BootsnAll’s blog

It would seem that summer is not going to come to the Pacific Northwest anytime soon.  It has been sunny and hot a total of two days this year.  I think I can actually count on one hand the number of days that I have not had to wear a sweater at work.  A friend of mine is taking weekend jaunts to Arizona just to get away from the gray and cold weather.  I on the other hand have decided that Florida is what I need.  There are definitely hotels cheap there and some cheap airline tickets to Florida are pretty to easy to come by right now. The hot muggy weather is usually not my favorite, but there is no way I can keep going without some Vitamin D! 

If your travels are taking you places, but only in short spurts and you are the type of traveler that likes to fly by the seat of your pants, then last minute travel deals are your thing.  Typically this type of travel is for the business person that has to be on a red eye flight to close a deal.  More and more though the professional travelers want to have flexibility in case they hear of a great destination and need to get there fast.  Sometimes you can find deals that match this type of lifestyle.  Maybe it is just a weekend getaway and you need last minute hotels to make it happen.  Whatever the reason there is always going to be some good deals out there for last minute travel.  Hotels almost always have bookings that fall through in the last minute or the off season has left many rooms vacant and they just want to get some bodies in there.   Either way as the traveler you win in this situation. 

Cheap travel is something that almost everyone is trying to find.  I mean why not, you get to save some money on getting to the destinations that you want to go to, which means more money once you are there.  The hard part is searching for the deals that you know are out there but are hidden amongst all the other travel information that you must weed through to find the good deals.  It is a common problem really.  There are sites out there like Kayak for instance that discount airfare but what about discount hotels or finding good cheap restaurants.  Inexpensive tours are hard to find as well.  So BootsnAll has come up with a new travel guide that will help you find what you are looking for, great deals, all in one location, Cheap Travel Scout.  You can find anything to do with traveling on the cheap.  With great articles about how to find good deals and links to some of the deals themselves.  

Going to Italy is a great way to get out of the US this summer.  The options are endless as to the things that one could do there and the food is amazing.  Not to mention that Italy is pretty well known for the vino as well.  So when looking into how you might go about it check out the Italylogue to get some great ideas.  A couple of things that could make things even better about going to Italy is that there are some great Rome airfare deals and some cheap hotels in Rome that would make the trip a little cheaper.  Rome could be a great starting point to the rest of Italy as you wind your way through this country of culinary delights.

My Girlfriend and I are trying to plan our wedding.  We really want to try to be different with this and so we are thinking about Cancun.  I know it is really out there and no one goes to Cancun for this type of event.  In reality Cancun is probably one of the top places in the world to get married.  Maybe it is the plethora of white sandy beaches and warm water or all the cheap hotels in Cancun that draws millions of people there every year.  It is pretty easy to get there from California or really almost anywhere in the US.  I have been finding cheap flights to Mexico lately so that is what has been helping us come to this all important location decision.  Now I know that getting married in the perfect location is so important on this most auspicious occasion. Another great reason is that Cancun is way more reliable for good weather than say Portland, Oregon where we live.  The tough decision is whether or not our friends and family can make it and once there were are they all going to stay.

Hotels and flights can be a daunting thing to try and research for a bunch of people but we really want to make this happen.  It seems reasonable to go to Mexico instead of France or some other awesome destination for instance only to leave everybody behind that we want to participate in our bondage, I mean bonding.  So Cancun is a great choice for us to make this happen.  As this starts to unfold more I am sure we will come to a decision but Cancun seems like a viable warm weather option for the time being.

I have been reading a lot about Amsterdam lately.  Mostly about coffee shops and the Red Light District.  It seems like Amsterdam is a pretty cool place and that Holland in general is not conforming to the same rules that most of the world has set in place for prostitution and Marijuana.  Now I am not planning to go there to "check out" the RLD but the overall mentality of the place is something that has interested me for a very long time.  It would be very cool to be able to explore the city of Amsterdam.  I am not sure if I would stay in hostels or try to find some cheap hotels in Amsterdam to save costs.  I have a feeling that it would cost a lot to get there although I have been finding some really cheap flights to Europe lately which has been surprising.  So hopefully when a friend of mine goes during or after the summer I will hit him up for a place to stay and a good tour of his favorite spots.

