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Posts Tagged ‘budget travel’

Planning The Perfect Spring Break On A Budget

February 10th, 2010 No comments

Every year, thousands of College students head to exotic island hot spots for spring break. Unfortunately, the recent economic conditions and the rise in the price of tuition have now left many students on a tight budget. Many students cannot afford the usual spring break exotic vacation destinations. Fortunately, there are many things a student can do to plan the perfect spring break vacation while on a budget.

1. When planning a spring break vacation, you should figure out how much you can afford to spend. Once you know how much you can afford, you can plan a vacation that will not have serious financial consequences. You should set the amount of money aside and stick to your budget. Do not take more money than you can afford to spend as you will likely spend it. As well, you should plan how you will spend your money on things like, transportation, food, entertainment, and other expenses. Wherever possible, use cash to buy your items instead of a credit card. You do not want to return from your trip and find yourself saddled with high credit card debt that you cannot afford.

2. Selecting the right vacation destination is a key component to helping you stick with your budget. Decide where you want to go for spring break. If you cannot afford a traditional exotic beach vacation, you should consider a more local destination. Miami and Las Vegas are fun places to vacation. They can also be more affordable destinations. The internet is full of travel sites that offer special spring break packages. Once you have decided on your destination, make sure you book early to ensure you get the best and cheapest deal.

3. Traveling alone or with one person can be expensive. Plan your vacation with a group of friends. You can often get great travel and hotel discounts if you book as a group. If you are traveling by car, travel with a group of friends so that you can share fuel costs. You can also share a hotel room. Having about four people per room will significantly cut down on the cost of accommodations. It can also be really fun staying together.

4. Restaurant costs can really take a bite out of the budget. Instead of dining out every day, get a hotel room that has a kitchenette and buy your food from a supermarket. If you do dine out, look for restaurants where you can get a cheap meal such as a fast food franchise restaurant. By doing so, this will significantly cut down on food expenses.

After calculating how much money you will need and you discover you still cannot afford a vacation, there are many other options to take advantage of such as going on a road trip with friends for a few days, visit family or friends, or take a day trip to another city or fun attraction such as an amusement park. No matter what destination you choose, you should have fun, relax, stay safe, and enjoy the break from your studies.

Adriana Noton is a freelance writer who specializes in providing great financial information for Canadians. When searching online for debt counselling or credit counselling, one of the many resources available is Consolidated Credit; offering a variety of debt counselling services and financial planning tools to help Canadians get their debts under control.

How To Tour Rome On A Budget: 5 Ways To Save And Enjoy Rome!

August 3rd, 2009 No comments
by Cristiano Rubbi

Name a concern people often have when travelling abroad. FOOD will probably be number 1 on the list. Here are some suggestions that may help you solve this problem, quality and cost wise, when visiting Rome. RISTORANTEs are fine, but fairly expensive. Try instead HOSTERIAs or, even better, TRATTORIAs (meals there would be about 18/25 Euros /per person; keep in mind that a cover charge always applies. Prices are shown also on stands outside the place). PIZZERIA is another sign that may come in handy: sit-down pizza meals are about 15/20 Euros / per person (pizzas are usually quite good in Rome), take-away pizzas won’t go over 6 Euros each excluding drinks. INSALATA RICCA is a food franchise group specializing in big salads and various kind of traditional pasta dishes (meals about 10/25 Euros / per person). Finally, the usual old Mc. Donald’s, Burger King or similar chains are spread throughout the city, but not Kentucky Fried Chicken.

