Archive for the ‘Honeymoons On A Budget’ Category

There are lots of great Internet Web sites which provide plenty of easy ways to save a lot of money when buying airline tickets. Web sites such as priceline.com, Travelocity.com, and cheaptickets.com allow you to see what the lowest prices are from a variety of airlines and airports at any given time.

Here are some tips for shopping online for airline tickets: First, start looking as early as possible. Ticket prices will go up dramatically when you’re within a few weeks of your proposed trip. For instance, if you want to take a trip in early July, try to have your ticket purchased before the middle of June. You can find the best prices by shopping in the middle of the week. Try shopping for your tickets on a Tuesday.

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Second, try flying at unpopular times. Over night flights and flights in the middle of the week will always be cheaper than weekend trips during the middle of the afternoon. You would pay a lot more to have this kind of convenience. If you don’t need it, you can save money.

Some web sites will allow you to "name your own price." You can offer a price much lower than the fares posted, but if they take your bid, you will have to buy that ticket right away. Don’t be afraid to name a price lower than you think you could get. Always be willing to have stop overs (often incorrectly called a lay over) at airports during your flight. A very cheap flight may stop over at two or three airports before you reach your destination.

Don’t forget to pack light! Most Air Lines now charge for each piece of luggage you bring with you. Try to only pack a carry on bag, to save the most money. If you absolutely need a lot of items once you’ve gotten to your destination, analyze what you need once you arrive. It may be cheaper to ship items to your final destination, or to buy some items when you get there.

Be informed of what tickets normally cost. Do lots of research and visit the ticket buying sites frequently so you’ll know when you see a good deal. Sometimes really great deals are only available for a short time. If you visit your site frequently, you better your chances for a great deal. Sign up to be on the mailing lists for the ticket selling websites. They will email you about great deals to specific locations. Using these techniques I have purchased plane tickets to fly all over the country, often for around two hundred dollars per ticket.

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Author: Millard Hiner

You can read more about Little Known Ways to Save on Airfares or airfares in general at http://www.southwestairline.biz.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Millard_Hiner

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In the last twenty years, discount airlines have single-handedly changed the way the airline industry functions. With a focus on getting customers to their desired destinations without the frills of regular airline travel, discount airlines can charge lower prices and still meet strict safety codes. Airlines like JetBlue and Southwest offer customers extremely low rates and still service a wide variety of popular domestic destinations.

In the past, discount airlines saved money by skimping on the unneeded details. For instance, instead of receiving a full dinner, you might just get a drink and a small bag of peanuts. Rather than offering movies on long flights, you would have to find ways to entertain yourself, and legroom was much less of a concern than it was for major airlines. However, these days, discount airlines are investing more in entertainment systems, and they are paying more attention to customer comfort.

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This is partly because major airlines are finding that they must lower their rates to compete with discount prices. Because customers can often find the same rates from regular airlines, discount companies are finding that they must keep up with the comfort level. Otherwise, customers will always choose the major airline if they can find a comparable ticket price. By searching online discount ticket retailers like Hotwire and Priceline, customers can often find cheap tickets on both discount and regular airline flights.

If your planned destination is a sunny vacation town, discount airlines are usually still significantly cheaper than traditional companies. Many of the discount airlines focus their flights on destinations with agreeable climates. This gives them the corner on the vacation travel market, and it helps them save money by having to deal less with bad weather and the delays and maintenance costs associated with colder climates.

There are also many discount airlines that specialize in cross-country flights. Many of these companies make the bulk of their profits by flying just a few specific routes. However, because regular airlines do not want to lose the profitable business of cross-country travelers, they have begun to match discount prices, making this sort of travel a win-win situation for the customer.

When you are planning a trip and researching prices, the more flexibility you have in your destinations, the more you can save. Many discount airlines only fly to certain cities, and you can literally save hundreds of dollars by flying into an airport merely an hour away from your final destination. For instance, if you are traveling to Austin, TX, a relatively small airport, you will have to pay a much greater ticket price than you would if you flew a discount airline to San Antonio and drove the hour and a half to Austin.

