Showing posts with label travel Deals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel Deals. Show all posts
Monday, September 19, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Google launches Flight Search - with a cool feature rivals lack
Google's new Flight Search allows users to find and book travel.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Google launched a new flight search service on Tuesday, putting it in direct competition with travel search players including Orbitz and Kayak.
Starting Tuesday, when a user searches for flight information -- like "flights from New York to Chicago" -- a "Flights" link will appear on the left side of Google's search page. Google Flight Search can also be accessed directly at google.com/flights.
From there, Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) displays a shortlist of flights based on cost and total travel time, including various departure times and airlines. Filters are set for "reasonable" price and duration, but users can manipulate them to show more flights.
One unique feature is an open-ended destination: Users can click the Flight Search map and use filters to see where they can go within certain time and cash boundaries. For example, a San Francisco flyer can check where he can visit within 3 hours for less than $300.
The selection of flights shown is not influenced by any paid relationships with the airlines, Google said. Flight Search is currently limited to round-trip economy-class flights between certain U.S. cities, but it will be expanded in the future.
Flight Search is the first product of Google's controversial $700 million purchase of ITA, the world's largest airline search software company. ITA data is used on websites including Kayak, Orbitz, Expedia.com, TripAdvisor and Microsoft's (MSFT, Fortune 500) Bing, as well as a number of airlines' websites.
After Google announced its intent to buy ITA in July 2010, travel search players raised concerns about search behemoth Google having unfettered access to valuable flight data. Reuters said that Kayak, with backing from Expedia.com, offered to buy ITA to prevent Google from purchasing it.
In April, the Department of Justice said Google could buy ITA only if the search giant accepted certain restrictions to avoid a monopoly.
Even with the caveats, Google's entry into the travel search space is a blow to rivals. For example, Bing has advertised flight information as a key point of differentiation between it and Google. On Bing, users can enter domestic flight queries, and the engine will predict when it is best for users to buy a ticket.
Beyond the big players, newbies in the field are surely taking note -- startups like Hipmunk, which is focused solely on simplifying flight search, are now contending with a huge name.
-- David Goldman contributed reporting. 
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Catle & mansion Hotels
Get away for a weekend, and live like a King
From: http://www.yellowpages.com/
Castle Hill Resort and Spa
Cavendish, VT - More Details
Royal Treatment
Magic in the Green Mountains, near Okemo ski trails. Each room is a unique escape of period pieces, hardwood floors, carved ceilings and Tiffany lamps. Rejuvenate with the heated outdoor pool, yoga and pilates classes and tennis courts in this quaint, antique-happy land.
Price Tag
$225+ per night
Glen Cove Mansion
Glen Cove, NY - More Details
The Royal Treatment
Once called "The Manor," the 1910 estate is part of Long Island's illustrious Gold Coast, lined with the English country houses and gothic Tudors of the wealthy. "North by Northwest" and "Sabrina" were filmed at the inn, now endowed with bourgeois pools and multitudinous sports courts.
Price Tag
$159-$399 per night
Mansion on Forsyth Park
Savannah, GA - More Details
The Royal Treatment
Play Savannah socialite in this restored Victorian in the heart of the Historic District. Gush over 400 pieces of original artwork, luxuriate at Poseidon Spa, stroll lush, legendary streets. Perfect your mise en place with chef-led classes at the Mansion's glowy-gorgeous 700 Drayton (left).
Price Tag
$199-$389 per night
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
Dallas, TX - More Details
The Royal Treatment
Originally built by a cotton magnate in 1925, this 16th-century Italian Renaissance mansion-turned-hotel oozes ritzy with hand-painted Chinese silk wallpaper, hand-carved fireplaces and stained glass windows. Luminaries the likes of FDR and Tennessee Williams have basked here.
Price Tag:
$300-$1,000 per night
Oheka Castle Hotel & Estate
Huntington, NY - More Details
The Royal Treatment
Financier/philanthropist Otto Hermann Kahn built this French chateau in the '20s for $11 million ($110 million today!) Once Kahn's summer pad, it became a retreat for sanitation workers, then a military academy. Now it's a hotel resplendent with library and gardens. Day tours available.
