13 posts tagged “bootsnall”

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! 

It seems lately that America can't get a break with the dollar.  We have to pay upwards of $1.60 or more for the Euro, the pound is over $2 and everywhere that used to be cheap like Canada and Mexico have caught up or are closely following behind.  So how do we go be the intrepid explorers that we want, but not go into years of debt?  Well maybe that will still happen but there are a few ways to slow down the process of spending too much on your next trip and BootsnAll will help it happen.

BootsnAll.com is already a great resource for travel to far off destinations but now we are making getting to those places even better with cheap air tickets.  If you are interested in checking out Europe this summer and want to keep it budget you can book hostels in Europe and get cheap Europe airfare with BootsnAll as well.  So what does all this mean for you? That you can get out of the country, enjoy yourself while you are doing it, and still hopefully save some money for when you get back.

Buying a guide book is usually the first thing you do once you have decide what your next travel destination is going to be.  What happens when it doesn't have the information that you have been looking for.  You might go buy another one hoping that another company has some other information.  That doesn't have to be the way it happens anymore.

BootsnAll has come out with Insider 2.0.  The new version of Ask an insider allows anyone to post a questions to a relative expert that has some great background knowledge of a given destination.  With this new version anyone can see the questions that have been asked and there is a rating system so you can tell your insider if their information has helped or not.  So everyone can benefit from the questions that get asked making all of our lives easier when we are out on the road. 

Finding your way in a new city can be a daunting task even if you know the language.  So what do you do when you have to find a location in a new country?  BootsnAll asked themselves this very question when they came up with the idea of putting interactive maps on some of their Travel Guide pages.  The maps allow you to find hostels and hotels and common points of interest. 

So what's the big deal?  The maps give you specific directions and have some information about the city that you may not know about.  The options are endless for what you can get out of them and they may even give some ideas for what to do with the extra time you have because you haven't been searching all day to find the Hostel that you are going to stay in.

Have you been searching for a hostel bed while traveling an not known where you are or where you want to be?

Are you going to a new city and want to find a hostel that is near the city's main attractions?

The answer is probably yes to both if you have done any type of independent travel.  Now there is solution to these problems.  BootsnAll the ultimate resource for independent travel has created a new Hostels page with an interactive map that allows you to see where the hostels are in many cities around the world and they are adding new ones every day. 

For instance if you are going to check out the coffee shops in Amsterdam but aren't sure about where to stay that will get you within stumbling distance the handy map will help you decide if you can make it.

So now that those questions have been answered now all you have to do is ask for the time off, save some money, and get out of the country for a while.

Go Places

Last minute travel is typically defined as within 3 weeks of travel.  Sometimes folks think of it as even less than 3 weeks, more like 3 days.  When you wait until the last minute to book your travel plans, you are playing with fire.  You could find a smashing deal, but you may also pay out the nose.

BootsnAll recently launched a Last Minute Travel section.  A lot of the inventory is based on the Site59 last minute travel site which is now owned by Travelocity.  So you'll see a lot of deals and promotions from them as well.

We tried to build the section based on what travelers were asking about last minute travel.  Last minute hotels, last minute flights, and last minute cruises.

Another thing we kept in mind when building this, is just the, "what can I do at the last minute" thought that I often go through.  You know, you think - what about next week popping down to San Diego at the last minute.  What will it cost?  An idea section for last minute ideas will be coming soon as well.

Check out the topics currently being discussed on the BootsnAll Travel Forums:

• Joey is in the midst of his RTW trip, and has paused long enough to post some good advice for all of us - "Don't rent motorbikes if you aren't experienced." He lived through the ordeal, but will have scars to show off for years to come!




• Is wanderlust something we're born with, or does it come from the people we grow up with? It's a nature vs. nurture debate of another kind...




• If you're on a long trip, how do you handle your incoming mail and paying your bills? Dante is planning to forward mail to his sister's house, but isn't sure if there's something more he should be doing.




• Most travelers can agree on the basics that need to go with you on every trip, but every traveler is going to have a few items that others might think are funny to bring along. Nath_160 wants to know what the top three "unnecessary" items are in your pack.




• Have you had any jobs while traveling that helped enhance your experience? Even if they didn't pay you anything? Come share!




• BootsnAll is full of animal lovers, it appears - we've got threads going on cats seen around the world, and one for dogs, too!




• Every traveler is unique, and yet most travelers can be lumped into two general categories, which GingerSpesh has called "Fast and Furious" and "Slow and Steady." It's a pretty old debate, and everyone's going to have their own travel method that makes them comfortable, but what's your preference?

Please contribute your thoughts and comments to these threads! And if you're not already a member, sign-up here - it's free!

Check out the topics currently being discussed on the BootsnAll Travel Forums:

• Most people, even the most seasoned travelers among us, still probably experience feelings of trepidation when going to a new place. Fear is a natural part of life, as long as it's not crippling! This thread proves that fear can be something to learn from, not something to keep you at home.




• We all run into kids when we travel, and they can be a great source of amusement. Share your photos of children from your travels here!




• Are you a history buff when you travel, or do you prefer to interact with the people when you visit? Does the historical significance of a place leave you with a sense of awe or boredom?




• Most of us have a list of "must-see" places in our heads, and also a list of places we'd rather not go. Are there places you wouldn't visit for ethical reasons?

Please contribute your thoughts and comments to these threads! And if you're not already a member, sign-up here - it's free!

Check out the topics currently being discussed on the BootsnAll Travel Forums:

• People who are seasoned travelers tend to be methodical about packing - even if they're last-minute packers, there are things that go in their bags that they'd never think of leaving home without. But what about the carry-on? What goes in your carry-on bag?




• Totleigh-in-the-Wold wants to know - what are the most overrated and underrated pieces of gear you've used or seen? She thinks a pashmina is overrated, and a comfortable pillow is drastically underrated. See if anyone thinks the gear you can't live without is overrated!




• Bigmaude is planning to take her three teenage children backpacking through Europe - and it sounds like they don't want to go! Can you offer her advice about how to convince them it'll be wonderful?

Please contribute your thoughts and comments to these threads! And if you're not already a member, sign-up here - it's free!

Check out the topics currently being discussed on the BootsnAll Travel Forums:

• We'd all like to find the perfect job that earns us money while allowing us to be permanent vagabonds, if we so choose. KPG thinks she may have found it - hairdresser. What do you think? Could it work?




• Some might say traveling is a gamble. So why not try your hand at the local games while you're out and about? Willis wants to know what foreign casino experience you've got. He's interested in checking out casinos in Central and Eastern Europe.




• It's time to help settle a domestic dispute... Katerina Urda and her boyfriend can't agree on how much they'll need to save for their year-long trip. He thinks she's overestimating with her $20,000 number. What do you think?




• Smells can evoke powerful memories - and not always good ones. Quimby wants to know - what's the stinkiest place you've been? She's voting for the open sewer in Sukhumvit (Bangkok). What about you?




• Jaydeschizo is trying to decide - now that he's nearing the end of his undergraduate career, should he get straight to work to collect some "travel money," or go to grad school (which he'd like to do eventually anyway) in order to be better qualified to make more money down the road?




• Would you rather save for retirement so you can play when you're done with work, or work until you're unable to do it anymore, playing all along the way? Or is there another option?




• Does your pantry look like a travel guide? Can you whip up foreign dishes with the right spices at a moment's notice? Do you bring home food-related souvenirs when you travel?

Please contribute your thoughts and comments to these threads! And if you're not already a member, sign-up here - it's free!