There are also some discount airlines that work in reverse. They service smaller airports where fees are much less, and they avoid larger airports altogether. It may be worth it to slightly alter your plans and fly into a smaller city and drive to your final destination. Also, the benefits of a hassle-free flight into a small airport are much greater than just getting a lower rate. By choosing a smaller airport, you can avoid the stress of parking and finding your way around, and you can get a great ticket price to boot!

No matter where you are going, discount airlines can almost always save you money. Be sure to comparison shop before booking your next flight, and you may find that you can save hundreds of dollars by simply checking a few different airlines and a few different airports. With a little research, you can spend less on getting to your destination and arrive with more cash to enjoy yourself with once you are there.

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Sintilia Miecevole, the travel expert at http://www.fullairlines.com has the most extensive and competitive resource information for your airlines inquiries including reservations for leisure travellers and budget conscious business travellers, schedules, flight information, vacation packages and more. Be sure to visit http://www.fullairlines.com.

This article was posted on November 01, 2005

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Rick Archer sat down with Don Nadeau, the president of BidonTravel.com, which provides Priceline bidding advice.

RA: Why would anyone want to use Priceline? 

DN: You’ll save a lot of money.

RA: Yes, but who wants to get up in time for a 6:00 a.m. flight? You can’t pick your departure times or airline or anything like that.

DN: Well, just use Priceline for air tickets when you’re going to Australia or traveling at the last minute. You’ll save hundreds of dollars. When you can plan your U.S. travel well in advance, Priceline may not be your best bet.
But always bid on Priceline hotels. That’s easy and you don’t have to get up at 4:00 a.m.

RA: Sure, but I don’t want to stay in some crummy place.

DN: No, no, no. Bid for three or four-star hotels. You pick the quality.

You’ll end up at a Hyatt, Hilton, Holiday Inn Crown Plaza, Sheraton, Marriott, or Doubletree-someplace like these.

And, over a few days, you’ll save hundreds of dollars.

In fact, I predict you’ll save on average at least $100 a night over the prices you get on Expedia, Hotels.com, or similar discount hotel sites. Priceline hotel savings average some 40 percent over these sites.
RA: What about location?
DN: You pick that, too.

In the Orlando area, you have a choice of 11 neighborhoods, in or near San Jose, eight.

RA: So you can’t pick a specific hotel, just a general neighborhood?

DN: That’s right.

That’s why hotels use Priceline to sell excess inventory at prices they don’t want their regular customers to find out about.

RA: So would it be correct to assume that if there’s a big event going on in the area and hotels are heavily booked, rooms won’t be available through Priceline?

DN: Actually not.

Groups can book large blocks of rooms at hotels, then find out not as many are traveling, and release some rooms back to hotels. I once got a Priceline discount at the headquarters hotel of a huge medical convention at the last minute.

Priceline tells you if rooms are available before you bid.
RA: How do I know what to bid?

I have an entire site devoted to that! Go to the Priceline Hotels section of BidOnTravel.com.

RA: Just give me three main tips.

DN: Okay. First, bid on three or four-star hotels. That’s where the real savings are.

Second, look up the best prices for the star quality and neighborhood you want on a site like Hotels.com. Knowledge is power, and that way you won’t overbid.

Third, find out what Hotwire.com charges.

Hotwire is Priceline’s main competitor in the ‘you don’t find out the name of your hotel until you pay category,’ and it’s prices are usually a bit higher than Priceline’s.

Therefore, bid 10 - 20 percent below Hotwire’s price.
See BidonTravel.com, though, if you want to refine this process to maximize your savings.

RA: What if I still overpay?

DN: Priceline has a best price guarantee.

If you book a room on Priceline, and then find a lower price on another website for the same type of room at the same hotel or resort on the same dates, Priceline will refund you the difference. There’s some small print, such as "this rate has to be available to the general public and you have to make your claim within 24 hours of booking," but you really can’t lose.

