Tag: travel

Best Deals for Visiting Las Vegas

You know what they say: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! Some of the most exciting shows and attractions can be found in the desert oasis that is Las Vegas. Whether you prefer concerts, theater, magic shows or sporting events, there’s a good chance you’ll find something you’re looking for somewhere in Sin City.

Yes, pool parties, Vegas shows, gambling, food, music and top stars, are all awaiting you on a Vegas vacation. All you have to do is find a four-star Vegas hotel room and a cheap round-trip plane ticket. Fortunately, there are many great resort hotels in Vegas that offer experiences. For help sorting through the options, we’ve compiled a list of the best Vegas hotel deals!

Best Las Vegas Deals

Kayak.com

The first site for Vegas deals we’re highlighting is Kayak. Kayak.com offers some great deals on hotels and travel to and from Vegas. This covers hotels and flights and can included tours and packages, as they are actually a conglomeration of several other travel and booking sites. They way it works is that instead of having to go to several different sites, you just go to one and punch in what you want, in this case ‘Vegas.’ Kayak crawls the other sites and brings up the various Vegas deals being offered at the time, with links to those sites.

Vegas.com

Vegas.com is a great destination for those looking to make Vegas their trip destination! Jokes aside, this site is wonderful if you’re trying to find deals for traveling to Vegas. They market their site as a way to see “Vegas from the Inside,” and, for what it’s worth, it’s pretty accurate. The site offers a ton of great insider info on tickets for shows, deals at hotels and venues for parties! They even help you find cool activities you might not have thought of and help you save money while you’re at it! Vegas.com also offers a ‘Best Price Guarantee’ that matches competitor’s pricing.

LasVegas.com

Not to be confused with Vegas.com, LasVegas.com offers a rather similar service to its similarly-named competitor. The difference, however, is that LasVegas.com is the official tourism site of surrounding Clark County, Nevada. The site offers vacation packages, hotel deals, tours, show offers and tickets, restaurant deals, resort packages and even planning tools to help you plan your Vegas getaway. They’re a great way to find deals on visiting Las Vegas!

April 19, 2021
Learn How to Cash in on Amazing Rewards From These 4 Credit Cards

Saving money is incredibly important for any family. You want to be able to make the holidays memorable, but gift shopping gets expensive. That’s why it’s essential to explore all options to make the most of your money. One of the easiest ways to save money and get cash rewards is by getting a credit card. There are tons to choose from with all different types of rewards. That’s why we’re here to help.

What Do You Want Most?

Deciding what’s most important to you for your credit card is the first step to making the right choice. Do you want a credit card that will give you cashback on your most frequent purchases? Do you want a card that gives you frequent flyer points so that your next airplane ticket is discounted (or free?) Or do you enjoy staycations? Whatever you want to focus on there’s a credit card to match.

You’re a world traveler

Traveling new places is a great thing to be able to do. For some people it can be an expense they can’t quite afford though. That’s why it’s helpful to enlist your credit card company to foot the bill.

The first place to start is with a broad credit card like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. The card offers double miles on all purchases and has a promotion where you can earn ten times the miles when staying at certain hotel brands. Importantly, there are no blackout dates with this card, and the points can be redeemed at any airline or hotel. There aren’t any expiration dates on your miles, and there’s no limit to how many you can earn. You can also transfer your miles across to other loyalty programs.

Frequent Travel Pays Off

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a highly sought-after credit card for airline miles for a number of reasons. Firstly, the intro bonus is very generous. If you spend $4,000 through the card in the first three months of owning it, you get 60,000 bonus points. That translates to about $750 in travel rewards, which is a lot to earn just for using your credit card. You also get reimbursed for the $85 TSA precheck fee or $100 Global Entry fee. Add all this together and the card can easily pay for itself.

Dining and Entertainment

For those of you who don’t have the time to jet off to new locations, there’s a credit card to fit you too. The Capital One SavorOne card is the one for you. It will reward you with 3% cashback on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases. There’s no annual fee and you can earn a $150 bonus if you spend $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. Another great benefit is that your cashback rewards don’t expire. That way you can use them when you need them.

