Peter Siljerud asked:


General

Ask for a card in the reception with the name, address and phone number of your accommodations. This is useful to show to taxi drivers and people on the street to find your way back.

Try to avoid looking for accommodations after dark and when you are tired and hungry.

If you arrive late in a popular place you will probably find the first alternatives mentioned in the popular guidebooks already full, start with the ones mentioned further down in the text.

Have a look at the room before deciding. Things to check out include:

• The shower – “hot water” is a relative concept

• Does the toilet work (flush)

• Is there a shower curtain

• Noise (traffic/bars around)

• The bed: are the mattress and pillow okey or have they been worn out

• Cleanliness

Before leaving the hotel ask the reception if the accommodations closes at a certain hour and how to get back in after closing time (e.g. you have to ring a bell which is often ingeniously hidden to make it impossible to find in the dark). If you plan to bring company it can be wise to ask beforehand if it is okey.

Turn off the refrigerator if it makes noise at night. If there is ice inside it may melt and start dripping making more noise. In this case put a towel on the bottom of the refrigerator floor.

Use an alarm clock in addition to the hotel wake-up calls (maybe your cell phone has a built in alarm). If there are manual wake up calls they are not always reliable, especially in cheaper places.

Some places (such as love hotels in Japan) may not accept *** couples. In that case one of you has to dress like a woman or you can go with two females, pose as two straight couples and switch rooms afterwards.

Budget accommodation

If you are on a tight budget camping may be an alternative (depending on the country). There are official camp grounds with showers, lockers etc or you can sometimes stay in peoples gardens for a small fee. Some countries have very liberal rules regarding where camping is allowed (e.g. Sweden).

You can stay for free in other travelers’ homes through the Hospitality Club or the Couchsurfing project. You can also sleep in some airports to save an expensive hotel room.

Traveling by night buses or trains saves you a night’s accommodation, but do not leave things lying around while you sleep, lock your backpack to something and use earplugs and eye shades to get some sleep.

Hostelling International is an international chain of budget hostels. You can also book accommodations online which may be convenient if you arrive late at night or travel during high season.

Even if you live in a cheap place it is often possible to use the swimming pool of expensive hotels for a small fee, ask at the reception.

If you stay several nights at the same place you can sometimes get a discount, try asking for it.

Booking on-line can give you really good discounts compared to walking in from the street. Check with your travel agent if there are any package deals which include hotels and airfare.

If you walk into a hotel and manage to negotiate a discount get the price in writing since different people work day and night and by the time you check out there may be another person working in the reception.

Personal Experience

The Havana Hotel Heist

I was in Cuba and walked into a pretty fancy hotel. I thought the price for the room was too high and started walking out. The hotel staff then told them me that I could go to the travel agency in the hotel to book a room at a great discount (which I did).

Web Host asked:


Suppose your adventure is on a budget. This type of travel journey can give you all sorts of unexpected experiences. Obviously the extent of your personal experience will be dependant upon many circumstances of which some of these circumstances may be;

Vacation Climate

This may seem silly but the journey and final destination’s enjoyment may be specifically dependant upon the specific climate at the time. Arriving at a snow field before the season begins would be one such instance or a cruise on the ocean during storm seasons may be another where climate is very important.

Financial Travel Budget

Fortunatly the amount of finance available for travel that one has does not mean the experience will be greater or less. It is all relative to what the individual wants out of their specific holiday, i.e. Walks in the bush discovering new plant and animal life you may be interested in or spending most or your vacation on a beach or even just going to a special city and walking everywhere sharing the experience with your loved one.

Traveling on a budget means knowing how much money you can afford to spend and sticking to that amount even though everyones budget will be different but the same principal does apply. Many may have a budget of just a couple of thousand dollars or so therefore their journey’s may be dissimilar from others who may have travel budgets of many thousands of dollars.

My vacation destination

Probably the first decission about where to go for your trip would be either travelling locally or internationally. Then a decission about accomodation type once you arrive at your destination plus accomodation reguirements on your way to your final stop.

