คุณเคยวิ่งในนาทีสุดท้ายเพื่อหา airfare ส่วนลด สำหรับธุรกิจ? ถ้าคุณเป็นธุรกิจที่ต้องใช้มากโอกาสเดินทางนาทีสุดท้ายคุณจะใช้จ่ายมากรายได้พิเศษในการเดินทางที่สามารถนำกลับเข้าสู่ธุรกิจโดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งหากคุณเป็นเจ้าของธุรกิจ. เว็บไซต์ออนไลน์เสนอหลายนาที airfare สุดท้าย เหลือ ไม่ว่าคุณจะประกอบธุรกิจหรือการเดินทางเป็นธรรมชาติเพียงเพราะคุณสามารถ.

ค้นหาเว็บไซต์

เว็บไซต์ที่มีเพื่อความสะดวกของเราในการที่เราวางแผนที่เคยเราต้องไปเมื่อเราต้องได้รับมี. บางครั้งฉุกเฉิน disrupts ชีวิตของเราและแทนที่จะกังวลเกี่ยวกับต้นทุนที่เราเดินทางหนังสือเพียงและหัว out. บางครั้งเพื่อให้ได้มีเพื่อช่วยให้รักที่คุณต้องทราบเว็บไซต์ที่สามารถให้คุณดวงแก้วของคุณรีบและยังคงบันทึกคุณจากหนี้. เว็บไซต์ที่ต้องการ lastminutetravldeals.com และอื่นๆให้สำหรับผู้ตัดสินใจนาทีสุดท้ายว่าจะส่งผลต่อเรา.

ที่นั่นเป็นสิ่งที่คุณควรทราบเมื่อใช้เว็บไซต์เหล่านี้. สำหรับเช่นมีค่ามีการใช้สื่อเพื่อจะพูด. ค่าเหล่านี้เพิ่มราคาโดยรวมของตั๋วแต่คุณอาจจะพบนาที airfare สุดท้าย เหลือ น้อยโดยครึ่งกว่า airfare เสนอในสายการบินจริงเนื่องจากพวกเขายังคงพยายามที่จะรับเป็นเงินมากสำหรับตั๋วที่สุด.

ค้นหาข้อเสนอที่ดี

บางครั้งคุณจะพบกับข้อเสนอสุดสัปดาห์ในการเดินทางเกือบเว็บไซต์ที่มีเดียวกันเนื่องจากพวกเขากำลังพยายามเพิ่มการท่องเที่ยวในช่วงฤดูช้าทุก. เมื่อคุณมาหาพวกจัดการสุดสัปดาห์ที่ดีทราบว่าเหล่านี้อาจเป็นนาทีสุดท้าย airfare ส่วนลด ราคาสำหรับวิธีหนึ่งเมื่อคุณซื้อการเดินทางรอบ. ข้อเสนอสำหรับการเดินทางรอบ $ 69 มักจะหมายถึง $ 69 วิธีหนึ่งสำหรับการเดินทางรอบ. ซึ่งหมายความว่าคุณจะใช้จ่ายจริงสองสิ่งที่คุณคิด. Kicker จริงคือเมื่อคุณเห็นว่ากินและรู้ว่ามันเป็นวิธีหนึ่งแล้วพบออกที่ใช่เดียวจะเป็น $ 69 แต่วิธีการอื่นๆไม่มีที่นั่งผู้ใดเพิ่มเติมเพื่อให้คุณกำลังมองหาที่ $ 200 สำหรับขาของการเดินทางที่.

ไม่ได้รับฉันเว็บไซต์ผิดเหล่านี้ได้มีการใช้และบ่อยกว่าคุณไม่ได้รับ airfare นาทีมากสุด ส่วนลด ปกติคุณจะไม่ได้รับ. แต่ละเว็บไซต์มี quirks และตราบเท่าที่ท่านทำวิจัยเล็กน้อยเพราะไม่แน่นอนของคุณจะทราบเพียงที่จะไปนาที เหลือ บรรดาข้อ airfare สุดท้ายเราทั้งหมดต้องที่หนึ่งครั้งหรืออื่นๆ. การตระหนักถึงค่าที่ซ่อนไว้เล็กน้อยภาษีสำหรับสนามบินหรือสนามบินที่และทราบล่วงหน้าเวลาเว็บไซต์ที่ดีที่สุดที่จะใช้คุณสามารถมากับข้อเสนอที่ดีที่จะทำให้เพื่อนๆอิจฉา.