Just Give Me the Cash

If you don’t want a card with a fancy rewards system, but you wouldn’t mind a little cashback in your wallet, you aren’t alone. The Discover it Cash Back Card would be an excellent choice. With this card, Discover will match all the cashback you’ve earned at the end of the first year automatically. They also offer different killer deals each quarter. They choose a popular category and offer you 5% cashback (up to $1500.) Once you’ve hit that cap, which isn’t difficult, they then offer you 1% on all your purchases in that category.

January 27, 2021
Tips for Saving Big on Your Next Car Rental

When you take a trip out of town, one of the expenses you have to keep in mind is your car rental. However, you don’t have to break the bank just to rent a decent ride to get you around town! Today we’re going to help you save big on your next car rental. Save your money so you can afford to do more fun things on your trip or vacation! Trust us when we say you’re going to be thankful you read this list the next time you travel out of town.

Tips for Saving Big on Your Next Car Rental

The Basics

Most major car rental companies offer coupons for their services that you’d be remiss to not take advantage of. If you’re anything like us, you love finding great deals lurking around the internet. Use some search engine mastery or a plug-in like Honey before you fork over any cash for the next car rental you pay for. There are many sites that collect coupons and codes from many of the biggest car rental companies, so saving money could be a few short clicks away.

Another basic thing you can try is to simply ask for a discount. You’d be surprised at how many companies offer discounts for various organizational affiliations. For example, if you’re in the military or a retired veteran you may get a discount. Many places offer discounts for AAA members, or AARP members. It never hurts to ask what kind of discounts you can get! The worst that could happen is they simply tell you that they don’t have any discount programs.

Frequent Flyer Miles

Another discount you might find could come through your frequent flyer miles. If you’re a member of a frequent flyer program, such as through your credit card company, you might be eligible for discounts on rental cars using your miles. Sometimes frequent flyers don’t even realize these savings are available through their rewards program! Additionally, your rental company may be able to offer you miles in return for renting through them. As always, it never hurts to ask!

Rental Car Loyalty Program

Much like with frequent flyer programs, it might be a good idea to look into a car rental loyalty program if you’re out of town and renting cars rather often. Many of these loyalty programs are free to join and give you tons of benefits for sticking with your favorite rental company. Often these programs will allow you to store up points the more you use the company in question for car rentals.

Once you have so many points, these programs typically allow you to cash them in for upgrades to your rental, or even outright free rentals. While these programs might not occur to you right away when you’re thinking of savings, they’re a stellar way to keep extra cash in your wallet. After all, if you’re often out and renting cars, then you might as well get rewarded for it!

Shop for the Best Price

Make sure you do some research beforehand if you plan on heading out for a vacation or distant trip. After all, it can be difficult to find the best price on a car rental when you’re standing in the airport. Instead of getting caught out like that, do your research at home before you set foot on the plane.

Many websites, like Kayak and other price aggregators, allow you to see a number of car rental prices side-by-side. This allows you to pick and choose which prices look the most appealing to you. This ensures that you not only get the best deal, but it also means you know what you’re in for when you land in a distant airport.

While you’re online, you should also consider prepaying for your car rental. A lot of people don’t realize that you can save as much as twenty percent if you opt to prepay for your rental car before you go to pick it up in person. This requires a bit of planning ahead on your part, but it will save you a decent chunk of change.

Consider Avoiding the Airport

When it comes to car rentals, you should consider avoiding picking up in the airport. While it is very convenient to step off of the plane and get your rental car right away, it could be costing you as much as thirty percent more. If you take a cab into town and rent from there, instead, you could likely save a lot of money (even considering the cab fare).

January 15, 2021
Last Minute Winter Vacation Ideas…

It is never too late for a fun winter getaway. Since many of us are working from home these days, why not take your remote work someplace fun this winter? Our team got together and researched a few great ideas for people looking for a fun getaway while staying safe and healthy. Check them out below!

