Everyone is trying to squeeze a little more value out of the vacation dollar, regardless of the budget that you’re working with.  From trips closer to home, of shorter duration, more economy-minded lodging, and cutting back on meals out.  A little bit here and and little bit there – it all adds up.
Hotwire.com just announced the top 10 cities with the largest reductions in hotel prices based on information for April 2009.  Since lodging is a large part of a vacation budget, you may want to think about vacationing in these cities:

Tampa (down 31% from same time last year)
San …read more

Welcome to the October 7th, 2008 edition of the Carnival of Travelers.
This month’s theme is Money Saving Travel Tips, an especially timely theme, I thought, given the challenges we are facing with our economy.  Most travel-lovers that I talk with are still traveling, but are just looking ways to trim the budget a little bit here and a little bit there.
I think you’ll find some great tips here that are sure to help you get a little more bang for your buck (or euro,yen, peso, etc.):

Sage presents Balboa Park: Free Admission on Tuesdays posted at RandomSanDiego.com, saying, "With …read more

Meals are a big part of a vacation budget, but with a little planning and discipline, it doesn’t have to be a deal breaker.
Here are a few suggestions to help you eat well without breaking the bank:

Avoid the mini-bar.  No matter how hungry you are for a late night snack, there’s nothing worth the price in the mini-bar.
Many hotels have in-room coffee makers and complimentary coffee.  Enjoy a cup while you’re getting ready in the morning, and eliminate the money spent at a coffee shop.  If you have a coffee maker, but the coffee packet isn’t complimentary, pick up …read more

Whether you are buying airline tickets, booking a hotel room or rental car, or choosing the right tour, cost comes into play.  As you are comparing features and prices, make sure that you are comparing apples to apples, and not apples to oranges.
It all starts with the base price.  But, it very seldom ends there.
When you are quoted a price, you need to ask what is included.  Some businesses quote an inclusive price, but not very many.  So find out about the additional charges.
Here are a few charges that you may find:

State and local taxes
Electric surcharge
Security surcharge
Fuel surcharge
Booking fee
Resort …read more