Is Your Family on a Vacation Travel Budget? Bargain Travel Sites Make Cheap Travel a Reality

Did you know there are options for cheap travel beyond the usual low-budget motels and fast food? You can save a bundle on your family vacation and stick to your budget by using the online discount bargain travel sites. Whether you have a sudden desire to visit Disney World in Florida or the casinos in Las Vegas, it’s no problem with all of the bargain travel sites that have cropped up these days.Before I discovered these online travel agents and figured out how to save money on travel, I was almost ready to just have a “staycation” instead and not travel anywhere at all. What with the high price of gas and airlines nickel and diming you to death charging for checked baggage and meals, it almost seems like more effort than it is worth sometimes, doesn’t it?Anyway, there are many online travel agencies to choose from where you will find cheap travel deals. Just to name a few there are Hotwire, Kayak, Cheaptickets, Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, Priceline, Travelzoo, Cheapflights, Cheapoair, and Farecast. This is not even taking into consideration several sites that offer deals on last-minute travel.My two favorite are Hotwire and Kayak, I have found the cheapest travel bargains at these two sites. It can take you a while to go through all the sites checking for the best deals, but that is what I advise you to do. If you really want to save money it’s worth it! Be sure to check for round trip prices and also one-way prices at each of the sites. Write them all down and then go with the cheapest.Most sites also offer package deals where you can get the flight and hotel and even the rental car if you choose. I have gotten a lot of great deals through Travelocity in the past, but Hotwire is sometimes cheaper these days. It’s still worth checking all of them though, as they all offer discount prices which vary according to the time of the year/week/day.

Why Travel Sites Are Being Forced to Create Loyal Customer Programs

The best thing to happen since airfare travel sites went online, is the comparison shopping sites which are doing an excellent job of creating a uniform airfare stock market. No longer is it normal for a site to increase the price for a popular flight, without risking the loss of hundreds of sales, because of airfare comparison shopping.The comparison shopping for airfare prices puts everybody’s prices right out there for everyone to see. And in most cases the name of the airline is associated with the price. So more than ever, creating a loyal group of clients is becoming more important to travel sites.Travelers are receiving everything from loyalty points to discounts and rebates for remaining loyal to a particular online travel company. This procedure has worked very well for the cruise line industry which showers loyal customers with unbelievable discounts on select cruises.For example, Princess Cruise Lines, provides membership to a “Captain’s Circle” club, where you have to a sailed a certain number of times with the cruise company in order to qualify. Members receive perks such as a quarterly magazine, with special pricing to special check-in privileges when boarding ship.Usually when we cruise, we depart from San Francisco. The line to board ship extends out pass the terminal onto the sidewalk and this is when you arrive early. Becoming a member of the elite group and getting to pass up everyone in the line and go straight to the front of the line, is a benefit which was too good for me to pass up. It took me several years, but we finally reached the number of cruises which allow us to pass up everyone in the line. I can’t explain what a great benefit it is to walk pass everyone, a thousand plus people, all standing in a very long line, watching and wondering, “Where are they going?”It’s the little things which, makes a customer loyal, and the travel sites have been forced into playing the loyalty game. In the pass, pretty much all they had to do was publish the web site and wait, while travelers flocked to the site and booked their travel.Yes, online comparison shopping, for airfares, has made travel sites re-think how they are going to approach the Internet client. Free enterprise is great. Now if we can just get a couple of these large airfare comparison sites to offer affiliate programs! Oh well, I guess we can’t have everything.

Tips For Finding Discount Travel Packages

If you dream of visiting faraway places but want to get the most bang for your buck, consider buying a discount travel package. These packages often come with flights, hotel stays and other perks that you couldn’t get otherwise. Booking a discount travel package is easy if you know when, where and how to look.

Before you start planning your vacation, spend a little bit of time researching the cheapest times of the year to visit your destination of choice. Every location has peak seasons. If you travel during a time when prices are low, you’ll be able to get a good deal on your travel plans. Study the travel listings to see when prices drop their lowest and then plan your vacation for that time. Of course, you’ll want to make sure that there isn’t a reason for the discounts that will change your travel experience. Even if you can save a few bucks, for example, it might not be worth booking a travel package to a tropical island during the rainy season or the hurricane season.