Last Minute Golf: Whether you are an experienced golfer or picking up clubs for the first time, golfing is a terrific idea for those looking to get outdoors without going too far from home. Sites like golfnow.com, Teeoff.com, and rockbottomgolf.com all provide great search directories and links to courses near you. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to find a tee-time.

A Weekend at the Beach: Nothing says relaxation and fun like a gentle sea breeze, sand between your toes, and a refreshing dip in the water. There are very few things to do that are as relaxing and fun as a day at the beach. Roughly 200 million people in the US live within 100 miles of the coast. If that includes you, get out to the beach! Websites including vrbo.com, hometogo.com, and airbnb.com have curated great selections of vacation rentals at or near the beach.

Hiking in a beautiful National Park: Need to get away from the city? Do you love fresh air and being in nature? In the Fall and Winter, you will find many parks are empty! There are 419 national parks in the US which span more than 84 million acres in each state. Needless to say, there is plenty of space to spread out and soak in the natural beauty. Make sure to check out us-parks.com, nationalparkguides.com or nps.gov to learn more!

Poolside in the Desert: Most people think of Palm Springs, Scottsdale and other desert cities as places to go to bake in the Summertime. However, there are great savings and deals to be had in the Fall and Winter in the desert. Just make sure that where ever you stay, a pool is close-by! visitpalmsprings.com or experiencescottsdale.com are a must!

The Holidays are here… get out there and enjoy them safely before they are gone-

January 4, 2021
Learn How to Cash in on Amazing Rewards From These 4 Credit Cards

Saving money is incredibly important for any family. You want to be able to make the holidays memorable, but gift shopping gets expensive. That’s why it’s essential to explore all options to make the most of your money. One of the easiest ways to save money and get cash rewards is by getting a credit card. There are tons to choose from with all different types of rewards. That’s why we’re here to help.

What Do You Want Most?

Deciding what’s most important to you for your credit card is the first step to making the right choice. Do you want a credit card that will give you cashback on your most frequent purchases? Do you want a card that gives you frequent flyer points so that your next airplane ticket is discounted (or free?) Or do you enjoy staycations? Whatever you want to focus on there’s a credit card to match.

You’re a world traveler

Traveling new places is a great thing to be able to do. For some people it can be an expense they can’t quite afford though. That’s why it’s helpful to enlist your credit card company to foot the bill.

The first place to start is with a broad credit card like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. The card offers double miles on all purchases and has a promotion where you can earn ten times the miles when staying at certain hotel brands. Importantly, there are no blackout dates with this card, and the points can be redeemed at any airline or hotel. There aren’t any expiration dates on your miles, and there’s no limit to how many you can earn. You can also transfer your miles across to other loyalty programs.

Frequent Travel Pays Off

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a highly sought-after credit card for airline miles for a number of reasons. Firstly, the intro bonus is very generous. If you spend $4,000 through the card in the first three months of owning it, you get 60,000 bonus points. That translates to about $750 in travel rewards, which is a lot to earn just for using your credit card. You also get reimbursed for the $85 TSA precheck fee or $100 Global Entry fee. Add all this together and the card can easily pay for itself.

Dining and Entertainment

For those of you who don’t have the time to jet off to new locations, there’s a credit card to fit you too. The Capital One SavorOne card is the one for you. It will reward you with 3% cashback on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases. There’s no annual fee and you can earn a $150 bonus if you spend $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. Another great benefit is that your cashback rewards don’t expire. That way you can use them when you need them.
Just Give Me the Cash

If you don’t want a card with a fancy rewards system, but you wouldn’t mind a little cashback in your wallet, you aren’t alone. The Discover it Cash Back Card would be an excellent choice. With this card, Discover will match all the cashback you’ve earned at the end of the first year automatically. They also offer different killer deals each quarter. They choose a popular category and offer you 5% cashback (up to $1500.) Once you’ve hit that cap, which isn’t difficult, they then offer you 1% on all your purchases in that category.

