Budget Travel: Hop on a bus

by Jamie Rhein on

Depending upon the time frame you have to go from one point to the next, bus travel is a worthy option when looking for a bargain. Last summer, I opted for Greyhound as a way to get back from New York City to Columbus with my son. It was a perfect trip with few kinks. At the time, the bus fare was much cheaper than a flight, and I didn’t want to drive myself.

A few years back, I made a similar trip (from Cleveland to New York City) with my daughter when she was five with equally favorable results. And, well before that, I traveled with a friend for three months across the United States, criss-crossing from Kentucky to California–mostly by bus.

Here is a look at bus options in addition to Greyhound as a way to save money. Plus, a bus gives you the opportunity to watch the scenery glide by and hear songs like Simon and Garfunkel’s “America” playing in your head. [The photo posted by bobster1985 is of the Greyhound bus terminal circa 1936.]

First up, Greyhound: With a network that stretches across the United States to 2,300 different destinations, Greyhound is more likely to get you closer to the places you might want to go. If you’re heading to a major city, golden. If you have a small town in mind or a national park, lots of luck.

When my friend and I were mapping out our trip, we nixed several places because getting there was impossible, or too inconvenient. We also found out that the further west we went, the later a bus departed–or the earlier it arrived. However, we spent a whole day Salt Lake City and Denver without staying overnight by arriving early in the morning and leaving after midnight. Granted, it’s not a picnic at a bus stop in the middle of the night, but it’s not awful.

Because a Greyhound bus tickets can be purchased the day of a trip at the station, you can build flexibility into a vacation. When we bought our tickets, we figured out the route we wanted to take and the stops we could make in order to maximize our tickets. One leg went between Lexington, Kentucky to Racine, Wisconsin with stops in Louisville and Chicago.

For bigger savings, Greyhound has several budget options. Book ahead and on-line for up to a 20% discount. Right now, you can purchase a ticket 14-days in advance and get anywhere in the U.S. for no more than $99 one-way if you’re traveling on Monday through Thursday. At other times, a 14-days in advance purchase can get you a 35 % discount, and 7-days in advance can save 20%.

Unlike air travel, children, senior citizens and students also get discounts. Children under 2 can travel for free. Children ages 2-11 can get a ticket for 40% an adult rate. Seniors can get a 5 % discount. If you’re a student, with a Student Advantage Discount Card, you can save 15%.

Find out if you can get a Family & Friends companion fare. It’s still listed on the Greyhound website. If you’re traveling with another person, one person pays full fare, and the other person pays 50%. For a parent traveling with two children, each child pays 50%.

About Trailways and Peter Pan: Trailways is included in the Greyhound network. In many cases, you may be on Trailways bus for part of the trip and then switch to Greyhound. Greyhound specializes in coast to coast travel, while Trailways service is focused within distinct regions. A Trailways issued ticket is good on a Greyhound bus.

Peter Pan bus line operates in New England and is one way to get to smaller cities and towns. I’ve taken Peter Pan to Wooster, MA. Booking on-line offers cheaper ticket options. Like Trailways, Peter Pan dovetails with Greyhound.

Megabus: When Josh wrote about Megabus last October, a couple of people left comments giving a thumbs up to their experience. Touted as having bus fares as low as $1, bus fares go up as seats sell. As of last May, the company had served 1,000,000 passengers. The company now offers service to seventeen Midwest cities, seven West Coast cities, eight East Coast cities, and into Canada, however buses have very specific routes, so the reach may not be as wide as you need. You can also hop on a Megabus in Great Britain.

The map on the website shows the bus routes, and a drop down menu lets you know which destinations are connected to each other. For example, from Columbus, I can only go to Chicago, Cincinnati or Indianapolis on one ticket. From Chicago I can head to Minneapolis. In order to get to Memphis or Kansas City, other destinations, I’d have to go to Chicago first. If the price is right, why not? Otherwise take Greyhound.

When booking a Megabus ticket, you can block out several return date options if you want flexibility. As a point to be aware of, you can only bring one checked bag that doesn’t exceed 50 pounds, and one small carry-on bag. Greyhound allows for more.

Unlike Greyhound that operates out of bus stations, Megabus has specific bus stops that may or may not be near a bus station, but stops are clearly marked. Although most of Megabus’s business is done on-line, you can make reservations by calling their telephone reservation line.