Price Tag
$395-$1,095 per night
The Cloister at Sea Island
Simons Island, GA - More Details
The Royal Treatment
You can imagine Rockefeller himself pulling up to this secluded retreat along the Georgia coast. "Basic" accommodations here start with 700-sq. ft. rooms with river views all the way up to suites and villas with fireplaces and their own libraries.
Price Tag
$349+ per night
Manor on Golden Pond
Holderness, NH - More Details
The Royal Treatment
Indeed, it is that "On Golden Pond." The manor, originally the dream home of a debutante and a wealthy Englishman, looks over Squam Lake, where the Oscar-winning "On Golden Pond" was filmed. Most rooms have wood-burning fireplaces and sweeping vista views.
Price Tag
$220-$540 per night
Castle on the Hudson
Tarrytown, NY - More Details
The Royal Treatment
Carrollcliffe was its first name, built from 1897-1910 just outside of Manhattan. Much of the castle's original woodwork and furnishings remain, and a cave-like bar is made of stone quarried on site. Fireplaces, shadowy alcoves, and bocce by the waterfall make this a place out of time.
Price Tag
$220-$650 per night
Wentworth Mansion
Charleston, SC - More Details
The Royal Treatment
Not much has changed since Wentworth house debuted in the 1800s in Second Empire style. The mansard roof tops crystal chandeliers, marble mantels and Tiffany stained glass windows. Pore over tomes in the library, swirl cordials in the parlor ... if you can abandon the Grand Suite (left).
Price Tag
$279-$750 per night
Blantyre
Lenox, MA - More Details
The Royal Treatment
Dare we say the Queen Mum herself would approve. Built as a family getaway in 1901, the English manor exudes regal posh, with leaded glass windows and in-room fireplaces. Idle like aristocracy playing bocce, snow-shoeing across the 117 acres, or delighting in a jolly sleigh ride.
Price Tag
$675-$2,000 per night
The Villa By Barton G
Miami Beach, FL - More Details
Fab Factor
Live like a lavish mogul at late designer Gianni Versace's 19,000-square-foot estate. Ornate floors of Italian marble, the outrageously opulent Thousand Mosaic Pool, a rooftop lounge where you can thank your lucky stars ... They've even got Kindle e-readers for you.
Price Tag
$795-$1,950 per night
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The New Way to Find the Best Airfare Deals
By: Aleksandra Todorova
From: http://www.mint.com/
If you’re like most bargain airfare seekers, chances are your flight shopping goes something like this:
1. Go to Kayak.com or Orbitz.com. Or Priceline.com, Hotwire.com, or Travelocity.com. Or all of the above.
2. Search for the lowest fares for your desired travel dates and destination.
3. Repeat.
Please. That is so 2001. Allow us to fly you into 2010 and beyond, with some new tricks for scoring airfare deals.
These days, websites alert you when particularly great deals become available out of your local airport to your desired destinations — not to mention the ones that actually predict what airfares will look like in the near future so you can adjust your travel plans accordingly. There are even services that enable you to get some cash back if prices fall after you’ve purchased your tickets.
Interested?
In the video above, WalletPop.com editor at large Jason Cochran walks you through the details, with specific advice on which websites to visit in order to get the best travel deals.
Instead of starting off your search at the sites we mentioned above, for example, Cochran’s advice is to sign up for the free email alerts from AirfareWatchdog.com and all airlines that fly out of your home airport: this way you’ll know when tickets go on sale and can even create your vacation’s itinerary around the most affordable airfare routes.
Next, swing by Bing Travel and Momondo.com: those websites try to predict airfares based on historical data.
Finally, these days your search for deals doesn’t end with the ticket purchase. If the price of your flight falls any time after that, you can get some of your money back thanks to new websites that alert you to those changes.
For more details, watch the video above, or on WalletPop.com.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Budget Travel Tips: Skip the Hotel With These Five Lodging Alternatives
photo: foilman
New York State recently passed a law that bans enterprising home owners from renting out private property for less than 30 days. Taking advantage of temporarily empty spaces made a lot of sense in New York City, considering the insanely high cost of real estate in the area. It was arguably beneficial to tourists as well, who were able to rent a space for a much lower cost than that of a hotel room.
