Archives for August 2014

How to Save Money on Attractions, Tickets and Activities

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I like to find ways to save money in every aspect of my life, and family vacations rank very high on that list. One of our biggest vacation expenses (in addition to transportation, lodging, and food) is attractions or activities that we do while we are away. These things can end up being very expensive, and can add up very quickly on a long family vacation.

These are some of the resources I use when I am looking for good deals, or even ideas for things to do in different cities when we are traveling. I also use these same resources at home:

There are often some great deals on LivingSocial, and you can search by location to find things to do (and restaurants) in the cities you are visiting (or where you live). They also often have coupons & promo codes that you can add to the already reduced price. At the time of this writing, you can use the code laborday20 to get an extra 20% off of your order. 

An example of a really great deal for a family activity is this one for the Garden State Discovery Museum in New Jersey (the kids loved it there):

 

This is such a great deal for a family of 4! The normal ticket prices are $12.95 + tax per person, so this is obviously a great savings. Also, don’t forget to use Ebates (and thanks if you use my link, in particular) so you can get cash back as well. I just did that on a purchase I made at LivingSocial, and I got 6% cash back (at the time of this writing).

 

Very similar to LivingSocial, Groupon offers deals for different types of activities, restaurants, etc all over the place. You search by area, the same as above. Before I shop, I always check to see if there are any current promo codes (the one for Groupon that I recently used just expired….it was 15% off). I also always use Ebates or another shopping portal to makes sure that I get cash back or bonus points for my purchase.

I have also found out about some interesting events that I would not otherwise have heard about, for example:

 

 

I have redeemed my Recyclebank points for tickets to some attractions in Philadelphia:

There are so many more choices as well, like movie tickets, bowling, restaurant coupons and magazines.

 

 

 

Another site for finding deals in various cities/areas is Amazon Local. Once again, you can find cash back or points at different shopping portals, and you can sometimes get promo codes as well. I have used Amazon Local several times, both at home & while on vacation. On our first trip to Hawaii we gave my husband a certificate for a surfing lesson similar to this one:

 

StubHub is a fabulous site for getting discount tickets to sporting events and other shows like concerts. We went to 5 different baseball games at different stadiums this season, and (aside from when we used SPG points for Cubs tickets), we used StubHub each time. We really were able to score some amazing deals. At times we were able to get great prices in advance, and other times the prices went down as the date got closer. It’s also convenient that the tickets are printable, so you can buy them at any time. Tip: You can purchase StubHub gift cards at some grocery stores, so if you have a credit card with a grocery bonus, this can be a nice way to get some extra points.

 

  • Professional membership & other organizations

In my real life, I am part of an organization related to my profession (not travel related). As a member, I have access to discounts to various theme parks, attractions, and travel deals. I often check to see if those discounts are better than the others I have mentioned. You can also get discounts based on different affiliations (ex. military, teachers, etc), so check on those things that apply to you.

AAA is another membership organization that often sells discounted tickets to attractions.

 

  • Township Recreation Departments

 

  • Redeeming Miles/Points

There are times when it makes sense to redeem miles/points for tickets to attractions. We redeemed Amex Membership Rewards points for tickets to Universal Orlando (you can read about that here), which made sense for us at the time of that trip.

 

If you sign up to receive weekly travel deals from Travelzoo, you will also see that they have various tickets to different attractions and shows as well as hotel and other travel deals. They also sometimes offer additional % off deals. We have purchased Travelzoo deals in the past, and have found them to be a great deal at times.

 

How do you save money on attractions and activities for your vacations?

 

Filed Under: What I learned about Family Travel for Real Life

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I had the pleasure of attending the Dan from Points with a Crew).

