Budget Vacations

Posted by Michelle Snow

A year ago, cheap airfares were relatively easy to find. Not so much anymore, mostly due to the rising fuel costs airlines are incurring...and passing down to the consumer.

The decline started slow with a few budget carriers, like Skybus and ATA ceasing operations. Then existing airlines found new ways to carve profits out of the thousands of passengers using them.

Pay extra for checked bags. Pay extra for exit row and reserved aisle seats. Create business sections out of airplanes that used to be one class only and charge more for those seats. Axing free snacks and then free sodas and water. Charging fees for phone reservations.

Now many airlines are simply reducing the number of flights to destinations or eliminating low-profit routes all together.

It seems as though flying the friendly skies may be a thing of the past.

Savvy budget travelers, however, will look to these changes as mere challenges to be overcome, rather than obstacles.

Don't be afraid to try new airlines, fly out of alternate airports or get creative with your routing. Take public transportation to the airport instead of paying to park. Be flexible on your flight times and even the days you can fly. Ask yourself if you really need to bring three suitcases for a weekend trip. Read the fine print and fee detailing on the tickets before you buy.

No matter what the airlines throw at you, there are still ways you can bring the prices down when you fly.

So while the constant changes make it more difficult to find cheap seats, those who keep themselves informed and are flexible with how they plan their trips can still nab great deals on airfare.

And Suite101 will be there to help you.

Posted by Michelle Snow

A division of Greyhound, Bolt Bus began offering budget travelers a new option to get from New York City to Washington, D.C., last month.

With seats selling for as low as $1, and onboard amenities like free wi-fi and power ports to charge your electronics, the discount bus line has proven themselves a strong alternative mode of transportation between the two cities.

This month, Bolt Bus began servicing two new routes from its New York City hub, connecting travelers to Philadelphia and Boston. The Philadelphia stop is located at N. 30th St, between Market and Chestnut and across from the SEPTA Station. The Boston stop is located at the South Station Terminal.

The bus line has also added a new NYC stop, at 34th St and 8th Ave, by the Tick Tock Diner, for those traveling on both the Philadephia and Boston routes. Philadelphia riders can also use the current NYC stop at 6th Ave between Canal and Grand, which also services the Washington, D.C. route.

These new routes are not only a logical expansion for Bolt Bus, but it puts them in a more competitive stance with rival Megabus, which has recently expanded to the East Coast market with its $1 fares. There are also several Chinese companies already operating along these new routes, such as Lucky Star and Fung Wah, but these don't offer the upgraded amenities like the wi-fi that make Bolt Bus such a great mode of transport for budget travelers.

For more on the new Bolt Bus, or information on how to book your tickets, please read Bolt Bus Offers $1 Fares.

Posted by Michelle Snow

Virgin America, the newest entry into the U.S. discount airline market, is quickly expanding. Yesterday, they announced they are adding a seventh city to the list of cities they service with a new San Francisco to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport route.

The airline will begin by offering three daily flights on this route, starting this week. From San Francisco, convenient connecting flights are also available to Seattle from New York's JFK International, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Washington Dulles International airports.

Starting on April 8, 2008, the airline will also add three daily roundtrips between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Seattle to the schedule, with a fourth roundtrip starting on May 11, 2008.

Virgin America's introductory San Francisco to Seattle fares start at $77 one way in the main cabin and $177 one way in First Class. Los Angeles to Seattle introductory fares will start at $99 one way in economy and $199 one way in First Class. These fares must be booked at least 21 days in advance and do not include airport security fees or taxes.

Launched in August 2007, Virgin America has quickly shaken up the American discount airline market with luxury amenities, such as in-flight entertainment at your seat, mini bars and touch-screen TVs, at a budget friendly price, and looks to have ten cities on their routes by the end of 2008.

To read more about the airline, including how to book your tickets, check out the Budget Vacations article Virgin America Takes Flight.