You may prefer to stay in luxury accommodation at your final destination but are prepared to back- pack until you arrive there? The how and why you travel the way you finally choose to will be varied initially by answering simple questions like; Are you traveling with children or are you travelling with friends or in a large group or even alone. All these factors help determine not only how you will arrive at your final vacation spot but how you will get there. Planning this carefully will increase everyones enjoyment on this travel vacation or cruise.

Your specific itinerary

Your budget is agreed, your final travel destination and the way you wish to travel to get there are organized so now is the time to put specific research and exact plans in place. This is even more important if your budget is very limited which will increase the experience for all.

kel asked:


Budget Travel Greece Tips

If you’re planning a long awaited vacation to Greece and you want to get the best deal for your money, regardless of the amount of time you plan to travel, finding the best budget travel Greece options is crucial. Using the best budget travel Greece practices available will ensure a great vacation to see and do everything you want.

Determining the best budget travel Greece tips will depend on how you plan to travel. Cruise ships have great travel options and a flight package that has been put together very well will also include excellent budget traveling opportunities.

Cruise Packages

If a cruise is your mode of travel, there are numerous packages offered that can utilize budget travel Greece options without giving up amenities or settling for an inferior trip. These types of packages can include land and cruise packages, land packages only, Greek Island packages, country combination packages that include traveling to a second country and extensions which can add an additional 3 days to your original package with choices such as Cyprus, Rome, Egypt and Turkey. Country combination packages may also offer escorted tours.

Flight Packages

Depending on the time of year you plan to travel, both to and from Greece, can have a significant impact on your choice of a budget travel Greece option. A round-trip adult ticket during the non-peak season or summer specials, for example, can mean a substantial savings. Whether flying business class or economy class, special discount packages are available. Another package option that may offer special pricing is the flight plus cruise deal.

Budget Travel Greece Accommodations and Transportation

If you are flying to Greece and booking accommodations, there are numerous economy hotels available to fit your budget. Other budget travel Greece accomodations include bungalows, studio apartments and youth hostels. For sightseeing trips out of the city, you will need transportation. Whether you pick up a vehicle at the airport or from your hotel, there are discount cars for hire. If you want to hire a car and driver and be driven around to your chosen places of interest, depending on how far you plan to travel may or may not make this option a bargain. If you choose to sightsee on your own, there are quite a few local discount car rental companies as well as well known companies offering everything from economy cars and convertibles to full sized family vans and sports utility vehicles.

The author recommends the Oz Free Classifieds Travel section for more tips on best travel, vacation destination.

Steve Gillman asked:


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.

Carm Paynter asked:


Travel Deals And Getaways can save you many dollars. However, these bargain travel deals and getaways aren’t always easy to find.

Should you be looking for something specific or a specific location, there isn’t always an online travel deal to get you there. Suppose you wanted to visit the O’leary Potato Museum in O’leary, PEI, Canada. I very much doubt you will find it in a list of Travel Deals And Getaways. Travel Deals And Getaways are usually part of a purchase from a consolidator.

A consolidator company is a company that buys large quantities of bulk tickets from the airlines or has a contract of its own with the airlines. They usually get very low fares. Some of these consolidators sell tickets only to travel agents while others may sell them directly to the traveler. This makes consolidators one of the best sources for bargain travel deals and getaways because they are usually cheaper than the lowest published fares from the airlines. Some consolidators represent the airline and have the authority to act as a sales agent for the airline itself, but not all travel consolidators have this authority. Many distribute their discounted fares via travel agents and travel web sites only, where they’re made available to the public.

You can purchase discounted tickets from consolidators directly but they are usually for only one aspect of your travel, for example, air fares, and you have to go searching for the rest of your trip like your lodging, transportation, etc.

