The Holidays are here again and often by this time of the year we are feeling a bit lighter in our wallet-
As we give thanks- I am thankful for those who have opened doors, locals who have shared free tips and been generous with their knowledge. Thanks for visiting my BLOG and please leave a comment.
I recently wrote this post and collected some tips from other travelers during my Monthly Travel Zoom Coffee chat that I co-host often with Cindy Coan-AKA The “Travel Ninja”
The following are of those tips collected from Oct 29, 2022– read and try a few for yourself.
Saturday we hosted another informative Coffee Chat covering Budget Travel tips.
Things that were shared- A website called Affordable Travel club- https://www.affordabletravelclub.net/
There is a fee to be paid, and it appears you should be willing to have a spare bed, even an air mattress perhaps ready to offer. But Barb did share that she had a nice Businessman stay an evening with her, take her to dinner and the experience was positive. She also noted there is another group called Evergreen- https://www.evergreenclub.com/ similar concept of paying an Annual fee to have access to a list of individuals willing to give you a bed in their home for considerably less than a hotel room.
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Bathrooms when we travel can be a challenge, and in some places you would be expected to purchase a coffee, or an item to use a business restroom, but in the United States, Federal Buildings and Public Libraries can be reliable places to use the restroom facilities. Visiting Libraries can also be an enjoyable FREE activity and offer a great source to talk to locals about places to go, local events and low cost or free community events, walking maps or other resources.
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Other tips mentioned- Frontier Airlines is launching an All You Can Fly Pass– https://www.flyfrontier.com/ I have not seen it launched on their website yet but might be something to look into. Other Low-cost start up carriers it is often important to read the fine print, do you have to pay to carry even a personal item on board, do you have to pay to choose a seat, what is the cancel policy—read it all or reach out and ask questions. Not all budget airfares are the same.
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Meetup.com is another site where you can find FREE activities- search the City you will be spending time in and search for dinner groups, maybe a walking tour, or even a special interest like touring a facility only open thru this group, or going to a music event, or participating in another activity – many of these groups welcome travelers from Outside their area- it’s a great way to connect with locals.
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Research popped up in our conversations as well- it is important to look how far your hotel/lodging is from the Airport to avoid overpaying or being scammed. Read up on current spots to determine if there are places to be aware of- YouTube often has these videos and tips.
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Once again a lively conversation was had with travelers joining from Scotland, Russia, Los Angeles, Florida and other USA states. We hope you will join our next Coffee Chat- we hold them usually 2x a month and post them here on our website.
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April Bielefeldt-
Your Photo Travel Guide 
I never thought about a library good idea but they are sometimes a bit few and far between in the NEK… 🙂 This is why we watch for general stores in towns, even if there is none in the town you are in, there will be one in the next one…