RA: There must be some drawbacks to using Priceline for hotels.

DN: There are.
Most importantly, you’ll get no refund if you cancel. You won’t be able to change dates.

Also, you’ll usually end up with a standard room. At some hotels, these may not be large enough for more than two people.

RA: What about smoking or nonsmoking?

DN: This is never absolutely guaranteed regardless of where you book.

When using Priceline or other online sites, I usually call the hotel directly to make sure it has me on its nonsmoking list. I also try not to show up too late, when the hotel may have run out of certain types of rooms.
RA: Thanks. I’ll try bidding next time after reading the tips on your site.

By: RickArcher

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Rick Archer is President of SearchSummit, a Search Engine Marketing company.
An extensive world traveler, Don Nadeau, president of BidonTravel.com, taught world geography for many years in both Canada and the United States, and developed the first high school level Urban Studies program in the U.S.
Don loves helping people travel "on the cheap," and frequently uses the advice found in BidonTravel to make his own trips more affordable.

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What Is an All Inclusive Honeymoon Cruise?

 All Inclusive honeymoon cruises are great to enjoy your honeymoon without going over the budget. In this article you will learn about them.

An all inclusive honeymoon cruise is a cruise package that has a special price for including everything you need on your travel. These all inclusive packages cover all the food, accommodation, dinners, and in-ship entertainment according to your own budget, so for example if you have a lot of money to spend, you can choose an all inclusive cruise package for your honeymoon that covers spa, casino, special shows, etc. there are though, cheaper option that include less benefits.

Booking an all inclusive honeymoon cruise is a great way to enjoy the romance of your honeymoon without worrying about money. Using an analogy, it works as a pre-paid card - you are guaranteed you won’t go over the budget! Keep in mind though, that even when they include all you need inside the ship, you will have to spend money if you want to enjoy more activities when you dock on a destination.

All inclusive honeymoon packages on a cruise are very complete, and there are prices for everyone. It depends on your destination, the days your honeymoon will last, and the itinerary. By the way in these all inclusive packages you can save some money with a little research. Since you are assuring the cruise line you will spend an amount of money inside the ship, some things are included at a discount price, like for example event tickets.

To start looking for all inclusive honeymoon cruises, I recommend using the Internet to get a broad picture, and then finding the help of a travel agent who can deal with the details of the honeymoon. This is planning that is fun to do as a couple!

Remember to enjoy your honeymoon at full, if think this solution will help you, go for it! A honeymoon cruise is romantic, beautiful and unforgettable.

Book an All Inclusive Honeymoon Cruise 

Learn all about the best honeymoon cruises and find great travel tips on best cruise vacations for you. Find all about the different destinations, honeymoon cruise packages and cruise lines. Don’t forget to read our articles sections for more amazing tips.

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 How To Buy Cheap Airline Tickets

Cheap Airfare and How to Find it - YuppMarks

The only way to ensure cheap airfare is to search the actual sites and do some comparison shopping.

Airfare Secrets - How to book cheap airline tickets

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Cheap Airfare Help | Chris Pirillo

Farecast.com is the first airfare prediction website. They help online travel shoppers save money by answering the question; should you buy now or wait?

Getting Cheap Airfare can be a rewarding moment. However, for most of us, "How to buy Dirt Cheap Airline Tickets" remains the big question. Here are the few proven easy ways to find those…

For the young at heart, itinerant and seeing the world is an indispensable part of learning the life time experiences which makes the integral part of the life process. Traveling is crucial to develop an understanding of different cultures, races, creeds that inhabited in the different parts of this world. By taking benefit of the best airline travel fares which can be discovered online, you can make a affirmative impact on the world and gain truly inspiring experiences.