I’ve never ridden a Megabus, but from the the description, they remind me of the more deluxe buses that went between Hsinchu, Taiwan where I used to live and Taipei–roomier than Greyhound and quicker because there are less pick-up points in between.

BoltBus: Grant took a BoltBus from Washington, D.C. to New York City last March and was generally pleased. Similar to Megabus, BoltBus offers an inexpensive option for going between Boston, NYC, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Ticket prices start as low as $1. Like Megabus, Boltbus also offers Wi-Fi access and plug-ins. Grant, though said that the Wi-Fi wasn’t working for him.

To buy a ticket, go to www.boltbus.com to purchase on-line. For the best deal, it’s recommended that you purchase tickets a couple weeks in advance. You can buy a ticket buy showing up the day of departure, but you’ll pay more and may not get a seat.

If you do buy a BoltBus ticket, be sure of your travel date because tickets are non-refundable. (Megabus allows you to change for a fee) Like on Greyhound and Megabus, children under the age of two can travel for free with an adult.

Chinatown Bus: Last year I found out about the “Chinese Bus” that leaves Columbus for New York City, every night (I think). Since then, I’ve discovered a vast network of buses that connect various cities to Chinatown. If you choose this option, book early on-line to make sure you get a seat, but be prepared that you may have to wait for another bus since buses fill up.

Like Boltbus, you can only buy a ticket on-line. Unlike Megabus, you must have a printed out boarding pass in order to get on the bus. Also, like Boltbus, tickets are non-refundable. (For more answers to questions you might have, click here.)

Departure cities range from Mobile, Alabama to Syracuse, New York and Spartanburg, South Carolina. This company also offers vacation package tours. There’s a three-day tour from NYC to Toronto that takes in Niagara Falls and Thousand Islands, for example. Excluding meals and admission fees, the tour costs $190 per person for a double occupancy room. If you buy two, the third person goes for free.

For a look at what traveling on a Chinatown Bus may be like, click here. One detail to know beforehand is that before you hop on one of these buses, make sure you are getting on the right one. Several leave from the same stop. Now, that really does sound like Taiwan.

An advantage of this bus over Greyhound is that it makes less stops so you can arrive at your destination more quickly. However, like Greyhound, departure times are hit and miss. The schedule, in a way, is a suggestion of when a bus might leave. Still, don’t arrive late or you might be out of luck.

Within the Chinatown bus offerings, The Fung-Wah Bus only travels between New York and Boston. You can either buy a ticket on-line or at the ticket office at 138 Canal Street.

Another company with the same service is Lucky Star. Currently, there is a promotion where you can pay $1 for a one-way fare, but this is first come, first serve.

For other bus company options, check out RK Chin, a journey through Chinatown. There are a few more you may want to consider.

French francs worth something again!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

You know where your expired money is. Now a collectible rather than currency, your kids have those leftover lira in a shoebox under the bed. Or, they’ve stashed a jar of “funny money” on the nightstand. Wherever it is doesn’t matter. These random pieces of paper may ignite a child’s imagination about far-off lands or trigger a fond memory from an amazing trip, but the value is strictly sentimental.

Not any more.

The Currency Commission wants to help you turn all these strange bills into real money, specifically Euros. Sure, they’ll take a cut along the way, but that’s only fair. After all, The Currency Commission is turning nothing into something.

You may remember that the notion of a pan-European currency became a reality in 1999. Since then, sixteen countries surrendered their monetary identities in favor of the efficiency of conformity, in addition to others (such as Monaco) that have currency relationships with other countries. Clearly, the experiment has worked. Only three years later, €1 is worth $1.30, and that’s after a decline through much of last year.

Though we celebrate the Euro today, there’s still a lot of orphan old money out there, especially in major non-European countries such as the United States, Canada and Japan, according to David Brooks, The Currency Exchange’s public relations advisor. The people holding this currency missed the deadline for changing it to Euros. Often, the legal currency was in such small amounts that those holding it simply didn’t care.What The Currency Commission realized, however, is that there’s a ton of small money tucked away in sock drawers and coffee cans all over the world. In Germany, for instance, Brooks has seen a study suggesting that there could be up to €3 billion worth of unrecovered Deutsche marks. If you assume a similar amount of legacy currency outstanding for each of the 16 countries officially on the Euro, well, a lot of a little becomes a lot of a lot. And, The Currency Commission just wants a small piece of each transaction.