Once you’ve decided where and when you want to travel, there are several tactics that you can use to get a discount on your travel plans. With planning and a sharp eye, you’ll be able to grab a good deal when you see one. Here are a few more tips to help you find discounted travel packages.

1. Use Internet travel sites to alert you of discounted travel packages the moment they come on the market. Many of these services will allow you to nab discount packages immediately. Keep in mind that the travel times are normally within a few days or a week of their posting.

2. If you’re a frequent flyer with one of the major airlines or have rewards points through your credit card, you may be privy to special deals that will lower your travel costs. Make sure to read the fine print on your agreement so you know exactly what you’re getting into. Visit the website of your airline’s frequent flyer program or your credit card company’s rewards program to find out what you need to do to take advantage of their discount travel programs.

3. Make sure to contact the visitor’s bureau of the location you’ll be visiting, especially if you are traveling within the United States. They can notify you of any special events that are taking place that might interfere with getting a good deal. For example, if there’s a local festival going on in the location of your choice you might have a problem finding reasonable priced travel packages.

4. Before you book your discount travel package, be sure to read the fine print. You want to understand exactly what you are agreeing to and what will be included in your travel package. If you are deciding between two different packages, make sure to write down all of the details so you can compare them equally. Don’t go only by price. You may find out that one package is more expensive but it includes features that the other package does not.

The Gains From Funny Travelling

In the old days, anyone who embarks on a journey is sure to get a dose of stories to get by. One always looks forward to traveling because of the stories and also because traveling sometimes makes people experience the things that they never imagined nor expected. Sadly, traveling these days is just stress and silence. Stress from travelling makes people weary, impatient and even forgetful of the concept of fun. Experiences that are enjoyable like funny travel slowly become taboos that no traveler can ever experience. Before this nightmare has become reality, we should examine our attitude towards traveling. It is an activity that is made and practiced supposedly for fun. Being well travelled used to be a good connotation of fun and enjoyment. If only people know the benefits of being happy and joyful towards everything that we do, then maybe there will be no boring and dull moments in life.

If people are having fun, there would be the sound of laughter all around. Laughter is a full expression of happiness and fun. But laughter is not simply a sound that happy people make; it has a far greater benefit on the people’s well being. In traveling, the usual reasons for having a laugh are some old and memorable travel jokes. As studies show, these jokes are more than just silliness. It can make the travelers’ minds clear and give us a feeling of well being. A good laugh can make distressing emotions dissolve. There is no room for sadness, anxiety and madness when people are laughing. Laughter is also a strong mood motivator and body energy enhancer. Travelers who had funny travel stories made fun out of the ordinary things around them for inspiration and motivation. The laughs can make the whole travel less stressful and consuming. People are more energized and diligent after laughing. This gives happy travelers a plus point in terms of productivity and focus. Laughter can also make peoples’ perspectives shift from a pessimistic view of the world to a light hearted and optimistic view. Travelers will see less threatening things and see more of the lessons that traveling teaches.

A humorous travel is less likely to end up burdened with too many problems. Humor makes problem solving easier and faster. Those who incorporate humor in looking at problems make the people more creative in finding solutions. In a trip, the traveler who has a sense of humor can make even the most unbearable situations light. Humor widens one’s horizons as well as increases people’s ability to solve problems. It opens venues for more creativity and fun in solving the problem.

There are no absolute lists of funny travel tips. There is no telling what adventure the next wrong turn would bring. There will be no despair in travelling if the travelers recognize the opportunities that is brought by the mishaps that are happening. Through many funny travel stories, people would eventually realize that fun is a vital factor of a good and worthwhile travel.

How To Travel On A Limited Budget

If you’re travelling on a limited budget whether it is to Dubai or another travel destination the planning you do before leaving home is just as important as what you do once you get to your travel destination. Make sure you have considered carefully which travel & leisure destination to pick. Gather as many travel destination tips as you can from travel & tourism sites online. For example in 2013 Toronto, Turkey and Ko Phi Phi in Thailand are all good choices for those on a tight travel budget. Make sure you have done your research and looked into all the travel & tourism options available.

