The fourth of July promised to be a leisurely, stress-free weekend. My credit card was paid off and ready for gas purchases. My car was running smoothly. Our campsite was at a private cabin at a lake, and we’d long ago collected all necessary camping gear. The food was to be communal so we brought […]

A friend recently had a run of bad luck that required her to cancel a much-anticipated vacation. Her father died two weeks before they were to leave. Aside from the grief, she had to deal with much of the estate and legal matters. That alone would have made it difficult to go on vacation but […]

When you take a vacation away from home, you spend enough to get there (especially with the higher gas prices this year) and to stay there (even if you camp) that you might not want to spend a whole lot on attractions. Thankfully, most areas have at least a few fun and interesting things […]

We are friends with a couple I’ll call the Joneses. The Joneses are exactly what they sound like. They are the ones on the block with the latest cars, toys, and gizmos. Despite that, they are nice people and we’ve been friends for years. Each year we go on vacation together to a small resort […]

Now that it’s spring and the government rebate checks are starting to roll in, many people are sounding like that old Super Bowl commercial:
“You’ve just received your rebate check! What are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to Disney World!”
If you decide to go to WDW this summer and you want to stretch your […]

I have always enjoyed camping, first in a tent and then in a mini-motorhome. We’ve always found it to be an economical way to travel. It’s always been cheaper than flying or driving, staying in a hotel room, and eating out three meals a day. Campsites have historically been inexpensive and food is a non-issue […]

Somewhere along my most recent three-week vacation, I started to compare it to last year’s three-week road trip. I began to make a list of the little things that make a big difference when it comes to the price, cost, or value on vacation. Here are 20 lessons that I have learned.
1. If you […]

Ah, it’s that time again. Time to begin planning yet another vacation (the sixth for this year). And time for well-meaning (I think) friends and family to ask, “How do you afford to go on so many vacations each year when we can’t even afford one? You must be putting it on credit
cards or cashing […]

By J. Alan Maguire
Working in the web development industry, I get a chance to go to at least one conference, seminar, or training class every year. This way I can keep up with the latest technologies and our company benefits from my acquired knowledge. However, convincing the company my conference of choice is worthwhile […]

By Meredith H. Kaiser
My husband and I just returned from a 17 day, 5,500-mile road trip westward from our home in South Carolina. Even though 4.5 million visit the Grand Canyon every year, we still felt like bold adventurers because it was all new to us.
And, I have learned that as a white […]

Not everyone can afford the impromptu vacation, and we couldn’t have done it without having done some basic preparations. Here’s what we did, and what we spent, that made our two days refreshing and allowed us to arrive home relaxed.
What an Impromptu Vacation is: The past weekend surprised us with a vacation hidden […]

While many travel gadgets will do nothing but drain your wallet and take up valuable space in your luggage, there are a few highly practical items that will give you a lot of bang for your buck. No item on this list costs more than $20, and you can purchase every item here for […]

I recently stayed in a bed and breakfast for the first time. I was a little worried about the experience ahead of time because of all the negative stereotypes about bed and breakfasts having horribly tacky decor and forced socialization with bizarre strangers (Gilmore Girls, anyone?) but the experience was wonderful. Maybe it […]

If you are looking to get the best price on airline tickets, it takes more than going to an online comparison site. One area that can help bring down the price you pay is the flexibility you have when making the reservations. Here are some things to consider when trying to get the best deal […]

If you are going to book a hotel room, where do your think you would you get the best price?
A) Online Travel Website (such as Expedia or Travelocity)
B) Travel Agent
C) Call The Hotel Directly
D) Hotel Website
I assume that most people would choose the online travel websites, but that may be a bad (and costly) assumption. […]

By Shannon Christman, special to pfadvice
Summer vacation is often a time to splurge, but it doesn’t have to be a time of splurges you’ll regret. If you want to avoid coming home with a suitcase full of t-shirts you’ll never wear or seashell creatures that don’t fit your décor, consider these ten ideas for […]

With the price of hotels eating up a larger piece of overall travel expenses, finding good accommodations at reasonable prices has become an important factor when planning any vacation. It is no longer unusual to have accommodation expenses amount to more than half of the total cost of a vacation. Not having to pay for […]

Why spend money buying magazines at the airport for full price when you can get them for free with a little advance planning? Many magazines allow you a free trial of one or more issues. Sign up for a couple of free trials four to six weeks before your next trip, and you’ll have free, […]

For the vast majority of people, timeshare resort units are a huge waste of money. Here are 10 things that that the timeshare sales rep won’t tell you, but you really should know before you consider buying one:
1. Time Shares Are a Lousy Investment
2. You Can Get the Same Time Share for Half the Price
3. […]

Frequent flyer miles was a fantastic and simple idea when it began a few decades ago. All you had to do was fly on your favorite airline and you could earn points for every mile you traveled. When you had amassed enough points, you could redeem them for free travel. And “free” is a golden […]