So, worthless money becomes worth something again. Yeah, I thought I smelled bullshit, too. When I asked Brooks why people should trust The Currency Commission, he made the obvious and powerful point: it’s not like you’re putting anything of value at risk. And, he’s right. At present, your 10,000 lira isn’t worth a dime. So, what do you lose by testing out this service? “Kick the tires. Try it with a small amount first,” Brooks recommends to the skeptics, “then, do more later.”

The process is pretty straightforward. Simply create an account, select the currency and amount you plan to exchange, print and sign the receipts, then mail them in with the bank notes. Your new cash will come back in fewer than 14 days. The company is working on a PayPal interface right now, which Brooks expects to make the process even faster.

If you rush over to The Currency Commission right now, you won’t be the first user. Hundreds have already come before you and swapped old currency for new since the service first launched in early October last year. Among them … Brooks’ parents!

Of course, there’s one big question in all this, and Brooks knew it before I could ask. “I know,” he said with a laugh, “how do we make money, right?” Brooks explains that even though the exchange deadline has passed, the various central banks in Europe are still willing to exchange aged cash for Euros. They just prefer to do it locally. So, The Currency Commission aggregates and repatriates. It collects currency from its customers, sends the money back to its homeland and makes the trade. Economies of scale kick in. again, all these small transactions add up.

So, if you have any dated dinero lingering on your desk, ship it off to The Currency Commission. Your money may be worth something (again).

Romantic in the Midwest – 4 fantastic Valentines destinations

by Scott Carmichael on

Valentines day is approaching, and you have a little over 2 weeks to get your preparations in order. If you live in the Midwest and you really want to surprise someone, then check out these four romantic destinations which are guaranteed to be more original than roses and chocolates.

Sundara Inn and Spa – Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin



Anyone who has lived in the Midwest for any length of time has probably spent at least one weekend in the Wisconsin Dells. The Dells are a bit of a mix between kitschy 70’s entertainment and oversized waterparks.

But don’t let that scare you away, because hidden away far from all the hustle and bussel is the Sundara Inn and Spa. This spa is voted one of the top 10 in the country, but its location means it isn’t the easiest place to visit.

Getting to the spa involves taking a small road through the hills, and once you arrive you’ll notice that you hear absolutely nothing. No traffic, no planes, no busy water parks. In fact, with several miles of forest around the facility, chances are you may even find things a little too quiet.

The facility itself is quite simply stunning. With just 26 suites, the whole place has a very private atmosphere, and since no children are allowed on premises, you can enjoy a really romantic getaway.
If you need even more privacy, you can rent one of the 4 private villa suites, situated across from the main building in the forest.

Rooms are available in 3 different levels of luxury, from a “basic” room with a Kohler 8 jet waterspa, to a split level suite with a 75″ Riverbath spa and Watertower shower. All rooms come with a Bose wave radio and a selection of music CD’s.

Rates start at $139, plus any spa services you order. A 30 minute massage will cost you $65.

Romantic packages with one night in a suite, 2 couples massages and an in-room picnic costs just over $500, so plan wisely. Men may prefer to spend some time in the pool while their significant other gets pampered in the spa.

At night, complimentary towncar service will take you anywhere you want to go within the Dells, but I highly suggest a meal at Fields at the Wilderness – this Frank Lloyd Wright inspired restaurant is one of the best steak restaurants in Wisconsin, and a fantastic place to have a romantic dinner.

The Sundara Inn and Spa is located at 920 Canyon Road in the Dells. The drive will take about 3 hours from Chicago (195 miles), and about 2 hours from Milwaukee (123 miles).

Web site: Sundara Inn and Spa


The American Club, Kohler, Wisconsin

Chances are that you recently showered or used the bathroom with a Kohler product. The brand does have a bit more to offer than just bathroom accessories, and The Kohler American Club is another of those great Midwest gems.

The American Club is a AAA five diamond rated hotel, and all rooms feature Kohler products, including rooms with their whirlpools and showers. Next to the hotel is the Kohler Waters Spa, where guests can be pampered with such treats as a white chocolate Macadamia nut sugar scrub.

Rooms for Valentines day start at $238 a night, and a romantic getaway package with Champagne, roses and a “bath butler” costs $398, which includes a $100 dining credit for one of their 5 award winning restaurants.

The American Club is located on 419 Highland Drive, Kohler, Wisconsin. The drive from Chicago will take about 2 and a half hours (145 miles), but folks living in Milwaukee can get there in a little over an hour.

