Summer Vacations Can Be More Affordable

Travel is expensive. Travel in the summer is even more expensive, and airfare is rising quickly right now with demand and gas rates way up. Luckily, there are ways you can save on all parts of your trip, including activities. You can even find deals on entire vacations. 

Here are the sites I recommend checking out. 

Rakuten - formerly Ebates

Get paid to shop! Here's how it works: Sign up is quick and easy, then you're ready to shop! When you have a hankering to buy something, say, at Sephora, go to Rakuten, sign in, click on Sephora and it takes you straight to the main website. You must go through Rakuten, so they can track your purchase. At checkout, make sure you use the same email address you used to sign up on Rakuten and within a few days, your purchase will show up in your account. You can track your cash back total to see how much you saved and then every quarter, Rakuten sends you a Big Fat Check (if you choose that method) or a Big Fat Payment via Paypal. You even get $30 right now just for signing up and making your first qualifying purchase.

Groupon & Living Social

For those of you who don’t know what Groupon and LivingSocial are, they are daily deal sites that usually give you 50-90% off an attraction, restaurant, service or activity. We subscribe to each city we're traveling to (and use it at home as well) 3 months before we are due to travel and find great discounts on things wee were already going to see and do. Don't forget that you can also buy whole vacations on both of these, which can save you tons, especially if you're not picky as to where you want to visit.

Travelzoo

Travelzoo has a Top 20 each week that they put out with their best deals, but you can also search for trips and portions of your trip directly on their site for cheaper activities, tours and more!

CityPASS & GoCard

If you have a list of must-dos on your list, check the ones offered on the city card of that destination to see how many are offered on that card. You can save up to 55% on a list of attractions and activities when you use GoCards or CityPASS. If they aren't available for either of these cards, because you're going out of the country or just because they aren't, just Google "city card [destination city]" and often you'll find something that works.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, or PayPal cash.

Crowdtap

It's sort of like Swagbucks, but all you do is take short surveys about things like food products and banking. Usually, they take less than 5 minutes each and you can rack up points really quickly if you waste an hour or so on the site while watching TV or whatever. Use my referral link for Crowdtap and get a free 100 points to start.

With just a few extra steps in planning, purchasing, or saving for your trips, you can actually save enough to take a better trip, or even take another trip later in the year.

What are your favorite summer destinations?

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National Travel & Tourism Week

National Travel and Tourism Week starts tomorrow, so I wanted to kick it off by talking about some of my favorite budget travel tips and destinations, and then destinations I have on my short list. Then, hopefully, you all can tell me about the places you've loved and would love to go to in the comments.

My Faves

While we haven't been super world travelers, we have gone to some pretty great places. I love going to new destinations and learning about different people and cultures and history. Some of my favorite places have been:

• London - Clearly, since we've visited 3 times now and will go back again.
• Edinburgh - Everything there is gorgeous and I can't wait to go back and also travel around other parts of Scotland.
• Ecuador - I'd narrow this down to just Quito, but the country is beautiful and the people are lovely and the food is delicious (and really cheap).
• Williamsburg, VA - Growing up nearby probably helped, but this little town is quaint and historic, plus Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens are must-dos.
• San Diego - I love California and have been to some amazing towns there. San Diego has it all: a big city with a small city vibe, walkability, green spaces, great food. You name it!
• Victoria, BC - This beautiful town has a little bit of everything for everyone. It feels a bit European, but it's more accessible. 
• Philadelphia - I could have spent a few more weeks in this city, exploring the waterfront and city art. 

My Short Wish List

We've been including an extra trip in our schedules to get away from the bleak winters that can seem to drag on. Last January we went to Tucson, AZ and we already have next year planned. Here are some of my next trip wishes:

• Palm Springs, CA - We'll be visiting with my mom in January 2023.
• Reykjavik, Iceland
• Austin, TX - I think we may get there in January 2024.
• Toronto
• Sacramento - Yes, we've been there before, but we have family there and the city is super cute. We'd like to spend more time there.
• Denver - I know there's more to see in the Mile High City, but we have been talking about going to visit the Meow Wolf installation there.
• Albuquerque - There is the original Meow Wolf installation here, and we also have friends who have moved to Las Cruces to visit.

Some Budget-Friendly Travel Tips

I have a load of travel tips that can help you save money and time. Here are just a few:

• Use Turo - Traditional rental car companies are great, but rates can also be crazy high, especially right now when they still don't have full fleets, and during the high season. If you can't find a good deal, try renting from an individual. I use the Turo app whenever I need to rent a car to see if I can support a person instead of a corporation.
• Book attractions ahead of time - So, I'm a big proponent of having as much planned and taken care of before I leave for vacation, but booking ahead of time can actually save you a lot of money, since many places have online discounts.
• Make lunch your main meal - You know I love eating. I keep snacks in my day bag. I plan whole days around where I want to dine. I always look for street food. I'm sure, like me, you like to go to nice restaurants when you travel. For these, I try to make lunch reservations for these places, because you get the same great food, but at lower prices.
• Pack light - Carry-on packing is the only way I travel now. If I do check a bag, it's only for coming home from a trip with extra things I've purchased. I have perfected planning a small capsule wardrobe for each trip, which you can do, too, with a little practice. 
• Travel in the off-season (or shoulder season) - High season is the most expensive time to travel and visit destinations. You'll also be looking at crowded attractions and activities. Look to travel outside of that timeframe and save money on airfare, accommodations, and even rental cars. You'll also save time, even if opening hours are shorter, because there will be shorter lines and fewer people everywhere. 