September 17, 2019
Top Reasons You Should Travel to Europe Now

European vacations are on most people’s list of things to do when they have some spare time and leisure money. Who can blame them? There are ample monuments, historical places and vistas just begging to be visited in the beautiful continent. Here are the top reasons you should travel to Europe now if you’ve been holding off!

Why You Should Travel to Europe

Less Tourists

Lately there have been way fewer tourists to Europe in general. The reasons why are varied and largely hinge on local European politics. For the most part it has a lot to do with the economic impact of Brexit and disagreements over refugees. While that might sound like an unstable political climate to visit, don’t let it scare you. For the most part, European tourist destinations are completely safe. The governments of the EU remain completely stable and there’s nothing to worry about traveling there.

Lower Travel Costs

For similar reasons as above, travel costs have dropped pretty significantly in the past few years. The impact of Brexit has dropped the value of the British pound pretty significantly. Similarly, the lower number of tourists visiting means there are lower prices at resorts and such. That’s simple economics: less demand means lower prices.

Top Destinations

There are a few places you should make sure to visit on your European vacation. When you’re plotting your course, make sure you consult a map of Europe. For instance, you could start in Iceland, which is pretty far to the west of Europe. Then, after visiting the stunning vistas of Iceland you could travel east to England and visit London and the Globe Theater!

From there you could travel south to France and make a stop in Paris. A trip to Germany, enjoying the gorgeous landscape and delicious cuisine, could follow. Then a stop in Rome to the south would be in order! After visiting the ancient city you could head further east into Russia and enjoy the historical sites in St. Petersburg before returning home.

That’s just one example of a few top destination organized from West to East. You get the idea! There’s never been a better time to plan your own European vacation. Travel to Europe has never been a more appealing prospect!

November 7, 2018
Top Apps for Travel Deals

Who doesn’t love to travel? Going on a fun adventure far from home is a great way to relax, recharge and energize! It can, however, be quite expensive. If you’re like me, you love traveling, but you also love saving money! With that in mind, today we’re going to try to do a bit of both. Let’s check out the tops apps for travel deals! Adventure awaits!

Skyscanner

Our first app is Skyscanner, a solid choice for travel deals. The notable functionality of this app is its ability to show you all the best deals on flights based on date and destination. The app will even alert you when better prices on flights become available.

You can schedule your travel around when the tickets will be the least expensive. You can even browse by top deals if you don’t have a destination in mind, seeing which flights from your local airport offer the best value.

Hopper

Much like Skyscanner, Hopper is an app that helps you find good prices on plane tickets. Unlike Skyscanner, Hopper’s gimmick is sending you push notifications for when to buy tickets.

You can save a ton of money through Hopper if you’re the kind of person who has plane ticket money just laying around. By striking while the iron is hot, you can snag crazy deals. Just be ready to fly (and buy) at some odd hours.

Hotel Tonight

Hotel Tonight lets you get a hotel room booked in seconds. The app offers some pretty fantastic deals, as it partners with hotels to get their empty rooms sold quickly. Hotels are an odd business, and they’re seeing increased competition from Airbnb.

As such, they’ve started to get a little more creative in how they encourage guests to stay. Using Hotel Tonight, you can snag rooms that were canceled and are otherwise going to go unsold. The hotel would rather sell it, and you’d rather save money, so it’s win-win!

Airbnb

If you don’t mind the prospect of sleeping in someone else’s house, you can get some pretty great savings through Airbnb. The app offers curated experiences called Trips that allow you to get a more authentic, genuine-feeling experience in your city of choice.

While some have raised concerns over the ethics of apps like Airbnb, it remains one of the best apps for travel deals. It’s hard to pass up some of the savings it offers! Just make sure it’s legal in the city you’re thinking of visiting: many localities have forbidden the divisive app. Safe travels!

