Budget Travel

1. Consider staying in a condo or vacation rental home.

These homes are fully furnished & equipped with most amenities including a kitchen, laundry & many of the comforts of your own home & reasonably priced. Check out “Vacation Rentals by Owner.”

2. Keep snacks, drinks and mini-meals in your room

If you do stay in a hotel room, utilize the small refrigerator in your room, store milk for cereal,sandwich fixings for lunch, beer for happy hour, & fruit for snacks. If you have an in-room coffee maker, heat the water to mix up instant oatmeal for breakfast.

3. Check out airline sales or offer pages

Go direct to an airline’s specials page & you might find a deal not typically found on a general travel website. You can also sign up for discount travel emails that consolidate many specials from various airlines. Try smartertravel.com or Travelzoo.com.

4. Avoid extra airfare costs like baggage fees

Try & stick to a 1 bag vacation. This will avoid baggage fees, improve your mobility, & reduce the stress of lugging multiple bags on your journey. Shoes & heavy coats are space grabbers so try & limit these. Other clothing can be rolled up for maximum space efficiency.

5. Get Travel Insurance

This may sound like an unnecessary expense but can save you thousands if you were to get sick or miss a flight while on vacation. Many travel insurance companies offer cheap policies & will give you peace of mind. Check out companies like Travel Guard & Travelex Insurance for good but inexpensive coverage.

6. Eat like a local

If you’re not on an escorted tour or staying at an all-inclusive resort (where meals are included in the price of your vacation), find neighborhood restaurants or pack lunches made from items picked up from local grocery stores, and you’ll save money.

7. Bargain for souvenirs

In places like Asia, Mexico and the Caribbean, don’t be afraid to bargain at a street market. Just don’t come down too low if you’ve found an item you really want.

African antiquity excites many, and when you witness it first-hand, the experience becomes altogether different. For this part of African Continent, it goes without saying that you have to set your imagination free and be ready for the unknown. Don’t worry, we don’t mean to scare you off. Taking a flight to Addis Ababa instantly sets you on a vacation of unique sort. Yes, you’ll see and encounter all the usual ingredients that make a place distinct. But, vacationing in Addis Ababa is above all unique experiences that you have undergone.

Engulfed in an air of enigma, a multitude of contrasts and extremes define the character of the capital city of Ethiopia. You can come up, close and personal with the remote and wild at its countryside, mingle with the urban Ethiopians in the metropolitan area, or marvel at the presence of both the highest and lowest places. Jaggedly-carved Simien Mountains are as stunning as the hot but fascinating Danakil Depression. Mother Nature seems to have bestowed this African country with all its glory which is why you see such varied landscapes. All you nature lovers, capture some alluring earthy beauty in your cameras. You’ll go clicking at the Afro-Alpine highlands, several moors and mountains, the Great Rift Valley, white-water rivers, Savannah teeming with mammoth waterfalls, and dense and lush jungle, the list can go on and on. There are many national parks in the city that’ll make you come face to face with awesome scenery, and great wildlife living in natural habitats.

Is adventure travel playing on your mind? Take heart, the opportunities are aplenty here. You can go on an expedition, thrill yourself through a midnight wildlife safari, get excited via hiking, go mountain climbing or camping, or enjoy a guided tour of the city. Old beyond all imaginations, the country’s ancientness can be seen in various ways, and the capital city is no exception. The expansive and sprawling city of Addis Ababa is one that is forever vibrant, dynamic, traditional and modern at the same time yet utterly inviting. Sitting pretty in the foothills of Entoto Mountains, you’ll come across various fascinating things here.

Ethiopia is a multicultural land and that is quite visible in the way people go about their daily lives. With so many beliefs, traditions, ethnicities, and religions doing the round, Addis Ababa seems like a cultural melting pot. And, just its cultural heritage, the city’s architecture is varied, too. Here again, you’ll see how harmoniously does the new and the old stand by each other. Elegant villas, skyscrapers, functional bungalows, five-star luxury hotels, theaters, museums and art galleries provide a gleaming contrast to conventional homes wattle and daub, surrounded by cattle. The simple, natural and organic growth of Addis Ababa reflects in its present appearance. Thousands of inquisitive travelers from far and wide find a trip to Addis Ababa truly satisfying. The fact that the place takes one back in time and opens one up to an authentic world of yore seems to be the most probable reason. The city is forever in a festival mode with something or other happening every month. Religious and cultural celebrations form a major part of the city’s event calendar, others include music festivals, exhibitions from the local artisans, and colorful processions.

