Once the travel bug bites you, chances are you want to visit as many countries as possible. And the ultimate experience for any traveler is to embark on traveling around the world. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of finances as well, but you don’t need to break a bank or win the lottery to be able to afford it.
The recession is dreaded by the hoteliers (and pretty much everyone in the travel business) but for the travelers, it’s the best time to look for bargains. The easiest way to start planning your round the world vacation is by checking out which continent was hit hardest by the fall in room rates. Over all, the prices fell by about 10% (compared to last year) but some cities have seen about 20% drop in room rates this year compared to last year. Also, many hotels have special offers for their guests, which include free nights or free services.You can start by looking up cheap flights to Europe . The old continent is filled with beautiful cities, some more interesting than the other. If you are looking for the cheapest vacation spots, Vienna is one of the capitals which were hit quite hard by the recession and the hotel prices are low (the average room rate went down 20% in June 2009 compared to last year). But Vienna is not the only capital which is both beautiful and affordable. Amsterdam and Prague are also good choices for the budget traveler.
And if you always wanted to visit Italy and never though you could afford it, why don’t you book a flight to Italy this fall? Even Venice seems a bit too calm right now, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the beautiful city. And you might find that cities which used to be very crowded and noisy last year are starting to be more relaxed and a bit less expensive this year.
Now that you have soaked up Europe’s old charm, you can look for flights to South Africa . The best time to go on a safari is from May until October, which means there’s still plenty of time to plan such a trip. It’s a unique experience and definitely something any traveler should consider doing once in a lifetime. Seeing the big cats in their natural habitat cannot be compared with anything else in the world.
After a week in the wild, you can hop on yet another continent. Flights to Australia are cheap and easy to find, especially during spring. No matter what region you plan to visit, the whether is warm and there are plenty of things to do. And although it does sound cliché, the me-in-front-of-Sydney-Opera-House photo is something you should consider. And so is cuddling a koala.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. While I was just starting kindergarten when the wall came down and I have no memories of the event, I have studied enough history to know about and understand the symbolic significance and power of this event. Then, the wall served as the dividing point between East and West and communism versus capitalism. Today, what’s left of the wall has become a tourist attraction.
While many people may be on the quest to get a deal on a flight to Berlin to be a witness to some of the festivities and events that will be happening in order to commemorate the falling of the wall, there are countless travelers who have already made a remaining section of the wall a tourist hotspot.
In an article by Reuters, “Former Iron Curtain oddity now a tourist hotspot,” discusses how a tiny village of about 50 people called Moedlareuth has preserved a 100-meter section of the Iron Curtain—not to give a physical reminder of the days before the wall went down—but as a way to attract tourists to the small hamlet that has been nicknamed “Little Berlin.”
The farming hamlet located about 300 km south of Berlin has become a prime destination for tourists searching for the remnants of the Communist era when East and West Germany were divided. In fact, in 2008, Moedlareuth saw 60,000 visitors and they are expecting a similar number of visitors to come in 2009. For young people like myself who don’t have memories of the wall coming down, like Huw Diprose in the Reuters article, they say that coming to a place where the wall still stands takes them back to the mindset of what it was like back when the Germany was still divided.
However, whether you have been researching cheap flights to Germany and looking to book one of the cheap hotels in Berlin to commemorate the falling of the Berlin Wall or not, fall is actually an idea time to pack your bags and head to Germany.
In fact, Smarter Travel recently rated Germany as one of their Top Five Off-Peak Destinations for Fall 2009. While summer may be the most popular time to visit Germany (along with the rest of Europe) autumn is in many ways a much better time to head to Germany. There are fewer tourists, flights are cheaper and many hotels have lower off-season rates.
In fact, the folks over at Smarter Travel even did a break down about how much cheaper flights to Germany are in the fall compared to the summer months (they cost about half as much). Plus, even if you aren’t headed to Germany for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, there is always beautiful fall foliage to enjoy in the Black Mountains and, well, lots of beer.
