2018 Travel Trends

It's always good to know the latest travel trends when you are planning your trips. It can make or break your trip if you don't know that your destination is going to be overcrowded or more than usual. Check out this infographic from Airbnb to see where your top destination stands this year.

What are your 2018 travel plans?

Planning Your Budget Spring Break Getaway

Thinking about taking a grown-up (or family-friendly) Spring Break trip? Believe it or not, you can make it affordable. Because Spring Break can vary between early-March to mid-April, there are a good 6 weeks when things are more expensive than normal. 

Unfortunately, Spring is a great time to travel, because the weather is warm, but not too warm and most kids are still in school, so the crowds are small if you avoid typical Spring Break destinations like Miami and Cancun. So, let's take a look at how to be a grown up and take a vacay that doesn't look like those old MTV shows full of sloppy-drunk, loud-partying, half-naked 20-somethings. 

Choosing a destination

Set your budget

Here's a thought. Instead of picking a place and planning your trip around it, decide on your budget and work around that. You may find that there are places you hadn't thought of before, but are just as awesome (or better) than where you first thought you might go. 

• Scour deals on Groupon, Living Social and other daily sites for affordable vacations that might work for your time off. 
• Use Kayak's Explore feature to find destinations that fit within your budget for the month/season of your choice.
• Look at BookIt's promos for vacation packages that are awesome and budget-friendly.

Visit non-beach destinations

There are a lot of places that don't really fluctuate in price for travelers throughout the year. Some even have beaches nearby, even if they're only lakes (which can be fun in themselves). 

• Washington, DC
• Phoenix/Tempe
• Palm Springs
• Austin, Texas
• Los Angeles
• New York City
• Quebec, Montreal (has a great European feel, with a much lower price tag)

Travel to less-popular beaches

Some destinations just draw college kids. You can avoid those large crowds so you can at least get a little strip of sand for yourself and not have to fight people to get to the bar for a drink.

• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
• Daytona, Florida (the small size makes it perfect for those looking for a bit of quiet)
• Puerto Rico (cheap accommodations and dining)
• Myrtle Beach (rent a condo for as little as $50)
• Costa Rica (stay way from the touristy spots)
• St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (no passport required!)
• Willemstad Curacao (stick to the all-inclusives here)

When to buy airfare

Usually, the perfect time to buy your airfare for domestic flights is right around 5 weeks out, but because the deals for Spring Break travel might be few and far between, look to book your flights 6-8 weeks out. If you have a stash of airline miles, this is the time to cash them in, even if it's just for one way of your trip. 25,000 points and $5 (on average) is hard to beat for a flight, but the earlier you book, the more likely you will be to find a reward seat. Start looking now. 

• Book airfare on Tuesdays, and Sundays for lower fares.
• Fly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturdays for the best rates. These are the least busy days to fly.
• Fly early in the day. The earliest flights out are generally a bit cheaper and have less of a chance of getting delayed.
• Travel light and skip baggage fees. 

How to choose a hotel

As nice as some hostels are becoming, I still don't recommend them for grown-ups and the U.S. doesn't really have many. Look into hotels that offer extras: a kitchenette, free breakfast, kids stay free, etc. I'd also suggest looking at both Airbnb and HomeAway at vacation rentals. You'll have a bit more space, the prices are comparable to hotels and you usually have both a kitchen and laundry facilities. If you're traveling as a group, this can really save you money.

• Sometimes paying up-front can score you an awesome deal on a room.
• If you haven't pre-paid, keep checking prices up to the day you leave, in case the price drops and you can rebook.
• Skip online booking and call the hotel to see if they can give you a better rate than what you see online.

Alternate choices

Not all vacations are traditional. If you can plan a great trip, but the airfare seems out of reach, look into driving instead. Is it possible that there are really sweet destinations within driving distance from home that you haven't been to yet? I'd be surprised if there weren't.

Looking for more tips? Check out this article that I contributed my expertise to on Cosmopolitan.com.

What are your Spring Break plans?

January Swago with Spin & Win (US)

The digital rewards site Swagbucks is offering big payouts during their January "Swago" promotion starting Monday, January 8th at 9am PT and running until Monday, January 15th! Swago is just like bingo, but in this case you're filling out squares as you earn points on their site for doing things you already do online.

If you're thinking of trying Swagbucks, this is a great chance to learn all about how the site works and earn bonus points while doing it, meaning you can get more gift cards faster. Here are a few tips: 

• Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete. They can be anything from getting a search win, completing a survey, or just visiting one of our popular stores! 
• Once you complete the action item in a particular square the square will change color signifying the action item is complete. 
• You have until 12pm PT/3pm ET on Monday, January 15th to mark off as many squares as possible so use your time wisely. 
• Be mindful of the patterns and their corresponding bonuses located on the right of your Swago Board. The patterns will vary in difficulty and bonus value. Once you’ve achieved a pattern, the corresponding “Submit” button will light up. You can have multiple patterns available for submission, however, you can only submit ONE pattern so choose wisely. 
  
  
• Each activity you successfully complete on your Swago Board will give you anywhere from 1-20 spins on the Spin & Win Wheel. PLUS, when you submit your board for a bonus you'll get additional spins. The number of spins will depend on the pattern you complete. The wheel has all sorts of great prizes that you can win, and each spin is a winner!

The Spin & Win Wheel will be available all throughout Swago and you have until 11:59pm PT on Monday, January 15th to use all your spins. 

Fill up your board and then submit your pattern to get even more points - if you can fill in the whole board, you get a 500 SB bonus, which is enough for a $5 gift card from the retailer of your choice, including Amazon or Paypal credit.  

Click here right now and click "Join" to get started! If you don't already have a Swagbucks account, you'll be able to quickly sign up; PLUS, if you earn 300 SB before the first of January, you'll get a bonus 300 SB!