Help the Fight!

Travel Resources

As many of you have noted, Sharon and I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel rather extensively since we've been together. In large part this is because of Sharon's fantastic ability to find the absolute best deals on vacations! After having so many of our friends ask her to share her tips, we decided to put this page together as a resource for the rest of you. We hope you enjoy it. If you do, make sure to thank Sharon... She did all the work!

-Jess

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Over the years I’ve become known as a bit of a guru when it comes to finding cheap ways to travel. Lots of people ask how we manage to find such great deals, so here are some of our hints and tips.

First, a couple words of warning…some people are not cut out to be budget travelers. If you’re looking to pay bottom dollar you have to accept that some of the time you get what you pay for! It simply isn’t fair to the budget travel providers for you to book the cheapest place and then complain about lack of space, or other “minor” problems. I’ll list here a few of the more common problems we have faced. If these will ruin your trip then maybe you should skip the budget travel altogether.

Tiny rooms
Several flights of stairs with no lift or escalator available
Shared bathrooms, sometimes with a shortage for number of people using them
Inconsistant supply of hot water and/or electricity
Bathrooms you’d rather not use
Lots of noise in the room
No locks on the doors so you have to haul valuables to lockers

But the benefits can be enormous…

imagine a tiny hut on the beach in Belize. Sand in front, jungle behind. Kitchenette, sitting area and private bathroom for $40US a night for a double. (2002 prices, but we also booked the nicest place, not the cheapest.)
imagine staying in the Virgin Islands at a hotel on a key so small that we snorkeled all the way around it. ($250 US per week for a double-2003 prices)
imagine staying in a small village in Portugal for a week, paying only $10-$12 US, per person, per night. (2005 prices).
imagine being able to take a holiday to some “exotic” location every few months rather than every few years. Our travel motto is “Travel cheap and travel often”.

Without further ado, here are some tips for finding your own great deals, and some of them might even be to swanky places…

The rest of this document is divided into two sections. The first is specifically designated as resources for the United Kingdom and Europe. The second section is devoted to resources for the United States.

United Kingdom/Europe Travel Resources
There are a couple of ways to go, the “package tour” and the “do it yourself”. Each has its advantages, and it’s hard to say that one is cheaper than the other. It really just depends on what sort of deal you discover.

The Package Tour
If you are hoping for budget prices in classy digs try these sites. We just returned from a 149 pounds pp holiday which included round trip flights (London Heathrow to Dubrovnik), private transfer to our villa, and 7 nights accommodation in a huge apartment overlooking the sea! Wow! Check out our Croatia and Montenegro photos if you want to see what we discovered!

lastminute.com This is a good site if you have specific travel dates but are flexible on where you want to go.

Tesco Travel This is my favorite UK based website for travel! The great benefit is that it accesses lastminute.com but allows you to search for holidays without specifying a specific date. You can search “August” or you can say “leaving August 8, plus/minus 7 days.” Etc. This is a great feature when you are flexible on when/where you go.

Words of warning about the “package tour”

Sometimes the price you see is “too good to be true”, and occasionally it does prove to be just that. A lot of tour operators who are selling off last minute packages have hidden charges-fuel surcharges, taxes, extra fee for in-flight meals, charge for transfer to the hotel…Make sure you know what you are buying! A “great” deal might not be so great if you buy a flight and hotel but the airport is 100km from the hotel and there is no transfer included. You might be forced to rent a car, just to reach your hotel. There are deals out there, but you will have to search.
Most packages are priced per person for the maximum number of guests you can sleep. If you travel with fewer people you pay a surcharge. So, that 99 pound price could become 198 pounds each if the holiday is meant for 4 and you take 2. You usually have to click on the “more info” button so you can see if the holiday is intended for 2 people, 4 people or more.
Most packages bought this way can’t be cancelled or amended. You pay when you book it. Be absolutely sure you know what airport you leave from and what is included, and have travel insurance! It’s relatively cheap for the peace of mind it provides.

Do It Yourself Tours
Our preferred method of travel is actually to “go it alone”, finding our own transportation and accommodations and getting around on busses or trains. If you want to forgo the “package tour” and have greater flexibility here are some tips.

