Tag Archives: travel

CDC Recommends Safer Ways to Celebrate Holidays

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has some recommendations on ways to safely celebrate holiday traditions and celebrations and protect your health. The focus is on preventing the spread of COVID-19 (and variants of it). Why is the CDC making these recommendations? According to the CDC, it is because many generations tend to gather to celebrate holidays, the best way to minimize COVID-19 risk and keep your family and friends safer is to get vaccinated if you are eligible. Here are some safer ways to celebrate the holidays: Protect those not yet eligible for vaccination such as young … Continue reading →

Touring the City on Less: Hotel Accommodations

For a great summer travel experience, consider touring a city, whether near or far. Stay for a weekend or a week (or more) and explore all that your city has to offer. Of course, you will want to do it for less. So far in this series, we have offered ways to save on transportation within the city, and on great food experiences. If you missed those articles, you can find the links below. Touring the City on Less: Touring Busses Touring the City on Less:  Food Extravaganza Today, I am going to talk about hotel accommodations. My frugal self … Continue reading →

Touring the City on Less: Touring Busses

 I spent a great day touring the city with my best friend from college. Fortunately, we did not spend much money at all. Here are some of the techniques we used to spend less and see more. First up: The local touring bus. Whenever my friend visits a new city, one of the first things that she does is to find out about the local touring busses. These are vehicles that are usually double-decker with the top open. Sometimes the busses are actually trolleys. Tourists can ride on the top as a tour guide narrates the various attractions throughout the city. … Continue reading →

Assessing Travel Amenities

Learning how to stretch your dollar is especially beneficial as the busy summer travel season kicks off.  Fortunately, there are a number of airlines and hotels looking to help you get the most bang for your buck this season, including: United Airlines:  The popular commercial carrier is catering to pet lovers.  United recently opened a new kennel at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.  Now when you opt for the airline’s PetSafe service your fur baby will enjoy modern, ventilated and temperature-controlled units.  The new kennel is located inside United’s cargo facility and can accommodate 28 pets.  The facility also has temperature-controlled … Continue reading →

Free Breakfast on the Road

Free? Is there such a thing these days? If you are a Marriott Rewards Gold or Platinum Elite member, the answer is a hearty “yes.” Hearty as in the breakfast you will get for F-R-E-E beginning June 22nd. Marriott International is treating its loyal customers to a free continental breakfast seven days a week at participating hotels in the U.S. and Canada.  To sweeten the deal even more, Gold and Platinum Elite members will also be able to share the free meal pass with a guest of their choice.  For elite guests who prefer not to claim a muffin, bagel … Continue reading →

Save on Room Service

When was the last time you ordered room service? If you are adhering to a strict travel budget, then splurging on a formal meal to be delivered to and consumed in the privacy of your hotel room may be out of the question. Or is it? Recently, some hotels have been experimenting with a frugal version of room service much to the delight of budget-conscious guests. PUBLIC Chicago, a boutique property in the Windy City, has been garnering headlines for its affordable room service described as “fast food with little human interaction.” The service is called “PUBLIC Express,” though instead … Continue reading →

Hotels: Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck

Hotel rooms aren’t cheap.  Adding insult to injury is the fact that many properties are now moving back check-in times, so by the time you are forced to check-out you’ve barely been in the place for 18 hours. How do you justify forking over $200 for a room you aren’t given the opportunity to be in for 24 hours?  Or worse, consider having to park yourself in the hotel’s lobby after a long flight simply because you arrived prior to the set check-in time. What a waste of time; precious time that you can’t put a price tag on. To … Continue reading →

Getting More Bang for Your Cruise Buck

Passengers on Disney’s oldest cruise ship will soon get more bang for their buck thanks to a huge renovation project.  The 15-year-old floating city is getting fitted with a series of phenomenal deck-top attractions, including a massive water slide called the AquaDunk. The Disney Magic’s newest attraction is being built to please passengers looking for thrills and chills at sea.  The water slide will be situated on the ship’s forward funnel and features a translucent tube and trap door where passengers wait a near-vertical free fall. When the door opens, riders drop nearly 40 feet before being shot through a … Continue reading →

Can You Afford Room Service?

If you don’t mind forking over $16 for three strips of bacon, then room service may be a no-brainer for your morning, noon or late-night meals. The saying, “If you have to ask price, you can’t afford it,” takes on new meaning when you are traveling.  After all, we have to eat to survive, but we certainly don’t have to opt for the $20 chicken salad sandwich, plus the 18% gratuity tacked on because we’re too lazy to eat somewhere other than our hotel room. With the economy still in the dumpster, can anyone afford the high cost of hotel … Continue reading →

Flying While Pregnant

Traveling is usually a lot of fun, but when you are pregnant, you may feel a little uneasy about taking a long trip, especially if it involves an airplane. Fortunately, air travel is often safe for pregnant women, unless it is late in the pregnancy or your prenatal care provider has other reasons for concern. The following tips can help you to have a safe and comfortable journey. As with many things involving your pregnancy, it is important to discuss any travel plans with your prenatal care provider. Your provider can advise you on whether it is safe for you … Continue reading →