In Ancient Rome there used to be three ways to get around in the city: on foot, on a litter or on horseback. These days you can still walk around the city, horses are used to draw cabs (but these are so expensive!), litters have been replaced by taxis or rental cars, with or without drivers. Fortunately, nowadays you also have public transport, which is cheap and fairly efficient: it includes buses, street-cars and the subway. Our advise to you – if you want to save money and still get around well: public transport all the way, unless you prefer to walk. The main thing you should be aware of is that ATAC – the Rome public transport company – makes available various types of tickets, depending on how long you plan to stay in Rome. These are the alternatives that you are most likely to need: BIT- Integrated Time Ticket. How much does it cost? 1.00 Euro Where can I buy it? Ticket offices and shops. How long does it last? 75 Minutes from the time of validation (to be done immediately on boarding the first vehicle; you can only use it once on the subway) Where can I use it? On public transport within Rome, on buses, trams, trolley-buses and Cotral coaches, on the Rome Subway lines A and B, on Met.Ro regional trains: Rome”Lido (Ostia). BIG ” Integrated Daily Ticket. How much does it cost? 4.00 Euros. Where can I buy it? Ticket offices and shops. How long does it last? Until midnight (24.00) of the day of its validation (to be done immediately on boarding the first vehicle) and for an unrestricted number of journeys. Where can I use it? On public transport within Rome, on buses, trams, trolley-buses and Cotral coaches, on the Rome Subway lines A and B, on Met.Ro regional trains: Rome”Lido (Ostia). BTI ” Integrated Tourist Ticket. How much does it cost? 11.00 Euros. How long does it last? For 3 days from the date indicated by the ticket holder and for an unrestricted number of journeys. Where can I buy it? Ticket offices and shops. Where can I use it? On public transport within Rome, on buses, trams, trolley-buses and Cotral coaches, on the Rome Subway lines A and B, on Met.Ro regional trains: Rome”Lido (Ostia). CIS ” Integrated Weekly Ticket. How much does it cost? 16.00 Euros. How long does it last? For 7 days from the date indicated by the ticket holder and for an unrestricted number of journeys. Where can I buy it? Ticket offices and shops. Where can I use it? On public transport within Rome, on buses, trams, trolleybuses and Cotral coaches, on the Rome Subway lines A and B, on Met.Ro regional trains: Rome”Lido (Ostia).

Churches and museums. Rome has been called “the city of a thousand churches”. Clearly a gross understatement. How many are they exactly? The bad news is: the Vatican only knows! Obviously tourists are mostly interested in some churches – St. Peter’s, all the Basilicas and a number of other churches which are particularly important from a religious or and /or architectural and artistic point of view. The good news is: you can enter any of these churches without paying a dime. The same does not apply, unfortunately, to museums. But the other good news is that most admission fees are fairly low and often allow for reduced-price tickets. In some cases admission is even free; obviously this does not apply to the main ones, with the exception of the Vatican Museums where admission is free on the last Sunday of each month.

International Phone cards are a great invention, particularly since they cut costs considerably (with a 5 or 10 Euros card you can speak with the States about half an hour to an hour). Incidentally, you can use them on any phone you wish – public, private or mobile.

Are you visiting Rome on a very warm day and you feel like having a drink? There are plenty of kiosks and bars selling nice ice-cold drinks of all kinds (mineral water, soft drinks, beer, etc.). But just in case you don’t feel like spending more than necessary (sometimes you may be asked 5 Euros for a bottle of mineral water), we suggest you fill up a bottle with fresh water from any of the small drinking fountains on the roadside in many streets in Rome. Please note that the water gushing out of large artistic fountains is not necessarily drinkable.

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Hotels Aren’t the Only Place to Stay on Your Holiday

April 29th, 2009 No comments

Accommodation is one of the biggest day to day expenses travelers have and everyone is constantly looking for the best value they can find. No matter what your accommodation tastes may be, one thing everyone likes is that no one wants to pay a fortune for it.Most tourists stay in hotels while on vacation but hotels can cost a lot of money. Hotels are not the cheapest accommodation option for people on holiday.

A good option to considering besides staying in hotels are hostels. Hostels are like inexpensive hotels. They offer dorm or single accommodation, shared bathrooms and showers, and common areas. While many tend to cater to young people, a lot cater to older people and families. You dont receive as many amenities or the luxury that is common to hotels but if you are on a budget or just want to meet other travelers, staying at hostels should be a priority for you.

If you are looking to pay nothing, consider Couchsurfing. Couchsurfing connects travelers with people around the world who let them stay for free in their home. Sometimes you get a nice bed, sometimes a couch, sometimes you just get space on the floor. You make a local friend and learn the insiders view on all sites and activities. People are scared to couchsurf because they dont think it is safe. But you dont need to worry. The people use this service are usually very open minded people and nice people. Just use common sense. Moreover, this site and sites like it are aware of this and take steps to provide security for their users. They provide various levels of verification and allow users to rate and leave comments on travelers profiles so you know if someone is a psycho or worth staying with.

Home exchange is another good option for travelers. Home exchange has been around a long time but is increasing in popularity as hotel prices go up and people look for other places to stay. Home exchanges are like they sound- you switch homes with another family from somewhere else.