Accommodations:
Budget accommodations range from really good to really nasty. You need to find a reliable way to sort out the good from the bad. One website that I think does that well is hostelz.com. They list hostels in various locations and they have places where travelers can post their opinions of the places, so you get more than one opinion. If you are unfamiliar with exactly what a hostel is click here for more info. (link to hostels info)

A good guide book can also help you sort out the good from the bad. Two series of guide books that I really like are “Let’s Go” series and “Lonely Planet” series. Both are geared toward the budget market though they list some mid-range places too, and they both offer a range of books to cover various countries. I usually get my guide books at the second-hand bookshop or borrow them from the library—another money saver.

Getting there:
From the UK there are numerous budget carriers that offer great prices on flights. Now days it seems like it can be cheaper to fly than to take the bus! Be sure you watch out for what airport you are leaving from. A taxi to Gatwick or Luton to catch a 5:00 AM flight can really inflate the price! Try these links for cheap deals. Most sites provide a route map so you can easily find out if they fly from where you are to where you want to be.

Airlines:
RyanAir Loads of flights all over Europe. Click on their destination map to see where they fly. Prices can vary widely from one day to the next so if you have some flexibility look at prices a day or two earlier/later to find some deals. Often you only pay taxes and fees. Watch out for flights that leave/arrive in the wee hours, and make sure you know what airport you arrive at. They aren’t necessarily arriving at the “main” airport in a city. I recently saw flights from London to Portugal for 28 pounds, round trip.

Easyjet Click on “where we fly to” for details. They offer very good coverage across Europe. Prices are generally higher here than on Ryanair, but still worth checking as they might offer better flexibility.

Wizzair This Polish based airline offers good prices out of London into Poland (and a few other Eastern European cities).

Monarch Not the cheapest of the budget airlines, but good connections to Spain and other southern European destinations. They have more flight options out of Manchester and Birmingham, so consider them if you prefer to fly from there.

Busses:
It’s not a pretty way to go, but for cheap, sometimes you just can’t beat the bus.

MegaBus For trips within the UK only. The website doesn’t make it easy to find cheap deals, but they do exsist. I recently saw London to Oxford for 50p, round trip and that was for a mid-day trip with return allowed on a different day!

National Express They offer travel throughout the UK and also have options to Ireland and the Continent. From London they offer super-cheap “fun-fares”. http://www.nationalexpress.com/save/funfares.cfm I recently got London to Bath for 2 pounds round trip. I haven’t seen any prices to the Contintent that would inspire me to sit on a bus for that long though…

Trains:
Wow! When we got to the UK I couldn’t believe the price of train tickets! In the US we don’t take trains and the only other place I’ve lived is Spain, where they were a lot cheaper! I love to travel by train, but for short UK trips I take the bus! That said, I have found a few deals…

National Rail This is the site for deals in the UK. It’s not easy to find what you are looking for…The rail deals I’ve found I saw advertised on posters around London stations and then looked for them here. If you are traveling in a group of 4 or so you can sometimes get good deals on day trips out of London. For some strange reason 4 is sometimes cheaper than 2. Go figure!

Scotrail If you’re wanting to go to Scotland on an overnight train try this site for the “bargain berths”. It’s not really dirt cheap, but it’s a nice trip and I’ve always enjoyed falling asleep on a train and waking up somewhere new…

Interrail Inter Rail is a convienent option for European residents who want to do a bit of roaming. You select what zones you want to travel in and buy a pass good for unlimited travel for either 16 days, 22 days or 1 month. Decide for yourself if it’s a good deal. You might have to be on the move quite a lot to actually save money and it can’t be used in the country you live in. You might do better to buy point to point tickets.

Eurail Hmmm…I debated for awhile as to whether to include this info in this section. If you are living in Europe you technically aren’t able to buy and use Eurail passes so be sure to ignore this!!! There are so many options available from Eurail and sometimes they just seem to be the way to go. You can get a pass that covers 17 European countries or passes that cover just one country or a small group. You can get unlimited use passes or passes good for a certain number of days in a month. You’ll get the best deal if you plan ahead of time where you are going and buy the proper number of days. The “Flexi-Party Pass” for groups of 3 or more people who travel together can offer extra savings, as can traveling in low season. I can’t speak to the “legalities” of trying to use a Eurail pass and a European passport. I don’t remember anyone ever asking for my passport with my rail pass, but technically they can. You decide… This is the “official” site, but I think the one listed above is easier to use. Eurail Official Site

Getting around once you’re there:
What can I say, except that rental cars and taxi are expensive and local busses aren’t. It can take a bit of guts to commit to local transportations though. You can’t figure out the money, can’t understand anyone and everyone is driving like maniacs on the wrong side of the road…Oh wait, that’s how I felt when I moved to England! Most places it’s much easier.