This is my first Thanksgiving that I’m not going home. Sad! I have to stay in Boston and study for my comprehensive exams to finish my program. Plus, I knew if I went home I wouldn’t be studying because I’d be playing with my dog or going shopping with my mom or going to the movies with my dad or going out with friends… anything but studying.

While I miss my parents and home terribly so this Thanksgiving, the one thing I won’t miss is holiday travel. Traffic on the highways… overcrowded planes… chaotic airports. Ugh, airports during the holidays are probably my least favorite place on earth EVER. But, I have come up with some tips to make your life easier.

1. If you’re in the city, book a towncar or taxi at least a day before you leave. Last Thanksgiving, when I was going home I ended up letting 2 other people into my towncar to Logan because they could not get a cab.

2. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport because traffic going to the airport tends to back up during the holidays. Also, the lines at security are extra long. I would try to get there at least 2 hours before my flight.

3. Make your life easier when you’re going through security and put your plastic baggie of liquids somewhere easy to reach. Wear shoes easy to slip off and on (check here for more tips on what to wear). Try not to wear a belt or too much jewelry that you’d have to take off.

4. If traveling by car or bus, take something to entertain you in traffic like a book on tape or a fun playlist. Don’t let traffic put you in a bad mood.

5. BREATHE… even though you’re more likely to get easily frustrated while traveling during the holidays just know that everyone around you just wants to get home too. So take it easy, you’ll get there.

Here are some more tips I found useful.

Join the Westfield Mall email list for a chance to win a trip to New York Fashion Week in February, 2010. The package includes:

•Airfare from anywhere in the continental United States
•2 night stay at a premium hotel in NYC
•Day of pampering for 2 at one of NYC’s hottest salons
•Dinner for 2 at one of NYC’s trendiest restaurants
•2 tickets to a show during Fashion Week

Brought to you by TRESemme, Modelinia, Gap and Best Buy. Click here for more information and Official Rules.

You’ll also be entered separately for a chance to win a $1,000 Westfield Gift Card by American Express. Click here for Official Rules.

With the Westfield email newsletter, you’ll receive valuable special offers, retailer news, and invitations to exclusive events.

Travelling to Sparks, Cleveland or Chicago? There is a 4-star hotel in Sparks at Hotwire.com at 38 dollars and an airfare from Chicago to Cleveland or vice versa at 97 dollars.

14.11.09 Travelling to the Powder mountain in Utah, chairlifts and a bus.

Pocono mountains. How are the forests at the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania, United States? Nice?

- Sunset in the Pocono Mountains

- Akiba lake in the Poconos

Photos taken by Ted Crawford

- Unusual hotels of the world

- Your favourite travel destination (please vote)

- Which is your best song? (please vote)

- All Seasons Hotels

Opera, an European browser, and Mozilla, Linux and Apple

Spreadthesign, the sign language dictionary. European Commission – Education & Training

Vanilla icecream, Vanilla Toffee Crunch and Chunky Monkey

Vanilla Bean, Strawberries & Cream, Double Chocolate, Mango & Passion Fruit Madness, Lemon Meringue, Cappuccino and Sticky Toffee Fudge

Mango & Banana Smoothie, Banana & Strawberry Smoothie, Frozen Yogurt, Cappuccino and Chocolate Icecream

Saturday October 24, 2009

updated on Wednesday November 25, 2009

calogeromira.wordpress.com – e-mail

Does this search engine save watts/hour?

This deal is an example of the previous post. Departure is the 9th of December and returns the 12th of December. http://marketing.spiritair.com/sales/air.php?s=168

Happy Travels!

