Travel Blog

This rotten winter might have you hankering to take a vacation. And the less-than-robust economy means you’d probably like to travel for the least amount of money.  It is time for money saving travel tips. Always look for deals and ways to save money, but you need to watch out for scams as well. If your planning a vacation check out all of the deals, take advantage of traveling in time frames that are not as popular.

Visit travel shows and pick up tips as well as coupons for discounts on various trips and places to visit.

Money Saving Travel Tips

To get an airline’s lowest airfare, try calling the carrier instead of booking online. You may think all the available inventory is on the web. Not even close. It’s only the inventory they want to put online. The same applies to hotels.

As an example, The lowest fare online: American’s $809. Calling American directly and asking if the airline had a “positioning flight” (when a carrier needs to get one plane from one city to another); netted a flight for $109.

If you searched for airfares on a site but didn’t buy a ticket, use a different browser or computer on your next visit or clear your computer’s cookies and cache. Otherwise, you may be shown a higher fare because you left cookies the first time and the site knows you’re eager to buy.

If you belong to a Frequent Flier program, check its site for fares using your number and without it. “Delta offered me a fare for $529 and then I went put in my Frequent Flier number, the fare suddenly jumped to $607,” They said there was a different class of tickets for Frequent Fliers.”

Train lovers with time on their hands should look into Amtrak’s 15-day go-anywhere deal. “You can get off and on anytime and see all of your dysfunctional relatives in one trip for $500; $250 for kids under 12.

Exploit the cruise industry’s bad publicity (the Costa Concordia and Carnival Triumph disasters) and excess capacity. “It’s a buyer’s market with rates as low as $149”.

Call a hotel directly for its best room rate rather than booking online or phoning its 800 number. “You can get more discounts from a phone call than from a website,”. Conversely, if the hotel rate is higher than usual, check the online price. Sometimes they forget to update the prices online.

When you call, ask for the manager on duty or director of sales, not “reservations,”. That’s the person who knows that a wedding just canceled and the hotel suddenly lost 30 booked rooms.

Ask value-added questions: Can my kids stay free? Can they eat free? I recently had to rent a car in San Francisco and asked the hotel if I could get free parking and I did. The parking normally costs $42 a night.

Consider alternative lodgings to hotels. “I love hotels, but they’re rarely the most interesting place to stay and they’re usually the most expensive,”. One person bragged about renting a two-bedroom apartment in Venice for $83 a night.

Scams

Watch out for “free” travel offers on Facebook. What may look like a giveaway of two free Southwest tickets from “Allison” is really a ruse to trick people into giving up personal information.

Never click through a link, even if it looks legitimate.

Don’t agree to rent out someone’s home until you speak, Skype or FaceTime with them. “Legitimate renters are happy to talk to you. Skype or FaceTime conversations are best because you can then insist on seeing the whole apartment or house.

Bargain destinations

Visit countries where few Americans vacation.

Go where the local currency has been pounded.

But perhaps the biggest bargain of all (once you get there): Bali in the South Pacific. You can almost live there on $5 a day.”

For more travel planning posts, click here.

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We came across a great list of travel suitcase packing tips that will make your life easier and may even save you money as well. Take a few minutes to think about where you are going, how you will get there and what you will do when you arrive. Give some thought about the things you will need to have with you and plan accordingly. Remember most things you can buy at your final destination, if you forget something. But there are some personal items you may not be able to do without. Personally, I keep a list of things that I need to do for each trip. Going through the list one by one helps to make sure we do not forget anything that we are going to need.

Travel Suitcase Packing Tips

• Pack light to travel light. If you can manage with only a carry-on for your trip, do it. Take half of the things you need and twice the money. Purchasing a few new items can be a fun part of the adventure.
• Pack a sleep mask and ear plugs. These can come in handy on a plane, train or even in your hotel room.
• Capitalize on empty suitcase space. Roll your clothes, instead of folding them. Stuff socks, underwear, and accessories in corners and inside of shoes. Leave no space unused.
• Keep a light blanket in your carry-on. They can be used as a blanket on the plane, a sarong  can be used as a scarf if it’s cold or a shawl on an evening out.
• Bag it. Sandwich bags can be used to hold your accessories, vacuum pack bags can be space savers, and trash bags have multiple uses (laundry bag, shoe covers).
• Skip airport snacks and bring your own. You can save yourself  money and keep your hunger at bay in case you have a delayed flight.