Travel & Tourism Transport On A Limited Budget
If you’re planning on flying to your travel destination then look out for special deals online and remember that booking at the last minute or booking too early is always more expensive. The best time to book is about three weeks before you fly. If you’re going to be using rail travels look into tickets which give you multiple journeys or discount tickets like the Eurorail Pass if your travel & leisure destination is in Europe. If you’ll be using buses to get around, each city has its own multi-ride bus ticket. In the USA you can use one of the long distance bus companies like Megabus and Greyhound, both of which offer very low cost tickets. Car rental is usually not a good budget option if you’re staying in one city. If you’re planning to spend your vacation exploring the rural areas, driving around a whole country or visiting places outside the cities (like the desert attractions outside of Dubai city center) then a rental car may be a practical option.

Where To Stay On A Limited Travel & Leisure Budget
Although the obvious destination tips for travel & tourism low cost accommodation is to stay in hostels there are other options. You can share a room in a nice hotel with a friend to split costs; look out for hotel deals on travel & leisure sites; stay in a Zimmer/bed & breakfast or stay further out of the city center where accommodation prices are a lot cheaper. There are hotel deals like “third night free” which can work out to be cheaper than 3 nights in a cheaper hotel. You’ll find a good quality inn or guesthouse will be more pleasant than a 2 star hotel. As a general travel destination tip, hotel accommodation around the city train station is usually cheaper than staying in the city center. Even in travel destinations like Dubai you can find reasonable accommodation if you look in the right places. On what to do in Dubai check out Internet travel forums for tips from other travellers or people in the travel & tourism industry.

Travel & Leisure Attractions On A Limited Budget
You’ll find that most museums and some other travel & tourism attractions have “free days”, for example in the evening one day a week or on the last Sunday of each month. Plan your trip around these free days. Make sure you’re eligible for any discounts (according to your age for example). Buy multi-attraction tickets which get you discounts for several travel & leisure attractions. Even in the most expensive travel destinations there are multi-attraction tickets for thrifty travellers.

Are You Really A Luxury Traveler?

While most people love to travel, what type of people are considered luxury travelers? What is this type of traveling all about?

Luxury traveling means you seek out good deals and aren’t looking to spend all of your money on an expensive trip. You will spend the time planning the right trip for you because you know your own needs. You will plan a trip in a place that isn’t crowded. You are a luxury traveler if you are flexible, choose the right seat on the airplane for the most comfort, and choose hotels that will make the stay better rather than the brand name hotels.

While most people might think of this type of traveler as someone spending the most money they can, has an attitude that everyone should accommodate them, and that plans their trip to be full of activities in the best-known brand hotels, this is actually not the case. These travelers prefer relaxation, peace and quiet, and a comfortable experience.

What do Luxury Travelers Prefer?

When it’s time to plan the trip, luxury travelers will opt for the easier travel experience. They know their wants and needs better than anyone else, so they will take the time to plan the trip out in advance. They will not plan too many activities because they know that relaxing is much more enjoyable than a busy trip. They plan the trip to ensure it’s as enjoyable as possible.

If they work with a travel agent, they are picky on which agent they use. Luxury travelers want someone that understands their needs and will make their trip more personalized. They don’t want a common travel package offered to all clients; they want their own customized package.

While sometimes they’ll choose first class, other times they just want a good window seat or aisle seat to stretch out. They buy their tickets in advance to reserve their seat.

Destination, Deals & Attitude

Luxury travelers will make sure they get the best discounts. They want to stretch their dollar as far as possible so they will seek discounts. They also understand those who are serving them should be tipped well. They always tip their doorman, babysitters, waitresses, taxi drivers, and tour guides.

While some may think a this type of traveler is one with a bad attitude or one expecting to be treated as royalty, in fact luxury travelers are very courteous and kind. They understand those serving them are equal to them and they deserve gratitude and flexibility.

Having a bad attitude is not what a luxury traveler is all about. They know that having a bad attitude is not the way to having a luxury experience or a pleasant one at that.

