Delta has announced that it will essentially double the cost to check a second bag on upcoming flights. As someone who flies Delta on occasion, this actually has me a bit steamed.
But instead of hearing me rant, I thought you might enjoy a quick peek at what Justin Bergman wrote on Budget Travel's blog. I think he's nailed the sentiment.
Wanna tell us what you think? Post a comment below!
Butler
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Get The Best Out Of Your Cruise
Some travelers may be abandoning the sky, and road, in favor of vacations at sea. I'm one of those travelers. I'm currently planning my first cruise and I've come across some interesting tips to not only get the most out of your cruise, but maybe save a few bucks in the process.
I'm going to the Bahamas, so I'm looking in the Eastern Caribbean -- plus I'm going in September, which is a down time for cruises in this area because of ... hurricanes. If you are willing to risk it, you can find great deals in September, but be sure about the cruise lines' policy on refunds as well as contingency plans if you're in the path of the storm.
Another way to save money is use a travel agent. They know the industry better than you and can help match you up with a trip that fits your personality, needs, and/or budget. Plus they help when the aforementioned hurricane season may set back your trip.
A few more tips:
http://cruising.org/
More tips on cruising during hurricane season at: http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=146
Happy Sailing,
Ryan
I'm going to the Bahamas, so I'm looking in the Eastern Caribbean -- plus I'm going in September, which is a down time for cruises in this area because of ... hurricanes. If you are willing to risk it, you can find great deals in September, but be sure about the cruise lines' policy on refunds as well as contingency plans if you're in the path of the storm.
Another way to save money is use a travel agent. They know the industry better than you and can help match you up with a trip that fits your personality, needs, and/or budget. Plus they help when the aforementioned hurricane season may set back your trip.
A few more tips:
- Shop for discounts: a number of cruise lines give discounts for seniors, military, and state of residency.
- Add Roomates: if you like the people you're traveling with, consider bunking in the same room. Most cruise lines offer significant discounts for thrid and fourth passengers in one room.
- Buy Drink Cards: some cruise lines offer drink cards which you can pre-purchase and can help you manage your beverage spending.
- Don't Forget To Tip: and finally make sure you set aside money for gratuity. It's often a hidden cost and it's best to prepare ahead of time rather than be surpirsed at the end of the trip.
http://cruising.org/
More tips on cruising during hurricane season at: http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=146
Happy Sailing,
Ryan
Monday, July 28, 2008
Summer Travel Deals
If you can stand the summer heat or the threat of a hurricane, this season is generally one of the best for finding travel deals. Locations like Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Cancun and running some incredible deals.. some of which even include airfare.
Just recently my husband and I took advantage of the deals to Vegas. For two roundtrip air tickets from Birmingham and 4 days three nights at a Central Strip three star hotel we paid less than $800. Even though it was already in the 108-111 degree range during our trip, we quickly learned the ropes to stay cooler. Beacuse we went during a more "undesirable" time of the year due to the weather, we were able to secure this great deal on the 4 day 3 night vacation package through Southwest at an incredible rate.
One of the best options available to Vegas travelers now is the Monorail system that makes stops at several places along the strip. It's a much cooler and efficient option than walking -- a lesson we learned on our first day there when we thought a location looked two blocks away when it was actually five. On a day when it's 111 degrees, it wasn't a pleasant journey, especially wearing sandals with metal rings in them and the sun beating down on me. The casinos also seem to know the heat can be a deterrent and to ease this, they have mist walkways set up and alternate routes set up that would allow your journey to cut through the shopping areas of the casinos.
Another thing to consider when planning your trip to Vegas or other areas which may be hot is to find things you can do on the inside. We were able to check out the motion ride at Luxor, do the indoor Gondoloa ride at the Venetian, the roller coaster at New York New York, and tour the Bellagio Conservatory during our trip. Cirque Du Soleil's "O" at the Bellagio is NOT to be missed. It's and incredible show that is a feast for the eyes and ears. The show is dark on Mondays and Tuesdays so keep this in mind when reserving tickets.
The night time is a great time to do outdoor things like the observatory from the Eiffel Tower replica at the Paris hotel and don't miss the downtown Freemont experience. Not only did we get to enjoy the overhead light show featuring Queen music and videos but we also got to check out two talented bands and some street artists.
Some of the best places to find travel deals are on public travel forums like tripadvisor.com and Frommers. Travel Zoo and smartertravel.com are also good options to help search for travel deals. For airfare, try Kayak.com. This search engine actually searches most major airlines and other online booking agents at one time based on your query. The Internet is full of great travel deals. It's just a matter of having the patience and flexibility to be able to snag the deal. Happy traveling!
Just recently my husband and I took advantage of the deals to Vegas. For two roundtrip air tickets from Birmingham and 4 days three nights at a Central Strip three star hotel we paid less than $800. Even though it was already in the 108-111 degree range during our trip, we quickly learned the ropes to stay cooler. Beacuse we went during a more "undesirable" time of the year due to the weather, we were able to secure this great deal on the 4 day 3 night vacation package through Southwest at an incredible rate.
One of the best options available to Vegas travelers now is the Monorail system that makes stops at several places along the strip. It's a much cooler and efficient option than walking -- a lesson we learned on our first day there when we thought a location looked two blocks away when it was actually five. On a day when it's 111 degrees, it wasn't a pleasant journey, especially wearing sandals with metal rings in them and the sun beating down on me. The casinos also seem to know the heat can be a deterrent and to ease this, they have mist walkways set up and alternate routes set up that would allow your journey to cut through the shopping areas of the casinos.