Posted by Michelle Snow

No that's not a misprint. You can save a quick and easy $20 off your meal at this upscale restaurant now through february 29, 2008.

To take advantage, simply make a reservation online at the restaurant's website and print out a copy of the confirmation. Then print out the online coupon and bring it in with your reservation confirmation and present both to your server when ordering. That's all there is to it.

McCormick & Schmick's menu changes daily, with its seafood selections for the evening being whatever was brought in fresh that day. This is the type of place that doesn't use any frozen seafood. They also have other options such as steaks, pork chops, homestyle meatloaf and poultry on the nightly menu that features close to 50 items. Average price for a dinner entree is $30 and up, so this coupon is a great way to try out the restaurant if you've never been there.

McCormick & Schmick's has locations in many major metropolitan areas from Los Angeles to New York City, so if you're traveling the US this month, you might want to check out this offer. The restaurant also offers an amazing happy hour from about 3pm until 6pm on weekdays that features appetizers from 1/2 lb cheeseburgers with fries to oysters for as low as $1.95 with a drink purchase in the bar/lounge area. Visit mccormickandschmicks.com for a complete list of locations and sample menus.

Posted by Michelle Snow

This year's event is scheduled for January 27th through February 1st, 2008, and over 130 of the city's best restaurants are participating this year, offering three or four-course dinners priced at either $30 or $40.

Included on the $40 list are award-winning and local favorites such as 1500 Ocean at the Hotel del Coronado, Azul La Jolla, Boathouse Restaurant, El Agave, Nine-Ten, The Palm, Roy's La Jolla and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

The $30 list is just as impressive, featuring restaurants like Anthony's Fish Grotto, Dussini Mediterranean Bistro, Fat City Steakhouse, Jake's Del Mar, Rockin' Baja Lobster and the Yard House.

There are three ways to search for participating restaurants on the San Diego Restaurant Week official website: alphabetically, by price and by region of the city. This makes it very easy to hone in on a deal that will whet your appetite. The website also includes the menus each restaurant is offering for this promotion and information on how to make your reservation.

So whether you want to enjoy a favorite, or want to get out and explore some new dining options, log on and go eat out for less during this promotion.

For more information on restaurant weeks in general, please read Suite101's Restaurant Weeks Offer Great Deals.

Posted by Michelle Snow

Continental Airlines has partnered with Budget for a great end-of-the-year mileage promotion that members of their OnePass frequent fliers club will love.

Simply book a car rental with Budget from now until January 31, 2008, with a minimum of five days in the reservation, and Continental will deposit 9,999 miles into your OnePass account. That could put you half way to a free roundtrip coach ticket in the continental U.S.

When booking with Budget, enter U072506 in the "Discount Code" (BCD) box and provide your OnePass number at time of rental or check-in to receive bonus miles. The above code will also give you up to 20% off the regular walk-up rate of rentals.

This promotion is valid at select Budget airport locations in the contiguous U.S. and this offer may not be available during holiday and other blackout periods. You must book the reservation at least 24 hours in advance and normal Budget rules and restrictions apply to drivers. There may also be a frequent flier surcharge of up to $0.50 per day, up to a maximum of $2.00 per rental, may apply and is extra.

So if you're going to need a car rental in the next month or so, be sure to take advantage of this great offer and put a huge bonus of miles into your OnePass account at the same time.

Posted by Michelle Snow

As part of changes coinciding with the inauguration of the legendary art gallery's long-awaited new annex, guests to the museum will be able to take advantage of free admission for two hours daily, except for Mondays, when it is closed.

The new Moneo annex adds 183,000 square feet to the 312,000-square-foot museum, which is considered to have one of the world's richest collections of pre-20th-century masters, including Goya, Velazquez, Rubens and El Greco. It will be officially dedicated and opened by Spain's King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on October 30th.

Entry to the museum will be completely free following the annex's dedication ceremony, from October 31st until November 4th, 2007. Afterwards, free entry hours will be from 6pm - 8pm Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 5pm - 8pm on Sundays. Previously, the museum only offered free admissions all day on Sunday.

