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When it comes to hotels, things boil down to a tradeoff between low cost and convenient location. In many cases, especially when traveling to major cities and popular attractions, the closer the hotel to the city or attraction the more you can expect to pay, that’s how life is. The best way to save money, particularly in large cities, is often to stay in the suburbs. For example; if you go to New York city you will save a lot if you stay in New Jersey than if you chose a hotel in Manhattan.

Of course, this means that you will spend more time getting to the places you want to visit, and this will mean spending additional money on gasoline, trains, etc. It is important to compute all these costs to make sure that you will really be spending less on a less convenient hotel room, so you don’t end paying much more on extra things and staying in a cheap, non convenient hotel room.

There are of course a number of ways to save money on hotels and motels without compromising quality. For one thing, a membership in AAA or a similar auto club also entitles you to discounts on hotel rooms, as does military service and senior citizen status. When inquiring about a hotel room, always inquire about discounts that may be available.

Also, shopping early for a hotel room can often yield the best deals in your search for affordable prices. That is because hotels often reserve a block of low cost rooms, and when they are gone they are gone. Thus the last room at a hotel may be much more costly than the first. Getting the best hotel room deal is often a matter of timing.

Of course getting a great deal on a hotel will mean nothing if the place is a dump. Shopping for a budget hotel should not mean settling for a hotel that is dirty, poorly run or in an unsafe location. Always consider this.

Fortunately, these days finding a good budget hotel has been made much easier with the help of the internet. What used to take weeks or even months to research can now be done in a matter of hours or even minutes thanks to this precious invention. Many hotels, even budget properties, feature pictures of the property and the surrounding area, so be sure to research the property you are considering if you have never stayed there before.

It is important to research the area in which the hotel is located as well. Be sure to check out things like restaurants and attractions within walking distance of the hotel. Doing some research on the area will help ensure you do not end up staying in a dangerous neighborhood just to save a couple of bucks.

The internet also provides a number of review sites where those who have stayed in various hotels share their experiences and their impressions of the hotel properties. These review sites can be very useful for travelers, particularly those traveling to a new location for the first time.

In addition, the internet hosts a number of comparison web sites where travelers can easily find and compare hotel properties for their individual dates of stay and destinations. These web sites offer a number of ways to search, including distance from a particular tourist attraction, price, star level and more. The only thing to consider when using such a web site is its independence. Some comparison web sites feature only properties that pay an advertising fee, so using a comparison site does not necessarily guarantee the best price if they have compromises with advertisers. It is much better to use a number of such web sites to get a true picture of the lowest prices available in the market so you get what you are really looking for.

Traveling will always be a great experience if you choose the right place to go. Next time you plan your vacations consider Mexico as your next destiny. You’ll love it.

http://travel-mexico-review.blogspot.com

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We all want to travel Europe on a cheap budget these days.

Budget and discount price airlines have sprung up in almost every European country in the last few years - all of them fighting furiously with each other to offer the best value cheap airfare deals. But do we really benefit from these discount European travel prices or do the drawbacks of trying to travel Europe cheaply outweigh the advantages? Do the budget low price airfares blind us to the extra hassle that the cheap price might be hiding? Lets look at some current cheap European travel deals and see what we find.

Almost every European country now has at least one no frills budget airline. Easy Jet and Ryan Air are becoming well known and popular in Great Britain and in Ireland. Germany has four or five low cost airlines and cheap airfare specialists. Meanwhile, in Sweden, SAS have just launched their own budget offshoot called Snowflake.

At first glance the fares that these airlines charge can seem ridiculously low; Ryan Air have given their flights away almost for free in the past - although you still have to pay the airport tax of around twenty UK pounds. But where’s the catch? Is there a catch? Can you really travel Europe by air without spending a fortune?

Here’s the deal if you want to travel Europe on a cheap budget:

Firstly, the low fares airlines in Europe nearly always use out of town provincial airports - often about forty or fifty miles from the respective city centres. This can add up to two hours of travel time to your journey at each end. You also have to pay for the bus or train connection to get from your airport to the city centre. Make sure you add this price in to the cost of your ticket when comparing prices between cheap airfare deals and the prices charged by the mainstream airlines. In most cases the main airlines fly you into the city centre airport and thus cut your travel time and the cost of any extra transport.

If you’re unlucky enough to miss a flight then you could literally be stuck in a very rural airport overnight with all the food outlets closed down and no way to get back to the town or the city.

Secondly, you only get what you pay for. The European budget airlines may offer no in-flight service for food and drinks. Or, if they do, they will charge you for it at a premium rate. Coffee, sandwiches and beer may be very pricey indeed. To be fair, many of the flights are only of an hour or two’s duration so snacks and drinks may not be such a big deal.

Thirdly - figure out the total travel time and compare that to the costs. For example: it takes five hours to go from the very centre of Glasgow in Scotland to the very centre of London by train and it costs around twenty five UK pounds each way.

Now - you might pick up a cheap flight from Glasgow to London, only to find that both of your airports are forty miles from the city centre. That immediately adds three hours to your travel time, not counting the waiting around at the airports, baggage handling and all the extra hassle that goes with it. You will also have to pay separately for the bus or train journey from airport to city centre and vice versa. Unless your airfare is extremely cheap you might well spend more money in the long run for a less comfortable journey. Check it all out carefully in advance if you can.