Jessica Guevara

For information, feel free to contact me at jessica@365traveltoday.com

Spirit Airlines is having a 1-day fare sale featuring flights to your favorite destinations in the U.S. and the Caribbean. Each-way fares start at just $18*. Travel on select dates in December. But hurry, you must book by Thursday, November 19 at 9:59 a.m. EST.

*This does not include taxes and fees.

Here are some of the many each-way fares with available travel dates:

• Fort Lauderdale to/from Freeport: $18* (November 27, 30; December 4, 6, 11, 13)
• Fort Lauderdale to/from Orlando: $18* (December 3, 6, 9-11, 13)
• Fort Lauderdale to/from Santo Domingo: $18* (December 4-7, 9,11)
• Tampa to/from Fort Lauderdale: $18* (December 3, 7-10,15)
• Myrtle Beach to/from Atlantic City: $36* (November 26; December 4-5, 10, 12, 25)
• Myrtle Beach to/from NYC La Guardia: $36* (December 2, 5, 7, 12-13, 15)
• Atlanta to/from Fort Lauderdale: $36* (November 27; December 5, 8-9, 12, 15)

Other departure cities are available. Click here http://marketing.spiritair.com/sales/air.php?s=168 for more information.

Thanks to Hotwire for this great deal!

by Stefania Revelli

Iconoculture is now taking bets on the most outrageous airline fee. The current frontrunner is the holiday surcharge recently introduced by most major airlines for Thanksgiving and late-December flights (AP 11.2.09).

Frustrated passengers may appreciate the transparency and exactitude behind charge-by-charge fare breakdowns, but it wasn’t long ago that itemized services were a standard part of a fare deal (like being able to switch economy seats on a half-empty flight without having to pay an upgrade fee). From consumers’ bird’s-eye perspective, an itemized bill for basic travel needs is equivalent to being taken for a ride.

Conscious consumers expect a commonsense approach to pricing — like costs based on mileage, not airline margin. In a recent 72-hour promotion, Southwest Airlines lowered its one-way fares for flights based on distance flown (USAToday.com 10.27.09). Buffet-style promotions have also garnered positive attention. In September, JetBlue ran a limited All You Can Jet promotion ($600), which sold out quickly (DallasNews.com 10.27.09). United’s flat baggage fee for a year may seem excessive, but it does have value in its favor (MercuryNews.com 10.9.09).

OK, so we aren’t actually taking bets. But as airfare extras multiply, we are making a bet that for travelers, the pain points of flying are reaching a tipping point that is no longer about the peanuts, but about some basic principles: simplicity, flexibility, logic and reward. How about a $15 price break for packing light and not checking a bag?

So I’ve been traveling with United and other Star Alliance flights since my last year in college. I’ve used a Star Alliance airline for most of my trips since (three years). United and its partners are fairly cheap. Usually, they are the cheapest flight and because they have so many flights, usually have a flight that meets my traveling preferred schedule. I remember the days when I used to get a meal, snacks, pillow and blanket on my five hour flights. Nowadays, I have to pay for checking in bags, food and pretty much anything else. So I was ELATED when I discovered I’m now a Premier member. I get perks now! I can get upgraded. I can get discounts. Best of all, I get to check two bags in for FREE! wooooot! I have arrived!

a million versions of heartbreak
it is more encompassing
than person-specific

it is my dad who is not a morning person
getting up at 7 every weekday
for the past 42 years
to dress in a suit and tie
and sit down
in an office chair
in a place called ‘central steel and wire’
which he never hated
but was never enamored with either
5 days a week times
52 weeks times
42 years
minus 7 times 3 days off each year
that’s too much heartbreak to count.
multiply.
it is that he did this
for us.
school, food, clothes, park and rec gymnastics classes

it is discovering
the price to fly this body
home for the holidays
lies somewhere between 600 and 700
dollars

it is my  mom who says
i have some money saved up
i’ll pay for all of your ticket
as opposed to dad’s original half price offer
and i haven’t even told your dad this yet.

it is my sister who says
do what you have to do
but we were going to have a celebration
for dad’s retirement
and you don’t want to miss that
do you?

