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This level of comfort depends largely on the type of ticket that we have paid for. Some airlines offer airline cheap dirt ticket packages and interesting price offers to entice low budget travelers to fly on their flights.

While you may have to hunt around for the best deal that you can get from these different airlines you will see the various packages, low cost tickets, and no frills airline cheap dirt ticket prices as well. This information gathering can be quite valuable as many of us tend to stick with one or two airlines that we know about.

For the person who is on a low budget or someone who is feeling adventurous, making travel plans with an airline that is offering airline cheap dirt ticket prices and packages is the best way to get our holidays started. The first and foremost reason will be the amount of money that has been saved with booking airline tickets from an airline that is offering dirt cheap tickets.

When you have finally chosen the airline that will give you the best deal you must see about securing the rest of your travel plans. This usually means planning your schedule so that you can leave for your holidays with a minimum amount of trouble. Besides getting your travel dates and hotels booked you will need to see about securing your airline reservations.

As you are looking through the many details for your flight schedule you should confirm if you are getting an airline cheap dirt ticket price. Any discrepancies in the amount of money that you will have to pay should be fixed before you finally pay the full amount of the various tickets.

Once you have received your final ticket details you should read through everything before you go home. You should ask if there is anyway that you can change your ticket if your traveling plans should change. As you are buying an airline cheap dirt ticket you should understand that you may have to buy a new ticket if you do happen to change your travel plans.

Since many airlines have cheap tickets to accommodate their various customers you can always be sure that you are going to be able to find such an airline cheap dirt ticket as well. Whether you will want to continue your journey with these types of tickets will depend on the service that you receive on these airlines.

I make no apologies for this post! I’m a born and bred Brit, living in America and when I unearth a real bargain on a hard to find British commodity, I believe in letting everyone know. S0—PG Tips Black Tea, Pyramid Tea Bags are an item essential in our household and whenever it’s time to stock up I always spend some time on the internet researching the best bargain.

I always used to buy my PG Tips from a company in Pennsylvania, then I found a better price in California, now Amazon have started selling groceries, my research shows that they have much the best price. As I write, Amazon are selling a case of two boxes, each containing 240 bags of pyramid PG Tips (total of 480 tea bags) for $32.35. Add to that their free Supersaver Shipping and Amazon are definitely the winners! Click Here to see their sales page.

I’ve also just noticed they have a “Grocery Back To School Offer”. Save 25% when you enter code PGTPS343 at checkout. AND if you set up a future delivery schedule (you can cancel at any time) you will save another 15%.

With Free Shipping and the two options I’ve listed above, you will save a whopping 40% Your two boxes of 240 PG Tips teabags will cost you just $19.41. I challenge you to beat THAT!

Keeping an eye on currency exchange rates is essential when traveling if staying within a budget or if just not wasting money is of concern to you at all. What does exchange rate mean? Typically, using the US dollar as a guide, other currencies would be worth more or less than a dollar for exchange of value. For instance, a Canadian dollar might be worth 85 percent of an American dollar, or 85 cents. Then when comparing a US dollar to the British pound, it a pound might be worth two US dollars. The fluctuating exchange rate means that, depending on market conditions, one day a pound might be worth two dollars, and the next day a pound might be worth two and a half dollars, and the next day worth one dollar and ninety cents.

A currency will be either free floating or pegged. A pegged currency is fixed by the government relative to the value of another currency. For example, the Hong Kong dollar in the 1980’s was fixed or pegged relative to the US dollar and always worth a set percentage of the currency it was pegged to. A free floating currency is allowed to fluctuate in value relative to all the other currencies on the foreign exchange market. When discussing currency people also refer to the nominal exchange rate, and the real exchange rate. The nominal rate is the rate at which a currency of one country can be traded for the currency of another. The real rate is the rate at which goods and services of one country can be traded for the goods and services of another. If, for example, the price of a product increases by ten percent in the US and there is a ten percent appreciation in the Canadian economy against US currency, the price of the product would remain constant for Canadians despite the US price increase. This is of course assuming that no tariffs are involved.