You’ll want to acquaint yourself with a few critical words in the local language. Write them down, as you’re likely to pronounce them wrong and get only blank stares. “One-way, return, how much is it” and other critical phrases like those. Next, have some idea what the ticket should cost so you know you aren’t being taken advantage of. Tourist offices and hotel owner can often give you an idea of costs. After that it’s pretty simple…

Hand the driver a note on which you’ve written “return ticket to ____” and give him a small bill-in the neighborhood of what you were told it should cost. Now your only concern is to figure out when to get off the bus…sit near the driver. If you have some idea of how long the trip should take you can ask when you get closer. I’ve found that the name of the town you want and pointing to the door is plenty of info. The driver will nod or shake his head. In general I find bus drivers in other countries to be really nice and anxious to help you have a successful journey as long as you are polite and don’t just launch into a barrage of English as if you expect them to speak your language.

It can require a bit of nerve though. On our recent trip to Croatia Jess and I had been told we needed to change busses. The villa owner asked the driver to tell us when to change busses and he pulled over to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and pointed outside. It was dark, it was isolated and we didn’t speak each other’s language. I did wonder if we should have brought our tent just in case another bus never showed up, but it came along in 5 minutes, just like we were expecting! Having a friend to travel with can definitely make local busses less scary!

If you’re traveling to the US or Canada bus and train transportation will be much less available than what you are used to. However, both provide a reasonable way to see the countryside, something you miss if you hop a plane. Remember though that distances in North America are greater and you may find yourself involved in journeys that take several days to complete. Check ahead of time and make sure you know how many days you’ll be sitting there before deciding to skip the planes!

Try these sites for more info and look for passes and special deals to save you money.

The finishing touches for saving money:
There are a few other things that can be done to bring a trip to “rock bottom” prices. If you really want to be cheap consider these, just make sure you don’t spoil your trip by putting too much effort into saving money.

Think about exchange rates and cost of living. If your currency is weak on the world market then look at traveling to places that are traditionally cheaper. No one will argue when I say that Northern Europe is more expensive than Southern Europe. North America costs more than Central America. If you need to save money go for the less expensive destination.
Save on food. Eating out 3 meals a day gets expensive. If you stay somewhere that offers a free breakfast eat it, even if it’s only rolls and coffee. It’s free food! If you stay in a hostel take advantage of the community kitchen and fix your own food sometimes. It doesn’t have to be as lavish as what you would make at home. Fix something simple for some meals and you’ll save a bundle. If you don’t have access to a kitchen you can still consider some cheap meals-fruit, fresh baked bread and some cheese can make a nice picnic.
Bring toiletries and other items you need with you. If you are going traveling for months that’s not really an option and you’ll have to buy as you go. But for a trip of a couple of weeks bring what you need. A travel kit of band-aids, aspirin, diahreah meds, etc. will save you having to buy them on the road where you have no idea what store has the cheapest prices. Definitly bring the clothes you need! You don’t want to be “forced” into buying a jacket or new pair of shoes because you didn’t bring what you need. They may be way more expensive than you expected.

And a word about NOT saving money:
I love being frugal and I admit it. When I travel I eat out of grocery stores far more often than I eat in restaurants. I walk until I’m exhausted rather than hop on loads of busses. I wouldn’t get into a taxi unless I was near death and needed to get to hospital. BUT…I think it’s ridiculous to spend hundreds of dollars to go somewhere and miss out on the treasures of the place you are visiting.

Don’t go to Paris until you can afford to go up the Eiffel Tower. It just doesn’t make sense. If you are going to spend the sort of money it takes to get there you really should make sure you have enough to visit the museums and monuments, and even take in a local restaurant or two. That’s why you’re going—to see what the place is like. Don’t miss the main point to save a bit of cash.

