FrugalMonkey Discount Travel News

Tag: travel

  • Airline Industry and Travel News

    Wondering how the fall will shape up when it comes to travel deals? Well, as you may know fall is the slowest time for the airline industry. It is the time when most people stay at home since holiday travel plans are already in place, and travel has cooled off from summer. This fall, airlines have announced the lightest fall travel schedule since 2001 meaning less flights, less available seats, and likely, less travel deals. Although it will be hard to say if this lighter schedule will help to fill up a fewer available flights, last minute travel deals are likely to be more difficult to come by. As you’ve seen though, these trends are almost impossible to predict since summer travel deals are still readily available even after Labor Day.

    Stay tuned for weekly travel industry news from FrugalMonkey!


  • FrugalMonkey Resources

    You’ve probably spent some time scouring the Internet looking for web deals and specials, but here at FrugalMonkey we have it all in one place!


    Take a look at some of the resources available on the site. Each and everyone of them makes travel planning interesting, easy, and fun! We even have destination guides to help you plan your trip. Take some time and find out exactly what you can access by just a few clicks through FugalMonkey.

    First and foremost, everything on FrugalMonkey is free of charge. From blog posts to our free weekly travel newsletter, when you visit FrugalMonkey you can rest easy knowing that everything you read is up to date, accurate and of course, free, free, free!

    Destination Guides

    We read that a larger and larger portion of travelers are looking for travel deals online before they even know where they want to go! To us, it seems crazy, but it makes sense if you want to get away and your budget is your first concern. If this applies to you and your travel pocketbook, then take a look at some of our destination guides. We provide free online travel resources for different countries and top travel locations like Mexico, South Africa, Argentina, Greece, and Australia. We also provide travel information including city guides, hotel recommendations, and seasonal activities for places like Hawaii and Australia. You won’t have a  hard time finding a place you want to visit on FrugalMonkey, but you might just have a hard time narrowing down your favorite pick!

    Travel Jobs

    Some want to travel for a week or two out of the year, but there are those who want to travel as a career! On FrugalMonkey we see the travel industry not only as a great way to getaway, but also the perfect way to launch a new job. Take your career to new heights with information on working in the travel industry. We outline ways in which you can work full-time or just seasonally as a travel industry employer. Learn about working in the cruise ship industry, or, in a resort job. Find out about teaching English abroad, or landing a volunteer position. All of these are ways of enjoying travel but doing so through work, rather than a vacation. Find it all on FrugalMonkey!

    Travel Advice and Blog

    You will also notice when stumbling around, that the FrugalMonkey blog gives you weekly advice on the week’s travel industry news. Here you will find special flight and hotel deals, last minute travel ideas, and amazing web discounts. We’ve done all the hard work for you, so sit back and check out the blog. You will learn about the growing trends of Ecotourism, and about the best travel deals for that week and the upcoming season. It’s all here!

    Lastly, don’t forget to check out information like traveling as an Air Courier, or travel auction sites where great last minute deals can be found. These are just a few of the excellent resources available to those savvy travelers who visit FrugalMonkey for their destination travel deals! Check it out!

  • See The World Through Eco Tours

    If you’re an environmentally conscious traveler, then we have the perfect vacation idea for you and your family.


    You’ve probably heard about ecotourism, the growing trend of traveling while trying to make as minimal an impact on the environment as possible.  Within that same vein, eco-tours are a popular way to travel using these green ideals.

    Eco-tours are a growing trend around the world where businesses and tour groups take vacationers through the wilderness or land-area in a way that is educational, adventurous, and safe for the environment. In this way tourism is regulated to ensure that a minimal impact is made on the delicate eco systems around the world-an emerging trend. Here, find out more about ecotourism through our Green Travel section and additionally, feast your eyes on some amazing eco-tours. If you do them all, you might find yourself traveling around the world!

    Costa Rica

    The eco-tours in Costa Rica are second to none. The wildlife and nature in Cost Rica are some of the most beautiful in the world. Additionally, the Costa Rican government has made a large push toward green ideals in recent years and the eco-tours available in this country are truly breathtaking as a result. A large number of the eco-tours available will take you through national parks, to locations that are not open to the general public. This is to ensure that any patrons to the park are following eco-friendly regulations.

    Kenya

    Jump across the ocean to Africa and experience eco-friendly travel at its best by enjoying an eco-tour in Kenya. Kenya has over 50 protected national parks, many of which have areas that are only accessible by guided tour. See elephants, rain forests, desert plains, rhinos, and more when you book an eco-tour in Kenya. All of this in combination with the added enjoyment of knowing that you are traveling in a way that is good for the environment. What could be better?

