Comments on: Travel On a Budget

By: Sue

Sue — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:52:05 +0000

When comparison shopping, log onto sites such as vacation rentals by owner for pricing on short term (some with daily rates) rental of private condos and homes. I have found these to be much less expensive than hotel rooms when multiple people are staying longer than 2 nights and you get much more room.

By: The Rat

The Rat — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:55:58 +0000

Out of all the great tips, I think the most important one is on the planning side. The biggest savings can be realized (or at least earn rewards points) by shopping around various sites and looking for last minute deals or vacation promotions. Stacey above mentioned kayak as an example.

By saving more on the location and transport on how to get there, you can splurge a bit more (because it is a vacation and it’s also nice to enjoy it) and stress less on some of the other tips because you were able to save on the vacation. I tend to live a frugal lifestyle at home but my wife and I like to spend a little more (but responsibly) when we go on vacation because we feel we deserve it.
Nice post!
Nice post.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:43:35 +0000

1. Kayak.com is the best website for finding airfare as it searches multiple sites. You can also set alerts so it e-mails you when prices drop to a certain level.

2. Hotwire.com is my favorite way to book a hotel room in the U.S/Canada. You don’t get to see the name of the hotel before you book but do see location, ratings, amenities, etc. I find anything 3 stars and above are acceptable. For example, a one-night stay at a 4 star Magnificent Mile hotel in Chicago for tomorrow night is current $73. One caveat: once you book they charge your card and it’s not cancel-able so you have to be very sure of your plans.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:11:48 +0000

Great ideas and tips! Thanks. The snacks and water are both great ideas and those are the kind of things I always forget, and regret, later. Coupons and promos are also great ideas, especially now, with the economy being so crappy.

By: SteveInVa

SteveInVa — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:04:17 +0000

Don’t forget travel insurance.

When planning a complex, expensive, or far-in-the-future trip, buying travel insurance can be a great idea. For example, I booked a cruise 16 months before the sailing date. I also got travel insurance (cruise, airfare, and one night of pre-cruise hotel for two = $2000, trip insurance = $125).

For less than 10% extra we had peace of mind knowing that if we got sick and couldn’t go (after all 16 months is a long time), we would be reimbursed. If weather cancelled our flights and we missed the ship, the insurance would pay to get us to the next port of call. If our bags got lost, we would get something back. If we got injured on the cruise, we were covered by supplemental health insurance and to get a Coast Guard flight from the ship back to land.

Luckily, we didn’t need any of it. But I’d buy it again, just in case.