Review: Reserve123 Tours

Last weekend we had the opportunity to try a great service called Reserve123. The site provides a long list of tours and activities available in cities across the U.S. You can choose from bus tours to cruises. Reserve123 brings together great tour companies to give you the largest selection of tours in one place. Rates are reasonable and Reserve123 makes it super easy to book your tours.

Before leaving for our LA trip, Reserve123 asked if we might like to go on a tour in Portland first. My husband is a native Oregonian, but I am not. Although I’ve lived in Portland for over fifteen years, I don’t know the history like many people who grew up here do, so we chose a historicalboat tour on the Willamette River that talked about all 9 bridges in Portland.

Reserve123 set up the tour for me and I confirmed with the owner (Captain Seth) where we would meet for departure. On the day we were to take the tour, we met the Captain at the dock and learned about his vintage wooden boat once we climbed aboard the 1961 Tolleycraft. The little jetboat can hold three or four “tourists” and is very comfortable. It was originally sold for family recreation.

Captain Seth, who runs Portland Boat Tours, got started with his tour company this season via Kickstarter. His backers were smart in helping him begin his tours, because Seth is very knowledgeable in Portland bridge history and the past of the city in general. We learned very interesting facts about where we live, like how all 9 bridges over the river are completely different and why each was built the way it was and when. We also learned about the island that is used by the city for rock and gravel, the new construction along the river and the history of our city’s importing and exporting.

Eric and I had a fantastic time on the boat and getting to know Seth and our city better. Captain Seth may be done for the season, but his tours will resume next Summer to take more visitors and locals up and down the river to learn more about how Portland was built from the ground up and developed into the thriving and eco-friendly metropolis it is today. Not only did I find Reserve123 easy to work with, but he let me know how easy they were to work with on the back side. He told me they had helped him get quite a bit of business by partnering with them.

With 11,000 tours and activities to choose from, Reserve123 is as comprehensive as it gets for making your trips the best they can be. They only partner with reliable tour companies and offer insurance and fantastic customer service, so it’s like having a travel agent working for you on your vacation. You choose your tour(s), reserve and pay online and then confirm with the tour company directly if you wish.

The Historical Boat Tour is not the only tour available in Portland. There are many others to choose from, just like there are in other cities. With the holidays coming up, you’ll be spending a lot of time with your family. Reserve123 can help you do some affordable activities either with your whole family or in order to get away from them for a few hours and do something fun and interesting. You can now purchase Reserve123 gift cards as well, for the person who has everything, but loves to travel. Tours make great gifts and you can either choose one as a present or give a gift card where they can decide which activity sounds best to them.

If you want to see the extensive list of tours and activities available for your home area and your vacation destination(s), check out Reserve123’s website. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I received a free tour for the purpose of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Be Your Own Tour Guide 9.29.12

One of the best ways to see a city is by walking around it, but walking tours can be spendy. You can still take a guided tour without having to book a tour or go with a bunch of strangers. With Stray Boots, you can take tours in the US or UK at your own pace and when you can fit it into your schedule. You don’t need to be on someone else’s time. Not only do you learn interesting things about the city you’re visiting, but it combines education and history with a cool scavenger hunt feel. You play your tour by cell phone text messages. You don’t need a fancy smartphone either.

Right now, you can play in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C., with more destinations to come. Through clues and fun facts, you can see the city from a unique perspective. This is the perfect way to go on a tour without all the structure and it’s great for kids and adults alike. Each tour can last two to three hours, even more if you choose to spend more time at any of the stops along the way.

This photo of Old Town Trolley Tours of Boston is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Want your children to get a fun educational experience while you’re on vacation? Then you’ll definitely all think Stray Boots’ treasure hunt walking tours are awesome. Put your heads together to come up with answers to questions texted to you and earn points that you can redeem for more fun facts! It doesn’t matter if there are two or ten of you, you can all work on one phone and even switch phones to make someone else “captain”. Each tour is just $12 per person and $6 for kids, though I’m not sure how they regulate how many are in your team.

This photo of Portland Walking Tours is courtesy of TripAdvisor

You have a year to use your voucher, so if something comes up, you can do it some other time. It’s all up to you! Check out Stray Boots now to get started!

Win a Wardrobe Makeover from Century 21 in NYC

This post brought to you by CENTURY 21. All opinions are 100% mine.

As if there weren’t already enough reasons to visit New York City, now you have one more. We all know that New York isn’t exactly a budget destination and once you’ve paid for your hotel, entertainment and flights, there isn’t really all that much leftover for shopping, especially if you want to sightsee too! Why not visit the famous Century 21 stores and save on designer clothing? I know, I know. “Designer” doesn’t really scream budget-friendly, but you can actually find top brands at C21 for up to 62% off retail!

Do I have your attention now? Yes, generally I don’t talk about shopping destinations, but I know you are always up for a great deal and you want to look good, right? Of course you do! Plus, what’s a better souvenir from a trip than a carry-on full of new clothes? Choose from two convenient locations: Lincoln Square at 1972 Broadway and Downtown at 22 Corlandt Street. The downtown store in Manhattan has 150,000 square feet and FIVE floors packed with incredible deals for everyone in your family.

If you’re like me, you would love to rock some designer fashions, but can’t really afford to purchase everything I want at retail prices. With Century 21, you can afford to look great anytime. I would love to visit the C21 stores to score deals on some of my favorites: Guess, Tahari, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs and Columbia. Join the C21 Club for free online and shop exclusive sales when you aren’t physically in New York. I immediately found several items I wanted to buy, from wool navy pants to a lovely cream colored sweater. All were very competitively priced and well below retail for the designer names being offered.

And before you start to wonder why the prices are so good, Century 21 works directly with designers to get you a good deal on the latest fashions, so you won’t be saving big on last year’s trends either. Look great with clothing and accessories that are in style NOW. There is so much great stuff at the Century 21 stores, don’t be surprised if you see some celebrities browsing the racks next to you. Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, Olivia Palermo and Stacy Kiebler have all been spotted shopping at C21. Just because their famous and rich doesn’t mean they don’t also like a great sale price. How do you think they stock their closets so full of amazing clothes?

Not in the market for clothes? You can find housewares, décor and more at Century 21, too! Redo rooms in your home with the newest fabrics and patterns for less. Think of what a difference it makes to add just a few new pieces here and there. Purchase some high-quality linens or even an accent piece for a room to bring everything together and make it look the best it can. You don’t have to spend a fortune to take a room from drab to fab, especially when you find those finishing touches at C21.

Now, let’s talk about that wardrobe makeover! Hop over to Century 21’s Facebook page and “like” them, then enter the Step Into Empire Attire Empire Hotel sweepstakes to win a $500 C21 wardrobe makeover and a 2-night stay at the posh Empire Hotel in NYC. Think of how many amazing new pieces you can get for $500! Choose classic items that will last you throughout the years or trendy pieces that will create bold fashion statements for you and also transition into new seasons. You can’t go wrong! So, go enter right now.

Have you shopped at Century 21 before? What were your favorite fashion finds? And if you haven’t, do you plan to add a stop at C21 on your next NYC trip?