Become an "Elite" Traveler (on the cheap)

Money may not buy happiness, but now it can at least buy you a little more leg room on United. If you've traveled on United recently, you know the airline offers something called Economy Plus seating to passengers who qualify as Mileage Plus Elite members. In a nutshell, these are people who are VERY frequent flyers on United. Economy Plus seating offers a generous 5 additional inches of legroom, plus allows you to board the plane first. For anyone who's been trapped like a sardine in a plane's economy section, those 5 extra inches can make all the difference between a crappy flight and a fabulous flight.

But United has just introduced a new program called Economy Plus Access that lets you purchase your way into this preferred seating area. For $299/year, both you AND a traveling companion will be upgraded automatically to the Economy Plus section (pending availability) when booking your ticket. And the service is available for both domestic AND international flights! So while the annual fee might seem a bit stiff, it could certainly become worth it if you fly a lot of United domestic flights, or even just one long international flight.

By the way, you can sometimes snag an Economy Plus seat when checking in for your flight at the airport. On a recent trip, I was given the choice to upgrade my ticket for a fee of $49 (I declined).

Happy flying!

Grrrrr...Airfare Watchdog on Alert for Great Deals

My travel bargain hero, George Hobica, is at it again, with his new Airfare Watchdog BLOG. Faithful Travel Coach readers might remember my earlier post about George several months ago. Well it seems George (aka the Airfare Watchdog) has a new name and vastly improved look for his BLOG featuring the best deals in airfares. Be sure to sign up for one of his excellent (and free) Airfare Report newsletters with "unadvertised fare wars you won't find anywhere else." George has garnered a lot of favorable press over the last several month for his dogged (hey, maybe THAT'S why he's called the Airfare Watchdog!?) pursuit of airfare bargains. Do your travel budget a favor and check him out.

Fall Airfare Sales

If you've been waiting to book your fall travel, the wait is over. Most airlines have just announced their VERY brief fall airfare sales for travel through December 15th. But you've got to hurry to take advantage of these fares. Here are just a few of the sales being offered:

Northwest (must book by August 2!)
Delta (must book by August 2!)
American (must book by August 12)
United (must book by August 12)

Check your favorite airline's website as most are matching the sale fares from other carriers.

Happy flying!

Best Mileage-Earning Credit Cards

Just returned from my East Coast getaway and had a fantastic time. Great weather. Great friends. Great memories. I used frequent flyer miles earned through my credit card for my plane trip to Boston...a big cost savings in the expensive summer vacation months. But it got me to thinking: am I getting the best deal from my credit card, or are there better choices out there? Gary Leff, in his excellent
View from the Wing BLOG, offers this very complete answer.

The Travel Coach: On Vacation

With all my talk of travel, I thought it was time to take a little vacation for myself. So I'm off for a little R&R in Provincetown. I'll be back next week with more travel tips. Until then...

Outsmarting "Sneaky" Flight Searches

I came across a question on the Travel Carnival, originally asked on Nathan's Archive blog. But before I give my answer, here's a little background. In case you didn't know it, the "biggie" travel search sites sneak a cookie into your web browser that lets their booking systems know when you've last visited the site, and even details your specific travel search. Why is that such a big deal? Because with that cookie, the site knows if you've been searching for a particular fare and can alter the results it ultimately shows you based on that information. I don't have scientific proof, but my experience has shown that the fare can actually get a bit higher with every search. Or you may not be offered the lower price should a fare go down for some reason. I guess the airlines figure you're a serious shopper and that you'll probably jump at the higher fare as you see it start inexplicably going up and up. So how can you combat this "sneaky" practice? When you're ready to make a final travel purchase, simply delete the cookies from your browser before doing a search so you appear to be a "new" user of the site. Even Frommer's Budget Travel suggests this procedure. Deleting cookies is usually done from the Preferences menu of your browser under the "Privacy" section. Search the Help for your browser for specific cookie deletion instructions. Sneaky, huh?

Ride off into the Sunset

I ran into a friend on the street about a week ago, and we got to talking about our recent vacations (naturally). I really enjoy talking travel with this guy because we seem to be on the same wavelength when it comes to the types of trips we enjoy, and the delight we take in discovering unusual destinations. But when he sheepishly told me one of his favorite resources for travel ideas, I had to admit it was a "secret" resource of mine, too: Sunset Magazine! Yes, THAT Sunset Magazine, the old standby publication that focuses on gardening, craft and home projects for families in the West. It's kind of like admitting you subscribe to Reader's Digest for its great literary content, or get Playboy for the articles. But Sunset actually has a fantastic travel section that's filled with terrific weekend getaway ideas, cool day trips, and oddball sights in California, the Northwest, the Southwest, the Rockies and Hawaii. Even if you don't live in the West (which makes it sound like we all wear cowboy hats, spurs, and carry six-shooters), Sunset will provide you with lots of vacation ideas for years to come. With a year's subscription for just $9, it's a real travel bargain.

