Taking off Travel blog

It’s the start of May and the weather grows ever warmer. As we start to think about summer travel plans, let’s take a look at some fun and interesting facts about May Day.

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With May here and June around the corner, a lot of people will be getting married. Today’s guest post offers tips on planning the honeymoon.

Planning a honeymoon? You want it to be memorable, even if you don’t have a lot of spare cash. The good news is that your honeymoon can always be enjoyable – here are some tips for couples honeymooning on a budget.

1. Organize

Establish a budget – what can you afford? Is it $200? Is it a $1000? Once you know that, set the goals for the honeymoon trip. Do you plan to stay in the room, go to a beach, explore a national park, or take a cruise?

2. Use Honeymoon Registries

Travel registries work just like gift registries for your wedding. This is a good idea if you already have household items, but little cash for a trip. You should pick a basic trip that is affordable, then use any gifts to add distinctive features, such as an extra day, a visit to an expensive attraction, or a celebratory dinner at a five-star restaurant.

3. Travel Agents

Check out a few actual travel agents and try to find some that have been in the business awhile. Even though you can find travel reservations online, these people know the complete industry and can help you customize a trip to match your budget. Plus, this takes one thing off of your plate before the wedding. Look for agents that specialize in the trip desired; it is perfectly acceptable to ask for references from other travelers, especially if traveling overseas.

4. All in One Trips

Some people find these trips limiting, but for those on a budget, they can be an economical way of traveling to many places. You have the added benefit of knowing that the trip is paid for, and that there will not be any extra fees such as parking or room taxes. If you find you need a change from the activities provided by your resort, you can still book an activity off the resort area. Some resorts will even arrange discounts on trips to local activities.

5. Apply Real Estate Rules

In buying real estate, the principal rule is to spend your budget on the most expensive street possible. It is always better for future value to buy a smaller house on a more expensive street, then to buy the largest house on a less expensive street. This works in the travel industry, too. With some research, you may find that you gain more from staying in the cheapest room at the most expensive hotel you can afford to get the benefit of hotel amenities and a nice location.

6. Stay Close But Not Too Close

Another way to save is to book at hotels and airports away from the main cities. While staying in San Francisco is expensive, there are plenty of cities in the Bay Area that are much cheaper, even when adding the cost of renting a car. Check out all of the local airports. Many urban areas have public transportation that can be used to move around. Unless time is of the essence, this is an area worth looking at.

7. Meals

Meals are a huge expense when traveling. Cut the cost by booking hotels that offer a free breakfast. Also consider having one expensive meal a day and two budget meals. And if you are planning to be out at an attraction, remember that the restaurants closest to the attraction are often the most expensive. Walk a little further away and you may get a better meal for the same budget.

These tips will help you save on your honeymoon – what would you add?

Sarah Taylor is a wedding planner and in her spare time blogs for honeymoondestinations.org, a site that can help you plan a honeymoon in Belize.

Image: Jacobus van Eeden/Flickr

It’s almost May, which means summer is around the corner! But before we get there, we have plenty of occasions to celebrate in May.

Cinco de Mayo

Coming up first is Cinco de Mayo, originally a Mexican holiday and now celebrated in many parts of the US. We’ll be covering the holiday in more detail next week.

Mother’s Day

People have already celebrated Mother’s Day 2012 in the UK but now it’s our turn to make much of our moms and splash out on flowers, chocolate and celebrations. Sorry, dads, you’ll have to wait another month for your turn.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day on May 28th is the day to honor the war dead at Arlington National Cemetery and across the country. Here’s how we marked the day last year. You can also honor the armed forces on Armed Forces Day on May 19th and the merchant navy on National Maritime Day on May 22nd. Read more »

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) was founded in 1925 and was America’s first municipal airport. Used as a stop for US Air Mail planes crossing the country, it soon became more important for commercial and passenger traffic. The airport has been a pioneer in airport technology, implementing the world’s first radio-equipped air traffic control tower and the first airfield lighting system in the US. In 1968, it also became the first airport to be connected to a local/regional transit system. Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh visited the airport regularly.

CLE Airport Today Read more »

This month we’ve been looking to help you ease the pain at the gas pump. As well as our own tips, we’ve been featuring sites that help you save on gas (not so coincidentally the name of this month’s airport parking coupon) on our Facebook page and Twitter profile. To round out our coverage of this issue, here are more resources on saving gas.

Do you feel like gas is costing you an arm and a leg?

1. First of all, there’s this infographic from Bankrate.com on where our gas dollars are going.

2. GasBuddy offers its top ten fuel saving tips.

3. Ernest Miles offers 30 tips on fuel economy, covering every aspect of driving.

4. The Department of Energy has a whole bunch of gas saving tips in addition to the gas price updates we mentioned earlier in the month.

5. NBC has a video on gas savings:

6. The Federal Trade Commission has a clickable graphic that points to savings you can make by optimizing different parts of the car and the driving experience.

7. Carpooling.com has some startling figures on cars, CO2 and why you should carpool.

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8. The AAA has a daily Fuel Gauge Report which looks at national gas price averages.

9. Avoid the hype with this CNN article on 6 gas-saving myths.

Image: AgentAkit/Flickr