I hope you're excited about your next trips and doing them better, even on a budget. Tell me where you're going or where you enjoyed going in the past.

Dinner In Vietnam At Home

Yes, we've started traveling again, but we enjoyed our Destination Date Nights so much, we've decided to continue doing them. This last week we had dinner in Hanoi, Vietnam. This week is the lead-up to Reunification Day. April 30th marks the day in 1975 when the two parts of Vietnam unified under the same government. 

Not only is Vietnam a great budget travel destination, it's also gorgeous and, exports some wonderful things (coffee, cashews, black pepper...), and is very proud of their culture, so you'll be able to easily immerse yourself when you visit.

Can't get to Vietnam just right now? Throw yourself an epic staycation instead. Here's how:

I wanted our table to be very simple and rustic, so I used a linen-colored table topper. I found this great playing cat planter that was actually made in Vietnam at World Market. Since the weather in Vietnam is hot and humid, they have a lot of tropical plants and animals. I added the closest flower I could find to plumeria and leaves that resembled monstera. A Vietnam flag gave a little patriotic flair.

I have quite a few tropical birds for an upcoming event I'm planning, so I also put out a parrot to join us.

I also picked up these fun sun plates and coral rainbow napkins at World Market, and then found matching cups at Target. I completed the look with chopsticks and then we were ready to dine. Both the cups and plates are plastic, making them affordable and lightweight to store. 

We enjoyed a light show waterside with a view of Turtle Tower on the banks of the Hoan Kiem Lake (or Sword Lake). This tower is over a 150 years old and was a respite for the King on his fishing trips. It's a symbol of patriotism and unity for the Vietnamese people. I imagine it's a very peaceful place to visit in real life. 

We listened to some Vietnamese pop music while we talked about Reunification Day and what it means to the people of Vietnam, plus what they do to celebrate the day. This was all a great backdrop for our dinner, which we chose especially from a place across town for their traditional dishes and drinks. 

We both had Vietnamese iced coffee, which made with sweetened condensed milk. If you can't do dairy, you can make this vegan with coconut milk/cream. Then we split the following: Vietnamese-style chicken wings in a caramelized garlic and sweetened fish sauce, Bún Đặc Biệt - a combo platter of grilled beef, shrimp, noodles, spring roll, and a salad of bean sprouts, carrots, and cucumbers - and a chicken báhn mì with yellow curry sauce.

We both have an aversion to cilantro, so I did ask for things without it. All of the food was delicious and more than enough for two people, too. The wings were sweet and spicy, which was unexpected, but awesome. 

After dinner we spoke about Old Quarter Hanoi's Train Street, where the train takes up 80% of the space between buildings. I read an interesting article at the beginning of the pandemic about the struggling merchants along the street that relied on tourism and regular locals to stay in business. The quarantine was very hard on them, but I also learned a lot about the people who ran the small cafes and shops. 

We also had dessert: red bean paste sesame balls. This is one of the more easily obtained desserts of the many, shall we call them, unconventional dishes that you will probably find in the region. You'll find a lot of fruit, tapioca, and mostly-savory desserts. I love a good bean paste though and these were done really well.

The dog came out to enjoy a little bit of staycation goodness (Pippa hasn't gotten the hang of selfies yet) and then later we watched some walking tours of Hanoi on YouTube.  

Ready to take your own Vietnam staycation? Here are some ideas on where to start:

• Get a backdrop (or two). I have been downloading full res photos from photographers on unsplash and getting them made into tapestries on Zazzle through artist Canadapromo. (<--use my referral code to get a big discount!) The less mainstream your destination, the more you will have to improvise.
• Get a nice vase/planter made in Vietnam
• This is the one I purchased
• Here are a bunch of other options
• Fill it with tropical flowers or plants
• Add some great dishes & napkins on a neutral table topper
• A flag
• A Vietnamese cookbook (if you plan to do an entire feast yourself)
• Vietnamese pop music (you can stream it free on Amazon Music or YouTube)
• A travel guide to plan your trip. Here are some I would choose:
• Lonely Planet Guide
• 101 Amazing Things To Do
• DK Witness
• A Vietnamese game for your family to play like Gourd Fish Shrimp Crab Dice
• Flashcards/book to learn some easy Vietnamese words
• Or a book full of Vietnamese fairy tales
• You can also make a yourself a sightseeing day with virtual tours on YouTube

I hope these spark some ideas for you and you have a wonderful "trip" to Vietnam with your spouse and/or family. Immerse yourself in a new culture, food, and language. 

Have you ever been to Vietnam or the surrounding countries?

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