Affordable Lodging: Rent a Time-Share

Sharing a hotel room with kids isn't much of a vacation for parents. But rather than booking two hotel rooms, you can rent a time-share unit, get more space, and save 20%-60%. Professionally-managed time-share units offer all the perks of a vacation rental -- kitchen, washer/dryer, living room -- minus the uncertainty of renting directly from owners. Too good to be true?

I talked to some industry experts for their tips on how to rent one-bedroom time-share units by the night or week. Read these expert money-saving tips in the December issue of Money magazine or here on CNNMoney.com.

While reporting this piece, I was surprised to learn that time-share resorts have shifted their marketing tactics. Instead of relying on pushy telemarketers promoting vacation deals that are linked to dreaded time-share presentations, more resorts are releasing their unused time-share units as nightly rentals. "Rentals introduce guests to time-shares in a softer way than giving a mini vacation that's tied to a tour," says Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). "You may receive an incentive to tour, such as $75 off at the spa, but it's voluntary now." In 2010, 10% of all occupied time-share units were renters, compared to the 3% who were marketing guests, according to a study commissioned by the ARDA Foundation. Average rental price? $156 per night.

After speaking to several industry experts, I came away with these three tips:

Know what to look for. Time-share properties affiliated with hotel chains are easy to overlook since they're often advertised as "vacation clubs," not time-shares. Complicating matters, major hotel chains often have a time-share property that's overshadowed by a more well-known sister brand. For example, Scottsdale's Westin Kierland Villas is less than a mile from the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. Reputable chains with timeshare rentals include Disney, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Starwood, and Wyndham. For luxury brands like Four Seasons, or St. Regis, nightly rentals of villas or condos will be listed as "Residence Club" instead -- these higher-end properties are technically classified as fractional-ownership units, but the regular traveler won't know the difference.

Time-shares are more prevalent than you might think, so don't assume that time-share units won't be available. It may help to know that beach destinations account for 30% of all time-share resort types, golf destinations make up 11%, and ski destinations make up 10%, ARDA reports. Florida leads the way with the most time-share resorts, followed by the mountain region (including Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona). While Orlando and Las Vegas are among the most well-known time-share destinations, Hilton Head Island, S.C., is often overlooked, says Mark Eble, regional vice president of PKF Consulting. In California, consider Carlsbad (just north of San Diego) and Orange County's San Clemente; on the East Coast, check out Myrtle Beach, says Tom LaTour, chairman and CEO of LaTour Hotels and Resorts management company. Minimum-stay requirements of two or three nights may apply during a property's high season.

Search websites that list time-share rentals across multiple brands. Compare prices on Endless Vacation Rentals (www.evrentals.com), which includes weekly rentals from Disney Vacation Club, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and more time-share brands. For nightly timeshare rentals, try ResorTime.com (www.resortime.com). "These are online agencies that work with the properties, so they have a bigger allotment of inventory than sites that deal with one-to-one rentals," says Peter Gust, vice president of resort operations for Tapestry Resorts timeshare management company.

And as someone who can spend hours online searching for vacation rentals, there is something to be said about knowing that more than one unit will (likely) be available. I've been so disappointed after I found the perfect vacation rental -- and then realized that it was booked solid. At least with professionally-managed time-share units, you know there will be more than one condo or villa that offers what you're looking for.

Cheap Sleep this Holiday Season

Holiday travel usually means bracing for out-of-control prices for airfare and hotel rooms.

I checked with the experts who know how to find a bargain and found that at least three U.S. destinations were poised to have cheaper hotels this Christmas versus last year. Drumroll, please!

San Diego

Maui

Vail Valley, Colo. (that's Vail and Beaver Creek)

Check out the story in the November issue of Money magazine or here on CNNMoney.com.

Thanks to the statisticians at Expedia.com, Bob Diener of Getaroom.com, Evan Reece of Liftopia.com, and Hawaii hospitality expert Joseph Toy for proving that there are holiday bargains out there.

Donate Your Travel-Size Toiletries

Last night, I cleaned out my somewhat embarrassing collection of travel-size toiletries. My office is having a donation drive for a local shelter. Though my cupboards are bare (I don't eat much canned food), I knew I could help out with a few toiletries.

