Save 20% on eBags for Travel

I just placed my first order with eBags and I can't wait to share this discount with you!

What are eBags? They are packing cubes designed to condense and organize your clothes when you travel. They took the typical size of a carry-on and created packing cubes that perfectly fit into the space, stacking together so every inch of your suitcase is used efficiently.

They also carry a variety of travel accessories and suitcases. Check them out!

Use this link to get 20% off of your first order! 

http://friend.ebags.com/v2/share/6318006448612233588

Ta ta for now...save money!

Luxury Hotels at Half Price

If you have ever wanted to stay at a Luxury Hotel, but just couldn't afford it, check out Sniqueaway.com.  They offer a list of deals on high end resorts at a substantial savings, up to 40% off. They will even send you emails on current specials when you register your email with them.

This website is sponsored by TripAdvisor.com which is also a great travel site and offers many travel resources.

Ta ta for now...save money!

Catalina Express Offer - Upgrade with Gift Card Purchase

Buy a $100.00 Catalina Express Gift Card and get a free upgrade to the Commodore Club Lounge! What a great Christmas present or gift to yourself. This offer is only valid on purchases from now until January 4, 2013. The gift card can be used for travel aboard Catalina Express, for upgrades to the Commodore or Captain's Lounges and at the eateries located in the terminals including the Catalina Bistro, Express Grill and Catalina Lounge.

Why not make Catalina your destination for New Year's Eve? I can't think of a more beautiful place to ring in the New Year! Celebrate in the historic Casino Ballroom. The December 31st Gala includes a buffet dinner, dancing, champagne split, one bottle of wine in a specially engraved bottle and party favors. Coat & tie are required, black tie is optional.

Ta ta for now...save money!

Go to the Olympics Inexpensively

I wanted to share this article that appeared in my local newspaper because the author always shares great tips on saving money. This article is about going to the Olympics and how you can save money on travel, tickets and hotels.  She also gives great advice on the best ways to proceed to attend this very popular event. 

So where will we be going next? Russia or Brazil?

Ta ta for now...save money!

Hostelling Is A Great Way to Save While Travelling

Although I have often heard of Hostels, I guess that I assumed that they were only in Europe, and only for students. I was pleasantly surprised while searching for a hotel for a last minute trip to Chicago, to find a Hostel listed on a major booking site. I think it may have been on Hotels.com or Expedia.com, but I almost overlooked it because it was not prominently displayed. 

Simple but to the point!

The pricing was unbelievable! For two nights I paid only $77.54 inclusive of all taxes, and the $3.00 a night fee for not being a member of Hostelling International! My mantra is that I will try anything once, so I booked it. My room was a standard female 8-bed dorm room with a shared bath. When I checked in, only 4 of the other beds were booked other than mine, and I was able to take a lower bunk. The room was large, neat, clean, lockers available for each guest, clean sheets and a towel neatly folded on the bed for my use. I was traveling light so I was able to  push most of my belongings under the bed. I used my towel to hang on the bed rails between me and the other bunk for more privacy. I took great care to lay out all my clothes the evening before because I knew I would be out late seeing my daughter's college play and I didn't want to make a whole lot of noise in the morning.

My daughter had the lead in the play!

There was a free simple breakfast every morning from 7:00 am to 10:00 am on the 2nd floor. It usually consisted of bagels, croissants, cereal, coffee, juice and sometimes fruit. Truly self service, when you are done you take your dishes into the kitchen and wash them yourselves.

Little Italy - Inside of Church with Easter Decor

They also offered complimentary walking tours in the city. One morning I took advantage of the Little Italy Walking tour with a very friendly Chicago native and the next day I took advantage of the Walking Architectural Tour. I learned and saw so much that it truly made my trip enriching!

Little Italy - Beautiful Fountain in the Park

Little Italy - Joe DiMaggio Statue

This was the best low budget trip ever! (the airfare was the biggest expense - $232.89 RT on Delta purchased through Orbitz which was an amazing rate since I bought it only two weeks before I left!) I bought a 3day CTA pass at O'hare ($14.00), then rode the train to the loop to my hotel. All my tours were free, my daughter's play was no charge, my breakfasts were free, and I caught a beautiful free piano concert at the Chicago Cultural Museum. Then  I rode the train back to the airport for free. Because there was still time left on the pass, I handed it over to some European travelers who could at least get a couple more hours of use out of it. My meals were nominal for lunch and dinner. So overall I think my trip cost me less than $375.00) for 3 days and 2 nights during the week. 

Had to do a Chicago Dog before I left! Plus it was a budget friendly meal!

Atrium in the Chicago Library

I learned a few things to bring if I do this again. My own lock for the room lockers or the lockers in the lobby if you have to check out hours before your flight and a washcloth and flip flops for the shower! Also the Chicago Library has a beautiful Atrium on the top floor with free Wi-fi. 

