It's tough out there. Difficult to make a living and pay for basic expenses let alone even think of spending money on travel. Travel has always been one of my "basic necessities" and the current climate means I have to dig even deeper and cut more corners to afford this important part of my life.

While trying to find creative ways to economize, brochures keep arriving in the mail with offers that, I believe, are not only way beyond the realms of normality or what people can afford and make me wonder:

- How the heck did my name ever get on these lists? and

- What are these operators thinking? Perhaps they should ease up on heavy tranquilizers and take the needles out of their arms...

Continue reading "Travel Dreams and Travel Reality" »

Posted by Sheila at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Things are really tough financially around the world right now and everyone is hurting. This presents a major problem if you still want to continue traveling. It's difficult to justify an expenditure on what is perceived as a "luxury" rather than a "necessity" but travel has always been a necessity for me. You just have to get a little more creative.

To that end, I heartily recommend Adventure Center listed on the side-bar of this site. Take a look at what they have to offer and you won't believe the prices. If picky me has taken 16 trips with them, they must be doing something right! Another reputable organizer is G.A.P Adventures. G.A.P. is also a world leader in the adventure travel industry.

Continue reading "Cut Down Your Costs and Keep Traveling" »

Posted by Sheila at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am completely addictive (or anal...take your pick) when it comes to finding and booking a hotel at the best possible price or deal. Is one of the big hotel websites the way to go or should I navigate directly to the different hotels? ...'tis a puzzlement... After trying both ways for years, still no definite conclusion. You probably expected a different answer but the best solution is still try both!

Case in point. Ibis Hotels is part of the Accor chain. Their brands consist of Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, Etap, Formule 1 and Motel 6! When I need a European hotel close to the airport for a one-night stay before flying out the next day, I want the cheapest deal. Not only the best price but also with complimentary transportation to and from the airport. Checked prices with several of the major search links first:

Continue reading "Should You Use Hotel Websites, or Book Direct?" »

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Do you want to visit Thailand? Laos? Cambodia? Do you think that a tour to any or all of these places is beyond your means? Think again. Today's Chicago Tribune detailed a deluxe tour offered by the Art Institute of Chicago with accommodations at five-star hotels, internal flights, many meals, entrance fees, etc. at the staggering price of $7,740 a person! And...this doesn't include international airfare...

ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I could never afford trips like these. If you can, go for it. Instead, I completely recommend you browse through the Adventure Center offerings on the sidebar of this site. They have 94 different tours operated by several tour operators into Southeast Asia.

Continue reading "Asia Can Be Affordable" »

Posted by Sheila at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today's Sunday newspaper Travel section had an article detailing a expedition to a remote area of Ladakh, priced at $4,195 a person. I'd like someone to please explain why anyone would want to spend $4,195 a person to travel through Ladakh when you can easily see the same sights and book a group trip through Footloose Travel at about $1,100 A PERSON! We've arranged three customized trips with Footloose Travel (for not much more) and, no...they do not comp me or give a discount because I am recommending them. Footloose does a wonderful job and will include every single item the pricey $4,195/person organizer does for one-quarter of the cost. Don't want to hike? Fine.....sightsee and your costs go down because a trek is more costly.

Continue reading "Ladakh, India Money Saver" »

Posted by Sheila at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I just came back from the Big Seminar in Atlanta that basically teaches people how to make money on the Internet. Joel Comm, of NY Times best-selling "AdSense Code" and a Google AdSense guru was one of the speakers and pulled up Travels With Sheila during his presentation to illustrate ad placements, and emphasize content above all else.

Joel then asked me to come up on stage and tell the 400 people in the audience a little about why travel is my passion. To summarize, I related how I saved whatever money I could for an entire year, looked for off-season bargains and dragged two children under the age of 3 into airports AND sat in the airport all night because, in those days, red-eye flights cost less! That's how important travel was, and is, to me.

Continue reading "The Big Seminar in Atlanta" »

Posted by Sheila at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just received a flyer from smarTours, www.smarTours.com with a 10-day tour of Beijing and Shanghai for $699, including air from Los Angeles - for a New York departure, add $100.

People think that Asian travel is prohibitively expensive for an ordinary person. I beg to disagree! An average airplane ticket to Oklahoma City from Chicago (visiting grandchildren) is rarely below $330, and here is a trip that includes air to the Far East AND land arrangements, for an additional $400! tell me...how can you beat that...or use the excuse "it costs too much to travel out of the country."

Continue reading "Cheap Tours to China" »

Posted by Sheila at 02:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I never recommend any tour operator that we haven't used and been satisfied with. Explore U.K. is one of my best finds for relatively inexpensive vacations (in comparison to American tour operators) around the world. This is what the word, "inexpensive" means to me...

A trip that includes: hotels and/or small pensions; air within countries when needed; all other transport; excellent guides; breakfasts and sometimes dinners; and more. You can read about some of our in-depth experiences on this website. Below are some of the trips that we have taken with Explore along with the 2006 costs:

Continue reading "Inexpensive Worldwide Vacations with Explore" »

Posted by Sheila at 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Susan Sullivan, in Texas, travels with some women-friends and asked if I had any tips to s..t..r..e.. t..c..h those Euros further.

There are 1,000's of articles and books on that subject, but this is what I do, have done, and suggest.

If you're talking about two weeks, limit yourself to one country, two at the most and travel around.

Train hop - buy a rail pass - single, or multiple country - RailEurope. Try not to ever train on a Saturday or Sunday without a reservation on popular routes unless you have a 1st class pass or ticket. It is mobbed!

Use your ATM card. I've always found it to have the best conversion rate and, on a side note, love to hear that little machine chugging away, spitting out my money!

We aren't backpackers/youth hostel people, and don't like sharing bathrooms with others (unless there is no choice) so I'm not talking "spending months in Europe on $1,000." And, a little spontaneity goes a long way for me. I like to start with a beginning hotel reservation, and then move on. Try hotelguide.com , or Hotelopia. However, most airports, and train stations have room-finding booths, and can help you if that's your druthers.

Air? Just keep searching all the sites...try entering different days...sometimes it makes a huge difference travelling on a Thursday vs. Friday. Look at some of the "cheap" airlines...check cheapo or visit AirfaresBasement.com to find low cost quality fares

For summer think:
- Slovenia (including the tour operator we are going to use in May, Helia)
- Turkey - go on the Adventure Center site - they only have 77 different Turkey trips to choose from

old Roman theater

Antalya

- Croatia
- or Greece.

Continue reading "Europe - Maximizing Your Budget" »

Posted by Sheila at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)