The reality is, staying at a hotel — whether in New York City or elsewhere in the world — is among the priciest ways to travel. Increasingly, budget-conscious travelers are seeking out alternative lodging arrangements, from swapping apartments to crashing on someone’s couch.
Here are five ways to slash the price of your travel drastically.
House swaps
What it is: Websites like Homelink.org and HomeExchange.com hook up travelers who want to exchange homes for usually a week or two. Other than the membership costs (described below), house swaps do not involve money exchange: you stay at someone’s home for free, while they stay in yours.
How it works: A network of international, multi-lingual sites are linked to allow for a more global reach. After signing up ($9.95 per month for a one year unlimited membership or $15.95 per month for a three-month trial), exchangers create a profile, including listing all the places they are interested in visiting. Search the site for your house-swapping soul mate, then send them a message through the secure server to start a dialogue. On HomeExchange.com, you’ll find everything from a four-bedroom place in Kigali, Rwanda to a studio in Tokyo.
But how safe is it to open up your home to strangers, you may ask. HomeExchange reports that in 14 years they’ve never had a case of vandalism or a complaint that someone has cleared out an exchanger’s lot. They encourage the families involved to approach a house swap like internet dating, getting to know potential swappers by connecting and communicating as much as possible beforehand. They also offer this sample agreement to help you seal the deal.
Frequent users of these services like that they live as locals instead of being funneled along a tourist path, and that they have someone to give them recommendations on happenings in their new area code.
Your savings: The monthly membership fees can add up, but considering that a typical hotel room is around $200 per night, you stand to save thousands of dollars, especially if you have some vacation time in the bank. Many people also set up car exchanges to further their savings.
Couch surfing/Renting private spaces
What it is: Networks of travel addicts and those who want to have international experiences or make a little extra cash by hosting those addicts in their homes. You’ll find two types of services out there: Ones like Couchsurfing.org, based on goodwill and not charging for space, and those like Airbnb.com, in which private homes and rooms are rented out for a typically affordable fee.
How it works: With Couchsurfing.org, the host sets up a profile and is then subject of some safety checks. One way to verify the host’s identity and address is to make a donation to the organization. Some recommend searching for those hosts who have gone through that verification process, though it is in no way manatory for becoming a host. In addition to that, you do not have to host someone in order to be an eligible surfer yourself. You could also choose to just meet people in the network to hang out for a coffee or a drink. So far, this nonprofit organization claims to have helped create 2.4 million successful friendships in 230 countries.
If you’re a traveler in need of a couch to crash on, you can narrow down your search with specific criteria, such as the gender and age of your host. You can also check former crashers’ references, which is helpful. (Hosts can not modify comments.)
Money does exchange hands with services like Airbnb.com, Crashpadder.com, and iStopOver.com, where individuals set up a profile for their space, whether it’s a downtown LA loft for $100 a night to a room in a townhouse in Phuket, Thailand, for $25. The conversation starts on the site, and usually the company will handle the exchange of money, which can make a blooming friendship less awkward. (On crashpadder.com the host can also ask that the renter pay them directly in cash.)
Your savings: If, realistically, your alternative for a hyper-social travel experience is a hostel, you don’t stand to save that much, maybe a few hundred dollars, depending on the cost of living at your destination. If your alterative is a hotel room, the savings will certainly be more drastic. Either way, you do stand to make new friends and see a new place through the eyes of a local.
Renting a vacation home
What it is: Using sites like HomeAway.com and vrbo.com, vacation home owners (or someone managing the property on their behalf) post homes for rent, usually in attractive vacation spots like the beach or mountain. Many owners tend to rent out their places for longer periods, such as a week, and cater to larger groups or families. (The average size of a property on HomeAway.com is 1,850 square feet.)
How it works: Simply search for places that interest you and send a direct message to the owner through the site. The site can also provide a rental guarantee that will protect the renter against any wrongdoing with deposits.