Create compartments.

• Two words: packing cube. If you are visiting more than one city during your trip, packing cubes will keep your suitcase organized and save you from having to pack and unpack.
• Share your packing space. Traveling as a couple? Split your clothes between two suitcases on the off chance one of them gets lost during the flight.
• Bring a multi-socket extension cord. Although newer hotels have USB ports in rooms, it’s best to have an extra outlet to charge all of your electronics at once.
• Make photocopies before leaving home. If you’re traveling out of the country, make two photocopies of your passport. Use your smartphone to take pictures of your car in the airport’s parking garage and do the same for your luggage and its contents in case it gets lost.

We can all use travel tips to help us plan a successful trip. If you plan to be driving to your next destination vacation, plan your route in advance. Make sure to travel with a fully charged cell phone for emergencies. Or make sure that you have a charger in your car.

Road trips provide families with a chance to spend quality time together,. You will also be in close quarters for the duration of your travels. It helps to keep arguments at bay and everyone content by packing a variety of games, etc that will appeal to everyone’s interest.

You may not need your passport if you’re staying inside the country. Ensuring that all of your passengers have adequate identification in the case of an emergency is important. For those who are planning a vacation outside the country, remember that everyone traveling with you must have a valid passport. This includes your travels to Canada, to the US and Mexico. Just in case make sure that everyone is passport is valid well beyond the expected date of your return to Canada or to the US depending in which country you live in.

Travel Tips can Ensure a Successful Trip

No one likes to think about it, But planning for the unexpected is an important aspect of traveling. Take copies of your passport identification. Itinerary and insurance policy with a friend or family member who you can contact while in your travels if need be.

Make sure to take care of any health needs before you leave. Include necessary vaccinations and obtain sufficient supply of your prescription medications.

Always remember that weather with an adult or traveling alone all children traveling outside the country must have a valid passport. Other documentation may be required to allow the child entry into another country, such as a birth certificate, legal forms pertaining to custody agreement and a parental letter of consent if a child is traveling with one parent, neither parents or alone.

Always obtain health insurance, and travel insurance prior to leaving on vacation. Once you travel outside your province, or state, or country your existing health insurance may not provide the coverage that you require. In emergency you don’t want to be worried about who’s going to pay the expensive cost of medical coverage. Always travel with Health and travel insurance.

Many Canadians spend their vacation in the US. Snow birds make the annual trip south every fall to escape the snow and ice in Canada. They head to Florida, Texas, Arizona and California to spend the winter. They head home once the winter is over. Canadians have enjoy warm temperatures and also a strong dollar for the past 5 years. However now the dollar is not so strong and Canadians travel cost going up means it is going to cost more.

Canadians travel cost going up – Categories

Exchange rate

Lately the exchange rate, the price you pay to purchase US dollars has been going up. As of writing this post the best rate that is currently posted is ninety cents or in other words it takes approximately $1.11 Canadian to purchase $1.00 US, which is an 11 percent increase in the cost compared to a few years ago. It costs more to travel as a result and Canadians are beginning to look for cost saving measures.

Cost to travel

If your vacation is costing you $1000, then you are going to pay an additional $111 Canadian for every $1000 US you are going to spend. This can be significant and can add a significant amount for more expensive vacations.

Hedging the exchange rate

One solution is to hedge the exchange rate by averaging your cost over a year. As rates change you will pay the current rate, but at least you will not lock in the rate for your total vacation. if rates improve which they might then you get to take advantage of the improved rates. Unfortunately it also works the opposite way as well. The economists are forecast and $.85 cent dollar by mid 2015, which means that your US vacation cost is going to go up another 5%!

Cutting back on travel

Another solution which is not popular with many people is that the Canadians will start cutting back on travel to conserve money and bring it back to levels that they can afford with the increasing costs. This will hurt the travel industry to some degree and could even trigger a decline for a short period in this industry.

