10 Secrets to Ultra-Cheap Travel

Welcome to Travel+Experiment!

The Huffington Post by Smarter Travel; April 8, 2015

Seasoned budget travelers aren't "cheap" in the traditional sense of the word -- they're just good at stretching every dollar. Here are 10 secrets every budget traveler should know about seeing the world on the cheap without skimping where it really counts.

Walk Everywhere

Pack a good pair of shoes, because walking is the best way to save money and take in a new destination. Learning and using your destination's public transit system is another budget game-changer. Consider paying a bit more for centrally located accommodations, as these can turn out to be less expensive than a cheaper room farther afield that necessitates cab rides or train tickets.

The point is: Don't overpay someone to chauffer you around town when a little self-powered locomotion will enrich both your experience and your budget.

Consider Alternate Airports

Where you fly is almost as important as when you fly. Many major cities in the U.S. and abroad are served by alternate airports that are often home to low-cost airlines. If your final destination is somewhere outside of a major city, consider flying to an outlying airport that might even bring you closer to your destination.

Sometimes the best alternate airport is the one you depart from. I live near Boston and regularly search for departures from Manchester, New Hampshire, whenever I'm benchmarking prices to my destination. Often I find better prices from Manchester.

Pack Light

If you can fit everything you need for your trip in a carry-on bag, do it. If you can't, it's time to reevaluate what you think you need for your trip. Expert budget travelers save money by skipping checked-bag fees, which can add up quickly on even the most basic itineraries. If you're flying anywhere in the U.S. on United, Delta, American, and other major carriers, it will cost you a bag fee of $50 round-trip for a single checked bag.

Our advice: Make a packing list, eliminate anything you absolutely don't need for your trip, and waltz onto the plane with a truly ultralight bag. (A few airlines, such as Southwest, still allow up to two free checked bags; I still recommend packing just a carry-on, though—it's not just a good habit, it's also good insurance against lost or delayed luggage.)

Do Your Research

Knowing where to eat, where to shop, which neighborhoods to visit or stay in, which days you might pay discounted entry fees to parks or museums, and how to navigate your destination are all critical skills of a seasoned budget traveler. It's not glamorous, but thoroughly researching your destination before you arrive is one of the most important things you can do as a budget traveler. Take advantage of online resources such as the TripAdvisor community forums to learn as much as you can about saving money at your destination.

Travel Off-Peak or Shoulder Season

To really save money on vacation, travel during your destination's off-season. If summer is the most popular time to visit, go in winter—you'll save money on everything from flights and accommodations to meals and rental car prices. Of course, there's a reason the off-season is less popular with tourists, and that often comes down to weather. If that's a factor in your decision, split the difference and travel during the shoulder season (often during select weeks in the spring and fall) when everything's still open, the weather's just on the cusp of turning and the crowds are noticeably thinner. (We promise, you'll still save money—just maybe not as much.)

Fly on a Weekday

It's cheaper to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday than any other day of the week (unless that Tuesday or Wednesday happens to fall on or near a major travel holiday like Thanksgiving or Memorial Day). Planning a weeklong vacation? Make a habit of taking trips that span Wednesday to Tuesday rather than Monday to Sunday and you'll find yourself with a much bigger budget to spend at your destination.

Benchmark Prices

One of the most important things you can do as a budget traveler is to recognize a deal when you see one. That's why benchmarking prices (on accommodations, flights, bundled airfare-hotel vacation packages, etc.) is so important.

Doing it yourself requires patience and persistence—you'll want to track prices over a period of time to get a sense of what your trip should cost and identify an opportunity to save when a flight or other big-ticket expense goes on sale. For a less hands-on approach, subscribe to a fare-alert service for flights to your destination so you'll be automatically notified when the price drops.

Look for Refunds When the Price Drops

Contrary to popular belief (and naming conventions), nonrefundable flights are fully refundable within 24 hours of booking, with one small exception. Consider this your window for buyer's remorse. You've booked your flight and you feel good about the price, but don't stop shopping around. You might just snag a better deal the next day. Make use of your entire 24-hour booking window.