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Summer vacation has come to an end and you are basking in the afterglow of the home exchange trip you and your family have taken. Perhaps you and your better half have spent a wonderful weekend vacation at a spa, and you were even able to squeeze in a round of golf or a trip to the local shopping outlet. Unfortunately, it is now time to get back to the realities of work, school, chores, and the other little things that make everyday-life exhausting. It is no surprise that you feel as though you are in desperate need of another vacation at the end of the first week. Alas–this vacation is a full 365 days away…or is it?

The Hometown Getaway

Who says that the only remedy for the hustle and bustle of life is a full-fledged vacation? On the contrary, your hometown is full of amazing sights and sounds that you, with a bit of creativity and know-how, can turn into a magical getaway, without crossing the city limits!

The Hometown Jungle Expedition

While your hometown may not be a tropical rainforest habitat, it is bound to host a large number of city and also municipal parks. Some of these parks will even offer nature walks! Check out the phonebook for a listing under “nature center” and you may be well on your way to a hometown jungle expedition.

If you are planning this trip with your children, this is a wonderful opportunity to incorporate some hands-on learning experiences. Have a backpack for each member of the expedition, complete with binoculars, paper, pencils, collection jar, and magnifying glass. Encourage the children to “spy” flora or fauna before you do, and you will be well on your way to having a relaxing afternoon at the park. If you remember to pack a picnic lunch, you will be able to spend most of the day in the “wild.”

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This is an old, old chestnut, but I’m afraid I must drag it out, dust it off and bring it to your attention yet again. If you are a someone who has a home exchange listing, with us or any other club—CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER!

Over and over I’m receiving puzzled, disappointed, frequently frustrated reports from ExchangeHomes members who tell me they are sending out home exchange inquiry emails, never to receive a reply. I in turn send emails to some of the members who were contacted and also never receive a reply. I then phone them and in every single case they claim to have never received any of these emails.

I ask if they check their spam folders regularly—no, they either click to empty them occasionally without ever checking the contents, or have them set to purge automatically after x-amount of days.

People simply don’t realize that these days, the majority of email programs compare the addresses of incoming emails against a) the recipient’s “Friends List” and b) their stored list of email addresses. If the email address of the incoming mail doesn’t find a match in either of these, it’s immediately discarded to their spam folder.

I completely understand that sorting through all the spam mail is frustrating, but all that is usually required is a careful review of the subject lines—opening and reading each one certainly isn’t necessary. Make a habit of actually reviewing the contents of your spam folder because you could be missing out on some great home exchange opportunities.

The world of budget travel can be filled with excitement and appeal, and in our expensive world today traveling on a budget is becoming more necessary if you want to travel at all.  It is important to keep costs low when traveling, whether you are traveling solo seeing a foreign country for the first time or a family with your car filled with kids and luggage heading for the beach or an amusement park.

If you want to go the lower cost route while traveling, it is definitely a good plan to generate a travel budget.  Determine the approximate costs and prioritize the different portions of your trip, such as hotel, airfare, car rental, visiting attractions and sights, food, and gasoline.  Once you have a good idea of what you want to spend on each part of your trip, then you need to begin shopping around for the best deals.

When it comes time for you to formulate a budget for travel, you should first prioritize by deciding what is most important to you and what you can cut back on.  For example, while some travelers would rather spend a more on a higher class of accommodations, others would rather save money by staying at lower priced hotels or motels splurge on sightseeing or their food budget for the family.

Once you have prioritized the elements of your trip, begin researching what the best deals are.  Often, discounted admission rates on area attractions are the most common and easiest to find, since many theme parks, museums and other attractions run specials to draw tourists.

To get big discounts on local attractions, the best place to start is the Internet, specifically the web site of whatever attraction you want to visit.  Often you will find great deals online, such as two-for-one deals, free admission for children, special reduced admission days, even discounts on food and lodging.  