    Belize

    Back over to Central America for an eco-tour through a national park that has one of the largest growing Coral Reefs in the world. Belize has a staggering 41% of its parks and natural resources protected making the beauty of the country a treasure that future generations can enjoy.


    Find out about ecotourism in Belize and enjoy an incredible vacation.

    Alaska

    Don’t sell the United States short, there are a lot of amazing things still yet to see! Like the Last Frontier for example, where eco tours in Alaska are growing in popularity as well as in their ability to help save the environment. These of course include fishing tours, white water rafting, and educational trips!

    Booking eco tours is a great way to experience your vacation, see new places, and do so in a way that isn’t harmful. Find out more about green travel through our section on ecotourism and book yourself an incredible and eco-friendly trip!

  • Labor Day Car Rentals

    You may be flying  to visit relatives, or taking a flight for a nice long weekend of camping. Perhaps you live in a city and simply need to rent a car long enough to escape for Labor Day weekend. Regardless of why, rental car demand spikes during weekends that are popular for travel and that means price increases as well. To avoid high prices, get a jump-start on your travel plans and book your rental car ahead of time. Don’t forget that many travel sites and package deals also include car rental discounts. It’s a great way to take advantage of the recent slump in the travel industry and combine that with your travel needs!

    Be sure to check out FrugalMonkey’s page on car rentals to access great car rental links and to find out what your options are for renting a car during your vacation!


  • Stay at an Eco Hotel

    Are you an environmentally conscious traveler? Do you strive to stay at locations where you know your carbon footprint will be minimal? If so, check out FrugalMonkey’s section on eco-friendly hotels. Our list of the worlds top travel locations include those that rate the highest in terms of sustainability efforts and in minimizing the hotel’s negative effect on the environment. Each eco hotel does something special and unique to earn a place on our list of the world’s top eco friendly hotels. Enjoy a trip to the Bahamas while staying at Tiamo Resrots or stay in Switzerland at the world famous Whitepod hotel. Learn more now!


  • Great Flights and Eco Vacations to Costa Rica

    Want to take an unforgettable vacation? Want to swim in crystal clear waters, go hiking, backpacking, and sea kayaking on your trip? Want to experience the ultimate adventure vacation while taking in some of the most gorgeous views of your life?


    Then we have the vacation for you. The best part is, you can enjoy all of this and more while you rest easy knowing it’s cheap and environmentally friendly as well. We’re talking about a vacation to Costa Rica!

    Costa Rica is one of the top vacation destinations for North American travelers visiting Central America. Its beauty is legendary and its cities are equipped with enough modern luxury and metropolis savvy to entertain city-lovers, while being utterly close to an unparalleled wilderness. Traveling to Costa Rica is nothing less than breathtaking, exciting, beautiful, romantic, enjoyable, and amazing.

    Costa Rica is also known however, for being incredibly environmentally conscious and is one of the most notable eco friendly countries in Central America. Where most of Costa Rica’s neighbors have poorly managed tourism and their natural resources, Costa Rica has done the opposite. Ecotourism in Costa Rica is an important part of the tourism that drives their economy. As such, you can expect to take some of the best eco tours of your life while on vacation in Costa Rica. It also has a number of environmentally friendly parks and eco lodges as well. They are also highly ranked for the amount of land protected by the government meaning that while you’re on vacation, you simply must visit one of the National Parks in Costa Rica, for an up close and personal experience with local wildlife.

    Although booking your trip ahead of time is a guaranteed way to find low flight prices, there are some last minute flight deals that certainly deserve a second look. Right now you can consistently find flights to Costa Rica on most major airlines for as little as $235.


    Although most of them come in closer to $350, this is an incredible travel deal that simply begs you to book! Also, if you want to enjoy Costa Rica in the lap of luxury, book the Paradisus Playa Conchal Resort. It’s only $159 a night for this all-inclusive experience and that’s 50% off previous prices!

    If for some reason a trip to Costa Rica is a little too far to travel, don’t forget about the number of summer travel deals to places like Hawaii and Mexico that are readily available. Both of these locations offer many of the same attractions as Costa Rica and are more accessible from the United States with many more flights to and from. Regardless, keep in mind that the summer vacation of a lifetime is right around the corner. We’re simply suggesting you consider a FrugalMonkey favorite: Costa Rica!

  • Bid on Trips Using the Continental Airlines One Pass Program

    We recently blogged about finding cheap airfare using online programs like those offered by popular airlines. We told you about Southwest’s Rapid Rewards Program, and the Continental Airlines One Pass program (among others).