The speakers at this conference were fabulous, and you should check them out:

  • Dia – the driving force behind the FT4RL movement writes at The Deal Mommy
  • Shawn – the extended family travel guru & roller coaster lover, writes at Miles to Memories
  • Jason Steele – the points & miles expert, who has traveled with his 2 kids all over the world
  • Susan – who loves to meet people when she travels and stays in some really cool places, writes at Carolina Travel Girl
  • Phil – the master of earning an overabundance of miles & points and taking his family on some amazing trips, writes MilesAbound
  • Debra – writes Traveling Well For Less and is an expert on making the most of your travel dollar and finding creative ways to save money

There were a few key points that I came away with, that are sticking in my mind. First and foremost (and this is not a direct quote as my memory isn’t that perfect) – Not only is family travel possible, it is necessary. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, and it was nice to meet like-minded people. Our travels have brought more joy, family bonding, and hands-on learning (don’t tell my kids they have been learning things, please) than I ever anticipated. As others at the conference articulated better than I can, my kids are more open-minded to those who are in any way different than themselves because of the experiences that they have had. I believe that with each passing trip, this becomes more of who they essentially are, and I am proud of that.

Another thing that I took away, although not directly spoken about, was that it doesn’t matter where you are going or how you are getting there, but just that you are going. We all have different travel goals. Some of us want to visit all 50 US states, and some of us want to scuba dive in the Maldives. Experiences are subjective. No one can tell you what your travel dreams, goals, and aspirations should be. The point is that it can happen for all of us, if we put in the effort and we have the desire to make it happen.

Shawn made the point that there is a difference between Travel and Vacation, and that there is value in each. I feel the same way, and have tended to book our trips as either a “vacation”, which generally involves more relaxation or mindless fun, or as a trip. Not that a trip can’t involve fun (they don’t usually come with much relaxation though), but fun isn’t the driving factor in the planning. I think it’s important, especially for my kids, to alternate the types and styles of travel that we are doing. Hence, the reason I am simultaneously planning trips to Disney World, Aruba, Jamaica, and a 3 week National Parks road trip! Another thing I learned, or that was reinforced for me, was that people who travel tend to be very interesting people.

And finally, I learned that I have a ton of work to do in the Manufactured Spending area of this hobby. I have been traveling so much (and planning for said travels) that I have fallen behind. This conference was the kick in the butt I needed to start anew & my wheels are turning. If only there were more than 24 hours in each day.

Thanks to all who presented & to those who gave me some great tips as we were chatting after the conference. Thanks especially to Dia for planning the whole thing…..FT4RL part 2???

 

 

Filed Under: How to Decorate with Travel Posters

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As I have written about before, as far as hobbies go, my love of interior decorating and art is second only to my love of travel (and everything that goes along with travel). Over the years, we have often combined both, using things that we have found during our travels to decorate our home. One of our favorite travel souvenirs is a cool travel poster from a favorite location. We have other types of artwork from different places as well, but I will save that for another post.

The first travel poster we bought was on a street in Paris in 2001. I fell in love with it immediately, and had the perfect place for it in our (old) house. When we moved, it came along with us, of course. And we have been able to find places for all of our older posters & have added to our collection over the years.

Poster from Paris purchased in 2001

I have found that the key to a cohesive interior is to stick to one frame color. We chose black for all of our travel poster frames, although the style of frames varies throughout the house. I also gravitate toward a specific style of art, and I think that all of the posters mesh because of that.

Our London posters purchased on a trip in 2002

Before we had kids (meaning, we had more time), we actually cut the mats ourselves. My husband even made some of the frames himself as well. Now I usually buy my frames from either Ikea. You can even buy a bunch of random frames at yard sales or thrift shops and spray paint them all the same color.

My favorite posters are the ones from the National Parks. We generally purchase them at the Visitor Center gift shops in each National Park that we visit. Some can also be ordered online (I have used Michaels, that I purchase with a coupon or when they are buy one get one free.

Some of our National Park travel posters

 

I have some new ones that I haven’t gotten a chance to frame yet (Nashville, Volcanoes National Park, and Acadia National Park), so the collection is growing! Finding wall space is going to be the challenge!

 

 

Here are some other ways that we have brought the memories home with us:

Our Sand Collection

Our Shell Collection

The Kids’ Travel Magnets

How to Decorate with your Travel Photos

 

How do you bring your travel memories home?

I love seeing new ideas!