There are other ways to get great discounts.  If you are in the military, a senior citizen or a member of an organization such as AAA, you will find that there are many discounts available to you.  Most AAA offices sell discounted tickets for theme parks, museums and other attractions within driving distance, and most AAA offices sell discounted tickets to popular destinations like the Walt Disney World Resort, too.  The secret to making the most of your travel budget is to research and take advantage of any discounts available.

If you plan to drive your car on your trip, make sure you get it serviced so that it is in good condition before you leave.  Something small like under-inflated tires or worn spark plugs or brake pads can affect your gas mileage and increase your fuel budget.

A good tip for keeping your fuel spending under control is to invest in a map of your destination.  It will keep you from getting lost and therefore wasting gas.  Being able to find your way to and from the hotel or other destinations without trouble will make your vacation less stressful and less costly.

No matter how work to save money on your next vacation, planning a budget and adhering to it will let you enjoy your vacation more, and worry about the costs less.

One great feature of home exchange is that you can “swap pets”. By that I mean each family’s pets stay at home to be taken care of by the exchange family vacationing in the home. Great, if you just have a cat that needs to be fed and maybe cleaned out once a day, but what if you have a dog? Is it really fair to expect your exchange partners to stay close enough to your home to be able to return once, maybe twice during the day to accommodate your dog’s toilet requirements?

For several years my husband and I have solved this dilemma by taking out a membership with a company called SitterCity. In marketing-speak, Sittercity.com is the largest and most trusted online source for child care, pet care, senior care, housekeeping and tutoring with more than a million caregiver profiles nationwide.

SitterCity is where you can go to find trustworthy babysitters, pet sitters, nannies and other care providers within a few miles of your city. In Dallas, for example, we’ve got more than 24,000 caregivers! Unlike smaller sites, they have hundreds of thousands of care providers across the country to make it easy to find the right sitter for your needs!

As I said earlier, my husband and I always use them when we are home exchanging. We insist upon our exchange partners having at least half of their days in our home free of the responsibility of caring for our collection of pets. If they ask for more, that’s fine too. The SitterCity pet sitter has a definite schedule of days set up and comes to the house twice or three times each day, depending upon how late at night our exchange partners expect to return.

We always provide them with the current sitter’s contact information so that they can get in touch with her should there ever be an emergency, or they will be away from the house longer than anticipated.

This worked out particularly well during our last exchange because it allowed our exchange partners to use our house as a base camp and take several overnight trips away.

But it gets even better. The Sittercity membership gives us access to their entire range of pet sitters, babysitters, nannies and other care providers. If the visiting family has children we can set them up with a baby sitter that we know will be reliable and are often skilled in areas like early childhood education, CPR, and first aid.

Sittercity is also less pricey than using a babysitting agency and lets you search for sitters in your area before you ever have to sign up for their service. That way you can be sure that there are sitters in your area whom you would like to contact before spending a dime.

Because Sittercity is a matchmaking service only, it does not charge any fees for using care providers found on the site! Just your monthly fee for use and you are ready!

One of the most popular strategies for budget traveling is to make what is traditionally one of the most expensive parts of travel the airfare free.

One great way to score free flights without tediously collecting frequent flier miles is to get yourself bumped off of the flight on which you are booked.

While getting bumped won’t make your current flight free, it will traditionally score you a free ticket you can use at a later date of your choosing.

Getting bumped is such a popular money saving strategy that there is a definite art and science behind it. Remember that you may not be the only person on your flight hoping to get bumped. It is important to follow the guidelines listed below to increase your chances.

- Book your flight with the intention of getting bumped. For instance, you may want to choose one of the first flights of the day, knowing that you will be able to get on a later flight after you are bumped and still reach your destination.

- Always ask if the flight is overbooked. It may be a good idea to call your travel agent the night before the scheduled flight to inquire. Always ask the gate agent if the flight is overbooked as soon as you arrive and let him or her know you will volunteer to be bumped.