Moreover, this Cheap Airfare is gained at just a tiny proportion of the price of normal airline fares. Unarguably, the savings obtained from these discounted airline tickets accessible to tourists are some of the best around. By getting such dirt cheap airline tickets, they are lucky to be able to harvest the reimbursement. Ranging anywhere from the smaller savings for the trips back home to the bigger savings on major international flights- reserves that often add up to become so considerable that they are hard to ignore, - the discounted airfares for tourists have almost no match in any other consumer industry of late.

The travelers enjoying the benefits of Cheap Airfare are the only ones who can take an enriching experience of traveling at the cheapest rates, and hence, they are placed in the most beneficial class of airline passenger. Once equipped with travel savings, you will be able to explore the exciting facts and myths surrounded regions of Southeast Asia, or witness medieval ruins in different countries in Europe.

The savings often get converted into a better traveling budget or longer duration of vacation. By finding discount airfares, you can jog the globe in style without putting any extra stress on your wallet. So, ready to find Dirt Cheap Airline Tickets? Let’s get started!

Finding a Dirt Cheap airplane ticket is an art, the one that you can grasp in a very short duration; but if you want to master it, you might require spending the rest of your life. Being proficient to buy cheap airline tickets is indeed a very helpful talent. If you are one of the ordinary people there is no way you can afford regular airfares.

However, there are many with regular wages found frequently flying all around the world. The biggest secret to finding dirt cheap airline tickets is to be flexible and look around for those discount airfares together with using a time tested and proven air travel tricks. Here are few of them…

Tips for Cheap Airfares

1. Be as flexible as you can be. There are numerous new and outstanding pricings available to encourage people to fly. Sometimes, you can find yourself lucky enough to be asked to catch a later flight and given a voucher for free tickets for the compensation. If such opportunity arises, jump on it.

2. Try to book your airline ticket in advance. Don’t wait until the last moment arrives and have no choice rather than to accept available seat on a plane. Instead, take the time to book in advance. The earlier you book, the cheaper the plane ticket is likely to be.

Going for the plane ticket at the last minute means you will end up in paying extra amount for it. Airlines generally begin selling whole range of ticket prices - and naturally the cheap ones go first. So it’s always a better idea to book the ticket as far ahead as possible, circumstances allowing, giving you a great chance of finding some really cheap airplane tickets.

3. Try to choose the times and days that you plan to fly, if you can. Try to opt for the air journey that can happen to mid week and especially in the late nights. The flights during these times aren’t just inexpensive; they are also less frantic and take a lot less time to wait in line for.

4. If you are planning to go to some specific destination for vacation purpose then try to go in so called ‘off season’. The place you’re heading will be basically the same even if it is in the off season. Those words invoke an image of something being bad or "off" about the destination, but it could simply be that the timing doesn’t fit in with when most people can get the time off work to travel there.

5. Always compare and contrast the different airline companies for the airfares they are offering for same destination. It may be the case that you might just be paying more than you should be if you have a favorite airline in past. Instead, look at the numerous options available to you online. You can save a lot of money this way!

6. If you are heading for vacation destination to unwind yourself, then check out those combined Hotel and Air packages offered. All the leading travel groups offer air and hotel travel packages. These packages are assembled at a discounted rate when purchased together. So in a way, purchasing an air and hotel package together makes sense for the consumer looking for a cheap flight as well as for a cheap hotel.

7. Check out for discount offers. Many airlines offer cheap, discount summer or cheap spring tickets. Do a thorough online search before purchasing one. If these tickets are being offered by airlines, then avail them.

Your flexibility and thorough search online is the key to your cheap air journey. Finding the right discount on airfares is one of the most rewarding moments of the travel experience.

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To get the best travel deals, the real key is flexibility. Try this formula…

Would you like to get the best travel deals available? Then get ready to be open-minded and flexible. Consider going to any one of several destinations, and going at different times than you may have originally planned on, and even doing different things once you get there.

 Flexibility Buys The Best Travel Deals

Almost any travel destination has "seasons" which are more crowded and therefore more expensive. Also, airfare varies widely in price from month to month and even according to the day of the week or time of day. Finally, there many activities which may be marginally more entertaining yet cost much more.