August 9, 2018
Top Ten Gadgets for Traveling

It’s that time of year when you’ll likely find yourself traveling. Whether you’re going on vacation with family, going hiking, or just taking a trip to the pool, you’ll want to bring the right gadgets. Today, we’re looking at the top ten gadgets for traveling! Make sure you don’t leave home without them!’

The Best Gadgets for Traveling

UE Wonderboom

Photo Credit: CNET

When you travel, it’s great to bring a high-quality speaker along with you! That way, if you want to listen to music or watch Netflix, you don’t have to do it through your phone speaker. Our favorite wireless speaker is the UE Wonderboom, a powerful and waterproof Bluetooth speaker. It retails for around $80, but you can often find it on sale for less! It’s a fantastic value and a great travel gadget.

Amazon Fire HD 8

Photo Credit: PC Mag

While the Apple iPad might be a touch expensive, the Amazon Fire HD 8 is much more affordable! It retails right around $80, making it a budget alternative to more expensive tablets. If you’re looking for a good, inexpensive device to accompany you on your trip, look no further!

Panasonic ErgoFit RP-TCM125

Photo Credit: CNET

While Bose makes the greatest headphone for long trips, Panasonic’s ErgoFit earbuds are solid for their price. Retailing for only $12, you get a good quality sound for an incredible value. If you’re just looking for a good pair of earbuds to listen to an audiobook or music on the plane, look no further!

iPad

Photo Credit: Harvey Norman

Apple’s excellent tablet speaks for itself when it comes to portability. Whether you’re reading eBooks, watching Netflix or just browsing the web, the iPad is a great piece of technology. While it’s not the most affordable tablet in the world, it is the best, and when paired with a keyboard cover it’s even better. Speaking of keyboard covers…

Logitech Slim Folio

Photo Credit: Logitech

The Logitech Slim Folio is the most excellent keyboard cover on the market for the iPad. While the iPad is a fine device on its own, it’s made all the better by the presence of a real keyboard. This cover is a great value at $60, as it has great typing action and protects your iPad. Scratches, scrapes and falls are no concern, nor is awkward typing! Great for keeping your pack light so you don’t have to bring a laptop on vacation with you.

Bose QuietComfort 35 II

Photo Credit: Tech Radar

Don’t you love when you sit down on the plane and there’s a screaming child in the seat in front of you? The best thing about Bose’s noise canceling headphones is canceling out that very sound. These headphones aren’t exactly cheap, but they’re worth every penny when they drown out the horrible sounds of other peoples’ children.

Anker USB-PD Charger

Photo Credit: Amazon
You’re going to need a way to charge all this high-tech gadgetry, and what better way than with this multi-port wall charger? The coolest thing about this entry from Anker is its power delivery, or PD. It boasts enough energy to charge even tough devices like the Nintendo Switch and high-end laptops! Not to mention, the multiple out-ports allow you to charge multiple devices from the same outlet. Pretty handy!

Anker PowerCore Fusion

Photo Credit: Gadget Flow

Along the same lines as the USB-PD charger, the PowerCore Fusion is a multi-port wall charger. It’s also a portable battery! If you’re not concerned with charging a Switch or a laptop, this is a great alternative! It doubles as a pocket backup-battery in case your gadgets need juice when there’s no outlet nearby.

Hestia Goods Switch Carrying Case

Photo Credit: Toygle

If you’re traveling with your Switch, make sure you get a good carrying case for it! The Hestia Goods case is our favorite, as it’s durable and stylish. The best part is, it’s only around $11! That’s how you protect your console in style and on a budget!

The Best Gadget for Travel: Nintendo Switch

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The Nintendo Switch is the ideal gaming console for those on the go. If you want to play full-scale console games on a handheld device, the Switch is how you do it. Easily blowing the iPad and your phone out of the water, the games here are real, AAA titles. Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild and even Skyrim are all available on the go! What better way to pass a long plane trip than exploring Hyrule?

July 30, 2018
Top Five Sites for Travel Deals

Everyone loves to take a nice, long vacation and blow off some steam. What’s even better than taking a sweet vacation, though, is saving money while you do it! If you’re looking to book travel to a beautiful exotic location, you’re looking for a deal, right? Well, you’re in luck! Today we’re looking at the top five sites for travel deals!