Web site: The American Club

The Champagne Lodge, Willowbrook, Illinois

If you prefer something with a shorter drive from Chicago, then the Champagne Lodge may be just what you need. A standard room at the lodge costs $169/night, and comes with a queen bed, whirlpool tub, steam room, Plasma TV and wet bar. For about $40 more, you can upgrade to an executive suite, which comes with a larger room and tub.

The Champagne Lodge also has an on site spa, and services start at just $45 for a 30 minute massage. Of course, as the name implies, Champagne is available for any room, and starts at just $15 per bottle. The rooms look a little cheesy, with large mirrors and wood panels, but the secluded location will probably be much better for a romantic weekend than your run of the mill Westin or Hilton downtown.

The Champagne Lodge is located on 16W621 S. Frontage Road, Willowbrook, IL. The drive from Chicago is just under half an hour.

Web site: The CL

The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Acme, Michigan

Condé Nast Traveler named this resort one of the top 50 in the world, so it is obvious that this is not your ordinary resort. The Grand Traverse resort and spa is located in Michigan’s lower peninsula, which obviously means it’ll be a little harder to get to for many people.

The resort has it all – a spa, health club, tennis, golf, a waterpark and 5 restaurants (including one on the 16th floor of the tower).

Rooms start around $120 for a low level accomodation, and about $140 for a tower room. A one night couples package costs about $250, which includes the room, dinner and breakfast. The hotel reservation system allows you to add Champagne and roses to your room for a reasonable charge.

The Grand Traverse resort is a 328 mile drive from Chicago (just under 6 hours), and about 250 miles from Detroit. The resort is located just several miles away from Traverse airport, which is a one hour flight from Chicago.

The Grand Traverse resort is located at 100 Grand Traverse Village Boulevard, Acme, Michigan.

Web site: The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa

Budget Travel: Three steps to a cheaper car rental

by Grant Martin on

Three main components go into any vacation package: Hotel, Airplane and Vehicle bookings. Once you can get around and have a place to sleep, activities and food can just fall into place as the days roll in.

Here at Gadling we’re covering all of the niches of vacation bookings in our Budget series. Earlier in the week was plane tickets. Later, will be hotel bookings. Today’s focus? Getting a good deal on your car rental.

It’s not as difficult as you think. The same booking engines (Kayak, Expedia etc.) used to find your bargain basement airplane tickets can be used to find cars as well. But with car rentals, the strategy is a bit different. Most of the time, airfare prices that are quoted from a search engine are fares that you’re stuck with until the bitter end. With car rentals, that’s the point from which you start.

From that marker, you optimize you booking in three ways:

  1. Join the club
  2. Get a coupon
  3. Be Flexible!

We’ll start with Joining the Club.
Like most hotel, airline and credit card brands, car rental companies will do anything they can to hook you into their product. By making you believe that you’re loved, you’re more likely to stick around, identify with them and feel better about yourself. Happiness is money.

National‘s Emerald program, for example, means absolutely nothing. Anyone off the street can join, get the card and walk to the Emerald Aisle when booking, it just takes time to follow the right links, sign up for service and fill in the forms.

Being a member, however, affords discounts. Coupon codes for Emerald members float around the internet freely, and by being in the “club” you’re entitled to these rates.

The same applies for basic membership in many other rental agencies — sign up for basic service and you’ll immediately see the benefit. Furthermore, you get the added bonus of getting through the line at the counter faster (or often bypassing it) and earning points, so it’s a win-win situation.

Get a Coupon

The internet is RIFE with coupon codes for car rentals. If you want a good place to start, check the repository at flyertalk.com, where coupons should be filed under each specific agency.

As a word of waning, remember that different policies and insurance coverage come with each contract code or coupon. You might get a great deal by renting under the Missouri Alligator Hunters contract ID, for example, but after you get into that fender bender, you also might find out that all insurance is waived. Just make sure you read the fine print and know what you’re getting yourself into.

That said, many a coupon code that we have found online have resulted in huge (40-50% discounts) over the rack search engine rate. Never, ever book without a coupon.

