The Hubs and I had a wonderful trip out to the Finger Lakes this week. It was amazing! I’ll have loads and loads of details and photos and travel tips up and coming.

This trip was my first time using an iPhone GPS system. And I love it! It made navigation so easy. Unfortunately, using the GPS eats up the iPhone battery. I ran out of juice only a few hours on the road. And I had forgotten to pack my iPhone car charger. :-p I have two of them at home, you know. Ugh. So I had to buy one retail at a drug store, and it cost me dearly. I am so spoiled when it comes to shopping online with coupon codes that retail prices horrify me. Next time, I will be better prepared.

I also think we could have saved money on restaurant fare with Savings.com coupons. I love Savings.com– I use the website for all my online shopping needs– but I totally forgot that I can search the site for coupons and deals for offline stuff, too, like travel deals, restaurant coupons, tickets, and more! Ugh!! The website also has a unique forum where you can pose questions about where to find deals, and members will submit suggestions or alert you to deals. Believe me, I will remember this next time!

As for you, you now know it all ahead of time. Before you spend a penny, check Savings.com for ways to save before you start spending. They have a listing of the best travel sites, too: Expedia, Travelocity, Cheap Tickets, tons of restaurants and specialty stores.

Traveling Can Be Expensive!

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Octopus Travel is well organized. Every listing has multiple photos of hotels, and in an instant you can view amenities, location, ratings, reviews, and more. Prices are up front, and Octopus Travel says there are no hidden costs. Octopus Travel operates out of London, and is partnered with TripAdvisor® and uses their ratings and reviews, which I think is is a great feature (I always go to TripAdvisor® when researching a hotel).

I found quite a few possibilities at the website, results I could not find elsewhere (most other websites predominately showcase only the more expensive resorts). I am basically looking for a tiny, clean little place to dump my bags and sleep in– I don’t want swimming pools, spas, gourmet cuisine, etc. I fully expect to be out and about all day when visiting the UK. Octopus Travel is the only hotel website I have seen that presents the smaller “mum and pop” hotels beside the Big Box hotels (like Radisson and Marriott). I’m very impressed.

Of course, Octopus Travel doesn’t just cater to the city of London– they showcase hotels around the world, including tons of listings for New York hotels, everything from the Ritz Carlton to the Vanderbilt YMCA. The descriptions are very detailed (and I found the description of the Soho Grand very accurate).

If you’re looking for a good deal on hotel rates, or just looking for a vast listing of hotels from which to choose, take a peek at Octopus Travel. They are a member of the ABTA Travel Booking Association and Travelport. I think I will make my hotel plans through Octopus Travel!

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!

Review of Octopus Travel Hotel Search Site

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The “Find a Park” feature gives you more options: search by amenity, location, and region. If you’re scouting around for a camping site this summer, check out the website. It’s impressive!

Camping, New York Style

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Nowadays, we’re always bringing some kind of Internet-capable gadget with us when we travl (phone, netbook, etc); and libraries in cities all across the nation offer free Internet access, too. So if you can’t find a hotspot on the highway, get to a convenience store or library to connect. You can access the RepairPal website and search for a good mechanic. You can search the website by location, or by car make. So, if you’re looking for a local car deal for a Chevrolet Silverado, you can search and get some good results.

Repair Pal also had reviews of car repair shops, helpful articles on common problems with types of vehicles, and an area for you to submit a car repair question to an expert. It’s a really terrific site! I’ve got it bookmarked for whenever we go out. You just never know, and being stranded in a strange town has happened to us twice!

Remember, I’m a pro-blogger and I am sometimes compensated with stuff or money to review or mention products or services! This was one of them. You can read more about my blog policy on my Sitewide Policies page.

Finding Auto Repair Help While Traveling

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This is perfect timing! It’s “Springsgiving,” a special contest from Springpad! Ever hear of Springpad? It’s an online organization portal– a very convenient online personal organizer where you can stash your stuff: recipes; restaurants you like or want to visit; receipts; lists; websites; notes; wine lists; everything! It’s a classy website and very intuitive. If you haven’t seen it, and you are an organization freak like me (or even if you’re not a freak!), you should try it. I like it because the stuff you put in Springpad is accessible anytime, anywhere, no matter where you travel, all through your mobile device. I always like to have my email and my organized lists with me wherever I go, so Springpad is perfect. Check out Springpad and enter the contest.

There is a lot to Springpad, but I’ll try to list the basics:

• Springpad is free to register! It only took me seconds. From there, you can start adding stuff– search for restaurants by name and location and save the information for later use; search businesses in like manner; add a recipe from a website or type one in; and there are “Apps” you can use– create a calendar, packing lists, wish lists— the choices are vast and the only limit is your creativity.
• Everything can be saved within your own Springpad account.
• Everything can be accessed from your mobile device! It’s a traveler’s dream.
• There’s lots of stuff for the home organizer, too: weekly meal planners where you can plan menus and make a shopping list at the same time; send pals your recipes via email or Facebook; use Apps for planning gifts, making shopping lists, tracking expenses– it’s just amazing.

OK, now what’s the thing about this “Springsgiving”? It’s part of a promotion, a very nice one! The Springpad food bloggers are promoting their exceptional favorites for Thanksgiving. If you “spring” a recipe to your Springpad recipe box, you’re in the pool for a $100 cash prize! There’s nothing you need to do besides add a recipe; you’re automatically entered. Or, you can enter manually, too: Check out Springpad and enter the contest. I think it’s terrific, because I am in the market for some new (and improved) Thanksgiving recipes. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty tired of the mashed potatoes/green bean casserole thing. Times for some change! I think the Springpad community can help.

It’s really a win-win situation. Springpad is a great community and a great place to organize your plans. Plus, the $100 is a very nice prize at this time of year. Check it out!

Springpad Presents Springsgiving

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Like I said, the site is easily navigated. There is a “Build Your Trip” widget in the sidebar, where you can enter your destination, time of departure and return, and available resort, and you are given pages of suggested ideas and recommended sites. It’s very easy to use, and includes everything from flight and hotel bookings to information on, for example, cheap Crete Holidays! It’s very comprehensive and readable. Searches for bookings and destinations is so easy- and ULookUBook generates a page of “Flight Criteria” as well as helpful “Alternative Flights,” with regular rates and discounted rates, too.

I like the Travel Guides pages- these are wonderful resources for discovering new things about countries and cities. There are brief, informative articles about what to expect, places to go, nightlife, shopping venues, and custom foods. I think it’s great for travelers as well as curious “armchair travelers” like me. I enjoy learning new things about other places. And hey, I just may be able to take a world trip someday. Those Crete Holidays do look terrific!

Check out ULookUBook.com for a peek at what they have to offer. This website makes a great resource and it’s free to use! You can also call the ULookUBook travel team at 0808-178-5220.

Look It and Book It!

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Website for the Armchair Traveler

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So. Well. I was going to have this really cool Photo Hunters post about THANKFULNESS and I’m stuck without photos. In a way, I’m kind of THANKFUL, because I really had no idea what to do for this week. I got an excuse! Hehehe

Well, I am sure thankful for Flickr, anyway; I like the service and I hope they come back up soon. If they do, I’ll make another PH post. If not, well, I guess I have to hope it’s up by tomorrow.

Happy Photo Hunters! How did yours go today?

Photo Hunters: Flickr Website is Down

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