WESTERN HEMISPHERE TRAVEL

Want ideas on end-of-summer family vacations? Take a look at ProfessionalTravelGuide.com's list of the best family vacation destinations that won't break your budget

So you need to go farther afield than your backyard or the local museum for a vacation, but the dollar's free fall squelched your plans for a Grand Tour of London, Paris and Rome? Instead of Western Europe, try traveling the Western hemisphere. "American" doesn't just mean apple pie and hot dogs – try exploring the exotic flavors of Central and South America. ProfessionalTravelGuide.com shares some of the places in this hemisphere where you can enjoy more buying power and less jet lag.


Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Ecuador

Panama

Belize

Honduras

Argentina

Mexico

Puerto Rico

Laura Laxton
Editor
ProfessionalTravelGuide.com

SAVE MONEY ON FOOD WHILE TRAVELING

By Anna Lynn Sibal

If you are traveling on a somewhat tight budget, there are definitely some times that you will find yourself scrimping and cutting corners just to make sure that your money does not run out on you while you are away from home. It is hard to be caught penniless when you need something and you are just driving along the streets of your own hometown; what more if you are in a different state or a different country?

Traveling on a budget, however, does not mean that you have to deprive yourself. If you are on this trip with limited financial means, you can stretch your funds by making wise decisions on how to spend your money. This includes money spent on your meals.

You can actually save some money while you are on your journey by making simple mealtime decisions. How well you make these decisions, in turn, depends on how well you did your homework before you went on this trip.

Here are a few tips on how to save money on food while you are on your trip.

1. When you make your hotel reservation, check if the amenities you will be paying for include breakfast. If breakfast is among the list of amenities, then eat as much as you can. Once you have eaten a heavy breakfast, your body would not really want to consume a lot when lunchtime comes.

2. If breakfast is not covered by your hotel, you can scout for a bakery in the area. Not only will this be a means for you to save some cash, but it will also serve as an opportunity to look around and sample some local food.

3. On lunch time, you can always pack yourself a picnic lunch for a mere fraction of the cost of eating at a restaurant. If you do want to get your food from a restaurant, you may be able to cut corners by ordering takeout instead of dining in.

4. If you are American, stay away from American fast food joints whenever you are traveling abroad. More often than not, you will only be headed for disappointment if you expect your American fare abroad to be the same as the meals you get at home. It is pretty expensive, too.

5. If your hotel room has a kitchen, you can try cooking for yourself. That way, you get to have your meals the way you want them without spending too much. Besides, shopping at the local markets can be fun.

6. Do not hesitate to ask around for recommendations on the best places to eat locally.

7. If you do not feel like cooking for yourself or eating out, go ahead and order pizza.

While following the abovementioned tips will allow you to save some money on food, it will also allow you to indulge yourself on some lavish meals every once in a while. After all, too much scrimping can make you miss out on the experience of tasting the local fare in the country you are visiting.

Tips on Rental Cars

Tips on Rental Cars

By Anna Lynn Sibal



If you are planning to visit another city or another country, it may be more practical to rent a car rather than brave the public transportation system of the place you are going to. Just relying on the public transportation system can limit your mobility, especially when there are places where you want to go that are not covered by the public transport. Depending on the public transport so you can get around can also put undue time pressure on your gallivanting and eats away a little at the element of fun that you are supposed to have when exploring an unfamiliar place.

Moreover, when you are traveling with a group and that group includes children, herding the group around through the public transport system can become a nightmare. It is possible to arrange for rental cars before you actually leave for your journey. You can do this through telephone or the Internet. But before you make your reservation with a rental car company, there may be a few things that you will need to consider before you actually reserve a car for your trip.

Here are a tips for renting a car:

Transmission. Do you go manual or automatic? In some countries, manual transmission is the norm, and if you are someone who relies on automatic transmission, you may need to make an early reservation.

Fuel efficiency. While most rental car companies hire out fuel-efficient cars, it is best to make sure that the car you will be using is indeed fuel efficient. Otherwise, you may find your travel budget being sucked dry by fuel prices.

Interior space. The interior space, the size of the seats and the legroom of some cars are not always what you think they are. In Europe, for instance, the inside of the car is often smaller than what Americans are probably used to. Therefore, always check out the size of the car you are thinking of renting before actually booking it.

Storage space. What goes for interior space also goes for storage space. If you are going to bring stuff with you while you drive around the place you are visiting, choose a car with ample trunk space suitable to your needs.

Extras. Never assume that the car you are renting automatically has air conditioning or stereo or GPS tracker, or whatever accessories and features you would expect from a car. Specify what features you would need if you have to.

Smoking or non-smoking. Always ask for a non-smoking car. It is highly likely that the non-smoking car hired out by rental car companies are a lot newer and cleaner than smoking cars.

If you travel frequently, you may want to become more loyal to one particular rental car company, although it is always best to patronize another company as backup. Just like with airlines and hotels, rental car companies always have something special to offer exclusively to their loyal customers, whether in the form of discounts or other perks.

*For all your travel and rental car needs go to http://www.gottitravel.com