Celebrate Oktoberfest with Big Bear Cabins

I love a vacation rental. I will almost always book one over a hotel if I can, because I enjoy having the extra space and a kitchen, so I can make breakfasts and also bring back leftovers. If you enjoy the same things, then a vacation rental might be more for you as well.

If you’re headed to southern California and looking to get away from it all, Big Bear has activities for the whole family, or can be just a super relaxing destination that isn’t home. And if you are into that, then check out Big Bear Cool Cabins. They’re your home away from home, but better, because it isn’t home.

With over 350 rentals (homes, condos, or cabins), you can find exactly what you want for everyone you’re traveling with, whether you want to stay on the lake, be in the secluded woods, or somewhere in between. It’s the perfect way to get away for a few days or weeks.

Many rentals come with WiFi, so you aren’t too out of touch with the real world, and you can book ones that let you bring your pup(s), ones that have hot tubs, or ones that have game rooms if you’re coming with the whole family.

photo credit: Big Bear Cool Cabins // Shell Cottage

Right now, they are running a special for Oktoberfest. Book for 2 nights for the weekend of November 2-4 and get 20% off your rental, FREE Oktoberfest tickets, 2 free 2-hour bike or kayak rental and 10% off the Scenic Sky Chair or a round of golf. That’s, like, a totally packed weekend! Just use promo code ENCORE when you book.

Ocktoberfest in Big Bear is the #1 rated Oktoberfest in Southern California, and it doesn’t just have beer, but German music, entertainment and food. Enjoy the very same beers poured at Munich’s Oktoberfest for more than 150 years!  You’ll be so tired (and full), you’ll just fall into your awesome Cool Cabin bed. That’s the best feeling, in my opinion. Then you can sleep it all off and head home in the morning, or stay longer if you want. It’s all up to you.

photo credit: Big Bear Cool Cabins // Pine View Heaven

There are great rentals on special for the Encore promo, from 1 bedrooms that sleep 4 to 7 bedrooms that sleep over 20.  Go with your sweetie for a romantic stay or take a whole crew out there to indulge in the celebration. Whoever you bring, you’ll be able to stay affordably and in comfort.

So, what else is there to do in Big Bear that’s just a quick drive or a longer walk (or bike ride) from your Cool Cabin? So much! Big Bear is a four-season destination at 7,000 ft elevation. Many off-roading trails are open all year, but in the fall and winter, you can find ski opportunities, snowboarding and even snow tubing. If those aren’t quite your thing, maybe check out a nice hike on snowshoes.

Fishing is a big attraction to those going to Big Bear. You can also bring your boat or charter one for even better chance of catching “the big one”. 

photo credit: Big Bear Cool Cabins // A Wonderland

Year-round activities abound for the whole family. Head to The Village and go bowling, try an escape room, no go on a scavenger hunt, visit the Big Bear Alpine Zoo, get cultural at the Big Bear History Museum to learn more about the area. You can get a little retail therapy in funky and quaint boutique shops, or relax further with a trip to the spa for a massage or facial. Return in the summer for a whole bunch of other cool stuff to fill your days, from ziplining to riding on a pirate ship!

So, hop over to Big Bear Cool Cabins and book your Oktoberfest Encore getaway now. Just remember to use code ENCORE to get your awesome deal. Check back for other special offers throughout the year, so you can save even more off a great vacation for the whole family…or just go solo and enjoy the solitude.

For more about Big Bear Cool Cabins Vacation Rentals, find them online all over, including:

website (please use code SHEREENTRAVELSCHEAP)

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Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Big Bear Cool Cabins Vacation Rentals and I have been compensated for my post, but all opinions are 100% my own, as always. 

More Women Are Traveling Solo

Are you one of them? Do you want to be? While safety for women might be a huge question, if you follow your intuition and logical senses, you'll most likely be perfectly fine and have a wonderful time. I love to travel alone, almost as much as I love to travel with others. I learn more about myself and learn to make important decisions without the input of others. If you haven't traveled alone, find out why more women are traveling solo:

Have you traveled alone before? If not, what's stopping you?

Daily Deals Make Your Vacation Cheaper

Okay, you guys! It’s time to save some money. It’s right around that time when I am near my vacation and using daily deals to save tons on my trip. This is the third trip I've taken this year, but I'm lucky to be working with Visit Philadelphia this go-round, but with a trip to Edinburgh and London next year, it's more important than ever to save on all my trips in between. It’s probably the same for you. I feel like if I find a daily deal for things I was going to do anyway, then it’s double-awesome. Sometimes I find deals for things I didn’t know existed or for fun restaurants, which shape a new unique vacation for me.

When we traveled to the UK and Europe, I found and purchased deals from Groupon UK and ncrowd for my trip to take a bus tour around London, a scavenger hunt through the Underground, a tour to Stonehenge, a dining card and afternoon teas. Why would I not use these savings to make my travels better where I can? I got more than half of my food and activities paid for through Groupon for my New Orleans trip, found some great ones for my Los Angeles trip and I used quite a few for Las Vegas as well.

Let’s talk about my favorite daily deal site: Groupon. I’ve used it at home and away and saved tons of money. For those of you who don’t know what Groupon is, it’s a pretty simple concept. Restaurants, spas, activities and more offer  deals (usually) between 50-90% off regular price. You buy it, save all sorts of money and do more things! And sometimes if you get your friends to purchase, too, you get your deal for free! Companies get their name out to customers, customers try them out and everyone wins!

One of the cool things about Groupon – among many – is that it’s not just for the U.S. Nope, it’s available for the U.S. Canada and 40 other countries around the world including Colombia, Uruguay and Singapore. Pretty much anywhere you go, you can purchase Groupons to save you big time on your trip. If I want to do a bike tour in Mexico or get a manicure in Greece, I can do it, providing those things come up as discounts before I go. This is why I’m watching it daily until my trip.

Groupon has teamed up with Expedia to bring you fantastic(er) deals on travel! With amazing discounts on luxury hotels and accommodations, you can’t afford NOT to travel well while still on a budget. The rates may not be slashed to 90% off, but they will be great and you’ll drool over their gorgeous photos and long to go everywhere all at once.

So, how do you sign up for Groupon? It’s easy and free! In fact, you can use your Facebook account to sign in if you want. Use either your home location or your next vacation destination as the one you wish to get deals for and then look for them in your email. I'm currently getting updates for Philadelphia and Portland, and I can change my preferred destination(s) anytime I want. I also have the Groupon app on my phone, so I can get the deals on-the-go and also save paper by bringing up the deal on my phone to use at the merchant, restaurant or attraction.

Do you know what’s even cooler? You can get up to 6% cash back on all your Groupon purchases by using Ebates, too, to make your savings even larger. If you aren't familiar with Ebates, you can read my post on it here. Why NOT save as much as possible on everything you do if you can? 

Other sites I like to use are Living Social, which is like Groupon's little sister, and Travelzoo, where you can also find great deals on travel.

Who else uses Groupon or is excited to sign up  for it? Or do you have another favorite daily deal site?