The refund potential is even greater for car rentals and hotels. Did you know most rental cars are fully refundable right up until the day you're scheduled to drive off the lot? If your trip requires a rental car, book early for peace of mind—but keep shopping, too. You might just snag a better deal closer to the day of your trip. As for hotels, book with our sister site Tingo for guaranteed refunds every time the price on your room drops. (Bonus: Even if the price doesn't drop, Tingo will continuously search for bigger rooms with better views or amenities at the same price point as the room you've booked, and the site will send an email if anything good pops up.)

Rent a Vacation Home or Apartment

Some studies indicate that you can save about 30 to 40 percent when booking a vacation home or apartment versus a comparable hotel. That's just the upfront price. You'll save even more by eating some of your meals (breakfasts and dinners, perhaps) at your rental property. Shopping at neighborhood grocery stories, cheese shops, and bakeries also lets you experience a slice of the local life. Rental units often have laundry facilities, which will help you pack light. And try haggling with a property's owner or manager: Negotiate price, length of stay, arrival and departure dates—it's all up for discussion. And those discussions can lead to great savings.

Pack a Lunch

Meals are a secret budget buster. They add up quickly, especially if you dine out frequently on your trip, and they can handicap even the best-planned budgets. The simple solution: Pack a lunch. Or a breakfast. Or both. This is especially easy if you're staying in a rental property or hotel suite equipped with a kitchen. The money you'll save by packing your own meals and snacks will give you flexibility in your budget to splurge on something else you'll remember long after your chicken sandwich is a distant memory.

Alternate budget solution: If food is a big part of your vacation, consider splurging on lunch at an expensive restaurant (prices tend to be cheaper than dinner) and then going for something light or homemade at dinner time.

Happy Travels!

Don't just keep this to yourself. SHARE!

10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Travel

Welcome to Travel+Experiment!

The Huffington Post by Jayne Herring; May 14, 2015

Truly understanding and appreciating a new culture can take months or even years. Most of us don't have that luxury. Those for whom a few days to a week is about the best that can be hoped for have to figure out how to get the most out of limited time when traveling. Making a checklist of museums and attractions is a common instinct, but it won't give you the deep connection that makes travel rewarding. Taking a few simple steps can help travelers to better connect to new places, make amazing memories, truly feel at home in a strange land, and always have the best stories to tell.

1. LEARN THE LANGUAGE. Yes it is obvious, and the obvious response is that it's difficult and time-consuming. But you don't have to be fluent to get the benefits of putting in a little effort. Learn the most important phrases: "Hello", "Where is the bathroom?", "Cheers!", and the most important in any language, "Thank you." Ask a native speaker to check your pronunciation and have a few laughs.

2. DRESS THE PART. This may seem shallow, but the more different you look the more different and isolated you will feel. Travelers dressed as tourists look awkward at best and inappropriate at worst. They are also easy targets. Research on Pinterest for examples of what the locals wear so that you can pack your suitcase accordingly. Are they more casual or formal than you are used to? Are they having fun with colors and prints or are they in muted earth tones? Do they all have scarves or head coverings? Most importantly check out the shoes, because they will tell you what the most practical yet stylish choices are. Are most of the women wearing cute ballet flats or low-heeled boots? The examples you see are probably best way to be comfortable in the lifestyle and climate and look fashionable at the same time. When I lived in New York City I would never wear white pants or super high heels; you shouldn't either. Dress like a local and you may even find other tourists asking you for directions.

3. READ LOCAL LITERATURE. You may not be able to pick up the language in a week, but pick up a translated novel that takes place in the city or region you will be exploring and start it before you leave, giving your mind a head start on adapting. In Paris read Émile Zola, J. M. Coetzee in South Africa, Haruki Murakami in Tokyo, Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar in Istanbul, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez in Colombia. Walking the streets of Cartagena reading Love in the Time of Cholera made me feel a part of the city rather than just an observer.

