FrugalMonkey Discount Travel News

Category: Trip Locations

  • Adrenalin-Raising Adventure Activities in Australia

    greatwhitesharkOcker dare devils like Crocodile Dundee and Steve Irwin have given Australians a reputation for being risk takers. But when you see some of the adrenalin-charged activities the locals enjoy, you’ll realize this status isn’t altogether undeserved!

    Sydney Harbour may grab all the headlines, but Port Lincoln in South Australia is actually three and a half times larger. It’s also home to the Great White Shark, the big daddy sitting at the top of the ocean food chain.

    That might make many wary of swimming there, but others take the opportunity to get up close and personal with this ultimate predator. Calypso Star Charter can make it happen with their shark cage diving tours. The cage makes it completely safe to come face to face with these underwater monsters, but it’s easy to forget that when you spot those sharp teeth.

    Jumping out of a perfectly good plane is just the kind of lunacy adrenalin junkies love. You can skydive in most spots around Australia, but Queensland’s Gold Coast is regarded as one of the best drop zones by those in the know. The scenery is stunning, with views stretching to Byron Bay, Stradbroke Island, and the lush Gold Coast hinterland. Of course, when you’re falling to the earth at speed, it’s easy to forget to enjoy the view! Gold Coast Skydive and Jump the Beach Brisbane can both get you up in the air.

    But high risk adventures aren’t restricted to the great outdoors. Those visiting Melbourne can get their blood pumping in the heart of the city with a Parkour class. Parkour is the art of moving one point to the next as quickly and efficiently as possible. Using the urban landscape as an obstacle course, Parkour fans leap across the tops of tall buildings, vault over fences, and perform other superhero-type feats. The Australian Parkour Association runs classes in Melbourne daily.

    With these and many more adventure activities in Australia, you’re sure to get your heart racing.

  • Shoulder Season Travel

    You may or may not have heard this term. Hotwire coined it, and it refers to travel during the fall: the time after Labor Day but before the New Year.


    Right now, although travel is classically at a low, there are some great travel deals to be had during the Shoulder Season. Take this great vacation to Cancun, Mexico for example.

    If you’ve ever wanted to vacation at a luxurious resort in Cancun while enjoying the beauty of the ocean, and perfect weather, now is your time. Right now, the Barceló Riviera Maya Palace in Cancun, a luxury resort is only at 30-40% capacity! This makes a vacation to Cancun with amazing hotel discounts is cheaper than a fall trip to Martha’s Vineyard, or a family trip to a professional football game out of town! At prices knocked down 1/3 of what they would normally cost, it’s almost impossible to turn away. Book great deals like these now, before the travel deals end and prices go up!

  • Salmon Fishing Trips in Alaska

    Now is the perfect time to start planning your Alaskan fishing trip. There are a lot of fish runs that take place in Alaskan waters, but none is more famous than the fall salmon run. During the fall, salmon return to their spawning grounds to reproduce representing one of the most abundant times of year to find healthy salmon populations in Alaska. This makes the months of October and November one of the best times to hire a salmon fishing boat charter.  Imagine navigating the cool Alaskan waters with seasoned fishermen, searching for some of the largest and most wild salmon in the world. Seasoned guides are one of the best ways to find the most abundant fishing spots, since they know the terrain and salmon runs better than any non-Alaskan native.

    While salmon fishing trips are some of the most popular, don’t forget about the other fishing runs that make excellent Alaskan vacations. Halibut over 80 pounds can be pulled on the regular from Alaskan waters. Check out FrugalMonkey’s page on Alaskan fishing and begin planning your next Alaskan fishing trip now!


  • Mexico Online Travel Destination Guide

    Sure a vacation to Mexico is all about sun, sand, and beaches, but before you go check out our free online destination guide to Mexico. We hope you’ve taken our blog advice and are scanning the Internet for flight deals to Mexico.


    Because travel lulls during the fall (the slowest season of the year) you are likely to find more and more flight deals to vacation spots like Mexico. Plus, the fall will be a great time to visit the region because the average weather stays above 78 well into November. That means you can enjoy a reprieve from the chilly fall (and at discounted prices), since after Labor Day travel prices switch from high season to low.