Travel with a (Life) Purpose

Sometimes in my online travel meanderings, I discover something so exciting, it brings my web surfing to a dead stop. And that's exactly what happened when I stumbled upon The Big Stretch on i-escape.com. Here's a British-based company that manages to combine all of my passions (traveling, coaching, self improvement, creativity) and background into one incredible travel experience. I have to admit I'm a bit jealous I didn't think of it first.

Held in the Pico Mountains in northern Spain, the Big Stretch is a unique walking holiday that combines the great outdoors with intensive group and individual life coaching. During a 7-day hiking retreat, experienced Big Stretch coaches help participants focus on important issues in their lives, helping them formulate new ideas, make solid plans, and even totally shift life directions.

Sounds like VERY powerful stuff.

I'm looking forward to learning more about Big Stretch and its approach by attending one of the company's intensive 2-day training sessions in London for coaches. Hmmm, maybe my dream of becoming an actual Travel Coach somehow wasn't such a crazy idea after all.

Old Cape Cod

I'm always anxious to visit new places so I can add the proverbial new notch to my travel belt. But there's one place I revisit again and again: Provincetown, Massachusetts. There's just something magical about the place to me. Sure, it's a quaint town with tons of character, art galleries and shopping. Sure, there are gorgeous beaches and secluded dunes. And sure, it's packed with a diverse crowd of gay men and women strolling the streets along with straight families. And I love if for all those reasons. But there's something else about P-town that calls me back again and again. I've given up trying to figure it out. I've given into this love and make a point to visit at least once a year. I'm smitten! This year, I'll be making my annual pilgrimage from July 21-25...just a short trip, but enough to satisfy my Provincetown itch for awhile.

Provincetown is literally at the end of the world (or at least the tip of Cape Cod), but it's relatively easy to reach. After flying into Boston on an overnight flight, it's just a short subway or cab ride to the nearest ferry landing. Two companies, Bay State Cruises and Boston Harbor Cruises, offer fast ferry service from downtown Boston right to the docks of Provincetown. In just 1.5 hours after leaving Beantown, you'll be strolling Commercial Street in Provincetown! It sure beats a 2+ hour car drive (without traffic).

Once you get to Provincetown, there are tons of guesthouses, hotels, condos and houses you can rent. But snagging a space in the height of the summer season can be a bit...challenging...and expensive. Most rentals have a 7-day minimum during July and August, but you might find a flexible owner. Two good rental organizations with lots of inventory are We Need a Vacation, and Cyberrentals. Decide whether you want to stay in the East End (quieter with all the galleries) or the West End (a little more lively, with most of the retail stores, and closer to the beach). There are too many guesthouses to name here, but just do a Google search, and you're sure to find one in your price range. As for the beach, the main gay beach, Herring Cove, is about a mile or so from the center of town. Which is why you'll want to rent a bike while you're there. Plus there's a fantastic bike trail through the dunes of the National Seashore...not to be missed.

I could go on and on and on about all the great things about Provincetown, but it's best if you discover it for yourself. I bet you fall in love, too.

Coast-to-Coast for a Song

Great news for San Francisco travelers: the hip, low-cost spinoff of Delta airlines, Song, has just announced daily nonstop flights from SFO to New York's JFK airport. Finally, we don't have to schlep across the Bay Bridge to Oakland to fly JetBlue. Plus Song will be adding nonstop SFO to Boston flights starting in September! Perfect for those trips back East to visit Provincetown. Fares look great right now: $144 o/w to NYC. Read the entire story from the SF Chronicle.

Leave your heart in San Francisco (without losing your shirt)

I'm lucky enough to live in San Francisco, a city that's frequently named one of the world's top tourist destinations. So while I've got my own cozy home in the City by the Bay, there are hordes of tourists looking for a place to stay. And as you'd expect, hotel prices can be pretty expensive in such a popular place. But over the past few years, I've collected the names of reasonably priced accommodations to share with those interested in visiting my fair city. Mind you, I've never stayed in any of these establishments, but they all get good ratings from travelers at TripAdvisor, one of my favorite travel web sites. Here they are, listed alphabetically:

Andrews Hotel
Carlton Hotel
The Mosser
San Remo Hotel

If you're looking for a little more "cool" factor, the Joie de Vivre hotel group has some great properties. I especially like the Phoenix Hotel (but be warned, it's in a funky part of town).

