Travel Site Countdown-Hotels

Hey everyone! I apologize for not posting anything for a while. However, I am back with a great post that you don't want to miss out on. Over the past few weeks I have been planning a road trip down to Nashville for my friends and I. We are staying in a hotel while we are there so while doing my research I used a few travel sites. They can be helpful but some are difficult to navigate and don't provide the information needed. Here is my breakdown and rating of the top travel sites for booking hotels.

7. Hotwire
I put Hotwire last on my list because you do not book a specific hotel, rather an area in which you want to stay in. You can end up in any of a number of hotels. They do give you a list of the hotel companies that are in the area, but again not the specific hotel until after you book. For me this was not something I could use. When I was booking my trip to Nashville I was looking for a specific hotel. On top of the their rates were extremely high. The rate per night in the area I would be staying in was $138.00 average a night. The total came to $663.84. That was just out of the question. I do like how Hotwire does give you a total with taxes and fees before you put your credit card in. I prefer knowing exactly how much I will be paying before the last second.

6. Priceline
Priceline does have competitive rates with the other travel sites, however you have to put in all of your information before you see the total cost. It was only a few cents more for the subtotal than most of the other sites, but again it does not show you taxes and fees until the very end. I do not like this concept because it takes up some time to fill everything out to have to find out how much you will be charged.

5. Hotels.com
Hotels.com had the second highest rates of all of the sites I visited. For one night that Travelocity was charging me $159.99, Hotels.com was going to charge me $207.99. The total was going to come to $633.53. That price was just unacceptable.

4. Expedia
The same problem I had with Hotels.com was the exact same problem I had with Expedia, the prices were the same. I do not understand how these sites can market themselves as discount travel sites that offer you the best deals, when some of them have outrageous rates.

3. The Hotel's Website (I used Best Western)
I plan on staying in a certain Best Western while in Nashville so I decided to check out the rates they have posted on their website. I was surprised with just how competitive their rates were. The total price came to $551.63 which was around $13 difference from the cheapest rates I found. I was especially surprised by this because of how much lower it was compared to Expedia and Hotels.com. Best Western's rates were $112.21 cheaper than these two sites.

2. Kayak
This was my first time using Kayak so I was not sure what to expect. I had seen their commercials all of the time and they truly hone in on the fact of their prices and how you can compare all of the sites. They did have the lowest rates along with Travelocity. I used the comparing rates tool they feature so much on their commercials. I did not like this feature at all. When you do the search with the comparing rates tool all of the sites you are comparing pop up in different windows. This drove me nuts. In order to compare them all you have to keep clicking back and forth to and from different windows. If they ever want to adjust their site they should have all of the prices listed side by side when you click on the hotel you want so you can compare it all in one window.

1. Travelocity
Travelocity for my list gets number 1, not just because it had the lowest rates, but it was also the easiest to navigate. Travelocity shows you a break down of each night, the subtotal, and final total once you click on the hotel you want. I love this feature. Everything is on one page. Travelocity also had the lowest rates along with Kayak. From my experience Travelocity is the best travel site out there for booking hotels.

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Acadia National Park

Acadia is such a gem on in the northeast. Every which way you look the scenery is breath taking. Off the coast of Maine lies an island that doubled as a National Park. Beautiful lakes, majestic mountains, and breathtaking forests make up this gorgeous place. I was fortunate to travel here in the beginning of August. Fortunately for you there are so many different places to stay in Acadia! From tent camping, to five star hotels, to small cozy cottages, there is lodging for every budget! For any of these options do your research! Campsites have such a wide range in prices so make sure you do your research. Campsites are a great way to save on money for families!  Many of them are family campgrounds so they have people constantly there so make sure you book a good time ahead of time so that you make sure you get a reservation.  National Park Campgrounds There are also plenty of other campgrounds not in the National Park!  Acadia over all is pretty inexpensive to visit.

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK PASSES

Entrance Pass - $20 June 23-early October; $10 May 1-June 22 and early October-October 31
Good for entrance into Acadia National Park for one vehicle for seven days, including the date of purchase.

Individual Entrance Pass - $5
Good for entrance into Acadia National Park for one individual (pedestrian, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.) for seven days, including date of purchase.

Acadia Annual Pass - $40
Good for entrance into Acadia National Park for one vehicle for one year from date of purchase.

Acadia Fees
Bar Harbor is only a short drive away from the National Park and has many small stores and waterfront views to window shop all day.