Let’s go anyway

Many senior snow birds realize that they may not have than many years left that they can travel and as a result just suck it up and plan to go anyway. They only live once and if they can get the money together they plan to go regardless of what the cost will be.

What are your plans for vacationing in the United States this coming year? For ideas about trip planning, click here.

Most people who are going vacation and only have a couple of weeks to be away from work. They want to maximize time that they have while on vacation and as a result they’re paying great deal for hotels and airfare and meals. But there are other ways to go on vacation and have your cost kept to a minimum while still enjoying all of the things that there are to enjoy in other countries. If you are wondering how to take a 4 month vacation, read on. We have some great ideas for you to consider. Developing a plan to take a 4 month vacation is very important as well.

How to Take a 4 Month Vacation – Rent  vs. Hotels

The first step is to rent a condo, apartment, or house where you can make some or all of your own meals. This is a far less expensive way to go on vacation than if you are in a hotel and eating out for each meal. When we do this sort of thing, we might eat out a couple of times a week or take in a happy hour with the rest of our meals eaten in our rented condo. Another way to save some money is to take in happy hours and street kiosks. You may not always want to do this, but it is a nice variation.

One of the neat things about renting a condo for a fraction of the cost it would be to stay in a hotel or motel is that you can then afford to spend more time on your vacation. Personally I would rather take this time away then have a few expensive meals and stay in a hotel. We are able to travel much more when we conserve money in this manner and many of our friends wonder how we can afford to travel the way we do.

Camping and Hostels

Of course some people will never eat out and might even camp or stay in hostels, which is another approach to traveling cheaply. Of course you can travel for longer periods of time when you travel in this manner. For other folks a middle of the road approach allows them to enjoy some luxury and some roughing it as well.

Looking for deals and grabbing them when they become available is really being an opportunist and saving money. As long as the place you are staying in is clean and safe, every dollar you save is another dollar you can spend somewhere else on your travels. taking advantage of spontaneous trips and deals adds spice to your life vs. the rigid approach of being on a bus and in specific hotels every night.

The Skeptics are Stuck at Home

There will be many skeptics and mainly those that are stuck at home, afraid to travel or unwilling to stretch their money so they can get away and travel. They may not even be able to fathom how you can travel the way that you do, because unless you have been there and done it, they just refuse to accept it. Secretly they are envious and wish they were with you but just cannot bring themselves to follow in your foot steps. Try to take a 4 month vacation every year, watch your spending and enjoy life.

Take a 4 Month Vacation – Be Flexible

For example one friend of ours will only travel by car if he has reservations made for his entire trip. He needs to know exactly where he will be each night and how much he is paying along with what restaurants there are to choose from. We on the other hand, only decide where we are staying that evening when we pull into a motel or hotel. Sometimes we have been caught with a less than desirable location with few restaurants to choose from, but that just adds to the excitement of the journey.

We also do not take unnecessary chances or go to dangerous places. Sure we go to places that might be uncomfortable sometimes and only stay for one night. This happens by chance rather than by choice and we try to avoid them whenever possible. Common sense goes a long way: Don’t flaunt expensive electronics or jewelry; learn a few phrases of the local language; be polite and cautious with strangers; don’t wander the streets drunk late at night. Odds are you’ll be in no more danger than a similar situation in your hometown.

Work While You Travel

Some folks work while they travel and this also covers some of the cost of travel. If you can write a story about where you are and make some money from it, so much the better. If you can work on a contract while traveling with your computer and smart phone, why not. As long as it is only a few hours a day or week and does not interfere with your travel enjoyment, you have the best of both worlds.

You only live once so why not enjoy yourself and stretch your dollars as far as possible rather than spend a lot of money on expensive hotels and meals, which limits the amount of time you can be on the road.

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Well we are planning our next trip down south. We will be joining the thousands of snow birds that head south every year to get away from the cold and the snow. We will be gone for four months. Who wouldn’t look forward to palm trees, sun and swimming. We are planning to drive since we want to have our own car while we are away on a winter vacation rather than fly and then rent a car. There are lots of things to think about when you are leaving for this length of time. Logistics of your trip is one area to consider but so are the responsibilities of your home which also must be considered. We put together this post to help other people like us prepare for their trips.