Another option for people apartment rentals. Many cities have furnished apartments for people and travelers. These are usually rented out by the week or month. If you are staying in a city for a long time, they can be a great option. You’ll get amenities like a kitchen and laundry that you can’t get in hotels. They are great for families or people who want a little comfort of home.

Hotels can be a great escape for a little pampering and relaxation but they are often impersonal ways to meet other people and get to know a city beyond its major attractions. These alternatives to hotels will give you with a more intimate way to see a city, connect with the locals, and meet other travelers. It also mixes everything up and often that can give you a whole different outlook on a destination. Consider staying somewhere different the next time you hit the road.

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Low-Priced Travel Ideas – 6 Ways You Can Save on Travel

April 6th, 2009 No comments

Are you enthusiastic to go on a great trip but facing the issue of limited finances? Well, budget is always a problem when one plans to go for trip yet it is vital to have a break once in a while. A holiday not only gives you a break from job but also refreshes you and as a result you are in a better position to come back to the standard routine of life psychologically as well as physically.

A tight budget many times stops people from having a great holiday. Most people think that it is not worth going on vacation if you do not have enough money. Well, there are many ways you can have a wonderful vacation and travel to some worthwhile places even if you do not have millions to spend. Here we have six cheap and easy ways for you to help you travel as well as have a great recreational time.

1. Do research. In order to have a fabulous but low-cost trip, you must do some research online. There are various such marvellous destinations that have low-cost family vacation packages. You can make the best of such packages and visit some astonishing places to have a wonderful time in your limited budget.

2. Stay at home. If one cannot afford to go out of city of state, a great way to have break from the tiresome routine of life is to stay at home. There are many such places in one’s own town or city which we fail to see because of lack of time. You can take days of from work and hang around at these places with your family and friends. It is easy way to have some fun and also gives you a vacation in the cheapest way.

3. Go to close by places. As air tickets are extremely expensive, it is great thought to travel to some close places for holiday. It will save you the chief expenses of travelling and proffer some great time. You can go to various close-by towns or hill stations where you can reach by train or car.

4. Cooking on your own. When you plan to go to a certain place, try to cook yourself. You should seek hotels which offer this facility so that you can save on the huge amount which is spent on eating out.

5. Don’t shop extravagantly. Many people spend too much money on shopping. You should remember that you can have some great time even if you do not shop and visit the beautiful places. Having a vacation does not necessary imply shopping as well. So you should try not to shop and if you really have to then you should look for local brands or discount shops. This will help you have a great trip within your limited budget.

6. Plan a trip in off-season. Having a trip during the off season is also allows you to have an economical outing. You will be able to benefit from some cheap deals since during the off season the costs of lodging and travelling are not as high as in the main seasons.

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Flashpacking is a New Travel Trend

March 27th, 2009 No comments

A flashpacker is defined as a person, unusually in their mid 20s to early 30s, who travels like a backpacker but has more disposal money as well as electronics such as a camera or laptop. They usually arent walking into a hostel without a reservation. A number of hostels are opening to meet the increasing needs of these travelers. Flashpackers still have no fixed route and all the time to meander like a backpacker around but dont pinch every penny.

Backpacking is not about a look or style, its a way of life. Even though a person doesnt have a certain style, that doesnt mean they lack the character of a backpacker. It doesnt make them less of a traveler. Backpackers should be open minded to new trends not the other way around. It is against the backpacker attitude to look down on someone else because they travel in a way that is different than ours.

It comes down to what makes a backpacker a backpacker. That’s spirit. The desire to explore new places and experience new people. Backpacking is about opening your mind to new things and looking differently at the world. It’s not about the stuff you carry. As your spirit is the same, what stuff you carry shouldn’t matter.

We’re all flashpackers, whether you like it or not. We may not be driving up to the hostel in a limo but we all expect a little “flash” nowadays. According to a study, 21 percent of people travel with a laptop, 54 percent with an MP3 player, 83 percent with a mobile phone and a whopping 86 percent travel with a digital camera.

We all travel with fancy electronics now. We check our email at the internet cafes and use Skype to call our friends. We are flashpackers but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. All these electronics allows us to stay better connected and help us better document our travels. What is important is that we disconnect ourselves and go out and enjoy the place we are visiting.

The backpacker who set off with 1 shirt, a small pack, and two baht to his name is getting hard to find. Many of us have a little more means and expect a little more but we still carry the backpacker spirit. We still seek new cultures, exotic locales, and long term travel. We still look for cheap hostels and transport. We camp on that jungle trek. Now, we just want a bit of pampering too.

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