Acadia Website

Roughing It in Beverly Hills

In the summer of 2008 I traveled the US on a ten day road trip through the southwest. In only ten days we hit California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona! It may seem a tad insane, but it was a great experience that is truly unforgettable! While visiting the land of make believe we camped out in the gorgeous Santa Monica Mountains at the Malibu Creek State Park. During the day we walked amongst the stars and at night we slept under the stars. LA is quite costly pretty everything, so camping was a great way for us to save some money. We woke up in the morning to a beautiful view of the mountains. The sunrise over the mountains was breathtaking and as the fog lifted it created a magical piece of scenery. It was an amazing way to wake up every morning.

Houston

What a great experience it has been being in Houston Texas for the Girl Scout National Convention. Here is just one of the experiences I had.

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Do Something Different

Sure you can spend a ton of money swimming with dolphins in a pool or you can save money and swim with manatees in their natural habitat!  I have gone on a manatee swim, which included a three hour trip through Crystal River in which we swam/snorkeled with manatees throughout the three hours.  Swimming with manatees cost anywhere from $35-$99 per person, with most ranging in the $40 range.  The tour was amazing and we had ample opportunity to swim with the manatees, it truly was a unique and amazing experience.

About 2 hours away is Discovery Cove a popular destination for vacationers in the Orlando area.   I personally have not been to Discovery Cove, so I cannot give you any personal stories.  However, I can give you the astronomical prices.  For a half an hour dolphin experience, which includes wading with dolphins in a pool for most of the duration and going into the deep end for the dolphin to push you back in or grab on to the dolphin's fin to be pulled in.  The dolphin experience also includes admission into the park.  This package costs anywhere from $200-$400.

So, for a family of four to go swimming with manatees it would cost $160, which is less than one admission and dolphin experience at Discovery Cove.  For a family of four to go to Discovery Cove for the day including the dolphin experience with the individual cost being $300 a person would add up to $1,200!  Wouldn't you rather go on a more unique and unforgettable experience and save $1,040?  Yes, of course there is the gas cost from Orlando to Crystal River and back.  For a vehicle that gets around 20mpg it will cost around $30.00 round trip in gas, for a vehicle that gets around 15mpg it will cost around $40.00 round trip.

Even with the cost of gas, you still save $1,000!  Wouldn't it be nice to have an extra $1,000?  I think so!

Happy Traveling!
Chelsea

Podcast

Here is my first Podcast! Enjoy! As of right now I am waiting for iTunes approval for the Podcast to be published onto iTunes.  I will let you know when it is posted!
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Make History FUN!

Many kids find history boring and do not understand the point in learning about it. However history does not have to be boring at all! Traveling can create the perfect mix of fun and history so that your kids and you and your kids learn in while having a great time! I would have to say my favorite historical spot that mixed fun and learning perfectly was Plimoth Plantation. If you haven't been there already I highly recommend it! It mixes a historical village with reenacting! As you walk through the village you can enter multiple buildings and houses that make you feel as if you went back in time. There are people all around in period outfits that reenact the life of the original settlers. You can talk to a woman cooking and cleaning food for her family as she tells you what she did yesterday living in Plymouth or to a man doing work on his house as he tells you about the harsh winter they just went through. It is like stepping back in time and submersing your self in all of the sites, smells, emotions, and noises of that era. I remember talking to a woman who told us of her journey over to Plymouth in the Mayflower, it was truly amazing. Walk down a path a little ways and enter the the Wampanoag Village. Enter the wetus and speak to Wampanoags and learn what life was like for the native people before and after European settlers came to Plymouth.

What is great about Plymouth is that you do not even realize you are learning! You feel like you are just having a normal conversation with the people who experienced Plymouth in the 17th century. To learn more about Plimouth Plantation visit there website www.plimoth.org.

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I am currently in the process of editing the teaser for the Youtube show for all your travel tips! The show will be entitled "Get Up and Go"
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Be A Happy Camper!

Who said camping was just for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts? Why not camp during your travels? Now I know what you're thinking, camping is gross, but it can be fun! Camping brings people together and creates memories that will last forever. On top of that, it is cheap! "The camping fee for state or national park campgrounds is from $5 to $10. For private campgrounds it varies from $10 to $40 " (rv-coach.com) A hotel in the Orlando area for the weekend of June 24th-26th, for two adults and two children, three stars, with a swimming pool, and free parking would range from $50-over $200.

