I just spent 10 days with my family and then my in-laws (all while researching travel in the respective areas, of course). That's a lot of food and wine flowing freely. It was well worth it, despite the fact that the expense of getting there is steeper than just about any other time of year. But you can take advantage of in-between holiday travel to find those great deals that don't seem to exist elsewhere. Airlines, cruises, rental cars... they're practically dumping their inventory in hopes of staying afloat until the late December holidays hit.
Travel Deal
Right now Travelocity is offering $199+ Caribbean Cruises with up to $100 on board credit. The dates are great if you're looking for an early January getaway. And if you have the kind of company that tries to wrangle employees to work between Christmas and New Year's, consider volunteering to take those days if you can arrange for early January comp time. There's also some steals on airfare before and after Christmas. To take a look at other last-minute and cutting-edge deals, try Sherman's Travel.
Watch the latest on holiday travel...
Post-Thanksgiving Gluttony
Make Captain Stubing Proud
Have you always wanted to live at sea? At least for a week at a time once or twice a year? Today msn.com featured an article on 'How to Take a Free Cruise'. This drew me in, as most 'free' vacations require checking-out time shares. I even had a friend who won an all-expense paid trip to Arizona through a cigarette company. Though she didn't smoke, she pretended like she did to keep her cover -- and walked away with several cartons of cigarettes. They made for the perfect souvenirs to her chain-smoking friends.
So short of giving yourself a nicotine habit, being a lounge lizard, or becoming a stow-away, how exactly do you go on a free cruise? Many people are finding that cruise ships are in need of 'experts' in a variety of fields from General History, Art History, Geography, Geology, Oceanography, Social Economics and Culture. The cruise line's love speakers who can bring an 'educationment' slant to the destination. So if you're an expert on Mayan ruins, look for a Mexican cruise.
Religious leaders are also in need to conduct services as well as people who can teach classes on Watercolors, Pastels, Drawing and Sketching that would be fun both for beginner's and advanced artists. But I think my favorite is the Gentlemen Host Program at Compass Speakers. Check it out: "must be single gentlemen, 40-70 yrs, who are refined social dancers, cultivated and distinguishing gentlemen who enjoy enriching the lives of others. Our volunteer dance hosts are great human beings possessing the highest moral ethics, make friends easily and love to dance." Sounds very risque!
These 55 minute lectures or lessons (and escorts) are offered about once a day on the ship and the rest of the time its intructors enjoy free room and board and most of the ship's amenities. Most of these programs do require a fee of approximately $65 a day to cover gratuities and application process. So depending on where and for how long you're going, you may find a better deal on a travel site like Sherman's Travel or CruiseDeals.com.
But all in all, it sounds like a pretty sweet deal with an innovative spin. Why not look past the open sea take your expert services to all-inclusive resorts? Or to a mountaintop lodge, beach, or international? If you don't think you're an expert in anything, think again. You could be an expert in how to take a free vacation, the perfect travel itinerary, or something as off-beat as fantasy football. Whatever it is, start positioning yourself to be that one guy/girl who gets free vacations just by talking about stuff. Go on, make your friends jealous.
And just a thought: I personally find my 'vacations' more enjoyable when I'm there to research the city, review an event, or know I'll be getting paid to write an article afterwards. The idea of traveling with a purpose and productivity in mind is somehow enriching to the whole experience.
For more information on scoring your own free cruise (or becoming a gentlemen host) check out these websites for more information: Compass Speakers and Sixth Star Entertainment and Marketing.
Check out these cruise traveling tips...
From the Travel Bag
Q: I don't think I have enough money to travel. I'm not sure how to go about making it happen.
How to afford a vacation?
Everything in life takes sacrifice whether you're making time to going to the gym or watching TV at night instead of working your latest brainchild. Travel is really no different. First, sit down and make a budget to figure out where disposable income awaits. $10 for lunch? Cut it down to $5 by brown bagging it or buying cheaper options. Than in itself can save $100 a month. You might have to shave off one social outing a week, or skip the latest CD or novel. Another easy way to save is to only use bills when you spend. At the end of the day, put all your change in a jar and cash in before your trip. I've saved upwards of $75 a month this way with ease. Open a special savings account like ING just for travel. They often contribute upwards of $25 to your account at sign-up. If all else fails, get a part-time job or do odd-jobs on weekends. Squeeze, and repeat. Cash will loosen up.
But I've found those standard, generic rules of thumb to saving do little without innovation. The holidays are right around the corner and chances are you'll be with family at Thanksgiving who will want to know that age old question -- what you'd like for Christmas, Hanukkah, or your holiday of choice. Just about every airline allows you to give frequent flyer miles as gifts. So pick one out and sign up before you start telling your family and friends to pony up. And remember just about every airline will also offer several thousand miles as a bonus at sign-up, putting even more in your pocket. Just keep in mind you need to be clear about which frequent flyer club you've joined and stick with one airline only so you'll receive maximum return. If you fragment yourself with several frequent flyer plans, you'll end up with a lot of points spread out without much return. However, some airlines like Continental and Delta have partnerships with the other. I belong to Delta frequent flyer club but get points every time I fly Continental.
And don't forget the gift certificates. American Airlines and Jet Blue offer gift cards redeemable for airfare. But if it's not airfare you need but hotel accommodations in a neighboring city or a much needed cruise, try Travelocity where you can pick and choose your means of travel and accommodations.
If you ask, they will come.
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