New York on the Cheap

This blog article from Frugal Travel talks about a weekend in NYC for $100.  Tricky, yes.  Impossible, no.

Quality Time

It is summer vacation planning time and I have had lots of questions about whether or not I use a travel agent for my trips.  The answer is no.  Travis and I are the travel agents, and I am happy as a clam to keep it that way.  Why pay someone to do the work that you can do?  Here is my favorite tip for planning a vacation. 

Go to your favorite bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Full Circle, etc. and plop down in a comfy chair in the travel section.  Go grab some books that perk your interest.  Just a few weeks ago, Travis and I had books on Amsterdam, Brussels, France, Spain, and Europe in general.  I think we picked up about 12 books.  It is the absolute best way to learn about a place and start to plan a trip.  Here are a few of my favorite travel writers/publishers. 

Rick Steves
If you are traveling to Europe, pick up a Rick Steves book.  I cannot say enough good things about how he prepares you for everything.  Reading his book on Italy is what made our trip so smooth and easy.  Check it out. 

Fodor's
I like the books that are the 25 Best series.  They are perfect for putting in your purse because they have a fold out map in the back flap.  With such a small book, you don't look quite so touristy whipping out a map to figure out where you are.  Also, they narrow the field on what is exciting and cool to see. 

Frommer's
They are very similar to the Fodor's books, but they give great food recommendations.  We dominated San Francisco's food market thanks to Frommer's. 

Enjoy and happy travels! 

Planning A Big Trip: Budget

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money.  Then take half the clothes and twice the money.  ~Susan Heller

When I talk to people about my travels, the first thing they comment on is how they wish they could go to cool places like Italy and NYC.  And almost always, people say they could never do these things because it is too expensive.  Travel, like most things in life, is a choice.  If you choose to make it a priority, then you end up actually doing it.  When Travis and I got married, one of our biggest goals was to travel.  Consequently, we sacrificed on a few things (new television and furniture) so we could save for fun trips.  We have been blessed to travel to some of the coolest places on Earth in just a few short years.  Part of this comes with Travis's ability to properly budget a trip.

I am the first to say that money is not my strong suit.  I am by no means a crazy spender (although Travis may think otherwise) but I don't really think things through like my husband.  Thankfully, he is able to calculate quickly how much we will need to a trip.

Here is how we budget our trips.  We always pay for the majority of our trip before we go.  This makes the actual trip much more fun because we are not worried about how much we are spending each and every day.  So, get the biggest expenses out of the way a few months ahead of time (plane ticket, hotel).  Sometimes hotels will give you a discount for paying in advance.  (Look to smaller hotels in Europe).  This might be helpful for when you plan your next trip.

Travel (airfare, taxi fare, subways, bike rental, train tickets, etc.) 
 Do your research ahead of time.  Look to travel websites like Kayak, FareCompare or Airfare Watchdog to snag the cheapest flights.  If you are a student, look at studentuniverse.com.  When Travis and I were in college and took our first trip together to Europe, we scored $650 tickets in the summer to London on StudentUniverse.  Look on FareCompare's map of prices for an idea on what a plane ticket to Japan costs in July.  (I have looked, it is around $1200 bucks). 

In most major cities you can look ahead for subway/underground fares to get an idea of what you want.  Also, travel books will have a section in the beginning about what to expect on travel.  A cab ride in Rome might be cheaper than navigating the crazy bus system.  Or the thought of navigating a foreign bus route might be worth spending a little more on cab fare.  Be prepared and do your research and know your limits.  

Hotel 
Make a list of what is important to you.  Is it fancy bedding?  A bathroom attached to your room?  Is breakfast included?  Ambience and character?  A trusted "name"?  I like TripAdvisor for reviews and suggestions on places to stay.  You can easily get an idea of what a room costs and look at real pictures taken by real traveler cameras of rooms and hotels.  This prepares you for the bathroom down the hall or the awesome breakfast. 

Decide what kind of trip you are taking.  Are you going to the beach in Mexico?  Then splurge on the room because you will spend a lot of time there.  Are you going to Europe?  Then just remember, you only sleep there.  Look to location over name brand or size.  It is important that if you are in a big city, you want to stay near the things you plan on visiting.  Do you research, buy a few books, and read about where you want to stay.  If you can sacrifice on a few luxuries in order to make the trip, do it.  The experience of travel is much better than the sheets. 

Tabard Inn, Washington D.C. Small, quaint rooms with great breakfast!

Food 
Is this a big part of your trip?  For example, when we visited San Francisco, we quickly discovered that the food was incredible, so we spent big on dinners.  And it was worth it.  In Italy this past summer, we knew that we could eat pretty cheaply, but we wanted to be able to have a few nice dinners in each town we visited.  In Florence, we "pic-niced" outside of the Boboli Gardens in front of the Pitti Palace, visiting the local grocer across the street for fresh melon, cheese, and prociutto to stay within our daily budget. 

When traveling abroad, look for hotels that include breakfast.  It is usually pretty good (various meats and cheeses, juice, pastry, coffee) and saves you the time and extra bucks you would spend each morning looking for breakfast.  Also, be realistic and include drinks.  You might walk by a quaint little bar at 4 in the afternoon and think, man a beer sounds great right now.  But, be ready to pay a little more than you would back home.  Be honest about how you spend here, and add about 25-40 bucks for travel.  

