Taking off Travel blog

Ever had anything stolen from your hotel room? Or from under your nose at the reception desk? This happens to many of us each day, but it doesn’t have to. Here are ten tips that will make your next hotel stay safer.

Follow these hotel safety tips and enjoy your trip.

I spent most of last week in Chicago attending a conference for one of my clients. That was partly the inspiration behind my post on O’Hare International. So did the airport and the trip in general live up to expectations?
Heading In

I found the airport pretty well organized and on my way in, it was easy to find my way to the luggage carousels, the exit and the airport parking lots, outside which my bus was waiting. From there it was a short ride to Hilton Indian Lakes in Bloomingdale. While not as fancy as the Cancun Hilton, this hotel was more than adequate, with good food, a nice pool and a great jacuzzi. The conference wasn’t half bad either.

At the end of it, I had one more day before it was time to fly home, so I headed downtown. Driven by a cabbie who, in his own words ‘used to have a problem with road rage’, we sat on the highway for more than two hours to make what should have been a half hour drive. Memorial Day weekend is a bad time to travel and although we thought we’d left early enough – we hadn’t. Read more »

Summer is just around the corner, with the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends not far away. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your summer vacation.

Planning

If you haven’t already booked your vacation, then now is a good time to start. If you plan to fly, then the earlier you make your reservation the better your chances of getting the deal you want. If you can be flexible on travel dates, then you stand an even better chance of snagging a travel bargain. Forward planning is also useful for booking hotels, restaurants and rental cars, because once the peak holiday season is here, it will be harder to get the reservations you want. Don’t forget to book offsite airport parking from your departure airport so you can have a hassle free journey. Read more »

There’s never been a better time to save on summer travel. The realities of the credit crunch and economic recession mean that travel industry professionals are offering discounts on all their services so it could be the time to get a great deal. Here are our tips for making savings on your summer vacation.

Miles Of Miles

Sign up for a frequent traveler program. You don’t just get these from airlines, but from offsite airport parking firms, car rental companies, hotel chains and more. Many of the programs have their own credit cards and offer discounts on shopping and related travel products such as insurance. If you already belong to such a program, look out for the deals they offer from time to time. If you don’t, then sign up now – you may get a bonus for joining which will help you save on other parts of your trip. Read more »

One of the travel sites that I have been enjoying is GoNomad.com. Interestingly, GoNomad defines itself first by what it is not – and that’s a travel agency. Instead it’s a ‘resource center, designed to provide independent and alternative travelers with all the inspiration they need to plan their travels’. That’s a big claim, and I set out to see what the site had to offer.

Read more »