Your savings: Hundreds to thousands of dollars, especially if you take advantage of the weekly rental prices. The added advantage is having a full kitchen stocked with supplies and extras like barbeque grills that you wouldn’t necessarily find at traditional hotels, helping you save big on meals.
Private Rooms in Hostels
What it is: You may know hostels as dorm-style accommodations favored by international travelers–and you may have a negative opinion of them as places where you have to chain your underwear to your bunk-bed post. What you may not know is that many hostels have private rooms that are very cheap, clean and a great alternative to pricier hotels.
How it works: Look around on the vast network of friendly hostels around the world, starting with Hostelling International, then zero in on those that have private rooms. One caveat: you may still have to share a bathroom. You’ll get the social scene of travelers from all over the world hanging in the common space, including lots of people eating ramen noodles out of questionable dishes, and you still have the privacy of a hotel room when you want to escape it all.
Your savings: A private double room in a decent San Francisco hostel costs about $90 per night. A private hostel room in Bangkok, Thailand is about $50. A regular hotel room will cost roughly double. Depending on the length of your trip, you could save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
Sublets
What it is: There’s a room opening in a local apartment, which the tenant is renting out for a limited time while away.
How it works: Hit up Craigslist in any given city–except New York (per the new law mentioned in the beginning of this article). Go to the housing section, then navigate to the Sublets & Temporary section or Vacation Rentals section. But, buyer beware: there isn’t much oversight over how listings are executed, and many travelers have reported arranging a sublet only to find out upon arrival that the tenant will not be going away. Instead he’ll be staying on the couch while you pay his rent. At the same time, though, others have had incredible experiences, living in posh pads in the world’s greatest cities, if only for a week. It is advisable to get the deal in writing, no matter the length of stay, and to make sure that the building’s owner is aware of your presence.
Your savings: Potentially thousands of dollars, depending on the length of your stay. The most popular cities to find sublets in are also the most expensive, which is mighty convenient.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Ryanair introduces toilet tax and family tax. Has it gone too far?
However, at the same time, the airline remains competitive - forcing us to choose whether to opt for cheap and cheerless and live with the irritation, or pay more for the flight.
It's a tough call, but Ryanair has just announced new stealth charges which could tip the balance.
It will introduce a charge for using the toilet. It'll cost you £1 or 1 euro to spend a penny, and the toilets will be coin operated. To add insult to injury they are also cutting the number of onboard toilets, to just one. So if you're caught short not only will you have to pay for the privilege of using the loo, but you'll also have to queue with the other 180 odd passengers first.
The charge will be introduced after the summer holiday rush.
This charge particularly rankles, because unlike other stealth charges, like the overpriced food or paying with a credit card, you can hardly avoid paying this tax through taking extra care. You could dehydrate yourself, or bring a small bottle and a blanket, but you run the risk of serious illness or arrest for indecency - neither of which seem worth it in order to save £1.
Ryanair has also announced it will boost the charge for checking in luggage from £15 to £20 during the summer holidays. Spokesman Stephen McNamara said: 'We are determined to incentivise passengers to travel light this summer by increasing our checked-in baggage fees for the months of July and August only."
This is just charming. Clearly the families travelling at this time are the ones who need luggage. You can hardly go away with young kids toting a small handbag and a change of clothes. They'll get through the first change of clothes rolling around the floor in the departure lounge.
So what can you do about it?
Same as always. Shop around for your flights and be sure to factor in all these charges when you do. Then you have a decision to make. Do you live with the irritation in the hunt for a bargain, or do you vote with your feet?
Personally I walked away from Ryanair years ago, opting to fly less rather than allow irritation to destroy the first day of the break, and finish a holiday on a low note. But what do you think? Has it gone too far this time?
Monday, January 11, 2010
The 31 Places to Go in 2010
nytimes.com — From palm-fringed beaches in Bahia to the wilds of Norway, travel choices for nomads have never been more compelling.
click here for some interesting and different travel choice... The 31 Places to Go in 2010Friday, January 8, 2010
Cheap Mobile Calls, Even Overseas
With Skype Mobile, users can make free calls to other Skype phones, or calls to non-Skype phones for a fee.
Truphone permits you to make free calls to other Truphone users or to sign on to your Skype account.