    This week, we wanted to prove to you exactly how to benefit from these memberships, and how better to do so then with the perfect example?

    If you visit the Continental Airlines online auction for One Pass members, you can bid on vacation packages to locations all over the United States. Right now they’re offering one to the US Open on August 29. That’s a great vacation! This is the perfect way to illustrate how members to these rewards programs are able to utilize their miles in order to book cheap trips. It’s a great way to cash in on the money you’ve already dolled out for previous vacation expenses and the perfect way to find cheap, yet exciting vacations.

    Life can be sweet in the travel world, if you know where to look!

  • How To Find Cheap Airfare

    Finding cheap flights might be easier than it was a few years ago, but a lot of people get caught watching great deals on airfare pass them by. Don’t be one of them! There are so many tips and tools to finding cheap travel that if you can implement just a few of them, you might walk away with hundreds of dollars saved.


     Find out how to book cheap airfares with FrugalMonkey’s tried and true tips on cheap travel rates.

    If you haven’t been Dinged you might want to start. Ding is an online feature from Southwest Airlines that allows you to sign up (for free!) and receive travel emails regarding the best deals on Southwest. It will send you emails when they are having their famous, One Day Only sales, in addition to special discounts on cities you wish to be informed about. It is a great feature for finding special discounts online.

    The good news is that Ding isn’t the only one of its kind. Delta and United for example, have similar programs. This means by taking the time to sign up for just a few emails each week, you will be first to know of the week’s best travel deals.

    Another great way to save money on travel is by utilizing sites like Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity. However, we suggest you take these airfare sites one-step further. Sometimes the airfares listed aren’t the cheapest available.


    One helpful tool for finding cheap airfares is to use the airlines listed as a starting off point. Go to the specific airlines that pop up after your travel search and search that same flight. You will often turn up even better deals than those listed on sites like Orbitz or Travelocity.

    Last but not least, don’t forget easy travel-saving tips like picking flights that fall on the cheapest days of the week. It is always cheaper to travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, so book flights that coordinate with these days if you can. Also, if you can wait until early in the morning or late at night you will often run into cheaper prices online!

    Find out more ways to save on airfare and learn about becoming an air courier.

  • Travel to See Sporting Events

    Sports related travel is increasingly popular, especially now with so many great travel deals available.


    If you’re a sports fan or perhaps someone in your family is, consider taking a vacation that centers around experiencing sporting events. When there are popular sporting events in any one area, you can expect that flight prices, hotels and even other expenses like food and car rentals will be more expensive. This is because with the expected influx and increased demand on travel-related amenities, hotels and airlines can get away with charging more. This is one reason to book ahead of time and to not rely on last minute travel deals when you want to see some of the world’s best and most exciting sporting events.

    Check out two great sporting events that you can plan fun and exciting family vacations around.

    One such sporting event is for our winter sport-loving friends. The Winter Olympic Games held in Vancouver B.C begins in the winter of 2010. This means bobsledding, ski jumping, moguls, speed skating and everyone’s favorite: curling, will be happening live just north of the America’s border. Take your family on a ski vacation to Calgary and then check out the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Or, start with a ski vacation to the northwest followed up by up close and personal live sports at the Games!

    Our next best sports-related vacation is for summer sports fan. The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is a great time to experience not only one of the biggest and most widely watched sporting events in the world but to also experience travel to one of the coolest and most diverse countries on the globe. To find out more about the 2010 World Cup and to locate related travel deals check back with our FrugalMonkey blog or take a look at our full country profile and section on the upcoming World Cup. It’s the perfect vacation for soccer fans and sports lovers!

  • Safari in South Africa

    As summer moves along we wanted to put together something of a dream vacation for all you eager travelers. We recently read that a larger and larger percentage of travelers are looking for vacation ideas and travel deals before even picking a location. In light of this, we decided to highlight a travel adventure of epic proportions. Get off the couch and get serious about this summer’s coolest vacation: a South African safari!

    The wildlife in South Africa is some of the most classically beautiful in the world. You can expect to see cheetahs, elephants, buffalo, lions and rhinos. What’s the best way to see all of these creatures up close and personal? You guessed it, a South African Safari! We did some searching and came across Africa Travel Inc. A company located in California that specializes in eco-friendly, safe, yet exciting South African safaris. Visit their site and rest easy knowing that a portion of their profits are directed toward helping South African wildlife, by donating to projects like Cheetah Outreach.