When choosing a destination, they know brand name hotels are not the way to go. They prefer the hotel with the deal or a great all-inclusive package. They know a small boutique can be the most luxurious option over an over-crowded brand name hotel.

They don’t choose a place where they may encounter spring breakers or they know is a highly sought out place during that time of year. Instead, they will choose a quieter, rare and exotic location to explore for a unique experience.

Vacations the Luxury Traveler May Choose

These travelers prefer rare and unfamiliar locations. Luxury travelers are typically:

Younger travels between 40-55 years old using a travel agent to book the best trip
Families in their early 30′s and 40s planning adventurous trips with kids
Choosing all-inclusive vacations to take the stress out of travel and pay all upfront while relaxing during the trip
Traveling in newer ways than ever before, by river cruising and space travel
While the average traveler makes plans for a typical beach vacation during spring break, the luxurious traveler chooses a private destination. The average traveler will choose a crowded hotel, while the luxurious traveler opts for a smaller and quieter hotel.

Solo Travel: Unleash the Explorer Within You

When was the last time you travelled alone or has there actually been a time when you’ve travelled alone?

For me, travelling alone was rides full of joyous experiences with a few bad days though, but overall a hugely positive experience to share. The initial few plans failed terribly but I still managed to pack my bags every time, tie my laces, pick the backpack and leave – just leave for my solo time.

Travelling alone is no big deal if you know exactly why you’re doing this; there are people who travel alone because they want to stay aloof from the world, some to experience how it is to live on their own, and then there are people like me who travel alone because travelling ignites that spark within us – the passion is to travel – SOLO.

But, more often than not you will need to come up with answers for yourself stating why should you travel alone, and when you have an answer never look back – let the mountains embrace you and the oceans drown you while you learn that the world is a beautiful place.

This article summarizes why travelling alone is always a great idea and why should you travel alone; so, make sure you read the post until the end.

1. There’s an overwhelming sense of absolute freedom. Remember ‘this’ is your time of life; you will never be able to experience this time ever – so when you have it you live it to the best of your abilities. Travelling alone gives you an overwhelming sense of absolute freedom because you take the decisions on your own, you decide the things you need to do and those that you should avoid. When you’re traveling, you’re open to change and you’ll welcome it with open arms. The great thing is that you don’t have to fit into a group’s agenda, give explanations or disappoint anyone; you can follow your rhythm, desires and move like the wind.

2. You will meet amazing people. Travelling solo is a journey full of ups and downs and meeting new people throughout. Every place you go will find a new set of people some of who will match the same interest as yours. Meeting new people, communicating and taking all the nice details about the place, the history and culture will be the reward of your travel expedition. Also, some of these people might just be a part of your life forever.

3. You might just fall in love. For love you do not need a person – you can fall in love with the scenic beauty, the mountains, the waterfalls and even the forests and this form of love is the purest of all. Also, when you meet someone who’s just as passionate for travel as you are you might just start admiring them so much that admiration takes the form of love in it – so travel can sometimes make you fall in fall with the person who’s passionate about the same things like you.

4. You have all time to nurture yourself. Did you have a stressful month at work or was your exam result just horrible? Walk out my friend, you’ve got to spend some time alone – travel solo. Nurture yourself, and take your time – remember all good things take their time to happen and for you this might just be the beginning of it all.

5. You might discover your passion and the things that make you happy. Sometimes travelling alone might just give you a glimpse of your passion and the things that most interest you – you might want to start a photography campaign or a travel blog that speaks of your journey and your travel interests. When you give yourself the time and the patience the things that are meant for you and make the most sense might just happen.

Not only for these, you should also learn to travel alone to understand that this world is a beautiful place and that the chain of love shouldn’t end in hatred. When you travel alone you understand that nature has its own way of making the things happen and that there are a lot of beautiful places and things that you thought never existed – but when you see them for the first time you’re captivated by them, captivated for a lifetime.

My friend I advise you to travel alone as much as possible, as many times as you can – because you will never be this young again – Cease the moment when you have it today!

How to Start a Blog or Niche Website And Make Money

In 2021, due to lockdowns and mandates, more people than ever before began to look for ways to earn money working from home. In particular, many looked at blogging as an online business. The problem though, was that many of them didn’t really know how to make money from a blog. So just how can it be done?