Fring offers calls over Wi-Fi and 3G networks and connects to Skype, Google Talk and MSN Messenger.
What my parents did not realize was that they could have nearly eliminated those charges if they had set up their (in this case) iPhone and BlackBerry to take advantage of mobile Internet calling services: That $1.29-a-minute charge would have gone down to a much more reasonable 2.4 cents a minute (or nothing at all if they were on a Wi-Fi network).
The Internet has been used to make calls for some time. One of the largest providers of the service, Skype, was founded in 2003 and has more than half a billion user accounts. And while many people gather around the PC to talk to far-flung friends and family, new apps and services can replicate that experience (and that savings) on cellphones.
To transform your mobile phone into a device capable of making cheap international calls, you need to consider a few things. Ideally, you have a smartphone that can access Wi-Fi, like an iPhone or a Droid. Wi-Fi ensures the best call quality, since it’s carried over a high-speed Internet connection rather than through third-generation, or 3G, cellular networks.
But if you don’t have a Wi-Fi-enabled smartphone, you are not out of luck. There are calling services that use local phone numbers rather than wireless data connections to place calls, making them compatible with a wide range of devices. Applications can dial a local access number as if you were placing a regular call; and your call is routed over the Internet at similarly discounted rates.
There are also free calling mobile applications, each with its own layout, feature list and call quality. In my tests of more than six different applications by calling friends in Europe and Africa, these stood out:
SKYPE FOR MOBILE Like the program for Mac and PCs, Skype Mobile lets you make free calls and send instant messages to fellow Skype users. You can also call non-Skype landlines and cellphones using Skype Credit, a fee-based service that charges pennies per minute for international calls.
Skype offers several mobile versions, including Skype for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Skype Lite for Java and Android phones, and Skype for Windows phones.
The application for the iPhone and iPod Touch most closely resembles Skype’s familiar desktop program. Though I could send text-based chat messages to my Skype-using friend in Belgrade over AT&T’s 3G network, I needed to connect the phone to a Wi-Fi network to make a call. (You currently cannot make Skype or other Internet-based calls on the iPhone via AT&T’s 3G network, though that could change soon.) After a simple tap of the call button, I could clearly hear his familiar accent without any noticeable lag or choppiness.
Similarly, a call I made to a friend’s cellphone in Senegal using Skype Credit was crystal clear in sound and connected in only 15 seconds. We chatted for 10 minutes, which cost me only $2.40. That same call on AT&T, even if I signed on to its international calling plan (which costs $4 a month), would have cost $8.80. Without the international calling plan, the fee would have climbed to $27.80.
For those without iPhones or Windows Mobile devices, Skype provides its Skype Lite application. Skype Lite cannot make calls over Wi-Fi or 3G networks, but instead routes calls through a local cellphone number.
It isn’t as complicated as it sounds: when using a MyTouch 3G phone, I selected a Skype contact in London. The application started the phone’s dialer and automatically routed the call to a local number. My British pal came through clear and static-free.
One thing to remember is that while calls made with Skype Lite are local and your carrier won’t exact a long-distance fee, you are technically making a call. So those calls will count against the minutes in your calling plan.
FRING Picking up where Skype Mobile leaves off, Fring provides an even richer experience on more phones. It supports calling over Wi-Fi and 3G on Android and Nokia devices; iPhone 3G calling is on the way. In addition to free calling to Fring members anywhere in the world, the service connects to Skype, Google Talk and MSN Messenger contacts.
After installing the Fring application from the Android Marketplace on Sprint’s HTC Hero, I tapped into my Skype account to call my Belgrade friend over Sprint’s network. Since I didn’t need to be in a Wi-Fi hotspot, I made the call while walking down a noisy New York street.
Unfortunately, because 3G data networks weren’t built for packets of data as fast-moving as a cellphone call, the connection was weak and kept fading in and out. When I was standing still, the call was slightly clearer but like a dialogue between in-studio anchors and on-the-ground news correspondents, there was a noticeable lag in the conversation.
That all disappeared when I connected the Hero to a Wi-Fi network; we talked for five minutes with no interruptions or delay.
