Articles Tagged with: Tips

Rising gas prices, air fares, hotel rates… bills, bills, bills… But none of these are keeping travelers off the roads to get their much deserved vacation. According to the triple-A, around 35 million Americans traveled during the Memorial Day weekend – A hundred thousand more than last year’s. The number only says that there’s no stopping the common American from hitting the road to take a break. But how does one cope with all the spending to make sure that there’s enough left to go back to the normal life they left off? How does one prepare for traveling and avoiding hassles during and after their vacation?

Hotel rates are up between 5 and 10 percent.; Airfares, 14 percent; a gallon of gas? More than a higher than last year. So what’s an American to do? Here are a few tips:

1. Awareness of Peak Travel Day Fees – Peak travel day fees are applied when there is a higher demand. These hidden travel fees increase the price of your flight, especially during the months of June, July, and August. During these months, every day is almost considered as a “peak” day. And the only way to avoid it? – postpone your vacation until the end of the summer, which is quite a hassle since you don’t want to ruin your kids’ summer vacation.

2. Bargains — There are lots of cheap travel packages going to the Caribbean, Cancun and Las Vegas during the summer months.

3. Travel Tips from CBP – They say that people who read fast get ahead. This might be true, except for some information that you really need to remember and digest like the tips from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Here are some CBP tips that you should remember before you go:

a. Have all the required travel documents for the countries you’re visiting. To add, identification for re-entry to the U.S. Passports are also required for re-entry.

b. Declare everything you are bringing in from abroad. This includes items that are bought in a duty free shop as these items are also subject to U.S. duty fees and other restrictions.

c. Be cautious when buying something from a street vendor. Some merchandise can be classified as counterfeit or unsafe and you may have to surrender it to the CBP when you get home.

d. Know that things bought abroad for personal use or as gifts are eligible for duty exemptions. But if you’re going to resell them, they are not eligible.

e. Have a quick look at the list of prohibited merchandise (such as ivory, tortoise shell, absinthe, and counterfeit items) and restricted merchandise.

f. Be aware that many foreign-made meds are not FDA-approved. You cannot bring these meds into the U.S. Also remember that, when traveling abroad, bring only the amount of medication that you’re going to use during your trip.

g. Cuban-made products are a big no-no.

h. Don’t bring any food into the U.S. without checking to see if it’s permitted. To add, exotic pets like live birds, whether it’s for your personal use or for commercial use, may be restricted and/or quarantined.

i. You also have to remember that CBP officers can inspect you and your belongings without a warrant. This may include your luggage, vehicle, and personal searches. This is meant to enforce U.S. laws as well as protect legitimate travelers.

4. Maintain Your Tires – Most people would opt to go on a road trip instead of flying, so a good advice to take is to check if your tires are properly inflated. Estimates show that U.S. motorists could save up to 700 million gallons of gas each year just by maintaining their tires properly. To add, tuning-up and putting the correct motor oil in your car can improve fuel efficiency by up to 4 percent.

5. Find a Cheap Vacation Rental — Looking for a cheap vacation rental near your intended destination can save you money, especially if you’re going out with a large group. Instead of booking a hotel during peak season, try to look for a vacation rental that has all the amenities that you need.

If you travel then chances are you are looking to save money on airline travel. Whether you have a one time trip coming up, or travel often I am sure that you have heard that cheap plane tickets can be hard to get. Sure you see them advertised everywhere, but these are no where near the lowest prices that you can get. I am going to show you a strategy to get prices so low on airline travel you will not believe your eyes.

1. The first thing that you can do in order to get the best deals on airline travel is to make sure that you look for flights at odd times. Many times these flights are not booked, and this puts you in a position to negotiate with the airline to get a great deal. If these seats do not get booked, then the airline is going to lose money, so they will often times give great deals.

2. Another way to save money on airline travel is to contact the airlines directly about potential specials or offers that they are running.

In fact many times the airlines have great deals going on that they do not even advertise, and if you call them shortly after midnight when the systems are updated then you have a great chance to get an awesome deal.

3. The best method I have found by far to save money on airline travel is to find someone on the inside. This can be a current or former employee, but these people can give you the insider knowledge that you need to get some amazing deals on plane travel. This is the way to go and is what I have done to get the best deals possible.