Suppose you go on trips to several destinations over the years, using the usual strategy of "I want to go here now and do these things." On some of these trips you’ll be at the height of the season, meaning it will be expensive for hotels. Airfare will cost a lot if you happen to choose the expensive days and times. With a fixed idea about your activities, you’ll also likely pay more than you need to have a great time. You’ll miss out on some real fun that could be much cheaper.

On the other hand, what if you go somewhere during the off-season, go on the day that has the cheapest plane tickets, and start with the interesting activities that cost less? Perhaps you spend just half as much on average, even though over those years you go to all the same destinations. The savings could mean even more opportunities to travel because of the money saved.

Years ago I went to Ecuador because it was an inexpensive destination. The February departure was chosen because I found plane tickets for $258 round trip from Miami. And though I hadn’t considered taking a tour to Mount Cotopaxi, I discovered that I could do that day-long trip to walk on the glaciers of a volcano for just $15, so I went. You create your own best travel deals if you are flexible and open minded.

Best Travel Deals - The Formula

Try this simple formula for getting the best travel deals:

1. Watch a few travel programs, read some travel magazines, and make a list of six to ten places you might like to visit eventually.

2. Look for the best time to go to each. This means when it would be interesting for you and cheaper than other times - an "off-season" that is still a good time for you to visit.

3. Gather information online. How much will hotels and meals cost? What is there to do and how much you are likely to spend on each of these activities. Take notes, of course.

4. Do an online search for plane tickets before you are ready to start planning. Experiment with different days of the week for departure and return flights to find the cheapest possibilities. This can change, so you’ll be doing this again when you are ready to actually start specific planning. For now you just want an idea of the days that are likely the cheapest.

5. When it’s time to travel, pick from among your listed destinations that are off-season and search all the possible dates you might travel, to find the cheapest airfare. Actually it’s best to do this before you arrange for time off work, so you can take advantage of the best possible travel dates.

6. Purchase your tickets, do some more research, and start packing and planning.

Here’s another tip for getting the best travel deals: Book a hotel only for the day you arrive, and then find your hotels(s) once there. There are many nice, less expensive hotels that you won’t find online, and in our experience, even good package deals are never as cheap as finding your own hotels once you get there, as long as you are not coming there at a busy time. Doing this also allows you more freedom, so you can change your plans as you go, taking advantage of whatever great deals come up.

Copyright Steve Gillman. Learn more about getting the Best Travel Deals, plus get the free Travel Secrets Ebook as well as travel stories and tips, at http://www.everythingabouttravel.com

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 Click Here to Find a Honeymoon Package

Are you now busy planning for your wedding? I am sure you are. You may have put a lot of effort to plan for your ceremony, reception, and also other items such as the wedding favor, invitation and gown. Although planning for all these items is time consuming and stressful, you should not forget the most important thing after your wedding reception. It is your honeymoon.

Honeymoon is extremely important in a sense that it is the first time you and your spouse travel together as a married couple. It marks the beginning of a new life of you. As a result, you need to plan your honeymoon with the greatest care. However, you may find that it is not easy to plan for it. You may have no idea on how to select the honeymoon destination. The followings are some tips for you when you are selecting the destination.

First of all you will need to set a budget for your honeymoon. You may have already allocated quite a large amount of money on other items of your wedding. However, you will still need to allocate some budget for your honeymoon. If possible, I will suggest you to learn some money saving tips for other wedding items and allocate the money saved to your honeymoon since the honeymoon can be as important as your wedding ceremony and reception. If you have enough budget, you can certainly plan a luxury trip to the North Pole. However, if you have a limited budget, you may have to choose locations which are closer to your country.

After the budget is set, you will need to make a wish list for different destinations. Of course the wish list should be realistic. It should match the budget you have set. Then you will think about what you want to do during the romantic honeymoon. You may choose to go to Peru if you would like to experience the Inca Civilization. On the other hand, you may also choose to travel to Japan which will certainly give you rich cultural experience.