If you are a fan of Skype’s desktop video-calling service, you may be wondering when it will be appearing on its mobile app. Fring’s already beaten Skype to the punch on this feature. The company recently updated its iPhone application with one-way video calling. “One-way,” because the iPhone doesn’t have a front-facing camera — so you can see your caller but your caller can’t see you.
TRUPHONE Truphone, which works a bit differently from Skype and Fring, is available for a number of devices including the iPhone, the iPod Touch and Android, Nokia and BlackBerry handsets.
Truphone doesn’t have a 3G calling option, but offers calling over Wi-Fi for Android, Nokia and iPhone handsets. The company offers Truphone Anywhere, a service similar to Skype’s Lite application that routes long-distance calls first over a local number and then via the Internet for lower rates.
Though Truphone permits you to sign into your Skype account and call Skype users, you can also make free calls to other Truphone users. When I called a Truphone friend in London on his cell using a Wi-Fi network, call quality was decent and there was no background hissing.
Blending the functionality of both Fring and Skype, I discovered the true beauty of Truphone when I ventured outside of Wi-Fi territory and was able to automatically call Truphone users and international numbers by using my phone’s own dialing capabilities. Although I needed to buy Truphone credit, the call was routed over a local number and then to Truphone’s network.
What’s the benefit of that, rather than it switching to 3G like Fring? Much better call quality. Just as with Skype Lite, when I dialed my friend in Israel, Truphone called a local New York City number, and connected me to her cell. Her voice was as clear as if she was sitting right next to me.
Clearly, making a choice about which service to use to reduce the cost of international calling will depend heavily on what cellphone you have and whether you have easy access to a Wi-Fi network.
But no matter which option you select, you will definitely save some money. AT&T may have heavily charged my parents one time for their globetrotting calling habits, but with so many new and cheaper options, that won’t happen again.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
101 hacks & shortcuts for enjoying Australia on a budget
britz.com.au — Hacks and shortcuts to help you enjoy travelling around Australia whilst not burning a hole in your pocket.
click here for this very hand guide: Australia on a budget
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Airline appears serious about pay toilets
by Karen Datko
Travelers on European budget carrier Ryanair will likely have to start paying for bathroom use, and may wish they had a wooden (think hollow) leg.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary told the Guardian newspaper in England that he's serious about charging for toilet access -- an idea he had earlier bandied about -- and also plans to reduce the number of bathrooms on his Boeing 737-800 jets from three to one.
Those bathrooms will be replaced with six more seats -- "which means more passengers will stand in line longer for the privilege of paying to potty. This can't be good for beverage cart sales," wrote Rob Manker at ChicagoTribune.com.
O'Leary said he's asked Boeing to look into placing credit card readers on bathroom locks in new Ryanair planes and making that seat adjustment. The price to potty would be £1, or about $1.60, when it takes effect within two years.
"We are flying aircraft on an average flight time of one hour around Europe," O'Leary said. "What the hell do we need three toilets for?"
Hmm. Perhaps because the 737-800 seats 162 to 189 passengers, depending on the seat configuration, not including O'Leary's extra seats.
Carl Unger at Smarter Travel commented, "To be fair, I can see his point. Ryanair essentially acts as a bus service in the sky .... Of course, your average 737 carries three times as many passengers as your average long-distance bus."
Seeing may be believing when it comes to O'Leary, who the Guardian says is known as "O'Really" because he doesn't always mean what he says. However, it's true that O'Leary has never met an airline fee he didn't like.
In fact, ChicagoTribune.com says, "There are reports O'Leary is also tossing around the idea of requiring passengers to load their own luggage onto jets, so that the airline can cut costs by not having baggage handlers."
Stateside travelers aren't immune from rising fees. Starting Wednesday, June 10, United Airlines customers who don't pay their checked-baggage fees online will start paying an extra $5 at the airport, ChicagoTribune.com says. That will amount to $20 for the first bag and $30 for the second. US Airways will follow suit in July.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Hotels Beware: Rentals Are The New Key for Vacation Savings
By: Edgar Acero, Even with a tough economy, is it possible to snag a deal in Palm Springs on Memorial Day weekend? Kristen Bergevin, a 35-year old Los Angeles resident who works in a marketing communications agency, wasn't sure it would be possible to fulfill her vacation wishes, but with by taking some extra time to research possible vacation spots she found a great deal. The key: opting for a vacation rental with friends rather than staying in a hotel.