it is how each of these moments themselves
could be from that black and white xmas movie

it is spending $300 to fix a computer
where the pictures from the last three years
never came back

it is the chipped off spout
from my favorite tea pot
the green blue and stainless steel one
the one i bought for me on my birthday week
for 20 dollars
the one i accidentally knocked
off the back porch table
the one i keep
on the stairs to my room
because it is only for me to use
and only for me to break

it was that moment at the border
my phone, my camera, my journal
in the guard’s hands
scrolling through my texts
scrolling through my pictures
paging through my drawings/words
and me shoving all urge i had
back down into my gut
it is the way he looked down and said
you can go now
my things still splayed on the table
while the bus full of others
waited

it is
all the losses i can ever think of
that have a system of power
or corporation
staring me down
on the other end

taking it
like a good buddhist would
present moment present moment present moment
an extended stretch of time for sadness
and then breathing and breathing
and the breathing
and taking it and taking it and taking it

i am coming to understand
how some bitternesses
work

and i didn’t even say anything yet

about the wind today
and the balminess
and the leaf dance
caught in the gales
high against the layers of gray
and phillip glass
playing in the background

the mail carrier
and i
both agreed
about how much we liked it
and you can’t put a tax on that!
he said

It seems that Facebook has been paying attention to my recent searches for airfare to Frankfurt:  I have started to see ads pop up on the side of my screen listing deals on airfare through various airlines.  I saw one that caught my attention, one through Lufthansa, a carrier I trust, that was offering a round trip flights to Frankfurt with a starting price each direction of $278, before taxes.

After I got over being upset that Facebook was monitoring where I browse I figured I would take a look at the link and see if the deal was legitimate.  It seems far too low to be real but I do know that one of the positives of the current economic climate is that it’s getting cheaper to travel, so I thought there was a chance that it might have been legitimate.  The link brought me to the US section of Lufthansa’s site. I started by entering a couple of dates within the range that I talked about in my first post about getting there . and indicated I wanted to fly from PDX to Frankfurt. I also indicated my dates were flexible and selected my way through the basic options and ran the search.

I was actually really disapointed by the results, which I expected to at least be in the same range as the results of my Expedia search ($1189.80), but the cheapest flight in those date ranges was a whopping $1795!  That is a more than $600 dollar difference!  I’m sure that somewhere Lufthansa actually is selling a flight to Frankfurt from the US for $278, but I’m guessing it is only a very small number of flights out of cities in the Eastern parts of the US at very specific date ranges.

In a way I shouldn’t really be surprised given that I know that it is a lot cheaper to fly from the east coast than from the west and that the specials like the one advertised are usually only available to people traveling at very specific times.  As I mentioned in the last post you tend to miss out on the best deals if you buy immediately before you want to go or to a lesser extent, if you buy well in advance.  There’s nothing more tricky than buying airfare and the prices are incredibly dynamic; shifting up and down multiple times based on a variety of unpredicatable factors.

I’m not going to rush to buy a ticket directly from Lufthansa any time soon, that price was a little on the ridiculous side.   I’ve heard good things about them but not nearly good enough to merit that cost.

I think that my next step may be to contact a travel agent and see what kind of deal I can get that way.  I’m interested to see how they compare to my own searches, as the only time I’ve ever bought a ticket through an agent, my flights to and from Norway when I did study abroad, I feel like I didn’t get a great deal. I later found out that a couple of my friends who had flown the same flights within a day of when I did paid $200 less than me.  Still I’ve got friends who swear by travel agents and I feel like I would be remiss if I didn’t investigate the option.

Book your airplane tickets with Southwest Airlines for your domestic travels by November 23, 2009 and save big! The cost of your ticket price could be dramatically reduced this year, depending on the distance one-way from your location to your destination. And now, if you purchase your tickets during the period of this promotion, you save on tickets and pay $0 for checked luggage! That’s a nice break!

If you are mulling over when is the best time to buy your tickets for your pre-holiday and post-holiday travels. The answer may be, today!

