Travel to convention cities to find a bargain

by Jamie Rhein on

Yesterday Tom pointed out cities like Palm Springs and Tuscon have shown a jump in travelers and offer travel deals to keep visitors coming.

In a Travel Briefs in the Dispatch, I read about more cities with vacation deals. Because there has been a drop in conventions, cities that partly rely on business travel as a revenue source are worth checking out for discounts. Vacation deals could be had in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York, New Orleans, and Washington D.C. among others. Some of them have been covered in our budget travel series. If Miami interests you, not much further north you’ll find deals in Ft. Lauderdale. The photo was taken at the convention center in Phoenix. Look there too.

The message seems to be that, although the economy may have huge downsides right now, if you have a hankering to travel, there are many places that will be thrilled to have you and will offer you enticements to head their way.

Recession vacations: do more with less

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Vacation plans are changing. This isn’t exactly a surprise. With layoffs mounting and a careful eye trained on every expense, long vacations are becoming short, and short trips aren’t straying as far from home. For some destinations, this is actually paying off.

A handful of smaller cities are pulling in visitors that normally would set off for grander locales. Charleston, SC and Fort Meyers, FL, for example sustained double-digit growth rates in January 2009 (relative to January 2008), according to American Express Travel bookings. Tuscon, AZ, Palm Springs, CA, and Portland, OR have also seen surges – 12 percent, 13 percent and 38 percent respectively.

Even Philly is on the upswing, which makes sense when you think about all those New Yorkers who need a quick break from the city.

So, why do these numbers look so good? Well, it’s hard to say. Drops in airfare and room rates are obvious drivers. Or, it could be some sort of marketing savvy. When you look at the data, there’s no common thread.

What is universal, it seems, is that everything is getting smaller. Trips are shorter, people are spending less and the destinations aren’t as far from home as they used to be. With the many bargains that are available, we may be able to do more with less, but overall, we’re still doing a hell of a lot less.

Aside from places like Fort Meyers and Tuscon, there are a few silver linings. “Girlfriend getaways” are still going strong, but the ladies are stretching their dollars. Renting one car instead of several, chipping in for a vacation home and picking a day spa over a destination spa are popular cost-cutting measures.

Home port cruises are on the upswing, as well. Guests can drive to the port (instead of flying), cutting down on the total cost of the trip. Like everyone else, these folks are cutting some deals, too.

Pick your corner of the travel and hospitality business, and you’ll find more than a handful of bargains. The decisions we make come down to what travelers can afford – rather than what they want. But, we’re still getting out on the road.

[Via MSNBC]

Check out some of these other wacky laws, place names and signs from around the world!


Gadling Take FIVE: February 14 – February 20

by Jamie Rhein on

You never know what you’ll find out at Gadling. That’s what I thought this week when I perused the offerings. In the midst of Cockpit Chronicles, Galley Gossip, SkyMall Monday, Tuesday Trivia, Through the Gadling Lens, and Undiscovered New York were posts with information I didn’t know about until I read them.

  • For example, Jeffrey’s post that Waterford Crystal’s main factory has closed caught me off guard. When my husband and I got married one of his cousins gave us Waterford wine glasses that he bought in Dublin. Hearing that the factory has been affected so severely by these hard economic times is startling. It’s Waterford Crystal, for heaven’s sake.
  • Alison’s post on driving RVs from one destination to another offers one more idea on how to travel cheaply. Plus, with a RV who needs a hotel room?
  • If you’re thinking of going to Africa, Kraig’s post Africa more affordable than ever in in 2009 points out that you ought to not wait. Prices are expected to skyrocket in 2010.
  • Check out Tom’s post Hotel Gaudi, a comfortable bargain. He recently stayed at this hotel in Madrid, Spain. The gallery pictures prove its stay-worthiness in case you don’t trust Tom’s word alone.
  • Last summer I was enamored with the show “I Survived a Japanese Game Show.” There’s no accounting for taste. On that note, Aaron’s post Osaka Bang! is good for a laugh. This concept would not work in the U.S. in case anyone is thinking about an American version.

Travel with kids in Denmark: AAA virtual trade show tidbit

by Jamie Rhein on

One of my forays at cyberspace trade show through AAA was to email a travel agent about traveling with kids in Europe. In particular, I asked about Denmark since this is one place we’ve thought about going the summer of 2009.

I picked Bernadine Kenny from the travel agent icons in the lounge and she emailed me back immediately with a few more questions, promising to get back to me today which she did.

As it turns out, Bernadine’s office is with AAA Auto Club and located in Worthington, Ohio not far from where I live. From our e-mail conversations , I found out that if one is traveling with kids in Denmark, if you’re staying in a hotel, it’s cheaper to get two rooms with two beds than one room that will sleep three or four. Bernadine found that a centrally located three-star hotel with two twin beds in Copenhagen is $178 per night, on average. The cost includes taxes and breakfast. A room for four people is $467. With two rooms you’re spending a total of $356. I haven’t checked out hostel prices, but I do know that Denmark is probably one of the more expensive places to go in Europe. Luckily, we have friends who will probably let us stay with them. If not, there’s a villa in Italy that looks pretty spiffy.

Asking Bernadine for information was a good move. I never would have thought about splitting up a family to save some bucks.