Booking.com

Booking is a great site for finding the exact hotel you want. If you’re a luxury-lover, you can filter for only five-star properties. However, if you’re looking for a nice deal, you can filter by price, instead! Really, any kind of hotel property you want can be filtered for through this robust site. If you love seeing everything about a hotel before you book, this is the site for you!

Airbnb

If you’re looking to save money on hotels, the best way is to ditch hotels altogether! Airbnb is a great service that offers some pretty stellar prices. If you’re having trouble finding good deals on conventional hotels, consider checking Airbnb. It’s safe, affordable, and you’ll enjoy some really awesome experiences! You can filter based on the type of house you want to stay in, how much you want to spend and more. Really, you don’t get more convenient deals than this!

Hopper

Vacations are great, but you have to get there somehow! If you’re looking to save money on airfare, Hopper is a great way to do just that. This convenient app tracks flights and ticket prices and lets you know when it’s the best time to buy! When you put in your trip details, Hopper will tell you when the best time to get deals is. If tickets are as low as you can expect for the season, Hopper will tell you to buy now. If they’ll likely fall, the app will alert you when it’s time to buy!

Priceline

Priceline doesn’t offer a very wide array of knobs to turn by way of customizing your trip. However, it does offer a clean, easy-to-use interface and great deals. Priceline offers deals on full vacation packages, car rentals, plane tickets, hotel rates and more. It’s been around for a while, so you can trust them, and it’s a great place to find deals. As long as you don’t want to be too picky with your vacation, this is a great, easy option to find deals!

Kayak

Kayak is another great price aggregator you can find travel deals through. Kayak will show you prices from a ton of different travel sites, including deals on flights, rental cars and hotels. The upshot for Kayak is the granularity of their platform. You’re able to pick nearly every detail about your trip, down to the smallest nuance. Then, Kayak will optimize your choices and try to find you the very best rate. If you want a lot of control over your vacation, try Kayak!

July 27, 2018
Hyperloop One, the Train of Tomorrow…Today

In 2017, Virgin Mobile purchased the Hyperloop One company and unveiled its concept for the train of tomorrow. Hyperloop One chose 10 cities around the world to introduce it’s high speed commuter trains and plan to grow from there. This underground train travel up to 7oo MPH in a vacuum sealed tube. Making long distance travels or work commutes obsolete.

How it Works

For the first time in over 100 years, someone has created a completely new form of travel. The idea started with putting the train’s engine not in the train itself, but on the track. Hyperloop one has created a linear motor using electromagnets that lays on the track while propelling the train car at high speeds with minimal effort. The track is encased in a vacuum sealed tube so the train can travel at very high speed with little-to-no resistance. The airless tubes mock a plane traveling in the stratosphere at 200,000 feet. This makes for a very smooth ride, giving the passenger the feeling as if they’re floating. Achieving incredible speeds while simultaneously creating noiseless and comfortable environment, has fundamentally changed travel as we know it.

One area that was chosen for a Hyperloop One system was Central Florida. The Hyperloop line is expected to run from Orlando to Miami and can carry passengers to and from the two cities in only 26 minutes. Being able to work in Miami and live in Orlando with a 30 minute commute has never been a possibility. The adverse effects of this commuting system are just now being realized. In this writers opinion, this will terra-form all areas surrounding the Hyperloop One line. There are also plans to place this system in many other countries such as India, Mexico, United Kingdom, and Canada. The trains will eventually carry freight cars completely revolutionizing how we ship goods and resources.

Summary

Hyperloop One has done something that will change the way we live and travel forever. With any new groundbreaking technology it is hard to image how it will change our lives, but it will. We are on the eve of something here. As long as we keep the safety and practicality of it at the foundation, it will only be a benefit for mankind. I don’t know what the future holds for Hyperloop One, but I eagerly await its arrival.

February 25, 2018