Check out the terms of this offer:

• Fares do not include federal excise tax of $3.60 per takeoff and landing, airport-assessed passenger facility charges (PFC) of up to $9, and government-imposed September 11th Security Fee of up to $5 one-way.
• 14-day advance purchase required.
• Purchase by November 23, 2009, 11:59 pm Pacific Time.
• Travel December 2 through March 9, 2010.
• Travel valid every day except Fridays & Sundays.
• Blackout Dates Apply: December 18 – January 4, 2010.

Other terms & conditions may apply.

Book today!

Go to the promotion and flight booking portal on Southwest Airlines’ Official Website.

Need help booking your travel plans? Contact a Lucky Duck concierge.

A Lucky Duck

T: (612) 354.7233          E: askus@luckyduckconcierge.com

Visit us at luckyduckconcierge.com!

To be honest, when Bing first came out earlier this summer, I despised it. I didn’t have a valid reason or bad experience with it, but I was just so loyal to Google that I was angered by Microsoft’s latest attempt to dethrone Google. Then, I learned about Bing’s specialized travel search for booking flights. After I tried it, I was hooked.

Usually, when I was trying to find airfares and deals, I visited other sites like: Orbitz, SideStep, Expedia, Priceline or StudentUniverse. After I had researched all their deals, I would check the prices on different airlines’ sites. And, finally if I wasn’t successful whatsoever, I would give up and call my dad, the ultimate flight finder, for help.

Now I have Bing though, and it has made my life so much easier when booking flights. My favorite thing about Bing is that it aggregates all the fares from different travel websites and airlines all into one place for you. When you are ready to book, you just click on the flight that you want, and it will direct you to that site to start your transaction.

I also love all the extra features that Bing adds like:

• Direct links to other travel sites.
• The number of tickets left at that price.
• The ability to apply filters to your search.
• “Price Predictors” (my favorite feature) helps see whether you should buy tickets now or wait for the price to drop in the next week.
• “Flexible Search” gives you the ability to track fares over a period of time and identify best travel destinations, travel dates and lengths of travel.
• “ Airfare Deals” can find real deals for you and it will actually tell you why it’s a deal. It will track airfares and determine for you when a fare is “record low-act fast”, “$X less than average on record” or “ save $X off average low found today.”

Bing travel also has a function for hotels, but I haven’t used it. If its anything like their flights function then I’m sure its great. Using Bing can be a little overwhelming at first so I recommend reading  this quick “How It Works” section.

You can also check out the Bing Travel Blog and get great content about travel. So, next time you are booking  a trip, try Bing and let me know how it goes.

Extra Tip:

The Today Show had a great report called “What Your Travel Agent Isn’t Telling You.” During this segment, they talked about how sometimes when you are booking tickets online cookies from that travel sites might mark you as a repeat customer and hike the price. So, to avoid this use different computers or clear the cookies on your browser. For other great tips watch this clip.

Since we’ve visited several locations thus far, it might be useful to keep in mind some handy travel tips that will help ensure a fun and stress-free vacation, wherever the destination! Over the next couple weeks, we will be exploring various travel tips. First thing’s first! Transportation!

Rick Steves’ Europe provides several tips for finding ariline tickets that work for you.

1. You get what you pay for. Rather than going for the cheapest airfare, go for the best combination of reliability, economy, and flexibility.

2. Buy your tickets at the right time. As time passes, prices go up and dates sell out.

3. Fly “open jaw” which means flying into one city and out of another.

4. Reserve a specific seat for maximum comfort.

5. Double check your ticket information when you get it.

6. Check in online before getting to the airport.

Rick Steves also shares some very valuable tips for riding Europe’s train system:

1. Learn to use the 24-hour timetables.

2. Get information on schedules before you leave.

3. Pick up freebie timetables as you travel.

4. Make sure you know where to catch your train and when to get off.

5. There’s a thief on every train, so clip your bag to the overhead rack for safety.

Rick Steves shares these and many other valuable tips at his website: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/plan_menu.htm

http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/article.asp?aID=73496

The majority of Caribbean vacation packages include the round trip flight from Miami into the Caribbean destination and even those planning their vacations independently choose one of the large airports in Florida to fly from, and Miami is definitely the preferred one.