Picasso Sculpture in Daley Plaza 

One of the most enjoyable parts was meeting all the young travelers from around the globe - Australia, France, Germany and Japan. And not everyone was young! There were over-fifties like me, families and people who looked as though they could afford a 4star hotel!

I must remember to try to travel this way again!

Ta ta for now...

Volunteer on a Farm and Travel for Almost Free

Do you love to travel? Do you also love to farm or work the earth? If so, this opportunity might be just for you!  You can travel around the world and volunteer at organic farms.  You pay for your transportation, but the accommodations and food are all for free.  Each farm has different agreements for their exchange program. 

Check out World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) to learn more about this working, learning education. 

WWOOF is a world wide network of organisations.

They link volunteers with organic farmers, and help people share more sustainable ways of living.

WWOOF is an exchange - In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.

WWOOF organisations link people who want to volunteer on organic farms or smallholdings with people who are looking for volunteer help. 

Ta ta for now...save money!

Redeeming Mileage for Flights

We all know that the airfare industry has had it's struggles lately, as has the consumer, with the high cost of fuel.  The result has been astronomical flight costs and limited flights.

So far this summer I have managed to use a combination of purchased one way flights with the use of mileage to stretch out my travel and travelling budget.  But as I sit here in Oklahoma City with a 4 hour layover, I am reminded of some of the disadvantages to the system!

In order to use the lowest class of mileage, 12500, with American Airlines my only flight option has been inconvenient and long and I am still not home! I had to leave at 7:40 in the morning from the MidWest, stop in Chicago for a brief layover (less than one hour) then land in Oklahoma City for 4 hours! Imagine my joy upon landing when the captain announced that we were 15 minutes ahead of schedule. So now here I sit, in an airport that I have never been to (it's quite nice) wondering what to do with all this extra time. No free wi-fi, so thank goodness I have my overpriced aircard along. I suppose if I travelled for a living I would invest in Boingo or something.

When I finally do depart I will be landing at LAX at the peak of rush hour where I will have to take a shared van. Hopefully I won't get a tour of Southern California as the van company tries to maximize it's load! (I paid in advance to be eligible for a 10% discount with GoAirport Vans)

I would only have booked this flight as a solo traveller, as I am much more patient than other members of my family. How else would I be able to only travel for the $5.00 it cost me to redeem my miles?!!!

Ta ta for now...save money!

A Working Vacation

Here is an idea for the adventurous! If you like to travel or experience new things, but you may not always have the funds, consider being a caretaker.

No rent, no mortgage, just an investment in a bi-monthly magazine called "The Caretaking Gazette". For $29.95 you will receive magazine that lists opportunities to take care of properties such as estates, lodges, mansions, farms, ranches, vacation homes and other kind of properties that the owners need help with. Every property owner needs to go on vacations sometimes, don't they? This is how they make sure that there is a caretaker while they are away.

Check out caretaker.org to learn more!

Ta ta for now...save money!

Last Minute Spring Break Ideas

Did you want to get away for spring break, but you forgot to book something in advance. Here are some ideas and websites to check out for last minute savings.

• Travelzoo.com - check their tab labelled "last minute" for some money saving ideas.
• MouseSavers.com - A constantly updated website covering deals and discounts in Florida, Anaheim, San Diego and other theme park locations.
• LastMinuteCruises.com - With all the bad press that has been happening in the cruise industry, you might just score a bargain on this year's cruises!
• PriceTravel.com - If you are not afraid to travel to Mexico in light of all of the bad press from that country, you should check out the deals they are having! Check out their Hot Deals tab.
• CheapCaribbean.com - Beach lovers should check out the offerings in Bermuda, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic and Mexico.

Reading all these makes me want to get away!

Ta ta for now...save money!

Couch Surfing

What is Couch Surfing you ponder? It is a way to travel and stay for free by crashing on someone else's couch! By joining this free online service, www.couchsurfing.org, you can find people you can relate to and crash on their couch. You can also just meet them for coffee or drinks to learn more about their way of life. This non-profit is devoted to cultural education and understanding. Detailed profiles and references on members help you feel safe. Look for someone who shares similar interests or hobbies and get surfing!

As their website says: Couch Surfing is - 

Adventure with new friends.

Join the CouchSurfing community to meet new people from around the world and share a meal, an adventure, or a home.

Happy Trails!

Ta ta for now...save money!