    After you’ve booked your flight and combed through the boutique hotels and accommodations we feature in our Mexico destination guide, be sure to check out pages like our history of Mexico page. Information like this adds a great cultural perspective to your vacation and is an excellent way to give kids and family members an educational point of view to your vacation rather than one that only encompasses suntan lotion and margaritas. You will also find some very helpful information regarding things to do while you’re on vacation. For example, if you want to visit Cabo San Lucas, one of Mexico’s top resort destinations, our page on Cabo San Lucas Attractions is a must see. You will find nightclubs in Cabo, the best restaurants, and read about adventurous outdoors activities like Jeep excursions as well.

    Check out everything our free online destination guides have to offer and enjoy a well-rounded trip to Mexico this fall! Keep your eyes peeled for fall travel deals- you know we’ll be doing the same.

  • Visit Hawaii This November

    We couldn’t stop thinking about chilly winters and rainy falls. Although watching the leaves change and bundling up under cozy blankets is all part of the package it definitely loses its charm after you’ve been waiting for the car to defrost and it starts getting dark around 5pm. That’s why we did a random search on flight deals to Maui and found remarkable prices that we simply couldn’t ignore! This November, from the western United States we found flights for as cheap as $281 from Portland and Seattle and as low as $380 from San Francisco and Los Angeles. For a seven-day trip at almost any point during the month you can enjoy incredibly low flight prices such as these. Go ahead and look for yourself and while you’re doing so, keep in mind that Hawaii’s average temperature in November is 82. That sounds like a pretty strong selling point if you’re thawing out in the low 40’s come Thanksgiving. Book a flight now!


  • World Cup Soccer 2010 Trips

    Tickets are gonna go, so hurry, hurry, hurry. The 2010 World Cup qualifying matches are well underway and World Cup fans have their sights set on South Africa next June and July. Even though summer is just coming to a close, flights, hotels, and World Cup tickets are already getting harder and harder to find. Don’t wait until the last minute on this one folks – it’s time to get your tickets and get them now! FrugalMonkey’s full online destination guide has a complete section on travel in South Africa. From wine country, to things to do while you’re visiting, take some time to look over all the fun you can have when the matches are over and the beach is calling your name.  But seriously, go get your tickets. They can be purchased from FIFA.com.


  • Ways to Visit Alaska

    FrugalMonkey wants to share with you one of our favorite places in the world: Alaska! In terms of an outdoors vacation, one fully equipped with adventure and excitement, we feel that nothing beats a trip to Alaska.


    If you’ve ever wanted to see or learn more about this exciting state, take a look at our many resources regarding travel into the Last Frontier.

    One exciting way to experience Alaska is through an Alaskan cruise. Cruises have been accessing Alaskan waters for quite some time, providing both large scale and small boat cruises in around the Alaskan coast. There are even river cruises that will take you deeper into the forests than simply a view from an ocean cruise liner will provide. With both winter and summer cruises available, you can see Alaska in all of its glory at anytime of year. Alaska cruises are also some of the most eco-friendly, with a number of eco-cruise lines emerging in recent years.

    Another great way to see the Alaskan interior is by way of the Alaskan Railroad. This incredible resource for tourists takes you through the forests and fields of Alaska by train. What makes this trip so exciting is that you can’t access areas the train visits by car, meaning that this trip is truly one of a kind.

    Lastly, Alaska is a great vacation for adventurers. Hunting and fishing is a popular activity (duh!). Find out about guided hunting and fishing trips, and even about backpacking guides. As you might have guessed, the fun doesn’t stop there. Find out about Denali National Park and whitewater rafting through our Alaska section on FrugalMonkey. Enjoy all there is to experience through an Alaskan vacation! Take our word for it. You will absolutely love it.

  • Low Fares to Latin America

    Although consumers continue to keep an eye out for rising travel prices, they just continue to stay enjoyably low even as we approach Labor Day.


    And although the follow airfares won’t help you out much for the upcoming long weekend, feast your eyes on amazing airfares to Latin American destinations like Mexico and South America for September and October!

    Continental Airlines has released some incredible fares from around the United States to a number of destinations in Latin America. If you book within the next two weeks you might be able to manage a very affordable and enjoyable fall or winter vacation. Keep in mind that in places like Rio de Janeiro, Brazil or Buenos Aires, Argentina have opposing seasons to the United States. This means while you’re struggling to stay warm during the holiday season, someone else is lounging beach side with a cocktail in hand. Not to shabby, huh?

