5 Destinations to Travel to in 2016

In the midst of all your holiday stress and travel plans, why not slow down a bit and take a look at some great destinations for your next real vacation? Now's the time to start making the decisions of where to go, so you can budget for it as soon as possible. This year we'll be headed back to Vegas for our annual trip in July, but we're also going to make our first trek to New Orleans. While those are popular choices for a lot of people, let's take a look at some other popular destinations and some lesser known cities for the next year to give you travel inspiration to ponder on when you just need to take a break from your family and all the end of year craziness.

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Sometimes you just want to go where everyone else is going to see what all the fuss is about. Or maybe you're like me and want to know where the crowds will be so you can go elsewhere. Whatever your motivation, here are some of the most popular cities to vacation in based on booking trends over previous years*.

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Gatlinburg, Tennessee

With one of the largest jumps in bookings from 2014 to 2015 (67%!), Gatlinburg is coming up as a new hip travel destination. While Memphis and Nashville get all the hype and glory, Gatlinburg is a fantastic place for those that love the outdoors. The Great Smokey Mountains National Park is an unspoiled landscape that offers things for visitors year-round; however those that prefer the city life shouldn't discount this trip. Gatlinburg has a wonderful downtown with delicious dining, an observation tower and an aerial cable car that can take you to Ober Gatlinburg, the city's amusement park. Add in the fact that the average hotel can be booked for $110 per night and you've got a fun budget getaway.

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Orange Beach, Alabama

You need to get to this lovely seaside town on the Gulf of Mexico before it gets anymore popular. With 91% more bookings in 2015 than 2014, this gem is becoming less hidden. If a beach vacation is on your list for 2016, skip those more popular and crowded destinations *ahem Cancun* and check out Orange Beach. The city has less than 6,000 residents, sandy white beaches and heaps of fresh seafood. What else could you ask for when looking to enjoy the sun, sand and surf. Oh right! An affordable hotel. Average off-season rates go for a little more than $100 per night.

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Anchorage, Alaska

You read that right. More and more people are finding the gorgeous landscape of Anchorage a place they want to spend their vacation time in. In fact, 34% more people booked last year to get in on both the winter activities as well as the summer ones. It may not seem like the most traditional place to get away from it all, but Anchorage is a destination full of history, culture, amazing food, microbreweries and even a beach. Yup, a hidden beach that you can only get to by hike that is beautiful and sandy. Hotels average around $120 per night, but you can certainly get an even better deal by booking an Airbnb or other vacation rental.

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Moscow, Russia

Not all the up-and-coming destinations are in the United States. Moscow is a bright and vibrant city that is often overlooked when it comes to travelers finding an interesting place to spend a week or two. The city is full of historic buildings that serve as a fantastic backdrop for your vacation photos. The Kremlin is just one such place. It's easy to get around on public transport, there's the beautiful Moskova River to walk along and over 90 parks, too. With the modern mashing with the historical, it's sure to be a unique trip, plus hotel rates can run as little as $50 per night. 

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Brighton, United Kingdom

London is by far one of the most popular places to vacation, but it's also very expensive. Brighton, is a sweet little seaside resort town just about an hour away. The British weather isn't always perfect, but a trip to the beach is always a welcome getaway. With a 60% increase in visitors from 2014 to 2015, the iffy weather doesn't seem to be a deterrent to travelers. Brighton has some rocky beaches, but has wonderful arcades and historical buildings along the waterfront. It hosts many festivals throughout the year, has a thriving arts scene, cuisine to rave about and is a popular place for nightlife. Unlike London, you can find a hotel here for less than $100 per night, so you can spend more money on souvenirs and fun.

Have you already planned your vacation for next year? If so, where will you go?

*stats provided by TripAdvisor

What Will You Be Eating For Christmas Morning?

Sometimes waking up to a nice hot breakfast is all you want. Generally, when we travel, we buy stuff to make our own quick breakfasts in the morning, so we don't have to rush out early and spend money on something I'm not that excited about. It saves us quite a bit, though we do make a point to take at least one morning meal out. You can learn a lot about people by the way they start the day, plus beverages are always slightly different. I found a love of watermelon juice in Ecuador and strong, flavorful coffee in France and slightly sweet tea in London. I like to research just what I'll be looking at when sitting down to a local breakfast before I go, because it can be weird to expect eggs and pancakes and be faced with a menu full of totally different stuff. Check out these 20 different breakfasts from around the world.

I'm all about the croissants in France, but I'm highly intrigued by the morning meal in the Phillipines. Which breakfast are you most interested in trying?

How to Score Free Flights

It's the holidays and usually that means packed flights and lots of drama from some passengers who think it's all about them. What this means for you is a good chance of getting bumped or the chance to volunteer to get on the next available flight. Why would you do this? To get a free flight, of course. 

