Hotel Tips
When choosing a hotel room, consider what special accommodations you need or want to request. No-smoking rooms, for example, are available at most hotels thoughout the world. Many hotels and motels allow children under 18 to stay for free.
Like airline tickets, hotel rooms are perishable items that must be sold daily. They also range in classes and areas: Deluxe, mid-price, or budget; chain or independent; downtown, suburban, airport, or highway.
Stay in the business section of town on weekends. Prices of hotel rooms in such districts drop as much as 50% Friday thru Sunday, when business travellers depart.
Conversely, stay in the resort area of town during the weekdays. You may be able to find bargain rates Sunday through Thursday night, when leisure travel is lighter.
Weekend Getaways
Try a weekend getaway package as a short vacation. These are becoming extremely popular for today's time-starved parents. Such weekend vacations have jumped 70% in the past 10 years. More and more hotels offer not only romantic weekend for couples, but weekend shopping packages as well.
Besides a room and dinner, these packages often include discounts at local stores or malls, store gift crtificates, help from a personal shopper, gift wrapping, delivery of packages to the hotel, or such freebies as a foot massage, a tote bag, and even roses at dinner.
Traveling Abroad
The wonder of going abroad is traveling into another space and time. Before you depart, sit down with maps, atlases, encyclopedias, and books or travel guides at your public library. Read about whatever interests you: history, sports, music, art, cuisine. Build your own sense of a place. The more you understand of another country's history and people, the more you will enjoy it when you get there.
For your first trip abroad, stay flexible, and get everything done in plenty of time. Buy your tickets six months or more in advance. If this will be your first passport, apply as soon as you can.