United States Travel Resources
Again, there are a couple of ways to go, the “package tour” and the “do it yourself”. As above, each has its advantages and disadvantages.

At the moment the US dollar is really weak on the world market and no matter how hard you try you won’t find great pricing to certain destinations. Consider planning your trips within the US or to countries where your dollar goes further and save more expensive destinations until the dollar improves. It will happen someday…

Europe is expensive for Americans right now. Think about visiting Canada, Mexico, Central America or South America for a budget option.

The Package Tour
If you are hoping for budget prices in decent digs this might be the way to go. The key is to find packages that are being sold at deep discounts, due to low bookings. It’s been awhile since I lived in the US and I want to say up front that I have not used these booking options recently (and in some cases not at all). But, if I was living in the US and wanted a cheap holiday this is where I’d start…

lastminute.com (US Link) I’m familiar with the UK version of this site, but the US based version isn’t nearly as slick. Still, it looks like a decent place to get some deals, especially if you are based near a major airport. This site is nice in that you can enter the airport you want to leave from then search for various packages in categories such as “international” or “Under $250”. Most deals seem to be priced per person based on 2 travelers. I see decent prices here, especially to destinations that aren’t far from your base airport, but you might save money to book a hotel and drive if it’s only a few hours but this is a nice option for a quick getaway “without the hassle”. They arrange the flight and hotel and you just pay the bill.

Vacation Online I have to admit I’ve never used this site before. BUT, it looks like it offers some really great deals and you can bet that when I’m back in the US I’ll be using it! Worth a look…If you can go last minute I’ve seen some real deals. WATCH OUT FOR TAXES NOT INCLUDED, but you can still get a deal. I saw a 2 bedroom suite, for 7 nights, near Disney World going for $2, plus $195 taxes and it sleeps 6. That works out to a little under $5 per person, per night!

Discount Hotels This link deals with time shares… Now I’m not suggesting you buy one, just that you book one of their “check it out” tours. You have to do the tour which can be boring and takes up a couple of hours from your holiday, but the deals can be great and the accommodations will be superb. You’ll generally have a kitchen or kitchenette available so you can prepare some of your meals yourself and the prices can be dirt cheap. This site is currently offering (low season promotion) a one bedroom apartment in Orlando Florida, which sleeps 4 for $19 per night. You may have trouble booking these if you are a group of friends sharing but for families they are a great way to go.

Words of warning about the “package tour”

Sometimes the price you see is “too good to be true”, and occasionally it does prove to be just that. Make sure you know what you’re buying and watch for hidden fees such as fuel surcharges, taxes, charge for transfer to the hotel. There are deals out there, but you will have to search to find the best.
Most packages are priced per person for the maximum number of guests you can sleep. If you travel with fewer people you pay a surcharge. So, that $99 price could become $198 each if the holiday is meant for 4 and you take 2. You usually have to click on the “more info” button so you can see if the holiday is intended for 2 people, 4 people or more. In the US it seems a bit more common to price the accommodation as a whole rather than a per person but you still get the best deals if you have enough people to fill a space and split the cost.
Many packages bought through the “last minute” deals can’t be cancelled or amended. You pay when you book it. Be absolutely sure you know what airport you leave from and what is included, and have travel insurance! It’s relatively cheap for the peace of mind it provides.

If you are traveling outside the US be aware that many hotels in other countries charge by the person rather than the room. In the US adding a second, third or fourth person to the room may only increase the price by a few dollars and children often stay free. Other places a second person, even a child will often double the price of the room.

Here are a couple of tips to help you get the rock bottom price on hotel rooms.