4. CATCH A LIVE PERFORMANCE or festival, outside of the tourist zones. While I'm sure the hotel's dinner buffet hula dance extravaganza is lovely (and you should learn the history of the hula in Hawaii), find out where the locals go for a good show. One of my favorite traditions is finding a jazz club no matter where we are, from Shanghai to Krakow. Sitting in a small club, surrounded by both locals and visitors with a shared love for the music always makes me feel more at home. The night we introduced ourselves to band members in Istanbul after their set and went out with them and their friends until 4:00 AM is still one of my favorite memories of all time, and it never would have happened if we'd played it safe. Skip the long-running big spectacle shows that everyone has seen, and pick instead an avante garde performance. Go downtown to see an Off-Off-Broadway play. You are much more likely to be surrounded by locals and to feel as if you are one.

5. HANG OUT IN A CENTRAL SQUARE. Sit in New York's Washington Square Park, London's Trafalgar Square, Krakow's Rynek Glowny and Prague's Old Town Square. Learn the history. See the commerce. Listen to the conversations and the protesters. You can take pictures, but also eat the street food, tip the musicians, feed the birds and read your book on a park bench. Don't rush on to the next attraction; just rest your feet, take it all in and fall in love with your surroundings.

6. And while you're there? TALK TO PEOPLE. As always be cautious and streetwise, but often locals are as genuinely curious about you as you are about them. Ask questions. If they're interested, buy them a pint and get their life story. In a tiny restaurant in a hillside German town we ended up spending hours with a chef from Ibiza, his Russian winemaker friend, an American GI (who was initially just looking for an ATM), and a dog named Snob, all of whom remain seared into my memory years later. It all started because we started a conversation.

7. JOIN A TOUR LED BY AN EXPERT DOCENT. There are plenty of big group options that teach less than a common guidebook, but with a little research you can find engaging, unique, and highly intellectual tours. An early morning bicycle tour through Montmarte before the shops are open and empty wine bottles still litter the streets of Paris gives a unique perspective of the city. An artist-led graffiti tour of Bogota teaches more about the culture, politics, and history of Colombia than any museum. A historian who has hiked the entire Great Wall of China points out things nobody else would notice. There's a global network of scholars and specialists called Context Travel that offers in-depth walking seminars for groups of 6 or less, focused on disciplines of your choosing. Our guide in London not only explained the history and major landmarks of the city, but also helped us to understand the recent election and conflicting perspectives regarding currency, immigration, and the British Monarchy. The company's website makes it easy to pick a city, pick an interest, and reserve a guide. It is well worth it.

8. FOLLOW CURRENT EVENTS. Pay attention to their big news stories. Research the struggles of the people. What are they concerned about? What have they been through? No matter how pretty and peaceful a place can seem, there is always a group of people who are unhappy. Understand them and you come closer to understanding the whole culture. If you are in a place where your country's policies are not appreciated, find out why and try to see it from their perspective. People around the world want to be heard -- offer them an ear.

9. MEET UP WITH A FRIEND. If you know someone who lives there, reach out and ask to meet up. If you don't know somebody, chances are there's a friend of a friend somewhere. Maybe a coworker once studied abroad and maintained some connections. In this global village, you can connect with someone via Twitter or Instagram in advance of your trip and meet up when you get there. You will relax with a familiar face and forget you are in a strange land for an hour or two. Locals anywhere rarely get to experience their own tourist attractions, and usually love to show off their neighborhoods when someone visits. Give them that chance and make a friend.

10. BE YOURSELF. What do you like to do at home? If you're into sports, arrange to see a game while traveling or find out where there's a pub showing a match. Watching soccer with a rowdy crowd in a European pub is an experience everyone should have at least once. Do you enjoy live music? Running or hiking? Theater? Exploring new restaurants? People do those things around the world. Find your passions and experience them in a new place, because it will make you feel at ease, it will ignite your spirit, and it will show you how alike we all really are on this planet. And that is the very purpose of travel, isn't it? That and the stories.

Happy Travels!

Don't just keep this to yourself. SHARE!

Tips on How to Stay Safe When You Travel

Welcome to Travel+Experiment!  

Los Angeles Times by Mary Forgione; April 14, 2015 8:00 AM

Veteran police Det. Kevin Coffey knows how to keep you from becoming a victim on your next trip. Here's what you need to know before and during your next vacation.