One of my favorite things about traveling is getting to fly.  Lately though it is painful to go through the process of flying and the flights are usually very expensive which also makes it less fun.  When you have to be at the Airport at 0400 for a 0600 flight it takes a lot of the coolness factor away.  If say I have found some good airfare to Rome or other cheap flights to Europe it is not as painful.  The cost of flying these days can be scary and I can't say that I have a lot of money.  The thing that I have to keep thinking about is that if I am flying somewhere that means that I am still traveling and that is the important part, right... 

Going to Europe is can be an awesome experience.  It is well traveled and all the infrastructure is in place to make it easy to get around which is nice compared to 12 hour crowded bus rides that are on scary winding dirt roads in the middle of nowhere like some South American and South East Asian countries.  The food is mostly not going to give you the worst bout of diarrhea that you have ever had.  Which is a big plus because that is just a bummer.  All-in-all Europe is a great place to go travel for a bit just figure out how to keep your costs down and it will be a great trip.

Paris is a place that almost everyone wants to see at least once.  The history and culture or the food and wine or the plethora of attractions are what make Paris so amazing and unique.  I remember being there as a small boy and going out to dinner at ten or eleven at night and the city was still bustling.  There is something for everyone in Paris.  If you are into art there are a ton of museums that house some of the most well known works of art in the world.  Gourmet food was practically invented in France.  I can still remember how good the fresh bread is especially when I would carry it under my arm "for extra flavor" my Grandpa would always say.   Paris is a place that makes people want to continue to explore.  There are so many different areas and little nooks around every corner it is impossible to take it all in with one trip.   The places to stay in Paris can be an entire reason to go on a trip themselves.  There are grand hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, and many hostels in Paris that should not be overlooked.  So next time you are looking for a place to go where you will not be bored think about Paris.

Orlando Florida is the destination of choice for people that want to see Disney World and other assorted theme parks. This can be a mixed bag for someone traveling to the US depending on how much you really want to see the Magic Kingdom or if you have already been to the original, Disney Land because aside from theme parks what else is there? Disney World is sort of like Disney Land but on a much larger scale.  They have many hotels inside the grounds for you to stay in so you wont be traumatized by the surrounding area.  If you are traveling on a budget thought there are many Orlando Hotels that you can stay in that wont break the bank so you can spend your hard earned cash on Disney paraphernalia for the suckers that didn't get to come on this trip to see the Magic Kingdom.   

About a month ago I saw Mr. Scruff play here in Portland at Holocene.  Now to most people this may not be such a big deal.  Since I thought I would never see him in the United States let alone Portland Oregon it was a great surprise.  Needless to say I would like to see him perform again.  Seeing a DJ "live" can be a mixed bag because they are typically playing someone else's music and creatively putting it together with sound effects or mixing it with someone else's music to create something unique.  Now Mr. Scruff is totally different in this case.  He was building songs right there in front of the crowd and doing it for over five hours in a type of Marathon DJ session.  Needless to say any expectations I had were totally blown away.

I have a feeling that if I am going to get to see him again in the near future I am going to have to go to the UK to do it.  I can't say that really is a struggle seeing as I could kill two pints with one gulp.  One see Mr Scruff and two go back to a country where most of my mother's family is from and saying hi to some of them.  So what is holding me back besides time, cost of airfare, and a place to stay for a few weeks?  Nothing .  I am pretty sure that my girlfriend would go with me and it would be a great time.  Finding Cheap flights to London isn't a problem so really it is just getting in contact with my fam to see if I can crash on their couch for a few days or so and getting the time off.  Hmm,  I think I just figured out what I am going to do with some of my vacation time this year.  Sweet.