But you should know that there are several other airports which can be used to fly into the Caribbean, whether you want to visit Mexico or a more exotic island. Depending on where you live, it might be cheaper to travel to either Phoenix or Houston and then catch the flight to your dream vacation.

PHX flights are available from all major US cities so you won’t have a problem catching a flight into Phoenix. The city is served by Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the main gateway into the state of Arizona. It is the primary hub for US Airways and a major hub for Southwest Airlines and Great Lakes Airlines. Two more airports serve the city, so there are plenty of choices when you need to find a flight into Phoenix.

Should you decide to drive to Phoenix, it’s important to know that Phoenix airport parking is affordable and can be booked online. So you can leave your car here until you come from your vacation.

Another option is to find flights to Houston and then travel from here to the Caribbean. The city is served by two airports. The biggest of them is George Bush Intercontinental Airport, located 23 miles north of downtown. It is a hub for Continental Airlines, so make sure to look at their flights before you check other offers.

Just like in the case of PHX airport, you can book Houston airport parking online if you choose to drive to the airport and need a safe place for your vehicle until you come from your vacation.

In either case, make sure to plan to arrive in the city at least a day earlier than the day of your flight to the Caribbean. And that means you need to book a hotel. For example, you can easily find cheap Houston hotels right by the airport, especially if you don’t plan to do much sightseeing in the city. Likewise, in Phoenix you can choose to stay close to the airport and save money on accommodation.

In addition to our old time classical favourites: of Expedia, TripAdvisor or Priceline. The Toronto Star brings us a few extra websites that offer the same services with even better deals according to niche markets.

1) Fly From Canada: Designed by Canadians for Canadians, this page supplies helpful tips varying from traveler’s vaccinations and visas, to travel reviews and deals. Worth a look, Eh?

2) Canadian Affair: This Company has ads in the travel section of The Toronto Star every Saturday and Sunday, with targeting lines such as: “UK for $99″. This UK generated website promises to offer the lowest air fares from Canada to any destination in the UK available. (A few months ago I found a roundtrip for under $300- taxes included)

3) Cheapo Stay: Besides its catchy name, the website is super too easy to manoeuvre. You just type in the city you are visiting and then pops up a list of the best hotel deals in and around the city.

4) Hotwire: Possibly the best feature for travellers who are just antsy staying at home for too long and need to get the *F* out. Hotwire offers the “Today’s Top Deal” feature where you could find yourself sipping margaritas in the Caribbean or hiking the Rockies in British Columbia.

5) Where’s Cool?: My favourite website hands down. You find yourself in a city with no guide book and you’re not sure what there’s to do? This site is a budget oriented network that connects you to the most surprising spots in any city, guaranteed cool times

Now all you need to do is pack your bags, grab your map and click submit on your next travel search!

Machu Picchu is calling

Alright folks, read this, ponder briefly and then let me know if you’re in!  Round-trip flights in May and June of 2010 from NYC to Lima, Peru . . . $249 RT taxes included on LAN.  There are tons of dates available and plenty o’ seats on the non-stop!!  It’s about $300 RT to get back and forth to NYC from the Northwest so a steal at $550.  Or use some of those miles you’ve been sitting on.  This fare can go away anytime and I’d love to go!

Joo Hyun, aka Jeremy Stevenson, a very young infant in Korea, 1975

My husband, who was born in South Korea and adopted by an American family at 5 months, has recently made a couple of important decisions. Jeremy is ready to begin looking for his birth family in Korea, and he hopes to travel to Korea in the summer of 2010. These are his decisions—I am publicizing them only to show my support for him. We believe this journey to be very important, regardless of the outcome.