Some couples may want to be just relaxed during the honeymoon since they are already very busy at work. They may need a real romantic vacation! If you are one of these couples, places like Thailand, Bali and Dubai can be excellent for you. You can enjoy the sunshine on the beach for the whole day.

You will also consider the time and season when you are choosing your honeymoon destination. Without any surprise, the season will affect what you can do in the destination. You cannot go skiing if there is no snow on the mountain. Besides, the prices of things like air tickets and accommodation may increase during peak season such as the Christmas period. As a consequence, you will also need to take this into consideration since that will probably have effects on your budget. It may not be a bad idea to postpone the honeymoon (if you wish to do so) in order to save money.

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Jerry Leung is a wedding invitation designer with great interest in Chinese Style Wedding cards. He designs Custom Wedding Invitations. Besides, he runs a blog on weddings to share his ideas on items such as Vintage Wedding Gown and Dress.

Technorati Tags: honeymoons on a budget, Romantic Honeymoon Ideas, travel tips guide

Most humans have the desire to travel to see the world and experience the diverse culture of the people at reasonable cost.

In most cases, you will feel the itch to travel as much as you can, especially in a favorable situation. It is to most humans, the desire to travel to see the world and experience the diverse culture of the people. To the seasoned travelers, they will surely agree that you don’t really appreciate or reminisce about your home too much until you have the perception of seeing how people live in other parts of the world. One way of experiencing such feelings is to home stay with the local people - live, eat, and emulate their daily chores.

The truth is, traveling is virtually expensive to most people. Unless you are well off, you won’t be able to travel frequently until you acquire some  budget travel techniques. This is not just a straightforward technique but also an overall approach that you should execute to all aspect of your trip.

Example:
1.Explore charter flights, accumulate airline royalty points and last minute deals to obtain the lowest airfares, include home stay as part of your itinerary, so that you can stay and enjoy the home cooked food cheaply with the family.

2.To reduce your trip costs, is to stay longer at a place to explore areas around your location closely. You will learn where the bargains can be found, where are the cheap places to eat, where the cheap entertainment is. Besides, you will have the opportunity to submerge yourself more deeply in the local culture, a local may reveal an interesting spot you never would have considered when planning your itinerary back home or able to get a good judgment of what it is like to live in a place.
It won’t be cheap, if you constantly travel, never staying at a place long enough. Get in and out of the bus and train, spend long and tiring day doing touristy tours, then sleep in a cheap hotel only to get on another bus or train the next morning. Wherever you are, bus and train fares, and car rentals are expensive. No doubt, you will cover lots of places, but do you know the difference between seeing places and experiencing places?

3.Learn to bargain in a foreign country especially the second world, your money will definitely last longer. Bargaining is part and parcel of the daily life and if you do not participate, you will find yourself over spending. The art of bargaining is not to be in a hurry to buy. Your home stay host will give you an idea of a good price. Do not reveal your keenness to buy, pretend to walk away or showing a willingness to avoid the transactions. You may be surprised the seller will lower the price voluntarily. Once you have mastered the bargaining skill, you will find it easy and fun.

4.Another aspect to budget travel is FLEXIBILITY. If you strictly stick to your ‘what you want to do and when to do plans’, it can be costly to your travel budget. Being flexible about the dates you are willing to travel or be open to traveling in many different places will save you money. For example, if you are willing to go to any part of South East Asia rather than a specific Asian country, you will be able to take advantage of cheap fares.

5.The budget traveler who arrives at their destination with a flexible itinerary will take advantage of the available opportunities. This is not the case for a rigid traveler who insists on going to a particular place and time, then he/she could be at the mercy of the travel agents and tour guides and pay whatever it costs.

6.Flexibility includes your food and entertainment choices. Local food is always cheaper than others, why don’t you try them? Locally brewed beers are cheaper than your favorite brand back home. Being flexible will definitely stretch your budget.
Because of your flexible and meticulous planning, you will find that even those on moderate budgets can afford to travel regularly and enjoyably. Most importantly, you will have a more culturally impressive experience, one that you will always remember than a high-class tour.