Wekiwa Springs State Park, which is in the Orlando area has sites averaging $24.00 with an electric hookup. That is more than half of the price of a hotel room! Like I said before camping really brings everyone closer, more than staying in a hotel. So next time you are planning your vacation look at different options of places to stay! Even cabins can be cheaper than a hotel room, plus it's a bit more luxurious than sleeping in a tent.

Happy Travels!

Chelsea

On the Road Again

With the spike in gas prices airplane tickets have spiked as well. While this may turn people away from vacationing, it shouldn't. There is so much to see, all you need is a car and a bit of patience. Although it may seem costly to keep refilling your tank, it is much cheeper than flying. Many people are not fond of long driving trips, but I may have the solution. Leave the night before. Set a time in which you want to arrive at your destination, then find out the approximate travel time to find out when you should leave. Leaving at night allows the passengers to sleep, which means less bathroom breaks, which means you will arrive to your destination faster. Plus leaving at night will allow you to avoid daytime traffic. Avoiding daytime traffic helps conserve gas! Leaving at night gives you an extra full day at your destination rather than using that day driving. There are two options for the driver. Switching off drivers every few hours allows everyone to get some sleep. Another option is for the driver straight through, lucky for me on all of our trips our driver (aka my mom) loves driving and can stay up for long hours. Driving through the night has another benefit as well! Lets face it sitting in a cramped car for a few hours can cause tension between the occupants. Since you are driving at night everyone will be sleeping, so tensions are harder to be created. You can make these trips a weekend long to a few weeks long! Many people have the same problem of not being able to sleep in cars, I used to be one of them. The U-shaped neck pillows are an amazing invention that help car sleeping to be a bit more do-able. It is a manner of pros and cons. Yes, it may be a tad uncomfortable for one night, but the experience you will be obtaining on your trip will be memorable and exciting so it will out weigh the discomfort. Driving home is not limited to nighttime driving. It will probably take a bit longer to get home if you drive during the day between traffic and bathroom breaks. This summer I went on a week long road trip and hit Birmingham Alabama, Gulfport Mississippi, New Orleans Louisiana, and Gatlinburg Tennessee!

Mmmm...Mmmm...Good Cheap Travels

Think about your last vacation. Now think about every restaurant you ate at. Can you remember? If you can, now think about what you ate at each. Can you remember? For most people you probably can't. Food, unless it was the reasoning of your vacation, is pretty unimportant. Yes, you need food, but how much do you truly have to spend? I can probably guess the answer, too much! People waste so much money on food on their vacations. Food is necessary, but the amount you spend is not.

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A great way to save money is to not eat out while away. Now, I'm not saying the entire trip, rather the majority of your time.

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What's On The Menu?

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BREAKFAST: Most hotels, lucky for you, offer free breakfast. That is one thing you should look for in a hotel. Most offer cereal, bagels, muffins, fruit, and some even offer waffles and eggs. Use the complimentary breakfasts to your advantage. It will not only save you money, but also time.

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LUNCH: You're out and about, seeing all of the sites and taking in the atmosphere. Now, it's time for lunch. Your stomach is grumbling and yelling at you to feed it. You don't want to sit down at a restaurant because that takes up too much time. I have the solution. Pack your lunch. You can pack with you before you leave, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, and depending on how long you are traveling, cans of chicken and tuna. None of these require a cooler. So you do not end up with dry chicken or tuna bring a jar of mayo, you don't have to keep it in the cooler, unless it is very hot. Instead of carrying bread with you, which can get squished, bring a bag or two of tortillas and make wraps. You can mix in the mayo right in the can, saving you the hassle of carrying a dirty bowl or just slap on some peanut butter and jelly. You can do all of this in the car or make it ahead of time and carry the lunch with you. If you flew, share a suitcase with someone and use the unused one to pack all of your food items to check in!

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DINNER: The invention of electricity and microwaves make traveling a lot cheaper. A great thing to invest in and pack with you on your travels is an electric skillet. You can make so many different types of food on this little plate it is amazing! On trips I have taken we have made chicken fajitas, hot dogs, hamburgers, and reheated various dinners. The great thing about these, they are small and easy to clean. If you have the space for it in your suitcase, a George Forman Grill would work just as well. Microwaves also help in cheap and easy dinners! If all of this is a bit of a hassle, check ahead of time for local restaurants, pizza places, cafes, and diners to compare the prices before you leave!

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I would like to thank my mother, Susan, for inspiring this post. She was my Girl Scout leader and we used to do all of this! So, if you're thinking, well this seems like good advise, but does it work? I can personally say that it does!