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ashull@paducahsun.com
1. One-tank getaways
Before you even try to plan a vacation across the country or abroad, stop. If it’s not worth it to you, plan a one-tank getaway to a nearby, regional destination.
Surrounding cities are anticipating more visits from neighbors because of record high gas prices.
There is Cape Girardeau, Mo., where downtown attractions plan to stay open longer on more days to attract visitors by car. The Red House Interpretive Center off Main Street and the Cape River Heritage Museum are some of the town’s sites extending hours until September.
The Green Turtle Bay Resort & Marina near Grand Rivers rents boats, Jet Skis and offers 1-4 bedroom condos from $145-$450. The 8-person $450 per night condos could be cheap if split among a group of eight friends.
2. Booking flights
Be flexible. With times, trip dates, number of connecting flights. Anything. The more flexible you can be the more money you can save. Flight-booking Web sites such as Expedia.com and Travelocity.com, as well as official airline sites, offer last-minute deals and special purchase deals if you agree to buy tickets within a week.
For instance, Delta offered a package as of last weekend that if you purchased airline tickets to Amsterdam by Tuesday, May 13, you could book a hotel and rent a car for your entire stay for only an added $256 a person.
3. Package hunting
Nashville and Memphis, Tenn., and St. Louis, Mo., all within two to three hour drives of Paducah, offer vacation packages on their tourism Web sites, catering to those driving for a quick trip close to home.
Check them out here:
- Nashville, www.visitmusiccity.com
- Memphis, www.memphis-travel.com
- St. Louis, www.explorestlouis.com
An example is a package that Nashville’s tourism office offers for $144 that includes a night in a Nashville hotel, admission into Nashville Shores Water Park, and they throw in a Summer Survival Kit with summer essentials such as sunscreen.
The country music fan can buy the two-day, two-night “Kenny Chesney & LeAnn Rimes Music City Spectacular Getaway” which includes floor seats for two to their concert at LP Field for $448, with cost varying depending upon which hotel you choose to stay in.
4. Rewards points anyone?
The frequent traveler in your family could be a gold mine. Marriott Hotels and Holiday Inn hotels offer reward points for frequent travelers who earn them as they rack up hotel visits. The programs are free to join and usually mean upgrades to nicer rooms, special bonuses and gifts.
You can take advantage of a family member with the same last name and use the points for your own vacation and get free hotel stays.
Yes, you can start your own rewards program for future trips, but what is family for?
5. Groups
It’s always fun to travel with a crowd, and less expensive. Split costs with your gal pals or buddies and take advantage of group discounts on everything from gas, hotel costs to admission fees.
6. Cruises
It might take some money to get to the coast but you can bargain hunt for cruises leaving from Miami and other eastern cities. Right now Carnival cruise line offers a $349 cabin on its Carnival Fascination boat making a 3-night Bahamas trip. Search for cruises online at Expedia, Travelocity, or Google cruise lines.
7. Currencies abroad
If you venture over the border, pay attention to the exchange rates. It could mean the difference in spending your entire budget on food and hotel or having enough dough to bring home cool sombreros.
Here’s how the dollar stacks up against other popular currencies (as of Friday, May 2). The smaller the number below, the less your U.S. dollar is worth.
1 U.S. dollar equals:
- .65 Euro
- 40.58 Indian Rupee
- 104.04 Japanese Yen
- 10.49 Mexican Peso
- 1.04 Swiss Franc
- 7.79 Hong Kong dollar
- 1.01 Canadian dollar
- .51 British Pound
- 6.99 Chinese Yuan
- 5.14 Norwegian Kroner
8. Magazines
Here are some helpful magazines to Google or buy before your next trip.
- Travelmag
- Budget Travel
- National Geographic
- Conde Nast Traveler
- Travel + Leisure
- Travel Holiday
- Blue
- Hemispheres
- Vacations Magazine
- Islands
9. Travel Web sites
Five Web sites to help in your travels.
- Homeandabroad.com. Lets you plan
a trip to more than 90 destinations from hotel to restaurants to entertainment ideas throwing in suggestions for everything along the way.
- Menupages.com. Includes about 25,000 restaurants across eight cities with their updated menu options.
- Seatguru.com. Preview seat maps including where to find power outlets for 73 models of aircraft on 39 different airlines.
- Cruisecritic.com. Research 60 different cruise lines.
- Lastminutetravel.com. Search hotels by ratings in any city and you can find reduced rates on luxury properties.
10. The bus
Don’t forget the bus. While it may take a little longer to get somewhere, there are great deals for the patient and adventurous.
Like Greyhound Lines’ deal to go anywhere in the U.S. for $99 or less. You can also purchase all your tickets online and build toward “Road Rewards.”
Adam Shull can be contacted at 575-8653.