Eric has been the home stay host to many travelers vacationing in Northern Thailand for many years.
Mail to Eric at boshem28@gmail.com

By Eric Thitaporn Published: 4/1/2008

Technorati Tags: cheap vacation trips, inexpensive honeymoons, steps in planning a vacation

Cheap Airline Ticket Buying Tips

Want to travel for less or travel longer for the same money? Try these cheap travel tips.

Cheap travel means you get to go more often, go on longer trips or just save some of your money for other things. Fortunately, it doesn’t mean low-quality travel. If you find a way to get a cheaper plane ticket, for example, you might be flying on the same plane as with the more expensive tickets.

Of course sometimes you can save money by traveling differently, and that’s okay too. Why pay an extra $40 for a hotel if you like the idea of staying in a hostel with visitors from around the world? Why rent a car in countries where good bus and train systems make for cheaper and more interesting trips?

Essentially you can travel cheap in two ways. First, you can find cheaper ways to get the same thing. The other, perhaps more powerful way, is to alter your expectations and plans to create a more interesting trip that is also inexpensive. The tips that follow will help you do both.

1. See if you can book two flights cheaper than one.

My wife and I are thinking about going to Ecuador this year (2007). Checking for our approximate dates, I found that it would cost $950 each round trip from Colorado Springs, or $1,900 total. Then I checked from Colorado Springs to Miami. It would be $215 round trip. From Miami to Guayaquil, Ecuador costs $350 round trip. That makes it just $565 to Ecuador, or $1,130 total - a savings of $770.

Of course, if you are going to do this, you have to find flights that have enough time in-between them. You probably won’t get e refund if you miss the second flight because of a delay on the first. In our case, we have friends near Miami, so we’ll just arrange the flights to be a day or two apart, and go visiting. Even after the cost of renting a car for a couple days we’ll still be hundreds of dollars ahead.

2. Live in a new place for a while.

One way to make a vacation less rushed, cheaper, and in many ways more interesting, is to stop going from hotel to hotel. Why not stay in a place, and even rent a condo or apartment? We did this a few years back in Tucson, Arizona. It was nice to escape winter for a couple months, and it was fun to explore and get to know a new city. Often you can save hundreds of dollars this way, versus paying by the night for hotel rooms.

3. Be an opportunistic traveler.

This is the most valuable of these cheap travel tips. There are so many things to do out there and so many places to see, so why get stuck on just the ones you have already thought of? With a little luck, you might find a more interesting place to go for half the price. With little shopping, you might find a bed and breakfast in whatever country you visit, and pay less for a more interesting experience.

First look for all the possible alternatives that are less expensive. This isn’t about doing something you don’t want to do. But among those cheaper choices there might be a perfect trip for you. Why not find out? To start with, do any of your friends live in interesting places? Visiting friends is a great way to save on travel costs and have a load of fun (with the right friends).

Here’s a good example of being an opportunist. We were in the mountain resort town of Banos, Ecuador, and asked about the cost of taxi ride to some waterfall. It was $15. It was apparently a popular attraction with tourists. We kept that in mind as we wandered around. Then we saw a chiva (an open-sided bus with seating on the roof) go by playing music. We asked about that.

The chiva took us on a tour of the city (I rode on the roof), then up into the mountains for a view of the city from above. Then we watched the volcano Tungurahua erupt and spit out a bit of lava. They served us hot rum drinks (included in the price), and there were fire-juggling entertainers. Passengers had to push the chiva to get it started for the trip back to town. The cost of all this? $3 each.  Cheap travel does not mean uninteresting travel.

Get the free
Travel Secrets Ebook, as well as travel stories and tips, at http://www.everythingabouttravel.com

Technorati Tags: airline ticket buying tips, cheap travel tips, inexpensive honeymoons