cruise lines and booking sites are doing everything they can to entice cruisers to go right now. With all the deals flying around, it’s hard to not find one that fits your budget. Now you can be the one that comes back home with a tan in the middle of January and make all your friends jealous of your globetrotting. While cruising seems like a luxurious and expensive endeavor, it can be really affordable if you know when to go, how to cruise and what to book where. Of course, cruise shopping is not always easy. With so many hidden fees, rates can look fabulous and then when you try to book, you end up looking at a not so reasonable total. If you’re like a lot of people, you give up and either don’t go at all or spend way too much because you aren’t informed. Let’s look at what’s included and what’s not.

Inclusives: 

Entertainment. Almost all entertainment is free once on board. Unless you want to do something where you will win money, like bingo. All shows, trivia, lectures and movies are generally included in your price.

Gym. The exercise facilities are free of charge for everyone, as are the locker/shower rooms. Many exercise classes are also free, but some are not. If you have to sign up for a class, make sure you look to see if it requires payment.

Pools and hot tubs. Many cruisers spend the majority of their time out by the pool with a drink in their hand. While this can certainly be a fun way to spend your time, make sure you don’t imbibe too much (see non-inclusives) and get away from the pool to make more of your time.

Most food. Almost all your food is included in your cruise rate. All buffet and main dining room food is included in this. If you dine at one of the other restaurants that you have to make reservations for, you will use your "sign and sale card" and the cost of that meal will be added to your account to be paid at the end of the cruise. The same counts for the coffee shops where you can purchase pastries.

Some beverages. Unless otherwise specified, alcoholic beverages, sodas and some other specialty beverages are not included, while water, coffee and tea are. You can buy a soda card, which will give you unlimited soda, but it is extra from your cruise rate and you must buy it at the beginning of your cruise. You will usually also be charged at any of the coffee shops.

Non-Inclusives:

Port fees and taxes: This is a big one. The more ports you cruise into, the more fees you pay and each country has its own tax rates, so you can’t really estimate the totals. I like to assume a high rate and consider if I would go on the cruise if I were spending twice as much as the published price. This can happen with many cruises after taxes and fees are assessed. You can always Google port fees, too.

Alcoholic beverages and soda. This is how the cruise ship gets you. By charging you up to $4 for a soda and $10 or more on booze, your account can quickly add up to hundreds of dollars on just drinks alone. Not only do they charge you an arm and a leg on drinks, but they even add an average 18% "gratuity fee" to each drink you buy. 

Some entertainment. Things like bingo, rock wall climbing and miniature golf can be extra charges to your account.

Spa use. The spa sounds awesome and relaxing, but prices can be much more than those on land, unless you reserve a time on port day, where they discount services.

Some exercise classes. Some exercise classes are free, while others incur a fee. These are generally what they consider the most popular classes, like pilates or spinning.

Shopping. Anything you purchase on the boat will be charged to your account.

Eric using the ship's internet cafe

Internet. Internet fees can be horrendously high, but if you want to be connected, buy a package deal, as it'll be much cheaper than paying a la cart.

Land Excursions. The crew on your ship will do everything they can to get you to buy an excursion package once on board. Book through an independent company before you leave home and save up to 65% (and in some cases, even more).

So, what can you do to minimize costs on your cruise? 

Sexy towel bunny

• Cruise in the off-season. Different cruise destinations have different peak seasons. Choose a destination that has an off-season that coincides with your vacation time.
• You are allowed a case of soda or bottled water (on most cruises) per passenger. Bring your own and store them in your cabin fridge. 
• As I said above, book your shore excursions before you leave home, through a reputable independent company and save a mint on them. More money for souvenirs and other sightseeing at your port city.

Cruise shops

• Avoid buying art and/or jewelry onboard, unless it's deeply discounted on one of the last days. Chances are, you can find the same thing on land for much cheaper. I'm talking about real jewelry, like gold and diamonds.
• Find an internet cafe on land and pay a fraction of the cost as you will on the ship.
• Get an inside cabin. If you're active, like we are, you will be so busy NOT being in your stateroom that you'll barely have time to enjoy the room anyway. Don't spend up to twice as much on a room with a view if you won't be in it longer than to change clothes and sleep.

Eric doing dress-up karaoke

• Spend time going to free activities, instead of hanging out by the pool all day. Honestly, you are paying to have the crew entertain you, so go to karaoke, towel-folding classes, trivia and all those other fun sounding activities. Each day you'll get a schedule for the next day. Plan out what you want to do and maximize your time on the ship.
•  Shop at "non-approved" stores in port. For the most part, these shops get a commission for each cruise passenger that buys from them. If you go just a few blocks away and shop "off the map", you can get much better deals. Of course, if you plan to shop for jewelry or other pricey items, make sure you get a certificate of authenticity and that your jewelry is stamped. 

Our room before our beds were made into one

Don't know how to pick a cabin or a ship or want to know more about the activities or read reviews? Check out Cruise Critic. I found that they have more information and are easier to navigate than the cruise websites. And if you STILL need more tips on cruising, like how to get FREE alcohol, then make sure you pick up a copy of my book when it’s available in the next week. Want to know as soon as it’s available? Sign up for my newsletter and/or my Facebook page.

I've become a new frequent contributor on FareCompare, which is a fantastic site that brings you amazing travel sales, tips for finding the best airfare anytime of year. If you've missed my last few posts, you can read them here:

5 Strategies for Avoiding Airline Fees

Making Overbooked Flights Work in Your Favor

Explore London While Staying Within a Budget