Hope to see you soon in San Francisco (don't EVER call it Frisco).

Teaching an old dog a new trick...

I like to think I'm up on all the tricks for finding the cheapest airfare, but here's a new one from Michael Jones that I found on his Armageddon Project blog. Michael recommends to "check Expedia.com or Southwest Airlines’ site for tickets EXACTLY one week to the day before you want to fly. I found that Southwest and Expedia both offer CHEAP fares on a 7-day advance purchase."

I haven't had the chance to check it out myself, but I'm happy to have another "secret" travel tip at my disposal.

Thanks Mike!

Out in Africa

For the past several years, a (growing) group of buddies and I take a major trip together. In 2004, we visited Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls in Argentina. This year, we spent nearly 2 weeks visiting the volcanos, rainforests and beaches of Costa Rica. Now it's time to start planning our next trip for early 2006: SOUTH AFRICA!

Like many people, I've dreamed for years about going on safari and seeing all those wild beasts normally confined to the local zoo. How exotic! Throw in a cosmopolitan city like Cape Town, and the trip even gets better. But for the bargain travel hunter, South Africa poses a bit of a problem. Airfares to South Africa START at $1000 and go up from there. And safaris are expensive...way expensive. But I've done some preliminary research, and I think I've found a couple outfits that can provide a fantastic time, at a more reasonable price. Plus, both offer all-inclusive packages with airfare, as well as "land only" options for those of us planning on using frequent flyer miles to get to South Africa.

My first choice, 2Afrika, offers lots of great options for South African trips. One 13-day offering includes Cape Town, Victoria Falls AND Chobe National Park! The company has been very responsive to my emails and really seems to know their stuff. Another company, Djoser African Safaris, does Africa a bit differently, specializing in "active, affordable trips for small groups that offer a blend of nature, culture and authentic local experiences". They've got a VERY interesting selection of South Africa trips.

Can't wait to start really planning with the rest of my travel group.

Browse my Personal Travel Bookmarks

If you want proof that I'm a travel-planning freak, you need look no further than the collection of travel-related bookmarks in my web browser. At last count, I had nearly 1,100 web sites marked (and neatly organized, of course)! But my obsession is your gain. You can now access all 1,100 of my travel bookmarks directly from the Travel Coach blog. Even better, the bookmarks are searchable, so you can quickly find any of my bookmarks related to say, "Italy" in just a few seconds. And if you're REALLY a Travel Coach fan, you can download the entire collection to your own computer. You can find my bookmarks here, or click the "MyBookmarks" link in the right-hand column of my blog.

Happy surfing.

Why not ask Craig?

A couple of weeks ago, a friend emailed me looking for an affordable, short-term apartment rental in Rome for an upcoming trip. Then just yesterday, another friend mentioned she was having trouble finding a house to swap in Manhattan for a particular week this summer. In both instances, I recommended a travel resource many people might not consider: Craigslist.

In case you don't know, Craigslist is a community-based website that was started in the Bay Area waaay back in the dot.com heyday. Think of it as a virtual coffeehouse bulletin board where you can find everything from job listings, real estate, used items for sale...even a quickie pickup. Posting on the site is free in most cases.

Craigslist in San Francisco became so popular that there are now local Craigslist sites in more than 120 cities around the world. And here's why that's exciting news for travelers everywhere: Craigslist has specific listings for both vacation rentals and housing swaps in each of the cities it serves.

In my first friend's case, I sent him to check the Craigslist Rome site for vacation rentals. My second friend searched the Craigslist NYC site for housing swaps, and also posted her own house to see if she could entice anyone in New York to make a swap. Remember, as with any online transaction, exercise caution when using Craigslist to find a short-term rental.

Say goodbye to sterile chain motels and overpriced hotels. With a little work and some luck, you could find yourself sitting pretty in your very own rental apartment or house on your next vacation.

Navigate the tricky waters of travel planning with Kayak.com

Remember how the Internet was going to make travel-planning easier for everyone? How you were going to be able to find the cheapest airfare with just a few clicks of your computer mouse and tippety-taps on your keyboard? WRONG! If you're like most people, the web has made making travel reservations even MORE complicated. With a dizzying array of options from dozens of competing sites, it's nearly impossible to make sure you're getting the best deal out there. And with the accelerating demise of the traditional travel agent, you're often left to flounder on your own in a sea of confusion.

To add to the problem, many travel sites such as Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity claim to search all available airfare and hotel deals out there, but here's the hidden, ugly truth: these sites often make exclusive "deals" with travel providers, exclude many of the lower-cost airlines from searches, or favor one airline over another in their search results.

