Last week I discussed my experience using Vrbo to locate a vacation rental on Kauai’s North Shore. Many of you commented with helpful tips of your own which I appreciate. Here’s a sampling of your ideas: Check MLS listings to make sure the rental is not for sale. (Dodge and Sharon) Descriptions that have rules regarding noise, parking and […]
I decided to get away for a few days but to stay on island. Kauai’s North Shore seemed like a good possibility since I love to swim at Hanalei this time of year. Rather than book a hotel I decided to use Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) for the first time in years to locate a property. Here’s a […]
If you’re looking for inexpensive land costs on your Kauai vacation, how does $118 per night sound? What’s included is accommodation, meals, cultural activities, on-island transportation (airfare is additional) and medical insurance. There’s a catch, actually two. During the day you’ll be participating in the Global Village Program with Habitat for Humanity. Your efforts will help build homes for […]
Unscrupulous authors of fraudulent travel reviews are obviously well aware of our human nature. Unmoved by a genteel approach to why we should or shouldn’t stay at a given hotel, they now appear to be baiting us with the cursed words potential visitors fear most. Bed bugs and rodents. When I read hotel reviews, I need only hear these […]
I was awakened before 5:45 am on “Tsunami Saturday” by government text messages and recorded phone calls warning of an impending tidal wave. That was followed at 6am by air raid sirens. I was concerned until 8am; here’s what changed my mind: On-line maps of wave heights arriving in French Polynesia clearly indicated even to a lay person that […]
An article in NY Times comparing several meta-search sites got me thinking about how each might or might not find the unadvertised Spring deals we reported last week between the West Coast and Hawaii. Meta Sites like Bing Travel, FareCompare, Fly and Kayak are designed to save you time in finding the best deals. Searching hundreds of other sites, […]
Several websites have been discussing whether clearing your browser’s cookies might help you find better travel bargains. Is there any truth to it? What kind of cookie am I talking about? This cookie, unlike the one I’m eating here at a the Eveleigh Farmers Market in Sydney, is a small piece of code that is sent by the website […]
If you didn’t hear the live broadcast, we were featured on Frommers Travel show Sunday. You can listen to the interview here. It’s at the beginning of the broadcast. Arthur and Pauline produce a savvy two-hour national weekly radio show heard in 100 markets. Arthur and I discussed: Summer and Christmas vacation strategies. Finding the cheapest airfares. Getting the best […]
Recently TripAdvisor contacted me to verify that I authored an unfavorable, three star review five years ago. They gave me two weeks to respond or else my review would be removed from their site. That’s right, before I questioned Trip Advisor’s authenticity I was a frequent contributor. So why, 5 years later, has TripAdvisor questioned my review? The email […]
Priceline is a great way to keep accommodation costs down. I’ve used it myself when traveling throughout Hawaii. The deals are even cheaper now than in our last Priceline report on Hawaii hotels in June 2009. Following are some examples of Winter deals on 4-star properties recently achieved through Priceline bids, as reported on Bidding For Travel. 1. Prince […]
This summer is going to be different than last. Here’s what to expect and our suggestions. As you know, we’re frugal travelers, as are most of our visitors. Therefore, traveling well while saving money is at the top of the list for vacation planning. 1. Airfares are going to be higher. Certain markets and occasional sales will be the […]
There’s a huge shift afoot in travel reviews; one you won’t want to miss. Today’s post covers what it means to the travel consumer. If you’d like to see my analysis of what it means for your business, I invite you to read more about it on my other site, TechSpokes. “Places” on Google Maps now incorporates extremely useful […]
