Comments on: Recession Vacations

By: Meaghan

Meaghan — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:59:17 +0000

Food on vacation can be the largest expensive. There are definitely ways to cut back by bringing some of your own snacks and splitting meals when you go out to eat.

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:03:03 +0000

Very interesting article. With the recession, I would expect vacations to cost even less but it doesn’t appear to be the case.

By: Anne

Anne — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:24:56 +0000

@Monkey Mama- I’m assuming your last line should read “a four-star hotel”.

I only use priceline for hotels in a big city; otherwise the zone is usually too spread out to know if I’ll be close to what I’m going to do/see.

While I agree that it is possible to still receive a lemon, I try to minimize this by doing research first on sites like Betterbidding.com and only bidding on higher star hotels- while I would stay in a 2 or 1 star hotel if I knew what the hotel was first so I could research it, I’m not willing to gamble with the no-name aspect.

Hotwire.com is also helpful sometimes, esp. for families (can guarantee the # of people in a room, unlike Priceline which only guarantees 2 people). It may cost a little more, but it also often possible to ID the hotel from the amenities given.

By: Monkey Mama

Monkey Mama — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:44:31 +0000

I wouldn’t use Priceline for a hotel in a big city. Unless you want to end up on skid row. At least in more mundane places you know what you are getting.

(I had a HORRIBLE Priceline experience with a 4-stay hotel!!!)

By: Amy F.

Amy F. — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:38:14 +0000

Personally, I agree with Anne on using Priceline for airfare, but some people don’t mind the potentially strange flight times if they’re getting a good enough deal.

By: Anne

Anne — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:24:02 +0000

@Tightwad- Hostels *can* be the cheapest way to go. However, when traveling with multiple people, a hotel room for four can be cheaper than paying for four people to stay in a hostel, esp. in the US.

By: Rajeev Singh

Rajeev Singh — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:31:02 +0000

With little bit of planning in advance we can save a lot on trips like thee. Very useful tips ..nice post thanks for sharing.

By: Tightwad

Tightwad — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:03:40 +0000

Hostels are the cheapest way to go for accommodations. Or check Craigslist

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:20:49 +0000

I am surprised that Priceline is given the boost for airfare over hotels. Using priceline for airfare is usually scary- you can get stuck getting in super late and leaving super early and cutting into your vacation time. However Priceline for hotels is great (in a larger city) and as long as you learn how to use the zones of the city you can save a bundle!

An upcoming stay in downtown New Orleans is costing us $60 a night for a four star hotel!