Another thing to consider when planning your trip to Vegas or other areas which may be hot is to find things you can do on the inside. We were able to check out the motion ride at Luxor, do the indoor Gondoloa ride at the Venetian, the roller coaster at New York New York, and tour the Bellagio Conservatory during our trip. Cirque Du Soleil's "O" at the Bellagio is NOT to be missed. It's and incredible show that is a feast for the eyes and ears. The show is dark on Mondays and Tuesdays so keep this in mind when reserving tickets.
The night time is a great time to do outdoor things like the observatory from the Eiffel Tower replica at the Paris hotel and don't miss the downtown Freemont experience. Not only did we get to enjoy the overhead light show featuring Queen music and videos but we also got to check out two talented bands and some street artists.
Some of the best places to find travel deals are on public travel forums like tripadvisor.com and Frommers. Travel Zoo and smartertravel.com are also good options to help search for travel deals. For airfare, try Kayak.com. This search engine actually searches most major airlines and other online booking agents at one time based on your query. The Internet is full of great travel deals. It's just a matter of having the patience and flexibility to be able to snag the deal. Happy traveling!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Friday (7/25) UPDATE on Cruising from New Orleans
I've just received an e-mail from Mary Beth Romig, the communications director for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. She tells me that Carnival Cruise Lines has announced that the cruise scheduled to come in to port in New Orleans on Saturday (7/26) will now dock in Mobile. Mary Beth writes that the cruise ship will depart from Mobile as scheduled Saturday evening at approximately 6:00 p.m.
She also says that the current plan is to shuttle passengers from Mobile to New Orleans to either continue their vacation in New Orleans or to depart as originally planned from there. Carnival will also pick up the departing passengers from the Port terminal in New Orleans and shuttle them to Mobile for departure.
Here's a link to Carnival's web site with some more information.
Mary Beth laments that this is another bad economic situation for New Orleans. But she does say that she greatly appreciates all of us Alabamians who go to the city to visit or cruise.
If you have anything else to add on this topic, post a comment below!
Butler
She also says that the current plan is to shuttle passengers from Mobile to New Orleans to either continue their vacation in New Orleans or to depart as originally planned from there. Carnival will also pick up the departing passengers from the Port terminal in New Orleans and shuttle them to Mobile for departure.
Here's a link to Carnival's web site with some more information.
Mary Beth laments that this is another bad economic situation for New Orleans. But she does say that she greatly appreciates all of us Alabamians who go to the city to visit or cruise.
If you have anything else to add on this topic, post a comment below!
Butler
Cruising from New Orleans and Qantas Flight
Yikes!
All of us who travel by air certainly can sympathize with everyone on the Qantas flight that was forced to land after a hole blew open on the side of the plane. That's not something we like to think about, and thank goodness everything worked out okay.
Care to share one of your flight stories? Post a comment!
Now, on to the cruise issue. I'm working on getting an update about the status of cruises out of New Orleans now that the river has been closed because of a fuel spill. Are any of you booked for a cruise that has been delayed or -- even worse -- canceled because of this accident? What are you doing about it?
And a quick note -- you'll see that we've added a link to the Yahoo! currency monitor on the right side of this page. Hope it helps!
Butler
All of us who travel by air certainly can sympathize with everyone on the Qantas flight that was forced to land after a hole blew open on the side of the plane. That's not something we like to think about, and thank goodness everything worked out okay.
Care to share one of your flight stories? Post a comment!
Now, on to the cruise issue. I'm working on getting an update about the status of cruises out of New Orleans now that the river has been closed because of a fuel spill. Are any of you booked for a cruise that has been delayed or -- even worse -- canceled because of this accident? What are you doing about it?
And a quick note -- you'll see that we've added a link to the Yahoo! currency monitor on the right side of this page. Hope it helps!
Butler
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Neither Expensive Gas, nor Flight Delays....
Welcome to Alabama Public Radio's Travel Blog! For those of us who like to travel, gas prices, spotty airline service -- even a weak dollar -- just aren't enough to keep us on the couch.
A bit of history, here -- this blog was born from a newsroom conversation between me and APR's Alisa Beckwith-Ayilliath. We love to travel, and we thought it would be a great idea to start a blog for others who love to travel, too.
We're soliciting lots of contributors, and we're also hoping to get many great comments from you, APR's listeners and readers. We're looking for funny stories, interesting experiences, travel tips, and ways to save money while seeing the world. Include links to some great photos, too, if you like.
This is just the beginning of this endeavor. We expect it to go through an image makeover as we develop a logo for the blog.
But here's the important thing -- we want you to participate. Personally, I'm looking forward to reading about your adventures and travel advice. And I hope we all have some fun!
Butler Cain
A bit of history, here -- this blog was born from a newsroom conversation between me and APR's Alisa Beckwith-Ayilliath. We love to travel, and we thought it would be a great idea to start a blog for others who love to travel, too.
We're soliciting lots of contributors, and we're also hoping to get many great comments from you, APR's listeners and readers. We're looking for funny stories, interesting experiences, travel tips, and ways to save money while seeing the world. Include links to some great photos, too, if you like.
This is just the beginning of this endeavor. We expect it to go through an image makeover as we develop a logo for the blog.
But here's the important thing -- we want you to participate. Personally, I'm looking forward to reading about your adventures and travel advice. And I hope we all have some fun!
Butler Cain
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