travelbargains posts
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (1 year ago)
Dec 6th, 2010 at 2:00PM:
Online travel agencies have had a solid run over the past two years. They picked up some market share as would-be travelers were willing to poke around a little more to score cheap tickets. High rates of unemployment and under-employment and general economic uncertainty, of course, were enough to make consumers value every dollar a little more. This opened an opportunity for online travel ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Jan 9th, 2010 at 3:00PM: The end of the holiday season doesn't mean all the discounts are gone. So, while the big box retailers begin to reset their prices to "normal," Hilton is extending Christmas cheer through the end of January. The hotel chain is offering cuts of up to 33 percent on weekend rates in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. The brands included are Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, ...
by Jamie Rhein (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Dec 31st, 2009 at 2:30PM: I never saw myself as a cruise ship sort of traveler until MSC Musica made me a changed woman.
I'm the person who lived for two years in N'Jowara, The Gambia in a room at the back of an empty shop house without running water, window panes or electricity. Until my MSC Musica cruise, my extended boat travel was five days on the Niger River in Mali, first perched on feed sacks in a ramshackle wooden ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Dec 22nd, 2009 at 8:30AM: The end of the year is the time for all kinds of predictions for the next one. Usually, I treat such conjecture as the bullshit that it is, but when PhoCusWright puts out a list of what'll happen for the travel market, I tend to take it a little much more seriously.
The worldwide recession is still squeezing the European travel market, but the online sector is likely to be the star next year, ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Nov 20th, 2009 at 2:00PM: After a year of "travel slumps," "staycations" and other cringeworthy words and conditions, let's plan to get out on the road next year. Hey, economists are saying that the recession's already over, and the job market's recovery can't be too far behind. So, there's your motive. Opportunity? That's your vacation time; you probably have enough. All that's left to pull the perfect trip together are ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Jul 14th, 2009 at 1:00PM: With 408 guest spaces, more than 100,000 square feet of spa facilities and stunning views of the Adriatic Sea, the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Dubrovnik has become the largest and most exciting resort on the Dalmatian Coast. To celebrate its arrival, guests can stay for a starting price of €150 a night, including high-speed internet access and breakfast every day.
The Radisson Blu has 201 ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Jun 30th, 2009 at 10:30AM: Intrepid Travel puts together some amazing trips, and today's deal will make them even more accessible than usual. For the next nine hours, trips will be discounted deeply ... all Intrepid trips ... more than 400 of them. Price cuts range from 15 percent to 60 percent in this rare opportunity.
Trips departing soonest, of course, come with the greatest price breaks. Book an excursion that leaves ...
by Jamie Rhein (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Jun 14th, 2009 at 1:30PM: Back in January when I was writing about cruise line deals, I thought that if they are such a deal, I should go on one. That's what I'm doing in August. My mom, son and I are heading to Venice in August to hop on MSC's Musica Greek Island cruise. My mom and I were half price and had a free upgrade to a superior ocean view balcony room and my son is free. That's right FREE. All children ages 17 and ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Mar 27th, 2009 at 1:00PM: The Hotel Jules has been refurbished, and its new owners, G.L.A. Hotels wants to give you a good reason to stop by. Through the end of May, you can book two nights at this unique property on Rue La Fayette and get the third night free. Longer stays are rewarded. Each additional night is also 33 percent off. With cheap flights to Paris right now, this deal rounds out the total bargain. The ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Mar 18th, 2009 at 9:00AM: In February, the U.S. Traveler Sentiment IndexTM climbed to 90.2 from 78.2 in October 2008. An increased in the perceived "affordability of travel" is the driver of this trend. Since travel companies are desperate to fill seats and guestrooms, potential travelers are showing a bit more optimism. The index, which is part of the travelhorizonsTM survey conducted by Ypartnership gauges traveler ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Mar 7th, 2009 at 2:00PM: How many hotels give you a great shot of one of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world? Shoot down to Arenal, Costa Rica for a few days, and you'll see it first hand from your room at the Lost Iguana Resort & Spa. This top-shelf property has only 42 rooms right in the rainforest. You'll be surrounded by trees that have more than three centuries behind them, and the hiking trails through the ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Feb 28th, 2009 at 9:00AM: The life of a business traveler is nothing short of miserable (trust me; I did it for about five years). We look for as few things to go wrong as possible, and when things cut our way (which is rarely), the experience is nothing short of thrilling. The Campton Place Taj Hotel in San Francisco is finally treating the road warrior well. This is strange. Most airlines and hotels really don't give a ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Feb 23rd, 2009 at 4:00PM: 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, ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Feb 12th, 2009 at 12:00PM: The answers seem to be all over the map. Few have extra cash on their hands, and those who are working are still worried about what the future will bring. It's tough to dash off to somewhere exotic – or even somewhere that's not home – when you don't know if your income will be there when you get back. But, sometimes you just have to get out of town. There is some truth to the fact ...
by Jamie Rhein (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Nov 7th, 2008 at 3:30PM: With Obama's win has come a round of election related posts this week. There's an Obama musical planned in Kenya, bling to be had with inaugeration hotel packages and Obama-themed safaris.
In other travel related avenues that had nothing to do with the election, here are five other reads that range from the serious to the silly.
Aaron pointed out how cruises are still considered travel ...
by Jamie Rhein (RSS feed) (4 years ago)
Jun 17th, 2007 at 5:01PM: Isn't one of the benefits of getting older cheap deals? I bought a book for a friend of mine called Unbelievably Good Deals and Great Adventures That You Absolutely Can't Get Unless You're over 50 and browsed through it thinking of all the neat discounts heading my way.
According to consumer travel writer Ed Perkins, I should think again and not count on a bargain when I'm AARP age (50). As he ...