Everyone has heard the term “bumped”. If you haven’t – or if you have and are not sure what it means – it is the term given to a person who has the misfortune to get to the airport too late (read: after almost all the other passengers) to check in for their overbooked flight and loses their seat. They are “bumped” from the flight. With the amount of overall flights being reduced, there are now more people who want to fly on those that are available most days. There are a certain number of no-shows or ticketed passengers that miss their flights each day. The airlines have always planned for this, but in these tough economic times they also want to fill their seats on the limited flights they have, so they overbook. (This was always a common thing on their most popular flights before the recession.) Sometimes everyone shows up and that leaves around 3-5 people without an actual seat. The airlines will rebook them on the next available flight, but will also always ask if others are willing to be bumped instead. This is how you get comped free travel/hotel/food.

Tip: Ask for a credit voucher instead of a free flight voucher. This works like a gift certificate for the airline and allows you more freedom when booking your flight with it (i.e. you can use it for international airfare if you wish or to buy more than one cheap ticket).

When you get to the gate, you will normally see on the monitor at the check-in desk if there is a list of passengers. These people are already on the “waiting” list. They may have checked in after everyone else or were able to be put on stand-by. If someone else doesn’t show up, or someone gives up their seat willingly, they get to board that flight. If you aren’t in a hurry to get to your destination, then maybe you wouldn’t mind volunteering to hang out until the next flight. The more people on the list, the more willing the airline will be to work with you in giving up your seat. Go up to the airline employee and ask if they need volunteers to be bumped. If so, ask what you will be compensated. Usually, because you have been helpful and friendly (this is certainly key in any customer/customer service conversation), they will give you a voucher for a free flight or credit to use at a later date. You’ll, of course, not have to pay extra for being rebooked on a new flight.

This is what everyone seems to look like during holiday travel

Depending on how long of a wait it will be until your next flight, you might also be able to negotiate a free hotel room and/or dining vouchers for the airport while you hang around and wait for the next flight to come in. While you end up with a free flight (and probably more), the airline doesn’t really lose any money by giving you these things in exchange for your seat. They will be flying that future flight anyway and your seat was already paid for by the passenger who will be filling your seat when they purposely oversold the flight. You get all the perks for just being nice (even if it was selfish) and you might have made someone’s day by letting them take your place. This is a great way to be able to stretch your dollars and be able to vacation more throughout the year. You’ll also get more frequent flyer miles added to your account (if you are compensated with a voucher for a dollar figure and not a free flight)!

Tip: If the airline pays for you to stay in a hotel overnight, they must also pay for your transportation to that accommodation.

Want to avoid getting bumped? Make sure you get to the airport early instead of the last minute. It just takes that one person to get there before you for the flight to be full. I always suggest getting to the airport at least one hour early for domestic and at least two hours early for international. Of course, I get excited for any travel I do and want to allow time for anything that might delay me (traffic, long security lines, etc.), so we tend to get to the airport two hours ahead of any flight. We use the extra time to browse shops, watch people and eat. It’s always nice to be able to sit down and have a decent meal, instead of grabbing fast food right before you get on the flight. It gives you time to relax if you stress right before you travel. It also boosts your energy and helps reduce jet lag. Make sure you drink lots of water, too. I always buy a big bottle of water after security to take with me on the flight, since I am often thirsty, flying dehydrates you and I don’t always want to wait 45 minutes to an hour before they bring around the drink cart.

Tip: Want to finally get into the fancy schmancy airline lounge? Ask for a pass to use it if you’re bumped and have to wait a few extra hours.

More tips on getting “bumped”:

• If you want to get bumped, it helps to get to the airport early as well. Get your name on the list of volunteers before anyone else.
• Book on a flight that is likely to be overbooked (holidays, afternoon flights, early evening flights, last flight of the day, red eye, etc.)
• Be polite. Don’t demand higher compensation than what they are offering you. If you know they are desperate, you can use it to your advantage, but negotiate in a polite manner.
• Know the flight schedule. This can be just as useful to you and your travel plans as it is to the airline employee rebooking you.
• Make sure you’re booking on an airline that does overbook flights. Some airlines do not. (Of course, this information is also helpful in not getting bumped.)
• Be willing to fly on a different airline or a different route. This makes it easier to rebook you as well.
• Pack light. While this doesn’t really help you to get booked, it does ensure that you keep all your belongings with you and the airline doesn’t have to figure out how to reroute your bags in addition to you (and your travel companions).
• Fly through busy airports when possible. Obviously, these airports have more passengers flying everyday and have more overbooked flights than smaller airports.

I haven't had the chance to get bumped yet, but I am open to it. If it can help me budget a trip for cheaper the next time I travel, then it’s totally worth it. What about you? Have you ever purposely volunteered to be “bumped” in order to receive free travel?