Coffey has written two books on travel safety and gives lectures on the topic. Until then, here are some tips he recommends on his website:

Before you go:  Do your homework before you even leave the house. Take an inventory of your valuables -- with photos, serial numbers, receipts, etc. -- and have it on hand for insurance purposes.

Coffey recommends using apps such as Encircle and Nest Egg, as well as some insurance companies that offer their own home inventory apps to customers.

Where you stay: No matter how nice the resort, ask for a room above the second floor but below the sixth floor, which he calls the "safest room zone."

Motel people, you're really at risk with a ground floor room that has doors and windows that open to the outside. Travelers should carry a portable travel door lock rather rely on the hotel's locking system. That way you don't have to worry about who has a key card to access.

While you're traveling: Pickpockets are everywhere, but especially in big cities such as Paris. Coffey writes about common scams at Metro stations and elsewhere in the French capital -- and how to trip them up.

The biggest tip: Be observant, look around, and know what's going on. Carry a money belt or hidden pouch to make it hard for streetwise thieves. Coffey offers more safety tips about staying safe, even posting a video taken of a band of young pickpockets.

Happy Travels!

Don't just keep this to yourself. SHARE!

Our first time Chicago 2015 New Year Experience!

Welcome to Travel+Experiment!   

My husband and I decided to go to Chicago and Wisconsin and spend our New Year 2015. This is the first time that both I and my husband are going to visit. We were excited to see my mother and sister in laws who are living in Wisconsin and afterwards visit my relatives in Chicago area. And so we started packing our things and headed to the airport for our flight from Raleigh, NC to Chicago.

When we arrived at the Chicago airport (which is my first time visit). I was excited to be in Chicago airport being I read so much in the social media that Chicago is the second busiest airport in the United States. In 2005, O'Hare was the world's busiest airport by aircraft movements, the second busiest by total passenger traffic (due to government enforced flight caps) and they do offer as many commercial flights. The City of Chicago is the world headquarters for United Airlines, the world's third largest airline. 

During our arrival in the terminal, my husband warned me to dress warmly because the weather is so cold. Not thinking so much of what cold is during this time I just nonchalantly move along towards the main gate knowingly for warned about the cold. As the door opens in the main gate I was hit with a wall of super freezing gust of wind which chilled all the way down to my bone and ran back inside. I was so freezing that my head hurts not knowing that it can be this cold. Afterwards, my mother and sister in laws picked up us in the Chicago airport. We drove about an hour to Wisconsin where they live. Wisconsin state capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee, which is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north.

We spent our holiday vacation with my mother and sister in laws and stayed for few days with them. Luckily, it was also the first time I saw snow falling from skies. I was dancing outside of my sister’s in laws apartment, crawling on the ground with snow like a happy kid, singing the frozen movie song “Let it go!” My mother in law who joined me in my dancing outside kept on laughing at me thinking I was doing crazy. These are the photos during snow outside the apartment.

We also visited for the day to my first cousin Mr. &Mrs. Oliver Sabitsana’s family and their home in Chicago. It was a happy and amazing experienced as we get to see the three kids are all grown up from the last time I’ve seen them. The Sabitsana family graciously toured us around the tourist attraction in the city inside Chicago; The Bean, John Hancock Observatory Tower and the Millennium Park. We were so thankful for them for their kindness, hospitality and for inviting us for lunch and dinner to their home. 

We also visited Mr. & Mrs. Bradford Tan, my husband’s cousin and family. We also stayed there for lunch and dinner and they even gave us a Christmas presents. We were so thankful to them for being so kind to us and even invited us to their home. These are the photos taken in Chicago visit.

After visiting Mr.&Mrs. Bradford & family, we proceed to one of my husband's cousins also lives nearby. We were able to see her and her two wonderful daughters. We exchanged greetings and introduced myself to her as her new in law. Then, we headed out to the restaurant for dinner.

We totally enjoyed our holiday vacation in Chicago. A simple getaway to spend time with the families that we hardly see for the entire year. The weather was very cooperative during our visit in the windy city without much delay on our travel to see people around the city. The city of Chicago is one of our lists to visit again during the summer time to see the city in a different season view.

Happy Travels!

Don't just keep this to yourself. SHARE!