YourTravels

With gas in the US approaching $4 per gallon, a lot of us are looking for ways to save on travel. If your dates are flexible and you can get someone to watch your pets, you might want to try LastMinuteDeals.com. At first glance, they appear to have some pretty amazing deals but you can only select about a week out. So keep your bags packed and by the door so that you can spontaneously fly off to somewhere tropical. If you do decide to try the site, let us know how your experience is.

Because they make the greatest damn travel clothes in the entire world. It’s time to stock up on winter gear with the Getzs.com clearance sale. Remember, it almost winter in South America.

Most international travelers know that nothing in the world beats a good backpack. Even if you don’t see yourself as a hostel-staying-dreadlocked-unshaven traveler, and even if you take your full-size Samsonite luggage filled with 49.5 pounds of stuff, it’s always important to have a good day pack with food, water, a small first aid kit, a jacket, an umbrella, and most importantly, toilet paper. When you are traveling in a country where English is not the language of choice, you may not always be able to find someone to help. You also may not always be able to find a taxi or bus and be stuck in the same spot for hours since many bus schedules in other countries are merely suggestions to the drivers. Also, not all public restrooms in the world provide toilet paper, and some have a person collecting a fee at the door if you want the toilet paper (they also do a nice job of keeping the restrooms clean so be sure to also carry some small change for a tip).

Don’t make the same mistake that I’ve made in the past and assume that you’ll just be able to find a cheap backpack once you get to your destination. You generally get what you pay for and the pack will not last the trip. The torn “North Base” bag made in Asia still made for a nice souvenir.

True story: we were traveling in Argentina last year and were walking the streets of Buenos Aires on Census Day. Apparently, Argentina will count every one in the entire country on the same day so you are expected to be home. What this meant for us travelers was the fact that absolutely nothing was open. The city looked like a ghost town with shuttered store fronts as all 13 million residents of the city were hidden away in high rises. So without the option of an open restaurant, a grocery store or even the peanut sellers on the pedestrian mall of Florida Ave, we were able to wait until restaurants began opening for dinner thanks to the chips and protein bars in our trusty backpacks.

You can get free shipping and pretty good prices on North Face bags at eBags.

Summer vacations will be here soon and, as many parents know, Disneyland is unbelievably expensive. Thankfully, CityPASS is offering 29% off a 3-Day Disneyland® Resort Park Hopper® Bonus Ticket for back and forth access to Disneyland® Park and Disney California Adventure™ Park. Click on the link below for more details about the offer.

SAVE 29% on a 3-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper plus get 3 more Southern California attractions – Only $276.00 at CityPass

If I had to choose one trip that I would call my most life changing experience, it would have to be a week spent in the Costa Rican rain forest in Tortuguero. It was, without a doubt, the perfect week. There were so many memorable moments in Tortuguero: seeing sea turtles laying eggs on the beach while being blinded by the lightning overhead, sitting outside drinking beers at the end of full days with other travelers and the hotel staff, being woken up each morning by nearby howler monkeys, seeing rare and shy wildlife around every corner, kayaking the small canals far from the motorized boats full of tourists.

It’s been a few years now, and I worry about how much Tortuguero has changed since it has become such a popular destination. Gap Adventures offers a 16-day adventure through Costa Rica that includes Tortuguero (see the link below). If you are a fan of seeing wildlife in the wild, do not miss the chance to see Tortuguero before it changes any more. Be warned, this trip is not for everyone. We had a couple of women from New York City (who were nice people) leave after the first day. As they were leaving on the boat, one of them shouted, “see you all in civilization!” They can keep their “civilization” as far as I’m concerned.

Costa Rica Adventure

As you travel abroad and you meet families with young children, you quickly realize that many countries place a great emphasis on education and learning. We have been given so many opportunities, but many do not realize that what we have been given is a gift. Help to give the gift of literacy to children around the world by buying books from BetterWorldBooks.

I’m not going to say that I’m a flip flop expert, but I spent most of my young life in them. Of course, we called them “slippahs” in Hawaii. I hiked in flip flops, I played basketball in flip flops, and like an old west cowboy with his boots, I want to die in my flip flops. If you plan to travel somewhere warm and with sand, spend the extra money for a good pair. Otherwise, you’ll have blisters and burning feet when you head into the salt water.

When you need flip flops, you should trust ones from Hawaii. Click on the link below for Scott Hawaii Flip Flops.

Scott Hawaii Flip Flops and Sandals at FlipFlopShops.com

Hawaii is insanely expensive. I should know since I’m from Hawaii. Since our next family reunion will be on the Big Island of Hawaii, it just didn’t make sense to rent a whole floor of a hotel. Instead, we’re choosing to rent a large vacation home with a pool and large common areas so we can act like a real family. We found this website that had some good deals on Hawaii vacation rentals:

Hawaii Vacation Rentals

Anyone who frequently travels knows that we can be terribly wasteful. Expedia puts out this free Going Green guide on how to minimize your impact while abroad.