Today on Live at 9 in Memphis, I talked about what travelers can expect this summer and how to stay on budget amid rising fuel costs and added fees. Travelers can expect two things for sure: higher airfare and crowded planes. The high cost of fuel is one of the main factors driving up summer airfares, so to stay on budget, travelers are going to have to be smart and find other ways to save.

One way to find a great deal is to try booking at the last minute. Since last minute travel inventory is unpredictable, this option is ideal for people who know they want to get away for a long weekend, but who don’t have their hearts set on a particular destination.

Read more»

Back to Main
Posted in Air Travel, Budget Travel, Last-Minute Travel
Email this | Comments (2)

If you’re an American who’s been tuned into the news lately, you’re probably finding it difficult to paint a picture of travel in 2008 that’s anything but bleak. You’ve seen the stack of travel-associated fees rise. You’ve been privy to the latest airline fiascos. You’re aware of the sobering decline of the dollar. And if you’re anything like me, you’re still trying to wrap your head around the series of crises related to the US economy. It’s all a virtual kick in the shins to the avid traveler, and I count myself among the injured ranks.

We all keep hearing that domestic travel is the way to go, and while I’m down with that—I’m a little embarrassed at how much of my home country I haven’t seen—I’ve found that staying even closer to home is a great way to get some instant relief. And the relief, it turns out, isn’t just temporary: a day trip done right can be a powerful cure for the ailing traveler.

Photo by IgoUgo member Constance

Read more»

Back to Main
Posted in Guides & Planning, Last-Minute Travel, Road Trips, New York
Email this | Comments (0)

A few weeks ago, Amy wrote about the spring break that wasn’t supposed to happen. You know; the one that travelers are still taking despite the drooping economy. Prices are up, but families are still getting out of town.

Being a traveler – and a budget traveler at that – I was inspired to dig up spring break travel inventory that is begging to be purchased. I wanted to see exactly where I could go (from San Francisco) for a few hundred bucks, and what I found was a list of seemingly lackluster places that travelers never wanted to visit. Well, until now.

Read more»

Back to Main
Posted in Budget Travel, Holiday & Seasonal, Last-Minute Travel
Email this | Comments (2)

Not too long ago, I won a gift certificate for a last-minute weekend getaway. Problem is, the dollar amount that I won stretches about as far as…Pittsburgh, PA. Or, if I go during off season, I may be able to swing exotic Topeka, KS!

As I started researching my options, I was reminded of an acquaintance’s ongoing tour of America’s underappreciated cities. Once a year, he meets his buddies in a second- or third-tier city that tourists may not clamor to visit: think Bangor, Cleveland, Raleigh. Kansas City was apparently a big hit.

Cleveland photo courtesy of IgoUgo member RoBoNC

Read more»

Back to Main
Posted in Budget Travel, Last-Minute Travel, Travel News
Email this | Comments (4)

It's getting close, that beloved and begrudged holiday oft known as V-Day. Hint, hint, hint. (And feel free to forward this little bloglet to your loved ones and crushes.) But no matter what you've got going this Valentine's Day, there's simply no excuse to come up empty handed.

Read more»

Back to Main
Posted in Holiday & Seasonal, Last-Minute Travel
Email this | Comments (0)

As much as I try to be an organized and semi-responsible adult, I always manage to leave everything to the last minute, which is why I found myself being patted down the other day by security at the San Francisco passport agency. This was a visit I’d been dreading, delegating it to the ranks of the DMV and cleaning the litterbox. And with this attitude I let myself get “wanded” by a guy with a handlebar mustache and took a number (23, to be exact) to wait with the hurried masses to renew my passport on the fast track.

Read more»

Back to Main
Posted in Last-Minute Travel
Email this | Comments (1)