Travel Tips

When looking to get away from the commotion of everyday life for a long period of time, or even just a weekend, be sure to find a value-packed travel package. Travel packages are almost always available for crowd attracting destinations such as Orlando, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and even cruise lines.

As far as pricing goes, the cost of the travel package is constructed on various things.  Something as small as time of the year can be a deciding factor in the price range of your travel package.

If you use a travel agent, it may depend on the capability of the agent to get discounts for you.  During slow season, hotels could offer discounts up to 50% depending on the days you’re staying.  Agents also promise a certain number of seats to be filled on specific flights, making them achieve a smaller cost per passenger. [Read more…] about Can a Travel Package Help Me Save Money?

Saving money on family fun is especially important during the summer months, when the kids are out of school, restless, and looking to you for some entertainment ideas. It can make you feel guilty if you don’t have the money to continually rent video games, take them to costly kid-friendly places, and shell out big bucks for full fare activities.

Even during the school year, it’s important to be able to get out of the house with the kids and do something that won’t break the bank. This is where season passes come in handy. If you live in or near a big city, you can pay once for full, year-round access to a wide variety of entertainment hot spots.

The zoo is a great place to save money with a season pass. A season pass to a zoo not only gets you in the door without paying again all year, but you usually get free parking, too. [Read more…] about Around Town Savings for Family Fun

Entertaining the family doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. You can save those to buy gasoline. There are numerous ways for the family to have fun, be together and spend little if any money. Be resourceful, creative, keep an open mind and a fun heart. After all, nothing’s better than laughing with your family and laughs are free.

1. Celebrate a holiday even if it’s not a holiday. Check the calendar and online for many unusual holidays on which to peg your celebration. For instance, there’s a National Watermelon Day. Celebrate by gathering the family in the backyard or a park and eating watermelon. Stretch the celebration by having a family watermelon seed-spitting contest.
You could also celebrate Christmas in July or Thanksgiving in August.

2. Clean out the kitchen pantry but make it fun by putting together all those newly discovered foods hiding on the back shelves for unusual but delightful dishes. Have a contest with each family member creating an original recipe. Continue the theme by cleaning out a closet, garage or attic and designate items for a yard sale. Earmark the money earned for a family getaway and you’ll get more cooperation.

3. Visit a cemetery. Okay this may sound a little morose but can be fun and educational too. Many headstones have interesting formations and histories. Volunteer the family to help clean up the cemetery, trim grass and pull a few weeds. Some cemeteries even have places to have a picnic so don’t forget the food.

4. Go fly a kite. Some of your fondest memories of growing up may be when your mom or dad helped you build and fly a kite. You can buy all kinds of kite designs if you want or get kite kits and make them yourself. Materials are inexpensive and construction can be simple.

5. Take a field trip to a pick your own farm. The entire family can pick various fruits and vegetables, then purchase and eat them. Because you picked them yourself, the prices are very reasonable and they taste better too. Check your newspaper for the nearest farm to you and remember this is a seasonal activity.

6. Visit a botanical garden or arboretum. Most of these are free and is a beautiful place to just stroll and visit with your family. Sometimes lectures or festivals are being held at the gardens. Take your camera and get some memorable shots of your family among the flowers.

7. Spend the night outside. This could be in your back yard or in a camp site. Sit quietly by a campfire and try to identify sounds of the night. It could be a part night or an all night affair.

Frugal nights and days with your family can be some of the best. You’re together but not worried about the money being spent. Best of all, your children will probably grow up and experience many of the same events with their kids too.

Have you thought about renting a place in Autralia and living more like a local than a traveling family?

Rentalo.com, a leading online lodging directory, has recently performed an in-depth market analysis on nearly 700 traveler’s inquiries submitted from July 2008 to January 2010 requesting accommodations in Australia’s top vacation destinations. In an effort to educate the travel industry, the lodging website has decided to publicly share the results of the study which reveal consumer’s travel interests, behaviors, and demands. Travel experts and media publications may also benefit from this information. Below you will find the results of the study for the top two vacation destinations in Australia.

Sydney, New South Wales

Sydney is a popular romantic destination, and we can infer this because 31.3% of the inquiries received are from parties of 2 adults. Sydney is also popular for family vacations and large group gatherings with 24.9% of the inquiries coming from 4 or more adults, and 20.8% from families with children. 13.2% are from people traveling alone.

29.2% of the travelers visiting Sydney are budget conscious with an average budget of $186 USD per night. 70.8% are leisure or business travelers with little or no budget constraints. [Read more…] about Rental Info for Australia