Because the Internet has reduced the boundaries between nations and cultures, we are hoping that people who could help us might stumble upon this blog. Here are a few particulars:

Birth surname: Joo
Birth first name: Hyun
American name: Jeremy Stevenson
Born at: Kwun Boo Jun Maternity Home (#520, Yunhee Dong, Seodaemun Ku, Seoul, South Korea)
Birthdate: January 29, 1975
Weight: 3.5 Kg
Released by: David Livingston Adoption Program for U.S. adoption
Current circumstances: Jeremy is now 34 years of age, married, with two beautiful young sons

Here is a picture of Jeremy today:

Jeremy Stevenson--husband, father, employee, pianist, photographer, and Korean adoptee

At this point, nothing is known about Jeremy’s birth mother—not even a name. She disappeared shortly after he was born. He was placed with a foster mother whom he lived with until he was sent to America for adoption by the Stevensons in July 1975.

Before Jeremy was ready to “look,” we had talked about taking our whole family to Korea—someday, when the kids are older. We still plan to do so later, but this first trip needs to be alone, for several practical reasons.

Through a fellow Korean adoptee, Jeremy found out about G.O.A.L.’s program for Korean adoptees. G.O.A.L. (Global Overseas Adoption Link) takes care of lodging and many other logistics for adult Korean adoptees returning to the motherland; adoptees pay their own airfare. At this point, we are not sure how to finance the airfare, but we do have several months to plan.

One advantage: Joo is not a common surname. It is possible that his name was changed by the maternity home.

If you can help in any way, please contact me, Elena Stevenson, at estevenson76@yahoo.com

Thank you so much for reading. Your help and support will make the biggest difference for our family—and for another one, now unseen, in the Land of the Morning Calm.

Right now is the perfect time to book a Contiki! We’re offering the best deals of the season with 2-for-1 airfare and $200 off Summer Europe trips 8 days or longer. Be sure to visit Contiki.com for all the deals!

Depart from Atlanta and spend five nights at Our Lucaya Reef Village in Grand Bahama Island with this amazing offer from CheapCaribbean.com. Not only is air included, but the deal is also available over peak winter travel dates. The resort was named the No. 1 Beach Resort for Families by Parents magazine in 2008. It is part of the 372-acre Our Lucaya Resort, featuring a Vegas-style casino, two championship golf courses, more than 12 restaurants, a world-class spa, four pools and a beach perfect for snorkeling. 

Click here for more information: http://www.cheapcaribbean.com/attractions.jsp?attID=218&glizda=off&utm_campaign=20091118_tzoo_trav_tratop20_weml&utm_medium=trav&utm_source=tzoo&utm_content=weml&utm_term=jump218_grdbah

Book by Nov. 25: Five-night stays require booking code 500GBI. Or call CheapCaribbean.com at 800-915-2322 and mention you saw this offer on Travelzoo.  Final prices will include additional taxes and fees. Price is based on double occupancy.

Happy Travels!

Jessica Guevara                                                                                                                                                             jessica@365traveltoday.com

Every day I get emails like this one: 

I want to go to Ireland. I need to know how much money to save up for the trip. How much is a round trip plane ticket? How much will the whole the trip cost? 

Let me consult my crystal ball! 

Pricing for a trip to Ireland depends on many different factors. 

TOUR or SELF-DRIVE:

• Will you travel with an organized tour, which includes most things such as airfare, coach travel, lodgings & meals?
• Will you use public transportation such as trains and buses?
• Will you travel independently and drive yourself around?
• Will you hire a chauffeur-driven car?

Michele’s Advice: If you opt for an organized tour start your research online for tour companies and check with your favorite travel agent. Many times booking well in advance will get you a discount. 

Those taking public transportation around Ireland should check on passes at the bus and train sites: 

Iarnrod Eireann National Rail Service

Northern Ireland Railways

Bus Eireann National Bus Service

Dublin Bus

Ulsterbus

Dart & Luas: Dublin

AIRFARES:

• Where are you flying from?
• Will you use frequent flyer miles?
• Will you travel coach, business or first class?
• Will you buy a fly/drive/voucher package?
• What time of year are you traveling?

Michele’s Advice: Once you know which airlines you will fly check their websites. This will give you ballpark figures for your airfare. Sign up for email newsletters so you are advised of sales. Check with travel agents to see if they can do better. Use online booking services to comparison shop. Purchase your airfare at least 21 days in advance. If you find a fabulous low-priced offer get it immediately before it disappears.