    Fly from New York to Rio for only $480 round trip, or if you’re coming from LA, pay only $735 for a ticket to South America. Other great deals offered by Continental include Denver to San Jose, Costa Rica for only $285 round trip or the same flight leaving from San Francisco at only $360 per adult. These are some truly amazing flights with some truly amazing vacations on the other end! Be sure to plan your beach vacation soon and enjoy some amazing flight deals.

    Perhaps you’ve been waiting for the perfect summer deal to take advantage of a trip to Cancun, Mexico. Wait no longer. Air Tran has unveiled some fall deals that are so good it will make your head spin! Only $79 each way from the US and you can enjoy the surf and sand in Mexico while your colleagues deal with balance sheets and staff meetings. Just remember, before you go to consult FrugalMonkey’s free online travel guides-the best way to experience safe and affordable travel around the world.

  • Alaska Road Trip

    If you’ve ever wanted to take that classic road trip, turn away from the traditional and head up north to Alaska!

    Alaska is an amazing vacation destination anytime of year. Whether it be for the long and dreamy summer days or to see the Alaskan wilderness at its peak during the winter months, the beauty and vastness of Alaska is famous. As such, thousands of people each year fly, cruise and travel north to see the Last Frontier.


    To really take in the view and watch the scenery change from south to north, think about doing what only a handful of people do each year and drive to Alaska.

    Driving into Alaska can be an excellent adventure. From Seattle to Fairbanks the drive can be done in about 7 – 10 days. However, alongside the freeway there are plenty of opportunities for hiking, fishing, camping and sightseeing. So much so, that if you want to take 2 to 3 weeks to make the drive you can have as much North American wilderness and adventure as you can take in, with plenty more to do before you even get into Alaska! You’ll see wildlife, wildflowers and the gorgeous mountain ranges along the way. From June to August the freeway is the most crowded since the weather is the best and the roads are the safest. In the winter months, the roads remain open for the most part but all cars need to be equipped with snow tires or chains in order to pass through the checkpoints. As a result of weather complications and shorter days, driving is most popular during the summer.

    If you can plan your trip during a time when gas prices are low you can see several cities in Alaska and enjoy the car ride at extremely affordable prices. Camping sites are cheap, hiking is free and fishing licenses are affordable as well. By splitting gas costs between you and your friends you can enjoy an Alaskan vacation at a fraction of normal vacation costs.

    Think about hitting the road on your next vacation and seeing Alaska!

  • Destinations for Soccer Lovers

    Although soccer has been the world’s most popular sport for decades it is certainly making a push toward the mainstream. Here in the United States, a bigger and bigger following is gathering behind local and MLS teams and it isn’t uncommon to see hoards of college students crowding bars to watch teams like Barcelona play the LA Galaxy. We suggest however, taking it one step further! Sure the front row bar seating is a fun way to experience the games, but why not see the action live? Check out two great vacations with travel guides provided by FrugalMonkey where you can get onto the field and only feet away from the world’s best players.


    Argentina

    If soccer is popular anywhere it is certainly a national obsession in Argentina. Through FrugalMonkey’s free online guide to travel in Argentina you can see Boca play River during the Super Classico and touch finger tips with the world famous, Lionel Messi. Most of the games take place in Buenos Aires, the Argentine capitol. Even if you can’t catch a game, you’ll be sure to see evidence of the country’s widespread obsession with paraphernalia and soccer playing teens scattered throughout. Check out where to stay in Buenos Aires, and pick between the crumbling architecture of the boutique hotels in San Telmo or the posh modern sky rises of Puerto Madero.

    South Africa

    If you’re any kind of soccer fan you already know that the 2010 World Cup is going off in South Africa next July. This gives soccer fans from around the world the perfect opportunity to see all the world’s teams compete toward one major distinction: the best team in the world. Don’t miss Spain battle Brazil, or Italy take on the US in what is aiming to be the biggest sporting even the world has seen yet. Of course you’ll be there, by utilizing FrugalMonkey’s online travel guide to South Africa.