Activities
Do you plan on visiting any museums?  Do you want to rent an umbrella at the beach?  Do you plan on shopping at H&M?  Do your research.  Almost every major museum in the world has a website and will tell you exactly how much it will cost.  Some famous museums even have deals.  For example, when we visited NYC this past fall, we found out that on Friday evenings the MOMA has free admission thanks to Target.  The line snaked around the corner at 5:30 (but moved quickly) and it was crowded inside, but we were able to avoid the $20 entrance fee.  Some museums will give you a discount if you are a student, and some will even discount you for being a teacher.  Teachers, do not hesitate to pull the teacher card.  You will be amazed at the deals you can score.  More on that later.

Fat Tire Bike Tours in Barcelona.  A great way to see the city!

I met a lot of people in Europe.  I even encountered myself.  ~James Baldwin

My best suggestion for taking big trips is to be honest about the kind of trip you want.  Planning a trip can be fun, especially if you want to visit a place way different from where you live.  Look to blogs and travel websites and spend a few hours at Barnes & Noble in the travel section.  That is a great way to spend a Saturday night.  There, you can get an honest perspective on how much it will cost and you can decide accordingly.  Also, you can contact me and will talk for hours about it.  HOURS.  Thus, the blog.  Happy travels! 

Going to Europe Soon?

Love this picture of a Venetian canal? 

Are you thinking of going to Europe sometime in the near future? 

You should GO!!  According to this article from the New York Times, now is the time to capitalize on the lower exchange rate and crazy government problems.   

"Europe's Economic Troubles Offers Opportunities to Tourists"

Cheap Flights: How To Find Them

Looking for a cheap flight but don't want to do the work?  The New York Times suggested FareCompare in their article, "11 Tricks to Cutting Travel Costs in 2011".  This is a great article on saving money on travel in the new year.

I checked out FareCompare, and it is legit.  It has great tips for saving money, and even has this super cool map that you can pick your airport, region, and season and it will show the cheapest flights available. 

So, this January day, happy planning!

The Winter Time Blues

Is it just me, or does everybody get a little blue in January.  If I had it my way, we would skip January and February and move straight into March, where life is in bloom.  In January, Travis and I always get a little antsy for a new trip and we have a few on the brain.  Stay tuned.  But until then, enjoy this lovely Italian ocean scene to help get you out of a winter time funk. 

The Family Librarian

Next week my family is taking their annual trip to Mexico.  I am so lucky that I get to go on this trip and do nothing but read, soak up the sun, eat chips and guacamole, and drink beer.  As an English teacher, I get very excited with the idea of an entire week of uninterrupted novel reading time, and I have started to put together my list for the week.  I have also become the family librarian, with my mother, sister, dad and husband all asking for recommendations for their vacation read.  Each person has a different criteria, and I think that I lead them in the right direction.  I'll start with my list first and then give a few ideas that I gave Travis and Sally.  

To start and finish I'll begin the with the last of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins called Mockingjay. 

These young adult novels follow a female bad ass named Katniss Everdeen as she struggles to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic America.  It has elements of romance, action, and violence and will keep you on your toes through the entire series.  This is a MUST READ.  Do it.  Do it now.

Secondly, I will look to a novel recommended by my friends Kristen and John who are avid readers.  It is by Jonathan Tropper and is called This Is Where I Leave You. 

 The novel has a sad premise: it follows a family that spends seven days and nights under the same roof remembering their deceased father.   This is all while the main character is undergoing a painful divorce.  But, I have been told that it is really funny.  Hard to imagine that this could be funny, but I will take my chances. 

For my third choice, I am thinking of starting the second installment of The Girl With The Dragan Tatoo by Stieg Larsson called The Girl Who Played With Fire. 

I read the first one last year in Mexico and I have to admit it was a tough start.  It takes place in Sweden, which is cold, and is a crime drama which is not always my first choice.  But, I will say, once I got started I was hooked.  It follows magazine publisher and journalist Mikael Blomkvist and another kick ass female character Lisbeth Salander.  I must have a thing with strong women.  I had to finish it the same day I started.  I have also been told that the second and third book are just as hard to put down. 

I am still thinking about my fourth choice for the week.  I'm sure it will be something easy like a Peter Mayle book or a chick lit book, something that fits the ease of the vacation. 

For Travis/husband: 
I recommended the Hunger Games series for him.  I have a few guy students who have DEVOURED these books, and I think Travis will do the same.  He is also reading another from his favorite author Peter Mayle called Anything Considered.  Peter Mayle is famous for is novel turned movie A Good Year.  All of his novels have a similar premise:  an aimless, overworked, single, rich man looking for a big move.  Usually to the French countryside.  Also, there is a beautiful, smart French woman who helps the overworked rich man solve some kind of crime involving wine or art.  Mayle's books are the epitome of escapist fiction.  

For Sally/sister: 
She wanted an easy, fun read for the beach so I suggested some classic chick lit.  Usually, I shy away from these novels because I am an English teacher and I should only read serious novels.  (Please take note of my sarcasm).  For example, Emily Griffin's novel Something Borrowed is a romantic comedy in book form.  I recommended her for Sally and she chose Love The One You're With.  Sally also chose an author named Jen Lancaster who is a blogger that is supposedly hilarious.  She chose both of her books titled Pretty in Plaid and Bitter is the New Black.  I look forward to borrowing these books when I tire of my sad, cold titles. 

If you are looking for some good reads, I hope these help you in your search!  Also, I am also looking for something new to read, so pass some of your favorites along the way.