Keep reading and I’ll go through 3 steps that you need to take to become an online blogger.

First, you need to find the right niche to work in. You need to find a “hungry market,” people who are looking for information to read and looking for products to buy.

It also needs to be a niche that you’re interested in because you’ll be writing a lot of blog posts about it.

Once you know what you’ll be blogging about, you then need to create a blog. This is simple to do using all the blogging software available. You can even set up a blog for free through platforms such as Google’s own Blogger service. Blogger has been around for years and is used by many successful bloggers, including me.

Once you’ve set up your blog, fill it with useful content, products to sell, and onsite advertising for extra income. Some bloggers earn thousands this way, selling products online as affiliates, and earning money through PPC advertising.

Once you get enough pages set up, it’s time to market your blog to get as many visitors as possible. And if you have an email subscription box on your blog, you can stay in touch with all those who sign up.

Marketing can be paid for, or can be done for free through social media and article directories. When you’re first starting out, it’s better to use free marketing, although you can go ahead and pay for it if you want to and if you already have the funds. Personally, I’ve never paid for online advertising for any of my website and blogs. Perhaps I’m leaving money on the proverbial table by marketing this way, but my online success over the years has been good without it.

And that’s the 3 steps you need to take. Choose your niche, set up a blog, join an affiliate network to find products to promote, and market your blog in as many places as you can to get thousands visitors. Just make sure you’re marketing in the right places to get the right kind of visitors.

So what are you waiting for?

Get your own money-making blog set up and running today.

5 Areas Where Interest Rates Matter!

Although, we hear, a lot of opinions, about, interest rates, and their trends, and impacts, very few people seem to understand, the significance, and importance/ relevance, of these rates, in several areas of our lives! After, many decades of involvement, in political campaigns, leadership, leadership training/ planning, real estate, financial sales and consulting, etc, I strongly believed, one benefits, by understanding, more about these, and how they affect, many things, in our lives! Whether, related to personal, organizational, and/ or, public finance/ spending, home ownership and related costs, credit – related issues, business matters, stock and bond pricing, etc, interest rates, truly, significantly, matter! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 5 of these areas, and how the cost – of – money, makes a significant difference.

1. Bond prices and interest rates: The price of a bond, generally, is inversely – related to interest rates! When these rates go down, prices, rise, and when they go up, the inverse occurs! Bonds have, what is known, as, a par – value, which is the price, paid, at the end of the term. Markets usually set these at 100, which represents $1,000 per bond, at maturity. However, during the period, the pricing can rise or fall, which impacts, liquidity – related issues!

2. Mortgage rates: For the last few years, we have been witnessing and experiencing, record – low, mortgage interest rates, which have helped the overall, real estate/ housing market, especially, in terms of, pricing increases! In most areas of this country, we are seeing, home prices, at their highest levels, ever, by a significant, dramatic amount! When this rate, is low, a home buyer is able to buy, more – house – for – his – bucks, because, his monthly payments, are so low! Consider, however, what might be the potential ramifications, and impacts, when these rates, will, inevitably, rise?

3. Consumer credit: Low costs of borrowing, help the automobile industry, in terms of consumer financing, etc! Although, not as much as other vehicles, rates on credit card debt, are lower, and there are often, shorter – term, promotions, offering deals! However, since, most of these are variable, and based, on some index, etc, what happens, when there is an increase, in this?

4. Business borrowing: Another area affected, is business cost of borrowing! Presently, they have had access, to relatively, cheap – money, which helps in reducing the costs of borrowing, overall operations, purchasing inventory, etc. But, what happens, when this, ticks – up?

5. Impacts on stock market prices: For some time, because bonds have paid so little, in terms of dividends, etc, many have considered, the stock market, the only game, in – town! In addition, many corporations, have seemed, better – off, than they probably are, and we have witnessed, a higher, ratio of prices to profits, than in the past! How long will this last? How high can it go?

Many factors impact these issues, especially: actual and/ or, perceived inflation; consumer confidence; politics/ government actions/ the Federal Reserve, etc. The more you know, and understand, hopefully, the better – prepared, you will be!