Planning our next Trip

We love to hike and travel to interesting sites, so this is also part of our trip. We are considering Dallas and traveling to the site of the show called Dallas, South Fork ranch. Apparently there are lots of tours through the ranch every day. We thought this might be an interesting thing to do.

We will go through Tucson where the PIMA museum is and the bone yard for planes that are no longer required or able to be in the air. Some planes are just stored, while others are being kept for parts. It covers several square miles and there are thousands of planes at this site. This is a must see place if you are interested in this sort of thing.

Titan Missile Museum

Another location we might go to is the Titan Missile Museum just south of Tucson. This is from the cold war when there were missiles all over the US pointed at Russia. They were intended as a deterrent to any attack that they might fire at us. Apparently this is the last one that is left in the US. There are regular visitors to this location which is just outside of Tucson.

On our travels we may also go to Biloxi, MS to visit the coast and stay at a hotel called the Beau Rivage. If you have not been to the Beau Rivage, it is a very nice place right on the gulf and part of the MGM chain of hotels.

That is it for now. We will update our posts once we have our plans finalized. These are just a couple of areas that we are thinking about and provide some idea of what is involved. We have other posts with detailed checklists of items to consider.

For more trip planning ideas, click here.

Whether you are on a short trip or returning after being away from home for several months or even longer there is a return home checklist. These are things that we all need to pay attention to in addition to the checklist of items when we leave.  If you go through the list, chances are that your trip will be uneventful and successful. Which is exactly what we all want.

Not every item will apply to your specific situation. Review the list and apply those that make sense for you, your family and business associates. Consider the situation you find yourself in. Everyone wants to make sure that nothing important is forgotten and that your home etc is looked after while you are gone. A good checklist will help to make sure that everything is thought of.

Return Home Checklist

When you are returning home there are additional checklists that you should follow to prepare for your trip. Review the  pre-departure checklist. As well as the following list of items to ensure that you have everything that you need for your trip.

• Airline reservations
• Airline tickets
• Meeting with the bank regarding account closing and money transfer if you have been away for some time and established accounts etc
• Inform schools and teachers of the children’s departure and  obtain all official school documents, with teachers evaluations of each child
• Arrange for moving of personal effects to your own country
• Keep track of relocation expenses and make photocopies of important documents to be brought with you
• Notify the post office of a change of address and send a notice of discontinuation to all services including electricity and telephone
• Pay all outstanding bills prior to leaving
• Make a list of all other personal matters that you need to look after prior to departure for your own country.

Be Prepared

If you go through this list and the pre-departure list we prepared on the previous post you will be in good shape to travel. With all of the heighten security these days especially if you are traveling by plane, it is important to be over prepared. Make your trip easier and to avoid any potential delays while you satisfy the authorities.

We tend to go on driving trips and must cross the border at various locations. We never know what questions the customs agents are going to ask. So we always have all of our documents in order. Reservations, receipts and whatever we think that we need to have to establish that we are visiting. Also not doing anything that would be construed to be illegal.

I recently heard one rumor that you need to show that you are not only a resident of your home country. But that you are actually planning to return to your home country.  Hard to imagine when we are spending money in the host country. Which contributes to their economy etc, but that is the way it is these days with increased security!

As always if you have additional items that should be added to this list, please leave appropriate comments. We will add them! For more trip planning ideas, click here.

Anyone who is traveling to another country or even across country should also have pre-departure checklists. As a result it should specifically be focused on traveling to the host country for your trip. Particularly if you’re planning to stay for some time. Hence the following checklist will help you. Regardless of whether you’re going for one week or for several months or even longer.

Pre-Departure Checklists

Obviously if you are staying for a long time you will need to decide what you do with homes, bank accounts, taxes etc. and if just going for a week’s vacation many items will not apply.