- Always pack a flight schedule for your departure and destination airport. Be sure to get a schedule that includes all airlines, not just the one on which you are booked.

- Always arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes prior to scheduled departure. Try to be the first one in the check in line. Being the first in line will ensure that you are the first on the list of volunteers to be bumped.

- Before you agree to be bumped, be sure that the airline will offer a free ticket or other significant compensation. Individual airline policies vary, so be sure you know what is being offered.

- Some airlines offer vouchers in $100 increments, according to the time you must wait for another flight. For instance, a one hour wait entitles you to a $100 voucher, two hours means you get $200, etc.

- Before accepting your free ticket or travel voucher, let the gate agent know that you need to be sure of your arrangements for your current flight. Always make sure you are holding a confirmed reservation and boarding pass for a later flight before signing the agreement and accepting the free ticket.

- Tell the gate agent that you want a guaranteed, confirmed reservation on the next flight to your destination.

- If there are no guaranteed seats available on the next flight, inform the agent that you want a guaranteed seat on another airline.

- Use the flight schedule you packed to choose an alternative flight and airline.

- If the wait for the next flight exceeds two hours, ask the gate agent for meal vouchers. Most airlines make these vouchers available, but they do not always offer them without being asked.

- If you get bumped from your next flight, you could score another free ticket. It pays to be flexible any time you are flying on a budget.

- Remember there are no hard and fast rules everyone must follow. There are some regulations, but each airline sets its own policy with regard to bumping policy and compensation.

- The bumping rules are generally different for international flights, so be sure to ask the airline about their policies before volunteering.

There are many things to keep in mind when traveling, whether you are a budget traveler or not. You obviously want to keep what money you have for your trip rather than lose it or have it stolen. You also want to keep yourself and traveling companions safe from harm. Here are some tips to follow to ensure your trip is safe and enjoyable in a foreign country.

1. Have a valid passport and all visas required for your trip. Make two copies of your passport. Keep one in a separate part of your travel luggage and the other leave with someone at home.

2. Be aware of any travel warnings for the country you are visiting. Find out about security and safety conditions in your destination.

3. Secure travel insurance!

4. Ensure you have been vaccinated against any infectious diseases prominent in the area you will be traveling to.

5. To make sure you can be contacted in case of an emergency, make a copy of your itinerary and leave it with someone at home.

6. Travel light and don’t pack valuables that you wouldn’t want to lose. Leave your jewelry at home but take an extra pair of glasses if you can’t live without them.

7. Remember you are a foreigner when you travel. You are a guest in their country and therefore should abide by their laws, and to a certain extent, their customs. For example, if you are a female traveling in an Islamic state, be considerate of your dress. 

8. Try not to bring too much attention to yourself when traveling. Don’t go out looking like a tourist with a flashy camera and expensive clothes. Try to blend into the scenery.

9. Travel in a group where possible and in well known areas. There will be times you want to get off the tourist track, so make sure you always have a traveling companion with you.

10. Only carry small amounts of cash on you. Your credit card and travelers checks will pay for most things.

11. Watch out for pickpockets! Wear a money belt and keep your purse/wallet in the front of your body. Report any loss or theft immediately to the local authorities.

12. Don’t leave your luggage unattended. Apart from having it stolen or items from it taken, you could also become an unsuspecting drug courier.

13. If traveling with a partner, pack half your clothes in their luggage and vice versa. This way if one of you loses your luggage, you will still have some clothes. 

14. Lock your luggage and label everything.

15. Lock your hotel room. Keep money and valuables with you, not left unattended in your room.

16. When using public transport be aware of possible theft. If you are traveling overnight, secure your luggage and sleep on top of it if possible. It is not uncommon for tourists to be drugged while on trains and buses so don’t accept gifts of food or drink from strangers on public transport. 

If at any time you feel unsafe, whether it is on the streets or in your accommodation, get out. Follow your instincts. Stay safe when you travel by being aware of the dangers and obeying the laws of the country you are visiting.