Something to consider If you decide to use a consolidator: Different consolidators may offer different prices for the same destination. Shop around. Always buy your tickets with a credit card, even if you have to pay a bit more. Then if you never get the tickets you can get a refund from your credit card company. Airlines usually reserve the right to change the fares on consolidator tickets at any time, so the fares are not guaranteed until you actually receive the ticket. Consolidators will frequently charge you any difference in price between when you have purchased the tickets and when you received them. Deal with a local consolidator if you possibly can. Be sure to pick up your own tickets where ever possible. Check out the company first. If they belong to a local BBB it is a good start. Consolidators, as a general rule, do not accept credit cards. The Credit card transaction fees they have to pay eats up a large percentage of their profits. You will often see a cash discount of a few percentage points to overcome this. Be sure to call the airline just as soon as you get your tickets to validate them as authentic. There are a few scam artists which spoil it for everyone. Consolidators are now also buying up blocks of hotel rooms and selling them at steep discounts. This is great for us travelers. Travel Deals And Getaways through what is often called, “Dynamic Packaging” is a method that is becoming increasingly used in package holiday bookings. It enables consumers to build their own packages of flights, accommodation, car rentals, etc. instead of just booking a pre-defined package. This allows for a customized vacation plan and if done through a reputable online booking agency, the process can be just as enjoyable as the trip.

Konrad Carlson asked:


The best time to start planning a holiday is when the impulse strikes you!

Working with holiday travel finance and trying to juggle the pieces to get optimal value out of every dollar can be complicated, little wonder then that travel agents are always so busy.

But for those who enjoy the challenge of putting it all together themselves there are definite advantages and as you will see some amazing surprises. From a very inexpensive low-budget weekend to the most luxurious international vacation, the choices available are endless. But sadly, affordability of any holiday usually wins out in the end and most would go for a holiday that fits the budget but not necessarily the desire. But this need not be so.

The question is, how does one go about achieving a South Pacific cruise or a four week family vacation in Tuscany when the budget only stretches to a modest holiday close to home for a week?

The ability to think outside the square and picture yourself on that cruise liner or in a vineyard in Tuscany does help. Experts call it a paradigm shift or seeing a completely different outcome in your mind to the obvious.

Of course it takes a little (mind) work to keep the goal ‘alive’, and it would be irresponsible not to say it will take a little money, but maybe nowhere near as much as you may at first imagine.

Many people only see ‘money’ in their mind’s eye and quickly dismiss what might be possible given a little encouragement to approach the issue from a slightly different perspective. The point is, I know there are thousands of people taking vacations in free luxury accommodation all over the world every day just as many others cruise free not once but repeatedly every year. How is that possible – and more to the point why not you?

For those savvy travelers who have the desire and are prepared to invest a little time making the right contacts which I will guide you to, there is no doubt that you will want to become a part of this exciting and little known alternative.

If you belong in this category of hopeful travelers then what follows is certainly for you.

Let’s take a major holiday expense like accommodation as a starting point.

Where to stay? – a luxury five star tourist hotel or an unrated back street sleep-out?

Both have disadvantages. One has substantial costs attached to it and the other some serious concerns about health and safety! Actually, you don’t need to settle for either.

But what if you could stay in equivalent shore based five star accomodation and never see a bill?

That’s not only possible but thousands of experienced travelers do this every day and I’m one of them.

Thousands of travelers every year are now attracted to cruising to avoid the high costs of accommodation ashore.

Just consider how practical that is. A magnificent new ship, one check-in, no transfers, comfortable accommodation, all meals and even recreation and shopping on board.

Then there’s the exotic ports of call during the cruise and you have a complete holiday neatly packaged ready to go.

So how do the costs of a cruise stack up against a shore based vacation in a five star hotel?

The variables are too numerous to make an objective comparison here but broadly speaking one could assume they would be comparable on a daily basis. Either way the costs are significant.

But again, what if you could cruise virtually anywhere in the world on a luxury cruise liner – and again never see a bill?

Not only that but what if you could take along a spouse, partner or friend and they never lay eyes on a bill either?

Well this is what can, and does happen every day, by trading the obvious for the absolute ultimate in a luxury vacation experience simply by broadening your thinking and being open to new possibilities.

Think of a four week family vacation in Spain or Greece next summer – does that sound like you? If not, you select a location that really appeals to you and decide when you want to leave and it’s virtually ‘in the bag’.

Download the Free Accomodation Report atand you’ll be on your way in no time.

Maybe you would like to try cruising on a magnificent cruise ship to exotic places around the world accompanied by a spouse, partner or friend. This information is waiting for you now atAll the priviledges you will receive on the ship are available to your travel companion as well.