Admission to the museum during other hours of operation will remain at $8.50, which is still a steal compared to other major museums in Europe.

If you are visiting Madrid, Spain, and you love art, do not miss the chance to see these amazing works for free.

For more information, you can visit the Prado Museum online.

Posted by Michelle Snow

As the seasons turn to fall, most visitors to New York City end their weekend stays on Sunday. But now, the NYC Visitor's Bureau is giving you a reason to stay over one more night with discounts at select hotels for Sunday night stays.

Participating in this fall program are hotels such as Dream, both Ritz-Carltons, all of the W-Hotels and the Le Parker Meridien. That's right, even stays at top-line luxurious hotels are going to be discounted a minimum of 20%. Some are even offering 25% and 30%.

In addition to the discounts, many of the properties are also including room upgrades, discounted room service and restaurant dining, complimentary breakfast and more.

For a complete list of participating hotels and the needed discount codes, visit nycvisit.com/NYCSundayStays.

It's a great way to include a bit of luxury into your New York City stay at more of a budget-friendly price.

Posted by Michelle Snow

One of the things passengers on Southwest Airlines have always grumbled about is the free-for-all boarding rules in place for passengers. This week, the airline has implemented a system-wide change in the way it will allow passengers to board.

In tests done at the airline's San Antonio terminal, Southwest experimented with further fragmenting its A, B and C boarding lines. Instead of just assigning a letter grouping and letting all within that grouping fight for a place in line to board, the airline has decided that passengers should line up in the precise order in which they checked in. This means if you're the 35th passenger to check-in for group A, your boarding pass will say A35 on it. You would line up to board in your group, behind the 34 people who checked-in before you.

So while this does eliminate the cattle-call like boarding procedures the airline is famous for, it does make it even more important that you check in as soon as you can. Online, this means 24 hours in advance of your flight. The sooner you check in, the further forward in the line you are.

Makes sense.

So while you still have to pick your seats on the plane, if you are an early check-in passenger, you'll get the best seats.

And Southwest has even gone a step further and put together a visual explanation of its new policies online at www.southwest.com/help/boardingschool.

Have any of you had a chance to take the new boarding rules for a test spin? Let me know.

Posted by Michelle Snow

I think it's about time. After all, if you can have pay-per-use seat phones and satellite television, why not the internet?

Exploring new ways to keep passengers happy, especially during long flights, several airlines are working on adding internet use to their onboard amenities list.

Virgin America's new planes already have the ethernet outlets built into each seat, but the service is not yet operational and there is no actual date to begin offering internet use to passengers.

American Airlines says they will begin actual tests of inflight broadband, via AirCell, on its fifteen Boeing 767-200 aircraft that fly transcontinental routes, starting in early 2008. The service will be wireless, allowing laptop, PDA and smartphone access to surf the internet, send emails and send instant messages. The airline, however, says they will block some sites like Skype, to avoid the noise of inflight internet phone calls. Due to the limitations of the non-satellite technology used by AirCell, the airline will only offer this service on its U.S. flights for now.

Southwest says it will begin testing its service in 2008, but is still in the process of selecting a service provider. Meanwhile, JetBlue is exploring an in-seat option for e-mailing and texting next year, utilizing its already installed LiveTV service.

And it's not just U.S. passengers that will get to use onboard internet in the near future. Lufthansa, a German airline, will offer in-flight internet in early 2008, using a satellite-based system provided by the trio of T-Mobile, SES Global and ViaSat. Australia's Qantas said it will also offer Internet access by August 2008, but released no additional details.

None of the airlines will specify exact costs for passengers wanting to use the inflight internet, but I would expect it to range between $10 and $20 per flight, depending on the duration. Still, for those who need to get work done, or just want to connect with friends on the ground, it's a small price to pay for a useful service.

Now if they could only do something about those tiny bathrooms.