Ask for the cheapest price. If you just call up asking for a room you aren’t necessarily getting the best deal. After all, if you’re willing to take a $59 room why should they offer it for $49? Tell the agent you are shopping for a room based on price and the price may drop! (This won’t work if you are looking for a room during “busy” times-college football weekends, graduations, special events in town.) When they ask things like “Do you want 2 double beds or a king size?” tell them you want whatever is cheapest, unless it really matters.
Call the 800 reservation number and also call the hotel directly. Tell both agents you want the cheapest available price. I have no idea why, but sometimes one reservation system has better prices than the other. I’ve actually stood in the parking lot of hotels and booked rooms via their 800 reservations to get a cheaper price than a walk-in.
Book ahead if possible. Your bargaining power is much lower when you are standing in the lobby with your suitcase in hand. They know that you really don’t want to leave and try another hotel. (This is where calling the 800 number to book might really save you money though! Just don’t tell them you’re already in the hotel.)
If the travel market is slow bargain for a better price. It never hurts to ask and the worst that can happen is they say no. You won’t get a huge savings, but you might get another $5 or $10 off the room price if the hotel is sure rooms will sit empty. This works better at small, family run hotels where the person working the desk is likely to have the authority to change prices. Larger chains often can’t make those decisions spontaneously.
If you agree to a price for a room and then arrive at your destination and find that every hotel in the area is advertising lower prices ask for a better price than what you’ve agreed to. You probably won’t get it if you’re only staying a night but if you’ve booked a longer stay you might. The hotel doesn’t want you leaving them and moving to a competitor which you might do after meeting their cancellation policy. Just point out that everyone else in the neighborhood is offering cheaper prices. (And make sure you’re comparing hotels of equal quality. You won’t get anywhere asking Hilton to match Motel 6 on price.)

If you don’t care where you are staying you might try Priceline. I’ve gotten some good deals there. The drawback to the site is that you are committed to the room before you know where it is. Larger cities generally let you select the part of the city you’re willing to accept a room in, but watch out for smaller markets where you could find yourself several miles out of town and needing a car to get anywhere. Be aware that you are committing to buying the hotel room when you bid though! You can’t “shop around” on Priceline! If you’re picky about bed size, non-smoking rooms, etc. then you’re better off talking to a hotel directly.

Some other web sites that might help in finding cheap hotels are:
Hotwire As with Priceline you don’t know the name of the place until you have committed to staying there and you can’t cancel if you later change your mind. But hotwire lists the best prices available rather than you entering a price.

Expedia Good general search site for hotels. They don’t seem to cover all of the budget chains but they find decent prices, often in nicer hotels, and you know where you’ll be staying before you commit to buying. No cancellations if you change your mind though.

Getting there:
Airlines:
I usually check the websites that search various airlines and use that to find the best prices. Check several. For some reason the prices can vary widely for the same flight booked via a different site. Also be aware that some airlines won’t give you frequent flyer miles when you book through these sites.

Southwest Airlines They offer budget flights across the US.

Priceline Only to be used if you REALLY don’t care what time you leave or arrive and where you change planes. You absolutely cannot get a refund if you get a “bad” routing. Possibly okay for long trips but this could really screw up a weekend jaunt. You might be thinking of a Friday-Sunday trip and find that you arrive at midnight on Friday and leave at 5:00 AM on Sunday. Buyer beware, though I’ve used it and been pleased.

Hotwire This is another site where you don’t see flight details until you’ve paid. Shop with care! Hotwire has a partner site that does show flight info before you book and for some odd reason often has better prices also! Give them a try. www.orbitz.com

Expedia Another site that pulls fares from various airlines and often returns good prices. You see your flight details before booking.

Busses:
It’s not a pretty way to go, but for cheap, sometimes you just can’t beat the bus.

For travel in the US and Canada:
Greyhound Greyhound provides long distance bus service across the US and Canada, with a few stops in Mexico as well. Unlimited travel passes are available in several different versions and fares are reasonable. Coverage between major cities is usually adequate, but reaching smaller towns or out of the way places may prove impossible.

For travel in the UK and Europe:
Megabus For trips within the UK only. The website doesn’t make it easy to find cheap deals, but they do exsist. I recently saw London to Oxford for 50 pence, roundtrip.

National Express They offer travel throughout the UK and also have options to Ireland and the Continent. From London they offer super-cheap “fun-fares”. http://www.nationalexpress.com/save/funfares.cfm I recently got London to Bath for 2 pounds round trip. I haven’t seen any prices to the Contintent that would inspire me to sit on a bus for that long though…

Trains:
For travel in the US:
Amtrak Amtrak is a nice way to see the country, though you may have trouble justifying the fares. It’s often cheaper to fly. Great deals are actually available on Amtrak if you don’t mind sitting up on overnight journeys. Examples of fares available in the “weekly special” are Washington DC to Chicago $42 (one way), Chicago to New Orleans $39 (one way).