This article is brought to you by: Stuart S. Travel – Your Online Travel Guru

www.stuartstravel.com

For many people, autumn is the time of year when the nights get colder, the days get shorter, the leaves change color and the year heads rapidly toward the cold winter months.

The fall of the year is the time when the kids are heading back to school and anxious travelers are no longer dreaming of beach resort towns.

For the smart budget traveler, however, the autumn season offers some tremendous opportunities for lower prices, smaller crowds and an overall better vacation value.

The very items cited above make fall a great time for budget minded travelers to head to some of the best known resorts and enjoy lower prices on airfares, rental cars, food and hotel rooms.

Every vacation destination has its own high and low season, but the autumn of the year has the advantage of being the off season for both summer and winter destinations.

For instance, while winter is the high season for ski resort towns and other winter destinations, the mountain locations of these resorts often mean that skiing and other activities are available in late autumn, while prices for lodging, meals and rental cars are still much lower.

Likewise, resorts and travel destinations that enjoy great popularity in the summer months are still quite pleasurable, and often more so, in the fall of the year. For instance, autumn offers such benefits as cooler temperatures and fewer crowds in addition to lower prices.

The same restaurant at which reservations were impossible to come by in the busy summer months may suddenly be available in the fall, and that pricey summer hotel room may be quite affordable once summer has ended.

When looking for the best possible deal on fall travel, it is important to thoroughly research your particular destination. While fall is the off season for most locations, this is not true for every destination.

Be sure that there really are better values in the autumn season before booking your trip.

It is also important to check the weather, including average temperatures and average rainfall levels, for your fall travel destination. After all, lower autumn prices will do you no good if rain or uncomfortable temperatures ruin your long anticipated vacation.

If the average temperature and precipitation levels are to your liking, it is time to start searching for the perfect fall travel deals. The obvious first place to start for many people is the internet.

There are a number of very good web sites and newsgroups devoted to the best in budget travel, and they are a great place to start.

It is also important to start planning early for your fall vacation. While the heat of summer is still around, be sure to start shopping for the best fall deals.

Airlines often start promoting their lower fall airfares while summer is still in full swing, and it is important to act fast to get the lowest fares. The same goes for rental cars and hotel rooms, and those fall specials are often snapped up very quickly by other budget minded travelers.

Budget travel has become a necessity for most people with the cost of gasoline and other consumer products on the rise. But when we start considering when, where, how and what type of vacation to undertake, we sometimes get caught up in the anticipation and excitement of the upcoming trip and let the more important financial side of things slip a little. After all, for most of us, taking a vacation may only happen once a year and for some, even more infrequently, so we tend to indulge and forget about our pocket book a little.

There are many ways to save money, avoid unnecessary cost, ensure you take care of details end up a smart and perceptive traveler. Travel planning is easier that you might think and here are eight great budget travel tips for making your travel dollar go further!

1. Cushion your budget – When considering a trip or planning budget travel, it is important to plan for the unexpected and consider the financial side of things early on. This ensures affordability, liquidity and having the resources to enjoy it to the fullest! Plan for the worst-case financial scenario and prepare for things to cost a little more than you expected. Allow up to 20% increase in cost to be on the safe side of things.

2. Emergency money: Carrying some spare cash somewhere can also be a lifesaver. The rule of thumb seems to be around $50-$100 in small bills. This can be used for incidentals, ground-transportation like cab fare and/or your return home, tips and more.

3. Set your priorities: Set some budget travel spending priorities and criteria in advance, like eating at a special restaurant or attending a concert, even if this means sacrificing a bit on lodgings or visa versa, depending on what is more important to you.

4. Keep an eye on your credit cards: It is extremely easy these days to have access to your financial resources through ATM’s and credit cards. Just remember that it is just as easy to overspend because of it being so readily available. A little discipline will go a long way to protect your financial interest and help you stick to your travel budget.