• Passports for all family members, valid for a minimum of six months
• Visas for entry to the host country and work permits if needed
• Airline and hotel reservations
• Airline tickets including return reservations
• Marriage certificate and birth certificates for all family members, especially for children
• For divorced persons with children: legal authorization from the other parent. Also from a Canadian court to take the children out of the country
• Medical examinations completed and proof of vaccinations
• Dental examinations
• Medical prescriptions, blood group information. Especially vaccination certificates
• Photocopy of eyeglass prescriptions
• Veterinary examination and vaccination for pets if applicable
• Meeting a lawyer or Notary to update wills
• Meeting an accountant to get financial and tax counsel
• Meet  a bank officer regarding financial needs, including travelers checks,  credit card limits and money transfers

More Items to Consider

• Advise your credit card company that you will be traveling to another country to avoid it being shut down prematurely
• Placing important documents in a safety deposit box
• Informing schools and teachers of the children’s departure and obtaining all official school documents, with teachers evaluations of each child
• Making any necessary arrangements regarding your house, apartment or car( sale, sublease, insurance, etc.)
• Confirming furniture storage and insurance
• Moving personal effects to the host country
• Keep track of relocation expenses. Also make photocopies of important documents to be brought with you
• Informing health insurance authorities of your departure and taking care of additional insurance coverage if needed
• Notify the post office of a change of address. In addition send notice of discontinuation to all services including electricity, telephone, heating company, and banks
• Obtaining an international drivers license
• Dispose of your car or put your car in storage
• For independent consultants obtaining GST, PST, HST registration
• Make a list of other personal matters to look after
• Advise all of your friends and family of your new address and telephone numbers
• Documentation that shows closer ties to your home country

Use Those that are Applicable

This may seem like a long list. However if you take the time to work through them, there will much less chance that you will have any issues arise when you are away from your home. Better to be able to relax and not worry, instead of wondering if everything is ok or dealing with and issue that comes up while you are traveling or dealing with business issues.

If you have has experience in this area and would like us to add additional items to the checklist, or provide advise to our readers please leave us a comment. We will review them and update this post with those comments that apply.

For more trip planning ideas, click here.

We are in the early stages of planning our trip and are using the checklist that we posted in the previous post, called travel planning. We will be driving to California and taking a southerly route to avoid a lot of highways that could be snow covered and to avoid snow storms in the winter period. On the way home we will come back on a northerly route, probably through Utah and Colorado. We have found that it is much easier and safer to take a longer route in the winter months. We really do not need to be concerned about snow and icy roads.

Planning Our Trip –  Route

For now though we are going to head straight south to Memphis and then on down to Biloxi, Mississippi. We will spend a few days at Tunica, Mississippi and then on to Biloxi were we will also spend a few days. We stay at the Gold Strike in Tunica and at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi. Both of these places are casino hotels and we can usually get a free room at either place.

Next we will head west along Interstate 10. It takes you all the way to Los Angeles with no snow to worry about anywhere along the route. Once you pass Houston, it is pretty much desert all of the way to California, although on past trips we have encountered rain storms in the middle of the desert and the odd flake of snow at higher elevations, near Benson Arizona. We will not book any hotels along the way until we get to Benson Arizona. Our preference is to stop when we get tired or see something we like along the way. We will stop at Benson, Arizona for a night and then head off to a Titan Missile Museum the following day. We will leave a post about this later on our trip.

Once we leave the Missile Silo, we will head to Phoenix were we will stop for one night and then on to Las Vegas for two nights. After that we are spending a month in Palm Springs before heading to Laughlin Nevada. As we travel to each of these locations we will add posts along the way, sometimes daily if there are interesting things to write about.

Making Reservations

For some locations we can make reservations ahead of time. Such as Benson and Las Vegas. However from Biloxi to Benson we will leave it open so we can be flexible about how far we drive every day. This is the best way to travel on a vacation were you make decisions about were you are going to go each day. We will often decide around 2 or 3 pm how much further we want to drive and then call ahead to book a hotel.

Many of our friends cannot travel this way. They have to get to their final destination as quickly as possible. They have to know were they are staying each night, other wise they get stressed out about their trip. We also carry a GPS with us so that we always know were to go.  Even if we pull off somewhere , it will automatically recalculate directions for us. The GPS helps us find restaurants, shopping and things to see in the area. There has been the occasional time that we have had to drive much further than we planned due to unacceptable hotels. But it is so seldom that we really do not worry about this at all.

