Airline Ticket Deals To Avoid

You may have been curious about ads or websites that promise no strings attached airline tickets to a great place like Orlando or Hawaii. Some of these might even include hotel rooms!

Sounds too good to be true right? Well, unfortunately, it is. These scams are usually set up by time-share companies and what they don’t tell you is that you will be required to attend their seminars every day. You can live with a short seminar right? Think again.

These -seminars- last at minimum 4 hours each day you are there. If you don’t attend them, you may not be able to get your free airline ticket home or even have your hotel room canceled.

Sure it’s sneaky but legally these companies are doing what they say. They provide free airline tickets with the promise of vacation and in a way they do comply.

Budget Travel - Saving Money When You Are At Your Destination

When traveling independently you will almost always do better in terms of price and quality if you veer away from the traditional places to eat and shops that the guide books mention. Going off the beaten track can mean you pick up a real bargain.

Restaurants 

Follow the locals; if you head for a tourist orientated restaurant or shop you will find that the prices are substantially higher and often the food is not of the same quality.

Another good tip is to visit the local market where the locals shop. Not only will you get fresh products at good prices but you will also enjoy the experience of mixing with the locals. Ask those around you where to go, after all, it is the locals that are best placed to tell you where to go for a good deal!

A good way of working out whether a restaurant is geared towards tourists or locals is to see when it is at its busiest. Tourists tend to eat a lot earlier than the locals in most foreign countries. Any restaurant that is empty until around 9pm and then fills up is probably frequented by locals.

Budget Travel With a Family - Part 1

Traveling as a family can really add to the costs. Children are often charged a lot more than seems fair and the overall price of a family holiday can soon get out of hand by the time you factor in all of the food and activities.

1. Family Camps

An increasingly popular choice for families is the family camp. Accommodation varies with everything from a basic tent to well equipped log cabins with all of the modern facilities that you would expect in a large hotel.

2. Money Saving Booking Tips

When you are booking with children it is really important to get to know what deals are available. Some companies offer children’s prices right up to 16 years old, others start to charge full price at age 3. Depending on the age of your children, one company may prove substantially cheaper for the same holiday.

Consider your sleeping arrangements carefully. Some hotels will offer adjoining rooms, others will have family rooms that sleep children as well as adults. Most hotels will not allow young children in their own room, so bear this in mind when booking.

If you have more than two children you may find that an apartment offers better value for money and more usable space. A two or three bedroom cottage will often be a lot cheaper than two or three rooms in a hotel.

Use the children as a means of negotiation. For example, ask for a discount on their air fare or accommodation or ask for free entrance to an activity while you are booking.

Travel Tips - Does Travel Agents Help?

Many people have speculated that traditional travel agents are a dying breed as more travelers start to build their own packages. To a certain extent this is true; however, travel agents still have a very valuable role to play in helping travelers to locate a bargain.

A registered travel agency will have necessary insurance so that if something happens to mean that you do not get the holiday that you booked, you will receive some compensation. This security may be particularly important if you are booking a very important holiday such as a honeymoon

Smaller agents also will have a greater discretion than large online chains. When you purchase online you are usually told the price; there is no room to negotiate for extras or further travel discounts. By dealing with a person in a face-to-face situation, you are in a much stronger position to negotiate.

A holiday is only a bargain if you get the holiday that you will enjoy. If you are looking at a specialist holiday type, such as a cruise, then an experienced travel agent will be extremely valuable to ensure that you get the best possible holiday. True you are likely to pay a little extra for this level of expertise, but it is not worth saving a few dollars at the expense of your enjoyment.

Building up a rapport with a travel agent will mean that they personally keep you in mind and if requested, they will be able to notify of you of any potentially interesting bargains that come into their agency, before they are released to the public. They may also be aware of any upcoming sales that are not generally public knowledge.  If you have had a cheap quote online, take the details into your local agent and ask them what they can do, you may be pleasantly surprised!