RSS Feeds
Facebook
GRS Twitter
Lori wrote to point out a site designed to help people save money on travel:
I’m always on the lookout for ways to save money on travel, since I have three kids and, while we like to get away, it isn’t always easy to save. I just ran across a great article at WeJustGotBack.com called “5 Genius Travel Buys” — the idea is that sometimes you have to buy something small to save big.
The article’s five genius travel buys are:
For more information on why each of these is such a good deal, check out the entire article.
I’ve bookmarked WeJustGotBack.com and will refer to it often to check for new articles. Kris’ parents are taking us on a tour of Britain and Ireland later this year. It will be my first trip to Europe, and I don’t know what to expect. I’m keen to find information on how to travel inexpensively.
Though WeJustGotBack.com is ostensibly for families, there’s good advice here for anyone planning a vacation. Recent articles include 19 Sites for Smart Flyers and 6 Planning Powertools. The site has sections on traveling in the various regions of the United States, as well as information on destinations around the world. There are reader tips, insider guides, and a photo gallery.
WeJustGotBack.com looks like it may be an excellent resource, but I couldn’t explore it fully. Free registration would open more of the site, but I’m unwilling to take that step. Is there any reason to require registration at a site like this? The free content feels a little sparse. I’m willing to bet there are travel blogs out there that offer strong communities and good information for free.
(Kris says that she’s been using TripAdvisor while planning our vacation with her parents. She says it offers “reviews of hotels from real people”.)
This article is about Odds and Ends, Travel Sunday, 11th February 2007 (by J.D. Roth)
February 11th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
TripAdviser is great. I always check out hotels on that site before booking out-of-town hotels and it hasn’t steered me wrong yet.
I travelled around Europe in college but never made it to the UK. I’ll be headed to Scotland for a conference in April, and I may move to Cambridge in 2008, so I am anxious to hear how far the dollar will get me these days.
February 11th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
I too am a huge fan of TripAdvisor. I must say though that you should read the reviews thoroughly as some people mark hotels down for the most trivial things.
February 11th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
A great free site, which I don’t think requires registration unless you want to post is Virtual Tourist http://www.virtualtourist.com/ which I understand started by a guy who felt the need to do exactly what you are saying, offer insight on places you’ve been to those who are going. It can certainly help save money, plan destinations and if you do register you can add info and track your own travels, which is fun.
February 11th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Although it’s not that value-oriented, wikitravel.org is an awesome site for travel in general, and you can add or correct information if you want to. I’ve used it as a skeleton for my travels around Japan.
February 11th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Slight derail: If you’re anxious about registering for wejustgotback.com, I highly recommend using BugMeNot (www.bugmenot.com). I use the BugMeNot Firefox extension, and all I have to do to log in to “free but you need to register” sites it to right-click on the login and select “Login with BugMeNot”.
BugMeNot keeps track of valid logins for free sites, so that you can use the BugMeNot login rather than registering and sharing any personal information.
February 12th, 2007 at 6:24 am
I like TripAdvisor a lot but I’ve never used it outside the US - we mostly used Rick Steves’ guide when we went to Italy a few years ago and it helped us find great inexpensive places to stay and eat.
February 12th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Thanks, JD, for your kind post about WeJustGotBack.com. We’re happy to be recognized as a consumeristic site.
While we’re also huge fans of TripAdvisor, we believe that comparing the two sites is like comparing apples to oranges. Our purpose is to help families plan vacations and get good value when they travel. We operate on the premise that families’ needs are more specialized than those of other travelers. For example, we never use “family friendly” as a blanket term because we understand that no two families are alike. A family taking a vacation with a toddler, for example, has a different set of requirements than a family with older kids. We would argue that strictly social sites like TripAdvisor don’t provide the depth of information that parents need. WeJustGotBack.com features plenty of reader input (readers’ tips, recommendations, comments, etc.), but we also bring a deeper editorial expertise and analysis that’s missing from social sites and blogs. You’re correct in saying that you would need to register on the site to see the entire breadth of what’s available.
Because we use an online magazine format, our business model is different from blogs and open forums. Registration on the site is completely free. We explain why we encourage registration and how we protect your e-mail address in our privacy policy (www.wejustgotback.com/default.aspx?mod=ftr_privacy).
Thanks again for mentioning us, and we hope you’ll visit again soon.
Carolyn Gatto, Publisher
February 12th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I love the idea of SkypeOut.
BUT, I can’t find where to buy the deal that they are talking about. 14.95 USD for unlimited calls in US and Canada for a year?! Where can I buy this?
All I see is buying skype credit…
February 12th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
The $14.95 deal only lasted until the end of January. Now the unlimited calling can be had for $29.95 at
http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/
February 12th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
I always chuckle when someone recommends an AAA membership. I worked in the emergency road service call center for one year and the travel call center for one year at my state’s AAA. I don’t see that it actually helps anyone save money on travel that you can’t save by using online travel agencies or whatever.
As for road service… I recommend everyone get road service through their car insurance. Mine costs me about $4 a year and all I do is send them my receipt and they mail me a check. None of this “within the hour” stuff from AAA. When I call a tow truck and say I am a cash call, they come RIGHT AWAY. I used to work at a towing company, too, so I know from both sides.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Darn — I missed the Skype Out deal. I don’t it included calling FROM New Zealand anyway..