Travel- Money Saving Tips

It has been a while I have posted. Been a little crazy with work, travel, and trick o’ treating with my toddler. Fun, but busy. I am back, and to add to the holiday and travel excitement, I am planning to introduce a new section to the blog- “deal of the week”, whenever I see an irresistable deal. So anything from airfare, to hotel, to vacation rental, a timeshare deal, this will be my 2 cents. So check it out.

With the holidays coming, I am sure a lot of you are planning a trip or two. Some may be wanting to use up your timeshare time or some of you might find better deal elsewhere, either way, traveling is always fun and a great learning experience. So, some posts on travel and travel money-saving tips, and then we’ll get back to the ever interesting world of timeshares.

And you know what could make traveling even more fun- if you could save some green $$, without having to compromise on your comfort. I am not a millionaire, and don’t plan to become one. So, a few hundred or a few thousand dollars saved, is a huge saving for me.

Money Saving tips- Tip #1 – Travel at non-peak time

Whether you own a timshare or not, a small change in travel time and a little planning could go a long way in saving you some $$. Different people have a different definition of peak and non-peak time. For me, peak is the entire week of the holiday, for example the sunday before thanksgiving holiday although the Sunday after thanksgiving, or the week before Christmas through New year. My recommendation- travel a week or two before or after the holiday week.

It might be hard for folks to get vacation etc, but plan accordingly, and plan way ahead of time. The worst thing you can do for your budget is to plan last minute and travel the week/ weekend of the holiday- that’s a killer. Yes, there are last minute deals out there, but you may not get what you want. If you are open to going anywhere, or just being home if you don’t find anything, last minute deals are a good option.

Traveling at non-peak times could save you tons of money, and long waiting times for shows/ rides, etc. like:

- Airfare and ridiculous extra charges by airlines


- hotels

- car rental

- show tickets

- pet boarding is available

Check out this sample airfare chart from Continental airlines checked on Nov 2, 2009. I just entered 2 random cities- airfare form Houston, TX to Newark, NJ. See the fare differences between Nov 18 ($268) and Nov 25 ($418). If you are a family of four, you save $600 right off the bat. That is a LOT of money!