Do you have winter blues? Feel like you need to get away? I know I do. Up here in the snowy Northeast this time of the year is cold and grey; it makes me want to stay inside in my pyjamas or travel south to warmer climates.
As you know I love to travel, like really love it. I was having lunch with my friend Lyanne yesterday and I was telling her about my upcoming plans to go to Las Vegas. She said “I don’t know anyone who travels as much as you do.” I know I’m lucky to live in a city that is so close to so many other great cities like New York and Boston. The truth is I don’t take luxurious vacations every month; the reason I can travel so often is because I do it for cheap.
Travel for convenience
This is something I never do. Of course it would be nice to book a direct flight, get on the plane , fall asleep and wake up in another country – but that’s expensive. If I have to travel at less convenient times or make a stop along the route I will definitely do it to save on my airfare. However one connection is where I draw the line, anything more than that just cuts into my vacation time.
Pay more for a room with a view
Whenever I book my travel online or over the phone with a customer service representative I’m always promoted to upgrade to a room with a view. This is something I never do. Last September I went to New Orleans for the FinCon conference and booked a city view room. It was $10 more a night to book a room with a view of the Mississippi River, I politely declined.
There is no way I would pay extra for a room with a view because I am hardly ever in my hotel room when I’m on vacation. When I am in the room I’m either taking a shower, getting ready or going to sleep. I’m definitely not staring out the window thinking “What a pretty view”.
Share a room
Big mistake. My recent trip to New Orleans was the first time I shared a room with other conference attendees and truth be told I will probably never do it again. I thought it would be a good idea to share a room to save money, but trust me it’s not worth it.
Sharing a room and a bathroom with people you don’t know is an invasion of personal space, not to mention I don’t even think a standard hotel room has enough space for four women and all their stuff. You know what I said about paying for convenience – well this is the exception.
Go all inclusive
I have friends who only travel all inclusive but for me it’s just not worth it. I don’t drink alcohol and I’m a vegetarian so paying an inflated price for all you can eat and drink accommodations is just not worth it for me. This is the same reason I don’t eat at buffets.
Photo from IdPinThat
We don’t go all-inclusive either. We do pay more for a room with a view, though, since we love to enjoy it when not walking / suntanning. We also love to cook some of our meals (fast stuff, that takes 20-30 minutes to do), since it helps us save a lot of money, which can be used to fund another vacation for instance.