Photo by: Adam ChamnessFor bigger savings, try destinations that are slightly off-the-beaten path such as Lake Martin, Ala.
"I would have to spend at least $300 a night in a hotel, and that’s just the room," she says. "By renting a house, it becomes $250 per person and we get our own rooms, a jacuzzi, and privacy."
With consumers uncertain about the economy, many are forgoing vacations, and leaving deals out there for those who are still traveling.
Renting a house or apartment can allow travelers to maximize their budget. Not only are some property owners cutting prices to attract guests, but more people who own second homes are renting them out in order to cope with the economic downturn. As a result, interest in rental properties is growing.
Online vacation rental sites such as HomeAway.com and VillasOfDistinction.com have seen a big increase in their traffic.
"Business is growing quite aggressively," says Brian Sharples, CEO of HomeAway.com. "People are still traveling and they are looking for more value."
"People are shopping around more," says Maya Offenbach, Manager of Villas of Distinction. "In the past, they weren't worrying about deals as much."
Sharples says that part of the reason for the increase is the fact that people are having a tough time selling their homes and they have started to see the value on vacation rentals.
"The supply for vacation rental homes has increased dramatically," says Stephen Ferrari, who has owned a five-bedroom vacation home in Duck, N.C., for the past 16 years. "You’ll find a place even if you wait until the last minute."
Still, Ferrari insists that even though there is more supply, the industry is not flourishing. "We have seen trouble," he says. "I used to rent my home 25 or 26 weeks in past years. Now I’ve renting only 15 or 16 weeks."
That may be good news for vactioners. As homeowners have started to be wary that the economic downturn might eventually hurt the business, real estate managers have started to act.
"Our rental manager dropped prices by 10 percent this year," says Shari Hindman, who rents a home in Lake Martin, Alabama. "The recession is on people’s minds."
"It’s a great time for the consumer," says Robert Haupt, a lawyer who represents vacation rental owners in the Midwest and in Florida. "Because of the recession we will start seeing prices drop this summer, and you’ll see lots of deals out there."
 |
Photo by: Keith Bellvay There are plenty of rental options available in North Carolina's Outer Banks. |
For those who don't wish to gamble on snagging a deal at a popular resort area at the very last minute, try locations that are off the beaten path. Here are a few, lesser known destinations, where the deals are already available:
Duck, North Carolina
Located on North Carolina's Outer Banks, the "cottages"—as they are commonly known locally—can be as big as seven rooms. With balmy summer temperatures and the choice to enjoy the ocean or the bay, Duck is a popular destination.
The prices for a week’s stay range from $2000 to $9000 depending on the location and the size of the house.
Lake Martin, Alabama
This traditional Southern town in Alabama has been well regarded for fishing, swimming and boating.
"Anyone with wealth has come to build here," says local owner Aubrey Hornsvy. "But it’s still economically attractive to families."
Most homes in Lake Martin can be rented as low as $200 per night.
 |
Photo by: Tony Mt. Hood provides an option for those who want to leave the beach behind. |
Mt. Hood, Oregon
Forty minutes away from Portland, Mt. Hood offers an interesting option for groups looking to leave the beach behind this summer.
"The summer is actually busier than the ski season," says Frank Groff, who owns a cabin in the area. "The topography looks like you’re in a fairy tale. The trees are huge and the mountain is amazing."
The peak summer season extends from May 23 through September 11, and cabins at Mount Hood can cost $250 a night per person.
© 2009 CNBC.com
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
25 Gotta Have Travel Gadgets
Traveling Accessories
Reef
Reef Stash Sandals
By law, any hotel stay within 5 miles of a beach requires at least one 15-minute toe-dipping session. But keeping an eye on pocketfuls of accumulated travel crud (hotel keys, credit card, crumpled $20 bills) usually results in a less-than relaxing experience, with constant glances back at your towel to make sure no one has found your genius hiding space—under the towel. Stash sandals are comfortable enough to wear on the beach, but their real utility is as a mobile safe. The secret tray in the sole slides out to hold personal items and slides back in to make sure no one knows they're there. It's something Q might have cooked up if Bond ever decided to take up surfing.