5. Maximize gas mileage and efficiency: If you’re planning a road trip, make sure that your car has been serviced at least a week before your trip. A well-maintained vehicle will go a long way to ensure carefree driving. If your budget allows, you may consider renting a vehicle to save wear and tear on your own. Small economy cars are better on gas and are much more comfortable than they used to be. Minivans and sport utility vehicles are practical only if you have to transport a large family with a lot of equipment or luggage.

6. Gas fill-ups: For filling up your car en route, avoid pushing to the limit until the gas runs out. Gas will obviously be more expensive when filling up in remote locations. If you miscalculated and the light on the dashboard indicates that you are really in need, opt for filling just half a tank until you reach the next more densely or major populated destination, where gas might be a little cheaper.

7. Pack-a-snack: Bring your own refreshments and snacks. Gas station prices on drinks and snack food are high. Avoid these during a pit stop, if you are counting your budget travel dollars. A cooler packed with lots of cool drinks, water and ice and/or a thermos of coffee or hot water for tea, some fruit, granola bars, or a sandwich, goes a long way to still the hunger and save you money by avoiding all high priced stops en route.

8. Travel necessities: It is advisable to travel with basic necessities, like a cell phone and a first aid kit, since both can prove to be essential in emergencies. Most people have cell phones at their disposal, but in the event that you are not one of them, a prepaid cell phone may be the answer for your trip. The peace of mind it offers is worth the small investment. Cell phones can also save on hefty surcharges and higher long distance rates that hotels and resorts often charge.

Here are some of the favorite tips for budget travel in Europe. Actually, these budget travel tips apply to any country that you want to visit!

Budget Travel Tip # 1
Eating with the locals instead of the tourists. This way, you will save some money and enjoy the local food at the same time. Restaurants or eateries that are popular with local residents tend to be the ones with the best meals at a low or reasonable price.

Budget Travel Tip # 2
For a quick and economical breakfast, pick up a roll, some fresh cold cuts and a piece of fruit from the local market. Then enjoy a delicious sandwich and a cup of coffee in the local park. Take in the view and local life around you. You may end up with some great photos while at it.

Budget Travel Tip # 3
When eating out, choose the fixed price menu and the house wine for the best value. These dishes are often a good way to sample the local cuisine.

Budget Travel Tip # 4
Overnight trains are a great way to get from place-to-place and rest or sleep. During your budget travel in Europe, be sure to bring a meal, bottle of water and snack along. That way, you can save money and enjoy your packed meal.

Budget Travel Tip # 5
Snap away! Take loads of pictures of the people you meet during your budget travel in Europe. If you are using film camera, develop them when you get back home as developing at tourist locations can be expensive. Of course, if you are using a digital camera, you can take as many shots and print only your favorite ones.

Budget Travel Tip # 6
Find a website that offers some photographs of local attractions or upload your own from your digital camera. Personalize these shots with an epostcard and email them back to family and friends at home.

Budget Travel Tip # 7
Learn a few basic words of the local language. It will be easier and cheaper to buy things.

Budget Travel Tip # 8
When making large purchases, it is always best to use a credit card. That way you cash lasts longer.

Budget Travel Tip # 9
Like credit cards, ATM cash transactions provide the best exchange rates. You will avoid the sometimes costly fees charged by hotels and currency services when you need cash.

Budget Travel Tip # 10
Many travel locations provide student discounts, senior discounts, etc. If you are not sure a, always ask.

Budget Travel Tip # 11
Plan your budget travel wisely. There are some inexpensive souvenirs that you can get from your budget travel in Europe. For example, stickers, fridge magnets or postcards. For more expensive purchases, remember that the further you go from the tourist attraction, the less expensive the souvenirs will be.

Budget Travel Tip # 12
Go on a tour of the city. A bus pass or subway token is a great avenue for meeting the local people and sightseeing. The public transportation service of most European cites is efficient, clean, safe and easy to navigate.

Budget Travel Tip # 13

Do a Home Exchange!