Turns out that I had more than a few unused bars of soap and unopened containers of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion that I'd accumulated from hotel stays and press events over the past year. And then there were the tubes of travel-size toothpaste that came with my frequent Drugstore.com orders, and the travel-size contact lens solution sample from my eye doctor.

Thanks to Starwood, Wyndham, Hyatt, Hilton, Sedona's Enchantment Resort, New York City's Trump SoHo, and other hotels for providing me with these goodies. I fully intended to use everything, but there are only so many bars and bottles that I can get through. And these were just the toiletries that I found in the linen closet. I have to admit that I uncovered more when I opened the cabinet beneath the bathroom sink.

Many hotel chains already donate travel-size toiletries to charities or local shelters. Clean the World (www.cleantheworld.org) also accepts donations of soap.

Weeding through everything was a nice way to remember all the places that I've been lucky enough to visit. And it was totally worth lugging the heavy bag of toiletries to work this morning on the subway.

Photo by: Amy Chen

Video: How to Shuck an Oyster

It's not every day that you get to meet a Guinness World Record holder. I recently met up with Patrick McMurray, a Toronto restaurateur who currently holds the Guinness title for shucking the most oysters in a minute (38 to be precise).

He demonstrated his technique for me at Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York City's Grand Central Terminal. Though he wasn't in competition mode, McMurray still made it seem effortless.



Want to be able to shuck like an expert? McMurray has developed an ergonomic oyster knife (www.shuckerpaddy.com, C$30). I tested out the knife, and even I managed to pop open an oyster (OK, so I received lots of help).

How Steve Jobs Improved the Way We Travel

Steve Jobs died yesterday, leaving behind a generation of travelers who can explore the world more easily -- thanks to much of the technology that he pioneered.

Pre-smartphone, I used to get hopelessly lost in New York City's SoHo and Lower East Side. Now the idea of not being able to map directions on my iPhone 4 seems so archaic.

Just a year ago, I was waiting for my T-Mobile contract to end so I could switch over to AT&T and finally get an iPhone. In the last few months before my T-Mobile contract ran out, I used an iPod Touch as a short-term solution.

I wrote about the experience of traveling overseas with an iPod Touch for AOL's Gadling. As a traveler who wanted to pack light, the first-generation iPad and fourth-generation iPod Touch revolutionized the way I could get around. No more netbook, which only the year before seemed like a lightweight solution. And as long as I could find a free Wi-Fi spot, I could skip the dodgy Internet cafes.

And remember calling cards? When I lived in London eight years ago, I had to use international calling cards with unwieldy PINs. Now there's Skype that works from my iPhone. True, roaming fees are still out of control but for the most part, the iPhone/iPad has improved the way I travel.

Who knows what else Steve Jobs would've come up with next?

Hurricane Season: 5 Safer Bets for Island Vacations

Hurricane Irene made everyone a bit nervous, but the experts know which islands are statistically less likely to have a major hurricane strike within 100 miles.

The Atlantic hurricane season -- which lasts from June 1 until Nov. 30 -- coincides with when some Caribbean resorts drop rates by 20 to 40 percent or try to entice you with free nights, according to Hotels.com. But before you book that too-good-to-be-true deal, remember that a fast-moving tropical storm or hurricane could literally rain out your vacation.

How can you pick wisely? "Any place within about 7 degrees latitude of the equator is almost always safe from hurricanes," says Kerry Emanuel, a professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Or if you want a tropical vacation with beachfront hotels but minus the iffy weather, look to these safer (and more affordable) bets instead.

Some interesting hurricane stats include:

Aruba: 4% chance of a hurricane hitting within 100 miles (v. 51% in the Bahamas)
St. Maarten: 5% chance

Other options: Contadora Island, Pearl Islands, Panama
"Panama is hardly ever directly hit by the core of a hurricane since it's so close to the equator," says Dr. Rick Knabb, tropical program manager for The Weather Channel.

Read the the full story in the October issue of Money magazine.

