Consider Travel Insurance

For a few extra bucks, you can save yourself a lot of heartache on your next trip, especially if you are taking an extended trip or one that takes you out of the country. Travel insurance is insurance that covers medical problems, financial losses such as theft or damages, delayed or stolen baggage, legal assistance, personal liability, rental car damages, and more.

Travel suppliers often offer travel insurance when you are booking your tickets, but be aware that this insurance is usually wildly expensive and offers paltry protection. It is much better to obtain insurance from a travel insurance agency. Good travel insurance companies are often regulated by governments or advisory boards, and will not hesitate to offer their credentials when you ask. Always do your homework before signing up with an agency– read the fine print, check the background of the agency, look for reviews online.

The good thing about travel insurance is that it is inexpensive. For just a little extra money, travel insurance offers a lot of benefits for you and your family. If I am taking a short trip, I usually don’t get travel insurance. But for overseas trips and extended travel, I would definitely want long stay travel cover. If we ever take a trip abroad to the British Isles, I will definitely get UK holiday insurance. You see, I travel with a cargo load of electronics– DSLR camera and lenses, smartphone, laptop, etc– and it would be a huge financial tragedy to lose them in the event of theft or a careless airline employee.

If you are booking through a travel agency, ask for some recommendations. Or check out the website TravelInsurance.co.uk for some terrific options and really good prices. You can also spend some time learning more about travel insurance coverage and what it entails. I found this helpful video about travel insurance and how basic and quick it is to get it (video courtesy of TravelInsurance.co.uk).

Be safe! Travel wisely.

Note: Please be aware that while I am compensated for reviewing this website, all opinions are completely mine and are truthful to the best of my ability. Thanks for reading!

Learn to be Hospitable

To some, hospitality comes naturally. Others by necessity must be trained, haha. I think one of the worst experiences one can have while traveling is dealing with people in the travel and transportation industry who exhibit obvious lack of hospitality skills. I’m sure you know exactly what I mean. The airplane or hotel can have the most lavish lobby, the most lush accommodations, or be the most wonderfully discounted opportunity in the world, but if you are served by cantankerous, sneering, or dirty service representatives, you can kiss that good experience goodbye. Any business that is serious about their service would, I think, invest in hospitality training of their employees, and mandate 100% satisfaction with the service. Based on some of my own experiences, I’d say that hospitality training is on the bottom tier of quite a few travel and hotel venues. Hospitality is EVERYTHING in the travel world. TripAdvisor reviews are predominantly filled with the bad experiences of travelers; the common denominator? Bad service. Dirty rooms. These are easily solved by hospitality training and skills. A decorative lobby or an attractive museum may make a good first impression, but that impression is all too brief. People are social creatures. A friendly, helpful, and congenial service rep is worth more than the marble walls and tinkling crystal chandeliers! We travelers know this!

Moreover, when resources abound for hospitality management schools, both online and on campus, it is egregious for a business to neglect to train the staff. So here’s my little message to anyone in the travel and transportation businesses: train your staff! Teach them to be hospitable! Monitor customer satisfaction! Believe me, it could make or break your business.

Outstanding Travel Tips and Discounts

I had the opportunity of researching airline fares for a trip to Indianapolis (decided to postpone my trip until my home renovation is completed). Holy cow! Airline fare is pricey! I haven’t been on an airplane since 1988… I’ll bet a lot has changed since then. The prices certainly have changed. For a round-trip to Indianapolis, it would cost me $650, with one layover. Egads!! I nearly freaked.

By the way, I found a gem of a resource for airline travelers: the Transportation Security Administration has a good website called Travel Assistant that I found helpful. And the U.S. Department of Transportation has Safe Travel Dot Gov, which has the latest news and security news about traveling by air. I found these excellent resources in preparing me on what to expect when I travel.

Anyway, I did a little digging into discount airfare and other travel accommodations, and discovered a veritable jackpot at http://savings.com. I’ve perused the site before for promo codes for Home Depot and Dell computer coupons. Savings.com has a huge section devoted to travel discounts and codes, including but not limited to: Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, Cheap)Air, Rail Europe, Hotwire, and others. Excellent! Some discounts and promo codes offer exceptional deals. It would certainly pay to keep an eye on airline and hotel specials there.

The Internet is an incredible resource for travelers. Don’t pass up such excellent opportunities to save money! It costs nothing to use the codes and coupons at Savings.com.

This post is brought to your by your friends at Savings.com.

Tips For Out of Season Budget Travel

It’s almost winter here in the Western Hemisphere. This is a spectacular time to travel, both domestically and abroad! Prices are low, crowds are lower, and hotels and attractions are more desperate for the revenue. I love traveling in the off-season: I love the attentive treatment, the quiet aisles, the slower pace. Here are some really great tips I’ve acquired for making the most of your winter vacation on a budget:

• Pre-plan EVERYTHING. That includes your itinerary, travel stops, hotel stays, and even your meal plans. Impulse purchases and desperate measure wind up breaking the bank. Be prepared for everything and pre-plan as much as you can.
• Use the Internet. Compare prices everywhere. Take advantage of the advice and offers at discount travel websites. Quite often, you can get a good chunk of money taken off prices just by going through a discount intermediary. I have saved money on admission prices and hotels by using such sites. Moreover, such websites also have excellent tips and advice on other money-saving techniques. Use the Internet to read up on budget travel tips and look for links to save money at various travel venues. Tip: look for “community-based” travel sites where you can gain from traveler’s experiences and learn much from their opinions.
• Don’t take the pets or the kids. Of course, this may be difficult. But if the kids are whining about another trip to Paris or Milan again!?, why take them? It’s easier and cheaper to travel with a single companion.
• Avoid tour groups and tour transportation. If you are traveling to Europe, transportation is easier– public transportation abounds, and it’s not all that difficult to walk to your destinations. Tip: Be SURE to plan ahead and bring maps! Some maps in France or Italy are, uh, in French or Italian! So either learn the language or bring your own maps!
• Buy gift certificates for restaurants and stores to use on your vacation. This will help you stick to your budget by helping you resist that temptation to “splurge.” Set a pre-decided amount on how much you want to spend on an evening meal, and get gift certificates for yourself.
• Find hotels outside the city limits. Most hotels in the heart of the tourist quarters of a city are going to charge an arm and leg. Avoid this by seeking hotels outside the city limits, perhaps near an airport or other “undesirable” location. You’re going to be gone during the day; why get a hotel room with 200,000 TV channels, a hot tub, a swimming pool and a gym? Of course, being outside the city means you will have to plan your accommodations for transport. This is why it helps to pre-plan thoroughly.
• Do things on your vacation that don’t cost money. Avoid visiting every museum, and take a walk through the local parks. Visit free museums and other free attractions. Window-shop in various stores. Take walks by the water. You’re on a vacation to relax, right? Enjoy the area you are visiting by slowing things down and absorbing the local atmosphere of the place. This is my favorite way to travel– it’s very relaxing, and it’s very cheap!

I hope my little snippets of travel advice have helped. I haven’t been to Paris or Milan or Perth, but I love to travel, no matter where it is. And no matter where you’re from and where you’re going, everyone likes to keep costs down. Enjoy the vacation by planning ahead, which will enable you to relax and slow down enough to really enjoy the place you’re visiting. And save that budget!