When making your vacation plans, it’s important to consider where you’ll stay. The right hotel can make a good trip great and the opposite can also be true. There are a variety of types of hotels and lodging and they offer different things to different travelers.

If you’re looking for some nightlife, downtown hotels are often located in business districts. They are many times used by people traveling for business and are located near many city attractions, such as restaurants and entertainment venues.

If you’re looking for the best in luxury and amenities, you will find them at a resort hotel. Resort hotels are often found near beaches, mountains and other natural attractions. They offer a deluxe experience to vacationers who want to relax in spacious rooms with access to nature.

Another option is a boutique hotel. Boutique hotels also offer an upscale experience but are generally less inexpensive than resorts. They provide a relaxing experience but are usually smaller than resorts. They may have a theme.

Boutique hotels also differ from resorts in that they offer more privacy and personable service.

If price is a big factor, you may want to stay at a motel. Motels are often located near highways and are frequented by travelers making a brief stop. They are less expensive than resorts or boutique hotels and offer few amenities.

When deciding where you want to stay on your next trip, it’s a good idea to consider the length of your stay, your entertainment or business plans and how important amenities are to you.

It helps to be prepared. Research what hotels, motels or resorts are in the area you plan to visit and compare what they have to offer. You may want to compromise luxury for price. If price is not important, proximity to fine dining and entertainment may be the deciding factor for you.

What a fantastic time of the year! Spring has arrived and if you look around, everything is in bloom. There are more people walking their dogs, more moms pushing the latest high tech strollers and teens on bikes & skateboards listening to their iPods as they cruise down the block. With summer around the corner and the school year coming to an end, the obvious question is–where should the family spend their summer vacation this year?

There are lots of different choices available–the hardest part is choosing a vacation destination where everyone will have fun. The kids would love to go to the beach and play for hours in the sand & sea, while Dad might prefer to stay at a place where the local golf course is not too far away. Mom, on the other hand, would enjoy a place where she can get some “me-time” preferably in the resort’s relaxing spa. Is there a way to please everyone? Sure, there is.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could tell someone your travel preferences, destinations/places you’d like to visit, kind of vacations you preferred and your interests (things you like to do) on vacation? Well, the internet has made that easy for you! There are thousands and thousands of travel sites on the internet where you can go and research the specific vacation getaways to accommodate all your travel desires. You can even find resorts that are kid-friendly or adventure seeking individuals (zipline excursions for the thrill seekers) or even eco-friendly vacation retreats for the nature lovers.

Do you like cruises? This is one of the best ways to visit many exciting places and all your meals on the ship are covered. Every morning, you will receive an itinerary of the planned activities on board the ship–there is something fun to do for all ages. Although if you choose not to do anything and want to read a book by the pool, you will be able to unwind with your favorite novel too! Now, that’s what I call–having it my way!

Everyone needs a vacation…but you DESERVE a vacation! You work hard, now it’s time to play even harder. Vacations are good for the heart and the memories will last a lifetime!

Safe travels everyone! Until next time!!

If you are a business person and often require frequent traveling for business reasons, then air travel is the best option for you. However, the high cost of air travel may sometimes bother you. But now you can buy cheap domestic air tickets for any domestic destination in India.

The day to day rising competition within the aviation industry in India has forced all the major domestic airlines to reduce their ticket prices and offer low air fares. Many low-cost airlines in India including Spicejet, JetLite, Kingfisher Red, JetKonnect, GoAir, Air India Express, Indigo and Paramount Airways are now providing cheap air tickets for all popular domestic destinations across the country.

Reduced air fares have chiefly benefited the passengers who often take up air travel. They can now afford to buy low-price air tickets that easily fit in their budget and can fly to their desired domestic destinations in the shortest possible time. The tickets of low-budget airlines can be booked through several online air travel websites that offer round the clock booking of low-fare air tickets along with booking of hotels, car rentals and vacation packages.

Low airfare deals are offered on almost all domestic key divisions by these websites such as Delhi to Mumbai, Mumbai to Goa, Pune to Mumbai, Kolkata to Mumbai, Mumbai to Bangalore, Delhi to Chennai, Delhi to Lucknow and Kolkata to Delhi, etc.

Adding to your joy, you can avail huge discounts and great benefits on the booking of hotels and vacation packages through these websites. This does not only help you save a lot of your journey time and money but also makes your trip more pleasing and refreshing.