Say "hi" to Kayak.com.

As a travel aggregator, Kayak.com does not sell any travel products directly, but merely collects the offers from "over 100 online travel sites, providing prices and itineraries for more than 550 airlines and 85,000 hotels." Kayak.com then lets you easily filter duplicate fares, change your search parameters and instantly see the reorganized results. Plus when you search for hotels, you see ratings and reviews provided by readers and respected travel sites such as Frommer's and Fodors. Of course, Kayak doesn't search EVERY airline web site (including that of major low-cost carrier Southwest), but the site promises it's working diligently to add new partners. Until then, you'll need to check these "renegade" airline sites yourself.

Try out Kayak.com for yourself using the seach box in the right-hand column of the Travel Coach blog. And in case you were wondering....no, I'm not making any commission on flights you book through Kayak.com on my blog. At least not yet :)

Share Your Travel Tips

Got a favorite travel tip you want to share? A "secret" spot you'd like to recommend? Or some killer travel deal you heard about? Let the Travel Coach readers know all about it by posting it on my handy-dandy Travel Tips Forum. Best of all, you don't even have to register or share any personal information to post! Check it out today.

Cool Trip Idea #1: Firetower Rentals

Welcome to "Cool Trip Ideas", my special ongoing series about trips I think sound, well, COOL. First cool idea: Firetower Rentals. I've had this idea for quite some time, but it was just featured in the SF Chronicle and VIA magazine, so I guess it's not that "secret" of an idea after all. Run by the U.S. Forest Service, this program lets you rent unused fire-spotting towers in forests throughout the U.S. These towers (and cabins) are very rustic and usually in very remote locations, so they're not for finicky, room-service-loving type of travelers. But if you're looking for someplace quiet with no distractions, a firetower might just be for you. Reserving a firetower can be challenging. Reservations for the entire coming year open up on January 1, so you gotta do a little advance planning. This year, I forgot to make a reservation until nearly February, and I was SOL. Ah well, maybe I'll have better luck in 2006. For information on booking firetowers and cabins, click here.

Travel Bargains in your Email Box

I know, you're a very busy (and important!) person. One who certainly doesn't have time to surf all the travel websites looking for all those great travel bargains. So why not let them come to you...right to your personal email box? There are many, many of these services you can subscribe to, but here are a few of my personal favorites. Deal Alert from Smarter Travel delivers a broad selection of the week's best travel deals and advice, including airfare sales, hotel specials, car rental discounts, and vacation packages. These offerings are tailored to your specific locale, so you know the deals will always be ones you can take advantage of. The TravelZoo Top 20 is another of my absolute faves. Delivered on Wednesdays (with periodic special News Flashes at other times), the Top 20 are the hottest of the hot when it comes to travel deals. Snatch 'em up before they're gone. The Top Picks email from Site 59 will send you a weekly list of great deals for the next two weekends. Just provide your email address, name, zip code and preferred departure city. They're sent on Tuesdays -- just in time to getaway for the weekend! Of course, if you really want to get fancy, be sure to sign up for the Specials emails from any of the airlines where you have a frequent flyer number. Some of their deals can be amazing as well. Then just sit back and let the deals come to you.

Flying Around Europe on the Cheap

Back in the good ol' days of nationalized air carriers in Europe, flying from city to city within Europe was really expensive. Really, REALLY expensive. And that's one of the reasons you see so many backpack-toting students riding trains throughout Europe, clutching their Eurail passes to their chests. But while rail passes are still a great way to make short hops between (relatively) close cities in Europe, many cut-rate airlines have now popped up all over the continent. Start by checking here to see which low-cost airlines fly your particular route. I think you'll find most prices to be really cheap. Really, REALLY cheap.

For instance, a friend will be in Paris this summer on business, but then needs to get himself to Barcelona to begin a cruise. Sure, he could take an 11-hour overnight train ride, but he didn't want to waste precious vacation time. A quick check of the usual travel sites came up with an airfare of $750 one way (see, I told you it was really expensive). Enter EasyJet, a London-based carrier that flies all over Europe. Bingo, they offered a nonstop Paris to Barcelona flight on the day he wanted to fly. The cost? $70!! Vueling (a Spanish airline) came in even cheaper ($55!) and offered two nonstops a day.

Depending on your specific trip, there are many other intra-Europe airline sites you can check, including RyanAir, AppleFares, EuropeByAir and the new Dohop (get it?). With prices this low, you can now afford to check out more far-flung spots in Europe than ever.

p.s. To find low-priced airlines worldwide, check out this VERY useful site