 CAR RENTAL:

• Will you rent a Ford or a Mercedes?
• How long will you rent a car for?
• Will you require a manual or automatic?
• Will you pay for CDW insurance or Super CDW or let your credit card cover the insurance for free?
• Will you travel with others and be able to split the car cost?
• Gasoline (petrol) is an added expense and how much you use depends on the type car you rent and how far you travel.

Michele’s Advice: This is the most difficult portion of your trip. You can do your homework and get prepared with knowledge of the car rental companies and their myriad arcane rules and fine print. Or you can go without knowledge and be unhappily surprised fresh off your overnight flight with jet-lag. In this case a little advance work will save you money and aggravation. Since this topic is so complicated I suggest you look at my Car Rental page where I discuss it thoroughly. For those declining CDW insurance there is an up to date warning topic on my Ireland Travel Forum. Once you know what type of car and insurance you require you can do price comparisons at the various car rental companies online.  

ACCOMMODATIONS: 

• How long is your trip and how many days’ accommodations are required?
• Will you be staying at hostels, B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels or castles?
• Will you be using self-catering rentals?
• How many people are traveling together and what type rooms are needed?
• Will you be using vouchers?
• Will you stay in Dublin?

 Michele’s Advice: The longer your trip, the more it will cost. Ballpark figures for accommodation per night are:  

Hostels: €15 per person and up

B&Bs: €30 per person, sharing and up (single supplement usually applies)

Guesthouses: €40 per person, sharing and up (single supplement usually applies)

Hotel: €50 per person, sharing and up (single supplement usually applies)

Castle: €150 and up

Self-catering: €350 per week and up 

If you want to comparison shop I have a list of some very nice accommodations in most price ranges on my website’s Lodging page. 

FOOD & DRINK: 

• Will you require a full gourmet dinner each night with accompanying wine and drinks?
• Are you planning on budgeting in this area?
• Is dining in pubs to keep costs down acceptable?
• Are picnics and supermarket food purchases okay?
• Are you planning on pub visits each night with associated drink costs?
• What types of lunches are required?
• Breakfast is included with many accommodations but not all.

 Michele’s Advice: Food in Ireland is more expensive than in the USA and Canada. How much your per day costs are will depend on how you eat, where you eat and how often. Breakfast is usually included at B&Bs, guesthouses and hotels. For lunch you can usually get a bowl of soup and a roll for about €4 –5. For dinner at a nice restaurant it is easy to spend €150 on a meal for two with drinks. Below are estimates of meals per person: 

Full Irish Breakfast: €8 and up

Lunch: €5 and up

Pub Dinner: €10 and up

Dinner: €20 and up

Pint of Guinness: €4.50 and up

Glass of Wine: €5 and up

Bottle of Wine: €15 and up 

SIGHTSEEING ADMISSIONS:

• Do you plan on visiting many attractions that require paid admissions?
• Will you purchase a discount coupon book/package or card?

Michele’s Advice: Google is a great tool for your research. Just input the attractions you are interested in plus “admission price” and you will get a good feel for the prices you will pay for sightseeing. There are discount cards, books and coupons you can purchase and/or get for free that can cut down the cost of admissions by 50% or more. I will tell you more about discounts in another article.

Additional Trip Costs:

• Passports
• Guidebooks
• Exchange rate fluctuations
• Dynamic Currency Conversion
• International surcharge on credit cards
• Trip insurance

Whether you are traveling to Ireland from NY or Fiji, my crystal ball tells me that a tremendous amount of information is required to know how much a trip to Ireland will cost you. There are many variables when planning a trip. Each trip will cost a different amount depending on what I have outlined above. Only you and/or your travel agent can add up those costs.

My website www.IrelandYes.com will fill you in on many of the details you need to get started planning. I suggest that you take the time to go through the various pages that I have designed to  help visitors to Ireland. Just click on Getting Started to jump-start your trip! 

And don’t forget all the free advice on my Ireland Travel Forum. Any questions you have are answered promptly there. 

© 2009 Michele Erdvig

www.IrelandYes.com