February 2010

The Fifty States Song

Did your kids learn the Fifty States Song in elementary school?  All three of mine did, and they sang it at their third grade concert.  I’m proud to say that by the time my youngest son was in third grade, I could sing it along with the class, and remember every state!  It reminds me of Grammar Rock, which I still love and own on DVD.  

If you’re done laughing at me about the Grammar Rock thing, I want to let you know why I was thinking about the fifty states in the first place.  I’m a big fan of taking my kids to historic and educatioal places, and I think that every one of our state capitols is worth a vist.  So you will start to see travel guides for all fifty states popping up one by one with a big focus on that state’s capitol. 

 I am planning to include a handy dandy print out, along with some audio and video.  Don’t be surprised to see some sort of chalkboard lesson included.  I am a teacher after all!  They will be in alphabetical order so be sure to keep an eye out for your state!  Oh, and one more thing, I am still working on visiting every state capitol, so I may have to call on some of you for advice.   If you are so inclined,  please leave your name and e-mail address along with what state you are from in the comments so I can e-mail you and bribe  ask you for your much appreciated help.

If you haven’t heard the Fifty States Song,  this video on Utube is a particularly cute version of it.  Enjoy!

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Paying Rack Rates is for Stupid People

As I cruise around the blogosphere getting my daily dose of travel news, I come across a lot of sites advertising travel bargains.   “TEN PERCENT OFF” is shouted at me as if I don’t know how to do math.  Ten percent?  Are you kidding me?  I won’t even get up in the morning for ten percent off.

Even worse are some resort sites whose standard rates are so damn high, nobody with three kids could possibly afford to stay there.

The problem I see with this is that it makes people believe that it is too expensive to take their family on a vacation, or even a weekend trip out of town.  I gotta tell you, that chaps my hide.  I want to encourage people to travel more, and this is not helping.

So here’s the thing.  You’ve got to avoid the actual company sites.  Do not go to Hilton.com or whatever, and reserve a room.  That will never be the best rate available in my experience.  You’ve got to be a little more sly than that, and use some of the bargain hunting skills usually reserved for buying your kid a new coat toward the end of winter.  You wouldn’t just call up and order a parka at full price in March would you?  No, that would be stupid.  We are not stupid around here so we are not going to book travel at “full price” either:)  There’s a better way.

Forums

Forums can be a fabulous place to find travel bargains, and they’re fun!  If you love to travel, you can visit forums to read about what other people recommend, read reviews that are usually unbiased, and find out where people are finding great deals.  I am a member of a couple of travel forums.  I’ve met some really cool people, and taken advantage of quite a few deals that members have posted.

Flyer Talk Forums is a forum I highly recommend.   This forum is for serious fliers, but is also good for finding hotel and rental car deals.  You may have to sift through some things that don’t apply to you, but it’s worth it.  The first time I visited, I was able to book two free nights at the Wyndham Hotel in Chicago.  FREE!   You’ll find discount codes, unusual deals, and tips on things you may  not find anywhere else.  It’s free to join, or you can just have a look around without signing up at Flyer Talk Forums.

Social Media

Twitter and Facebook:  If you don’t already have an account,  join today and follow airlines, hotels, resorts, etc. that interest you.  You’ll be amazed at the deals you snag  just by doing this.  Heck, you can even flat out ask what great deal they can offer you.  Don’t be shy!

Auction Sites

Ebay is the perfect place to score a travel deal, and I have to admit, I get a secret thrill out of winning an auction:)  I know it seems scary to a lot of people, but I have had great luck renting Vacation Club units, and a cabin off of ebay.  Obviously, you have to do your due diligence and study up a little before you start throwing out bids, but if you are anything like me, the hunt is kind of an adventure.

If  you are afraid of getting scammed and losing your money, you can use an escrow service to hold the money until you have a confirmation in your hand.  It’s common, and should not come as a surprise to the renter if you want to do this.

Sky Auction is an auction site for travel and travel related products.  There are good deals to be had, but be sure you check out the fees.  They are quite high, but even with the fees, some of the offerings are still fantastic.  You will have the best luck with off season travel on Sky Auction.

Moral of the Story

No matter how you go about chasing travel deals, please do not  pay rack rates.   That means, do not book directly through hotel sites, and never, ever just walk into a hotel and ask for a room unless it is absolutely necessary.

What travel related questions do you have?  Let me know in the comments, and I will hunt down the answers for you!

*Image by SilverFox09

*Image by Larry Page

About the author: Debbie Ferm is a freelance writer, and founder of Travel Dither.  You can contact Debbie or catch up with her on Twitter!

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