Are you planning on backpacking Southeast Asia and have a limited budget. Below are a few ways to get the most out of every dollar and still provide you with a great experience.

Discount Airliners: One of the most unknown things in Southeast Asia is how cheap air travel can be. Sometimes, it is marginally more than the cost of taking a bus. Both Air Asia and Bangkok Airways offer cheap airfare around most of South East Asia. Fares are regularly USD or lower. If you have limited travel time, it is highly recommended that you investigating flying between destinations.
 
Don’t pay in US currency: One of the biggest mistakes that travelers often do is try to pay in US currency. Pretty much everywhere in Southeast Asia accepts US Dollars, but the conversion rate offered by merchants is terrible. A lot of times, you can end up paying 30% more than you would have if you used the local currency. For the best rates, try to exchange some money before you leave. You can also exchange money at most major banks in South East Asia.

 
Watch Out for Scams: If it sounds too good to be true, you are probably being scammed. There are all sorts of scams in Southeast Asia that are aimed at taking you money, and returning an inferior product to what you should be getting. This can come in the form of lower quality tours, transportation that doesn’t take you where you want to go, or paying significantly more for a product than you should be charged. To avoid the scams, talk to travelers at your hostel to see what they did. When booking tours or transportation, try to book only from reputable companies, so you get the trip you are actually paying for. If you are taking a Taxi in some countries, request that they run the meter. Most drivers negotiate fares, and in most cases are way greater than if the meter is used. Some drivers will refuse to take you, but eventually you will find one that will use his meter. This can save you a lot of money. 

For those backpackers who are hardcore enough to enter the realm of lightweight or ultra-light backpacking here are some techniques that can lighten the load on your next trip. Some of these do tend towards the extreme and will test your skills in the wilderness so be aware that if you don’t know what you are doing you can get into more trouble then you might think.

The heaviest items on any backpacking trip are your tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. The first thing to consider going without is your sleeping pad. Knowing the environment where you intend to backpack will allow you to determine if there will be materials available that will allow you to build a natural mattress.

Dead leaves, pine needles, dead grass, and dry bracken ferns can be used to create a pile large enough to set your tent or bivy sack on. This gets you up off the hard cold ground and provides insulating value much as a sleep pad does.

When you break camp be sure to scatter your mattress materials and leave your site in its natural state.

A Wilderness Survival Course can also help you reduce the weight of your backpacking treks because the knowledge gained can help you make better more informed decisions on what to take. For instance if you know which berries and other fauna are edible you can get by with packing less food. You can also leave your stove at home if you bring ready-to-eat foods to go along with foraging off the land.

Take a look through all your gear and look for ways to save weight there. Do you need full on rain gear or will a lightweight poncho suffice. Cut the handle off your toothbrush and silverware. Do you really need that bowl and cup or can you drink your hot tea or soup from your cooking pan.

You can also update your gear with the latest and lightest equipment.

Down sleeping bags that weight less then 2 pounds but are good down to 15 degrees and lightweight backpacking tents can save pounds off your load. This lightweight gear is not cheap but it is well made and will last through many backpacking seasons.

Combining lightweight backpacking gear with some of the above techniques will allow you to truly enjoy the benefits of lightweight backpacking.

If you are looking to fly soon then I bet you would like to know how you can save money on airline travel. There are many people and businesses on the internet that claim to have the lowest prices, but in reality it takes some insider knowledge in order to get the best deals on airline travel. Here I am going to give you 3 tips that you can use in order to get the cheapest airline tickets possible to any destination in the world.

1. In order to save money on airline travel you can fly standby or take the flights at odd times. Often times people do not want to fly at weird hours, and of course the airlines want to get as many people as possible onto the planes. So, if you can get on one of these flights you have the power to negotiate with the airlines and get a very good deal on your plane tickets.

2. Often times you can get great deals by contacting the airlines directly, yet many people do not know this.

Many of the most popular airlines update their systems at midnight, so if you can call just after midnight then you have a chance to get some special deals before anyone else even knows they are available.

3. By far the best method to save money on airline travel is to know someone on the inside. Whether it is a current airline employee or a former one these people often times know things that are not available to the public, and thus can get you the best deals. You can find these people rather easily if you know where to look, and they can really help you!