If huge historical events, cheap flights to Germany, and beautiful fall foliage isn’t enough to get you to hop on a plane, then maybe free flowing beer at Munich’s Oktoberfest will. In fact, my dad still tells stories about drinking out of huge, heavy steins of beer and literally swinging from the rafters of the tents (and spending the following several days hugged to the toilet) during Oktoberfest when he attended almost 25 years ago.
While you will see process climb slightly surrounding the dates of the festival, you can always opt to stay in Berlin hostels to save some dollars before heading to Munich (that way you can save your cash for all the beer drinking and merry-making).
Yes, this past weekend they held Lollapalooza in Chicago, once again, and it sounds like the weather and conditions at the concert were pretty miserable, especially for the height of summer. Normally you get a choice of cold and rainy or hot and muggy during the summer in Chicago, but this last weekend was evidently hot and rainy.
Not only was this a good weekend to miss in Chicago, weather-wise, but I really don’t care for those 50 bands per day festivals anyway. Typically there are only 3 or 4 I really care for so it’s much easier to wait for each of them to play a smaller venue, and often those 3 or 4 tickets still cost less than the one day festival ticket that also includes 46 bands that bore me.
Anyway, it looks like I’m heading to Chicago myself in a few weeks, and I do believe I’ll be staying at the Tremont Hotel for $89 per night, thanks to a deal I found on Travelzoo. It’s normally almost twice that price, and the best thing about it is it’s a boutique hotel with a great location near all the tourist attractions.
There are deals at plenty of other Chicago cheap hotels but most of the others I looked at are for places outside the city center. I don’t want to rent a car if I can avoid it, and Chicago is excellent for the fact that most of the attractions are all within walking distance of each other downtown, so I don’t even need to ride public transport in most cases.
It’s cheap to get there as well
I couldn’t let the summer go by without a trip to one of my favorite cities, and fortunately airline tickets to Chicago are cheap at the moment as well. I found a flight from Portland to O’Hare for $257 on Continental. Last summer this flight would have been at least $400, so the whole trip will be about half the price it would be if I had done the exact same itinerary last year.
The most frustrating part of travel this summer is that there are amazing deals out there everywhere you look, so even though I have a couple trips coming up, it still feels like I’m missing out on so much. By next summer the prices will probably be back to previous levels, so everything will feel like a rip-off when compared to 2009. Oh well.
The largest beer festival in the entire world takes place each year in Munich. Oktoberfest 2009 runs from September 19 to October 4 inclusive.
Where to stay
As you probably figured out by now, the festival is very popular among beer lovers and tourists, in general. So it’s not a surprise that the accommodation books up pretty quickly. And since Munich is not exactly the cheapest city in Germany anyway, your best bet is to look for Munich hostels located close to where the events take place. The more you wait to book a bed, the more chances to have to stay either far from where the festival takes place or in another city altogether.
Booking your flight
It is also advisable to start looking for airfare to Munich and compare the fares. It’s best to fly mid-week and, if possible, arrive couple of days before the festival begins. Book your flight in advance and be flexible in your approach.
Another good money saving tip is to look for flights into other large German cities. Airfare to Germany can be cheap if you know what to look for. Especially if you plan to fly during the festival, it’s best to book a flight into Berlin and then take the train to Munich. It’s not a bad idea to fly into neighboring Austria and catch a train to Munich from there.
About Oktoberfest 2009
If you want to see the official opening ceremonies, you need to secure a good spot in advance. Many visitors come from 9 a.m. to find a place although the official opening takes place at noon when the lord mayor of Munich taps the first keg of Oktoberfest beer.
As for the budget, you should know that there aren’t any entry fees. A liter jug of beer (32 fl oz) costs €8-9 but you probably won’t handle too many of those in a day. Of course, beer should be accompanied with good food so that also adds to the budget. And if you fancy trying out some fair rides, your budget should allow for such splurges as well.
Most of the beer tents open at 10:30 a.m. and shut at 11 p.m., but some are open past mid-night. You’ll be able to get beer from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. during the weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. during the weekends. The fair rides are also open from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. during the weekdays (and until mid-night during the weekend).
Every Thursday from noon to 6 p.m., Family Days take place. It’s the perfect time to save money on the fair rides, as well as on beer and food.
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