Fourthly, the quoted cheap airfare ticket prices are only for APEX travellers. You might have to pay a lot extra if you need to change your flight time. Cheap airfare prices are also usually only available if you buy well in advance - buying the day before or on the day will add a big premium to the price. The baggage allowance is also on the mean side - often no more than 15kg or 20kg per person. Any more than that and you will face a very hefty premium on your cheap price ticket.

In summary - you can travel Europe cheaply by choosing your discount airline package carefully. But do try to weigh up all the extra hidden costs as you compare flight ticket prices. You should also factor in the extra travel time that arriving at a provincial airport may bring.

Please remember: Don’t get too hung up on it all!

Travel in Europe is fun - however you do it.

Gary Hill is a travel writer based near Edinburgh and Scotland. He travels widely in Europe and can give great advice and tips on European travel.
You can read much more about how to travel Europe cheaply on Gary’s website. You’ll find more detail about the discount airfare packages available and about the routes that the various budget airlines fly.
Travel in Europe can be great fun but it helps to get good quality advice before you go.

The website also has details of how to organise an Ireland Golf Vacation and on planning your dream wedding location.

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When traveling to another country, there are several key ways to get the most out of your money. Among the most effective methods is timing your travel right: taking advantage of a favorable exchange rate can considerably enhance your buying power. In the real world, though, a plethora of arrangements to be made and tickets to be bought may inhibit the luxury of planning travel months in advance. But even if you’re planning your travel just a month or even a week in advance, there are still ways to be smart about your money. To minimize losses when converting to another currency, finding a good place to change your money is key.

Long-Term Planning

Plan to travel when your money is worth relatively more in the country you are visiting. Every country has a fluctuating exchange rate so that there is balance in the supply and demand of currency. Timing your travel correctly, therefore, can make a significant difference in the amount of spending you do.

A clear example of a fluctuating market is the euro to US dollar exchange rate. In year 2002, each euro was worth $.83. Now, in July of 2005, each euro is worth an upwards of $1.2059, meaning the euro increased more than 31% in three years. This favorable rate of exchange for the euros makes traveling to the US a much more favorable deal in 2005.

Two ways to see if traveling to another country is a good deal, then, are to look at historical data and anticipate the future. You can easily check the historical rate of a currency pair by visiting a foreign exchange news site and pulling up a yearly chart. A good website for this is DailyFX (www.dailyfx.com). Having an inkling about the future direction of the exchange rate may prove more challenging, but it is not impossible. DailyFX has fundamental and technical news reports to guide you in this respect.

Short-Term Planning

When travel plans are made in the short term, the key to maximizing buying power is finding the right place to change your money - that is, getting the best rate for the time that you are traveling. It is essential to do research in advance, namely, checking the rates at domestic banks, credit cards, foreign banks, and ATMs.

At Home

At home, you can contact your local bank teller and ask about changing your money to a foreign currency. Experts suggest to only change enough to cover travel costs until you are settled at your destination though, as the costs of exchanging money at home can be prohibitive. Another service available is an online money exchange, which will take your funds and send the converted money to your home. The risk posed in this service is the safety of your funds during transportation.

In most instances, asking your credit card representative about exchanging money is the best approach to getting a great exchange rate. Credit card companies have access to better rates than individuals and often deal in more than one currency. One precaution to take, nonetheless, is to check if your home currency is losing value, since not all transactions are converted instantly. Be cautious of the possibility of receiving a lower than expected rate several days later.

Abroad

While exchanging money after arriving to a foreign country is the most convenient option, the obvious risk is the lack of options. The quoted exchange rate given may be determined purely by supply and demand, meaning that you will end up with a price close to what is being quoted in the foreign exchange market globally. The government of the country you are visiting sets the currency exchange rate, which must be offered by anyone who is changing money; and a mark-up in the rate is inevitable. An easy way to see if changing money in a foreign bank is a favorable decision is to compare currency rates beforehand in a local newspaper.

ATMs of a foreign country may also be a convenient way to obtain local currency at a reasonable rate. Keep in mind, however, that your withdrawal may be subject to a fee from both the foreign and your local bank. Another precaution to take is to tell your bank of your travels, as they often freeze cards if out of the ordinary transactions take place. As an illustration, if you make withdrawals in four different countries over the course of a week, your bank may see this as a red flag and for security, immediately lock all transaction of funds.

Getting The Most Out of Your Money Now

Getting the most of your money is a tricky task if you are unaware of all the options, or have trouble finding good resources. A quick and easy way to decide which of these options are right for you is to firstly, talk to as many people as you can (such as your local bank teller and credit card company), and secondly, obtain rates from the listed options and compare the quotes with one another. As another alternative, you can compare your obtained rates with the market rates quoted at GoCurrency.com (www.gocurrency.com), a currency converter that offers up-to-date exchange rates for over 150 world currencies.

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Victor Siu is a contributing writer for GoCurrency.com. GoCurrency provides information on global exchange rates, movements and news related information.

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