Be Flexible

Being flexible in pickup time, location and vehicle has its benefits, but some days, your favorite car company just doesn’t offer the best price on your itinerary. It’s difficult breaking free from your preferred carrier when you’ve worked so hard to earn that “granite status” that gets you the free windshield wash fluid, but you have to remember: most car rental agencies are charging you way too much to begin with. If they can’t offer a competitive rate, you can’t let their perks sway you. Join the competitor’s rewards program, do the research and book the cheapest fare. Hey, you might like the vehicle that you get to drive.

**

The nice thing about vehicle rentals is that getting a good deal is less time dependent than in working with airplane tickets. There is almost a higher supply than demand for cars, so usually a near term rental isn’t much more expensive than a reservation that you make three months out. Airplane seats, conversely, often sell out.

So take your time. Book your airplane tickets first, hotel second and spend a while shopping around for car rentals. Get the perfect convergence of membership rewards and coupon codes lined up, and you just might drive away with a bargain.

Undiscovered New York: A movie lover’s guide to New York

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Welcome to Gadling’s weekly series on the Big Apple, Undiscovered New York. If there’s one place outside of Hollywood or Bollywood that is inextricably connected to the movies, it is New York. From the city’s important role in the beginnings of the American movie industry in early 1900’s to its starring role in films like The French Connection and Ghost Busters, New York and the movies tend to go hand-in-hand.

Not only is New York a great place to discover the filming locations of the silver screen, it’s also a great city for people who love good movies. Whether it’s Hollywood’s latest blockbuster, the latest art-house indie film or a vintage classic, you’re bound to find a theater showing a copy sooner or later. And that’s nothing to say of New York’s great lineup of yearly film festivals, random movie-star sightings and fantastic stores catering specifically to rabid movie collectors.

Ever wonder where they filmed scenes for movies like Goodfellas or When Harry Met Sally? Looking to track down that vintage Casablanca movie poster or an obscure film-noir classic on DVD? Get comfortable, grab a bucket of popcorn and come along for Undiscovered New York’s guide to New York and the movies…
Famous Movie Locations
Perhaps the best part of movie culture in New York is that it is literally being remade, each and every day. New York is a living breathing film set. In addition to the numerous television shows and commercials that film in New York each year, there are countless movies. Over the course of any given day, there’s a good chance you might stumble upon a film crew setting up or even an well-known actor or actress preparing their lines.

If you tend to be the self-starting type, there’s a number of online guides that will take you on guided tours of some of the city’s most famous movie locations, allowing any visitor to quickly track down some of their favorite movie moments. A number of companies, like On Location Tours also offer guided tours of some of the city’s more memorable cinema spots.

Movie Theaters Galore
Given all movie-making that goes on around town, New Yorkers tend to be rather particular about their movies. This has led to one of the country’s most competitive and diverse theater markets, providing options for just about every taste. No matter what your preference, there’s a movie theater to suit you.

Chin-stroking cineastes tend to head to theaters like Manhattan’s Film Forum, which regularly screens the latest and greatest in non-Hollywood fare as well as long-lost classics. Other art-house movie theater favorites include the Angelika, the Sunshine Cinema and BAM Rose Cinemas in Brooklyn. Movie-goers looking to throw popcorn at the screen and whoop it up at the latest Hollywood action blockbuster should check out theaters like the Regal Union Square or AMC Empire 25 near Times Square. Make sure to yell at the screen, it’s a New York movie-watching tradition!

Film Festivals
Not only is New York spoiled for choice when it comes to movie theaters, the city is also the first to see some of the newest films at one of the city’s many annual film festivals. The events tend to bring out an eclectic cast of the movie industry elite’s biggest-name directors and actors, industry regulars and the plain curious.

The best part of New York’s film festivals is that many screenings are open to just about anyone who can get their hands on a ticket. Screenings not only include a first run viewing, they often also include Q&A’s and behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew at the film’s conclusion. The Tribeca Film Festival in late April and the New York Film Festival in September/October are two of the biggest. Make sure to check out the festival websites as the start dates approach to get your hands on some passes.

Movie Memorabilia and More
Not only is New York a great city for watching movies, it’s also one of the best spots anywhere to pick up a piece of movie history. As you might expect in one of the world’s great shopping cities, it’s easy to find a movie-themed gift to please even the most finicky movie fan.

East Village institution Kim’s caters to the more eclectic end of the spectrum, stocking all manner of subtitled foreign films and obscure B-movie classics on DVD. Meanwhile Chelsea’s Chisholm Larsson Poster Gallery carries an incredible selection of rare original movie posters that’s sure to please even the most jaded movie fan.