Using Air Miles, Credit Card Points

We also try to use points from various cards and loyalty cards that we have. This saves us a lot of money. However we really need to coordinate our travel with the loyalty cards. They sometimes need advance notice of several days before they will confirm reservations for us. You can also use airline points as well to pay for hotels.  Once we have everything set up to go the only thing that we need to be concerned about is the weather. As long as there is some flexibility in dates, you can pretty well work around this easily. However you must always account for at least one day delay due to weather.

Other than that it is just basic preparation. Follow though on our list of preparations and we will be ready to go on our trip! For more ideas about trip planning, click here.

There are actually quite a large number of things that need to be thought about when it comes to planning for trips and to get ready to leave on a trip. It also depends on whether you are leaving for a weeks vacation in the sun, a trip to a ski resort or are taking off for four months as many of the snow birds do. Each has similar and unique requirements which can make the difference between a successful trip and one that is memorable for all of the wrong reasons.

We have compiled a list of items that we feel that anyone planning for trips should take into account in getting ready for a trip. We cannot promise that everything is listed, but it works for us. Hopefully it will help you as well. If you see something missing, let us know by leaving a comment.

We will be glad to add it so our readers can benefit. I have them listed in a spread sheet and I just tick them off as I complete each item. I also have a counter on the spread sheet so I know how many are left for me to do. Some items are color coded to indicate those that I must do the day we leave, the day before and the week before. It is a good system and works for me.

Planning for Trips

Here we go in no particular order or importance

• For driving trips, plan your route
• Update CAA membership and obtain maps as needed
• Travel insurance top ups for coverage of airfare etc
• Health insurance top ups for health coverage
• Arrange for driveway snow clearing
• Arrange for lawn maintenance in the summer
• Mail pickup by a friend or neighbor
• Stop cable tv or satellite TV if you will be away for a month or more
• Stop Internet access if you are away for a month or more
• Arrange for basic home telephone
• Arrange for mobile coverage and roaming if needed
• Make sure all passports are up to date
• Arrange for payment of all utilities while you are gone

More Items to Consider

• Does your Car license need  renewal while you are gone
• Do you need to do your income taxes while you are away
• Life insurance is paid up
• Health insurance coverage is paid up
• Disability insurance is paid up especially if this travel is work related
• Do you need a Visa to enter a country
• Stop any newspapers
• Car maintenance is up to date – oil changes, tires
• Prescriptions have been renewed
• Maps / GPS are ready to go if this is a driving trip
• All Doctor appointments have been completed
• Update calendar and provide itinerary to family or friends
• Car insurance renewal is up to date
• Scan and email passports, licenses, Credit Cards, etc for emergencies
• Set up an email emergency contact list
• Contact credit  card center to let them know you are traveling
• Tag luggage with your names
• Take pictures of house for insurance purposes in case there is a claim
• Obtain travelers checks if needed
• Leave keys for house with someone you trust
• If driving take a flashlight, first aid kit and emergency blankets with you in case of breakdown
• Unplug all electronics while you are gone, TV,  computers etc
• Turn water off as required by most insurance companies
• Back up computers in case of loss or damage
• Take a portable hard disk with you and store in separate location
• Set Timers for lights in rooms in your home that you use regularly
• Set Furnace temp to desired temperature while away
• Turn off Washing m/c & unplug
• Turn off Dishwasher
• Shut off ice maker in fridge
• Turn off humidifier on furnace
• Remove battery from cars that are not being used while away
• All air tickets, hotel reservations and entry fees are packed with your carry on

The Basic’s for your Trip

This may seem like a long list of things for Planning for Trips, however some only apply to driving trips of extended length. Pick and chose those items that make sense to you based on your home, your trip and your family.

The basic things are must do’s – passport ready, money ready, tickets ready, home ready, water shut off ready, someone to look after your home while away. Everything else can generally be dealt with or can wait if you are going on a short trip, however longer trips take more care and planning to make sure there are no major problems on your trip as well as back at home.

Always plan for the entire family to make sure that everyone will enjoy their vacation. Usually not everyone will like every thing so you need to plan something for every one to do. You also need to acknowledge that there are going to be things that you do not enjoy and compromise is the only way to deal with these things.

Enjoy your trip and if you have other ideas about items we should add to our checklist, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. Our readers will appreciate your thoughts. Planning for Trips makes for a successful vacation.