List Price: $45
— Josh Tyrangiel
Hi-Tech Travel Companions
Headed for a getaway? Traveling for business, pleasure or both? Whether you're making your way by plane, train, automobile, or even your own two feet, no trip is complete these days without digital accessories. Here are 25 great sidekicks to help make the journey pain-free
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click here for the whole list with slideshow Enter >>
Friday, March 27, 2009
Why You Should Travel Now
Last year’s travel buzzword was “staycation,” an idea that promoted the benefits of thinking local instead of plunking down a credit card for a luxurious vacation getaway. As the economy has taken even more of a nosedive, travel-shy consumers can now benefit from the deep discounts being offered by resorts and airlines, discounts so deep that you just might be tempted to pack your bags.
We talked with Barbara Messing, the Vice President of Travel Ticker, a division of Hotwire that tracks the best insider travel deals, including special limited-time offers, small hotels you wouldn’t normally find online and exotic locations. Messing publishes her own weekly picks of the best deals in the “Barbara’s Best” section of the site-and sees this as one of the best times to book a vacation.
“The silver lining of this economic downturn is that there have never been better travel bargains. These are truly the best deals I’ve ever seen,” Messing says. “It’s a pretty amazing time to travel if you can put down your credit card now. You’ll get more value than ever.”
Here are some reasons why you should travel now:
Even luxury resorts are offering deep discounts. That’s right: You don’t have to stay in a cheap motel to get a good bargain. For the first time in recent memory, you can stay at the hottest properties in town without having to pay premium prices. “This is one of the most interesting trends we’re seeing: Luxurious, aspirational properties, like the plush new, four and a half-star Intercontinental in San Francisco, which has a fantastic spa or the Biltmore, which is a classic Phoenix resort, are offering great prices,” Messing says. “The Biltmore, for instance, is about 45% off, and we’re actually seeing this during peak season, not in the middle of the summer when you wouldn’t want to go to Arizona.”
Two favorite destinations-Hawaii and Vegas-are at all-time low prices. “All of Hawaii is basically on sale; all of the hotels are discounting heavily,” Messing notes, due to reduced flights to the always popular destination. Makes sense. They’d rather offer rock-bottom prices than have empty rooms. “In Vegas, there’s the combination of an incredible hotel building boom with reduced business travel, so it’s like a red tag sale of four- and five-star properties on the strip like the Wynn, the the Palazzo, and Palm Place.”
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All-inclusives are a great deal for the budget-conscious traveler and families. By going with an all-inclusive package, you pay one price up front for everything, so there are no surprises. “There are a ton of deals at all-inclusive resorts, especially at the new hotels along the Mexican Riviera, which would rather offer deep discounts than have empty rooms,” Messing says. “Resort pricing on food and beverage can be higher than you might expect, so this way, you can just enjoy that margarita without worrying about the $15 price tag.”
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The deal can do all the talking. Instead of setting your heart on one particular destination, decide what kind of vacation you’d like and then explore the deals out there. “It’s such a great time to travel that I’d recommend letting the deal be the inspiration. For instance, if you want a beach vacation, be open to the Caribbean and Mexico and just look for the best deal.”
Even local vacations can be a good getaway. “A lot of four- and five-star hotels in big cities are empty on the weekends,” Messing says. “You can save on airfare by finding a great deal and driving there.” Now might be the ideal time for the weekend in the city you’ve dreamed about. You’ll probably have enough money left over for a meal in a restaurant and a show.
The news is not all good. The larger airlines have tightened up on baggage restrictions and they’ve passed those costs on to the customer. But here’s one last tip. If at all possible, try to get everything into a carry-on. If you just can’t bear to leave certain items behind, try to avoid baggage fees altogether. “Look for flights on airlines like Virgin America, Alaska and Southwest, which don’t charge you to check a bag,” Messing explains.
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