Discounted Disney Tickets 2012

If you want to save some money on a trip to Disneyland, and don't mind going on a day that the park is overflowing with goth enthusiasts, then Bat Day is for you. This year's convention runs May 16-29, 2012, and you can buy group tickets at their rate by purchasing online through the previous link. Please keep in mind that the park is not reserved for this event, it is just an annual event opportunity for people to express themselves in the way they feel most comfortable, no matter how odd the rest of us might think it is. My sister accidently visited the park on this day a couple of years ago with her grandchildren, and they were terrified. But if you go, knowing in advance what to expect, you will just be able to enjoy your day and perhaps learn that underneath all that creative dressing is a person who also just wants to have fun!

A one day park hopper ticket normally costs $105.00, but through this link you can purchase them for $91.00. That's a 13% savings!

Other discounts available on the Disney Website include:

• Souther California resident discount.  From now through June 1, 2012, buy a 2-Day, 1-Park per Day Disneyland Resort ticket for just $99 and pick which park you want to visit each day! The only drawback is you can only visit one park per day, you can't hop back and forth. You might also want to check which rides are closed for maintenance during this time period so that you are not dissappointed when you arrive.
• Military Discount.  Buy a 3-Day Park Hopper ticket for just $99 each, through September 28, 2012. That's a savings of 55%* off the ticket booth price!
• 3-Day Park Hopper tickets may be purchased at participating U.S. military sales outlets by any eligible U.S. military personnel or their spouse for just $99. There is a 6 ticket limit during any single week of the promotion. No more than 12 tickets may be purchased, activated and/or used by any eligible U.S. military personnel or spouse during the life of this promotion.

Craig's List. Check with companies that buy 2 & 3 day passes but sell them as individual tickets. It's worth a try, right?

To save more money on your visit, pack some food, water and snacks or take a cooler in your car and leave the park to have your own personal tailgate party. Who says a trip to the Magic Kingdom has to break the bank?!

Ta ta for now...

Travel Discounts - Travel Zoo

Are you familiar with Travel Zoo?  I have their app on my iPod, but I haven't tried purchasing anything yet. It is a very handy "go to" for Top 20 Deals, local deals, deals in other cities, travel deals and inspirational travel!  They negotiate discounts with suppliers all around the world and it's amazing to see what is available.

It is a very worth while site to keep handy if you will or want to travel! Especially if it is a last minute idea!

Ta ta for now...

Free Books or Music on iTunes

Stop by any Starbucks, and they will usually have an offer for  free music or free book downloads to iTunes that you can load onto your iPhone, iPod or iPad.

There are usually business card sized offers at the front counter that you can grab to use. Each card has a code printed at the bottom and an expiration date.

The current  pick of the week book offering is the "Best in Travel 2012" . I will definitely be downloading this book to see what travel tips I can find!

Ta ta for now...

Hotels

Since I will be out of town for the big college move, I needed to book a hotel room for our stay. There are some pretty incredible values out there right now. A lot of it has to do with it being off season, but I am sure that the economy is playing a huge part.

As usual, I have loyalty points started with every hotel chain I have ever stayed in! This comes in handy for a free stay every once in a  while. Because we have travelled to Chicago for college frequently over the past couple of years, I usually stay at Best Western because it is fairly close to campus, has reasonable rates and is a good value. Is it luxurious? no, but it is nice enough to get the job done!

Using Hotels.com, through my Upromise account, I earned 4% back instantly. They are also offering 30% off their rates right now. A room I usually have to pay $98.00 for not including taxes and hotel fees only cost me $62.00. I could have had the room for 58.00 a night, but I chose a slighter higher room rate that includes a 24 hour cancellation refund option. Because of the bad weather in the Midwest right now I thought spending $4.00 more a night was good insurance! As usual, I always cross reference the nightly price on hotels.com with the hotel's actual website to be sure that I am getting the lowest rate.

Let's hope the weather warms up a bit!

Ta Ta for now...

Best Time to Buy Airline Tickets

Is there really a "best time" to buy things? I have read many articles over the years about this, and I will share my findings with you and let you decide!

Airline Tickets: For non domestic travel, never buy tickets more than 90 days away from the departure date. Watch the 21-day mark as that's when carriers will file their lowest fares as a 21-day advance purchase. The next window is at 14 days, which you don't really want to do unless you feel lucky or have flexible travel dates. Good ticket pricing depends on the competition, travel destinations and the supply of seats vs the demand. Airlines file updates to their fares three times a day: 10am, 12:30 pm and 8pm weekdays, with one filing, at 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. All these times are EST. Traditionally the lowest fares filed are on Tuesday, Wednesday and sometimes Saturdays. In other words - hit or miss!

If I know that I am travelling, I place a price alert on Kayak or Yapta and let the websites email me with current pricing. I am also on the email list with American Airlines, Jet Blue, Delta,  and Virgin Airlines to receive weekly price alerts and specials. Not that I travel that much, it's just that I would love to travel  more and if a really smoking deal came along I would grab it!

Ta Ta for now...