Do yourself a real favour and check out the whole concept of cruising free and also get the free accommodation report at my website. This is priceless information and I’m pleased to pass it on to you to make your next vacation totally unforgettable. This works – I’ve done it myself!

Congratulations – don’t waste another second – you’ve literally stumbled on the right place and it’s certainly the right time – start packing and now be prepared to travel like a king and pay only peanuts!

Have a fabulous holiday!

Copyright 2008 Konrad Carlson

kalidas asked:


Naming top ten travel destinations could prove easy, but how relevant such a list is, that is debatable. This article refers to the most popular locations identified or recognized starting from the statistics made with international travel agencies, and on the basis of travelers’ reviews posted on various web pages.

To many tourists, Latin America is the perfect place to go on holiday: there is the beauty of cities like Rio de Janeiro and the mystical attraction of Peru and the ancient Maya and Inca cultural remnants. The cultural impact, the leisure activities combined with favorable climates, make this part of the world become the holiday destination of millions of tourists from all over the world.

Europe deserves its good name for the great sights it offers to travelers: Paris, Rome, Venice, Spain’s Arab treasures and the misty lands of Ireland and Scotland, and these are just a few of the things that make the old continent one in the top ten travel destinations. Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza require a special mention here, as they complete the list of exotic resorts in the European part of the world.

The Egyptian Pyramids and Morocco mark any foreigner who visits them, and travel agencies sell thousands of touristic packages for holidays on to the North of Africa. One of the features of African resorts consists in the constant touristic push and a magic harmony in the mixture of cultures that mingle so much in the crowded North-African cities. Whether you choose a well known resort or a more discreet one, this part of Africa will always rank among the top ten travel destinations.

Moving further on to the distant countries of the Far East it is impossible not to notice the fascination with Nepal and the ancient Buddhist temples on the roof of the world. It is the Nepalese capital city, Kathmandu, with its thirteen hundred years of history that embraces most of the tourist crowds. As for the climbing of the Everest, very few courageous people dare to challenge their limits on the crests of Himalaya.

Last but not least, lots of great sunny islands can be included in a top ten travel destinations list: Bali, Jamaica, Crete, Hawaii and many others, which is why the list proves virtually limitless, as so are the beauties man and God created. It goes without saying that the places that you take most to the heart are those you’d also like to visit, and therefore, anyone can create a list of top ten travel destinations.

Hemanth asked:


Currently Turkey is one of the Europe’s leading Travel Destinations with Great resorts. Most of the Tourists love to be spent at Turkey for their annual holidays. All the Travelers feel comfortable with the facilities over there in Turkey.

Especially the following are the major places to spend holidays in Turkey….



Marmaris



Bodrum



Dalaman



 

Marmaris

Are you looking for the exiting resorts and a Great relaxing holidays to enjoy with your family then Marmaris is the right place with all facilities. Marmaris is possibly the most European of all the Turkish resorts, although a venture into the Old Quarter shortly reveals a really conventional Turkish air. Old men seat in the shadow playing backgammon just yards from the more advanced bars on these affront.

Bodrum

Bodrum, Turkey is located in the southwestern Aegean Region of the country. Bodrum has changed drastically over the past years, it has gone from a humble fishing town to a booming touristic heaven for Europeans. This island also known as the island of Gokova is a place which you will not want to leave once you start liking it. The clear translucent waters that keep lapping on the sandy beaches is a treat in themselves. It also allows one to see the rich marine life that lives beneath.

Dalaman

Dalaman is located in the Mugla Province in the west of Turkey. It is the perfect beach holiday with stretches of white and gold sand. A portion of the town is situated near the Dalyan River surrounded by beautiful mountains. What keeps tourist coming back here is the mouth watering Turkish cuisine as well as international cuisine, well equipped water sports facilities, nightlife and just like any other cities in Turkey, Dalaman has its share of rare archaeological sites.

Stop thinking about how was the Turkey holidays. Just go and see, It’s a Great experience with pleasure.

 

To have a Great holiday pleasure and For more information about Cheap Holidays Turkey