Amtrak also offers numerous special promotions such as free or discounted companion fares. Discounted fares are available for kids, seniors, military, veterans, and students. Click here to see what specials are currently on offer. Amtrak Special Offers

In addition to the discounted fares Amtrak offers some rail passes that may save you money if you want to stop off at various locations. US and Canadian residents may buy the “North America Rail Pass” or the Explore America Fares Pass” or the “California Rail Pass”. If you are a resident of Florida you can buy the “Florida rail pass” which is good for a year’s travel, but it’s not available to non-residents. The “USA Rail Pass” is only available to travelers from outside the US and Canada.

For travel in Canada:
ViaRail Via Rail Canada offer a variety of passes and specials to make Canadian travel more affordable. The “CorridorPass”, “CanRailPass” and “North American Rail Pass” offer various options for unlimited travel. Click on “Ways to Save” from the main webpage for more info.

For travel in Europe:
Eurail Eurail offers several passes. Be aware that Eurail passes are not accepted in the UK, though there is a corresponding BritRail pass for use there. You can get passes for single countries, small groups or a large area in a variety of lengths. Planning where you want to go ahead of time can help you save money as you’ll only buy the number of days you need. Buy the pass before leaving for Europe. Once there they are hard to find and cost about 20% more.

Getting around once you’re there:
What can I say, except that rental cars and taxi are expensive and local busses aren’t. If you’re staying in the US taking local busses isn’t such a big deal. You can easily figure out the schedules or ask for help. However, many parts of the US don’t have bus service to neighboring towns. Check ahead of time to determine if you will have to have a car.

If you’re leaving the US it can take a bit of guts to commit to local transportation. You can’t figure out the money, can’t understand the language and everyone is driving like maniacs, sometimes on the wrong side of the road. But it’s still very doable and you’ll see more of what a country’s really like. Besides, do you really want to dive into the fray with a rental car? Figure out the busses, the sit back and relax.

You’ll want to acquaint yourself with a few critical words in the local language. Write them down, as you’re likely to pronounce them wrong and get only blank stares. “One-way, return, how much is it” and other critical phrases like those. Next, have some idea what the ticket should cost so you know you aren’t being taken advantage of. Tourist offices and hotel owner can often give you an idea of costs. After that it’s pretty simple…

Hand the driver a note on which you’ve written “return ticket to ____” and give him a small bill-in the neighborhood of what you were told it should cost. Now your only concern is to figure out when to get off the bus…sit near the driver. If you have some idea of how long the trip should take you can ask when you get closer. I’ve found that the name of the town you want and pointing to the door is plenty of info. The driver will nod or shake his head. In general I find bus drivers in other countries to be really nice and anxious to help you have a successful journey as long as you are polite and don’t just launch into a barrage of English as if you expect them to speak your language.

The finishing touches for saving money:
There are a few other things that can be done to bring a trip to “rock bottom” prices. If you really want to be cheap consider these, just make sure you don’t spoil your trip by putting too much effort into saving money.

Think about exchange rates and cost of living. If your currency is weak on the world market then look at traveling to places that are traditionally cheaper. No one will argue when I say that Northern Europe is more expensive than Southern Europe. North America costs more than Central America. If you need to save money go for the less expensive destination.
Save on food. Eating out 3 meals a day gets expensive. If you stay somewhere that offers a free breakfast eat it, even if it’s only rolls and coffee. It’s free food! If you stay in a hostel take advantage of the community kitchen and fix your own food sometimes. It doesn’t have to be as lavish as what you would make at home. Fix something simple for some meals and you’ll save a bundle. If you don’t have access to a kitchen you can still consider some cheap meals-fruit, fresh baked bread and some cheese can make a nice picnic.
Bring toiletries and other items you need with you. If you are going traveling for months that’s not really an option and you’ll have to buy as you go. But for a trip of a couple of weeks bring what you need. A travel kit of band-aids, aspirin, diahreah meds, etc. will save you having to buy them on the road where you have no idea what store has the cheapest prices. Definitly bring the clothes you need! You don’t want to be “forced” into buying a jacket or new pair of shoes because you didn’t bring what you need. They may be way more expensive than you expected.