Other options that didn't make it into the final piece:

Mahé Island, Seychelles

Mahé Island, about 4 degrees south of the equator in the Indian Ocean, is part of an archipelago of 115 tropical islands that "aren’t affected by hurricanes, and they’re not that hard to reach from the U.S. as they are serviced by nonstop flights from London," Emanuel says. You also don’t need a royal budget to vacation here: Seven nights in early November at the four-star Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino come to $1,394 with taxes. Compared to $6,104 for a week in Anguilla at the famed Cap Juluca resort, spending a week here swimming in the calm seas more than compensates for the higher airfares. And in November, the average highs reach 86 degrees -- four degrees warmer than in Anguilla.

São Miguel, the Azores

The Azores, a group of nine Portuguese-speaking islands, "are occasionally hit by weak hurricanes, but strong ones are rare or nonexistent there," says Emanuel. On the largest island of São Miguel, the average November high of 66 degrees is ideal for hiking and exploring the island’s lake-filled calderas; locals even swim year-round at the dozen black-sand beaches. You'll also save on lodging at four-star waterfront hotels; seven nights in a sea-view room at the Caloura Hotel Resort is $842 for two people.

3 Affordable Wine Destinations: Willamette Valley, Finger Lakes, Mendoza

In the September issue of Money magazine, I talked to some wine experts to find out where you can enjoy the fall harvest season for less. (Napa Valley and Bordeaux, France, are naturally great destinations but not everyone can afford an expensive getaway right now.)

Seek out these three wine destinations instead, where the vintner could be pouring you a flight at the tasting room and you could save nearly 40 percent per night at a comparable B&B or hotel.

Fun Fact: Karl Storchmann, managing editor of the Journal of Wine Economics and an economics professor at NYU, averaged the five most affordable 2008/2009 vintages that scored 88 Wine Spectator points -- and found that Oregon's Willamette Valley wines cost 20 percent less than those from Napa Valley.

Photo Caption: The Damiani tasting room -- in a converted house -- overlooks Seneca Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region. Photo by Amy Chen

What to Pack in a Go Bag

As the East Coast cleanup begins in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, now is a good time to take stock of your emergency supplies -- no matter where you live.

I grew up in California where having an earthquake preparedness kit was expected, but after moving to New York, I have to admit that I grew complacent. At times, I'd be lucky to find anything edible in my fridge or cupboards. And spare batteries? Most of my electronics are charged via USB these days. Apparently many New Yorkers faced the same dilemma, as seen with the pre-hurricane rush to supermarkets and hardware stores.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management has a complete list of what to include in an emergency supply kit. Of all the travel gear that has crossed my desk over the years, here are some of the travel essentials that I'd make sure to include in my "go bag."

1. Backup phone charger. Energizer makes a great portable charger that I take on road trips or anytime I need some extra juice for my iPhone.

2. Zip-top bags. I'm a fan of Ecozip, 2-in-1 plastic zip-top bags.

3. Sleep sack. DreamSacks by Yala are lightweight silk liners that can make the prospect of sleeping on an airport floor a little less disgusting.

4. Water bottle. Bobble makes reusable water bottles with a built-in filter.

5. Travel-friendly toothbrush. Colgate makes Wisps, disposable toothbrushes that help freshen your breath without needing toothpaste.

6. Mini flashlight. D-cell batteries are just so heavy and clunky.

7. Disposable wipes. Baby wipes or wet wipes come in handy if no running water is readily available.

8. Spare contacts.

Photo by Amy Chen

How to Find the Best Travel Deals

Money magazine's timing couldn't be better. Its latest cover story reveals how to find the best deals on everything, including how to save money on travel.

I talked to some industry experts for their best tips on traveling on a budget.

Here are some highlights:

Travelzoo's Andrew Young shared his pick of Croatia's Dalmatian Coast as a money-saving alternative to Italy's Amalfi Coast.

CheapOair's Bill Miller revealed that holiday airfare sales tend to start in October.

Kayak's Robert Birge found that airfare to Denver and Seattle from many U.S. cities was actually lower than this time a year ago.

Rich Tucker of CruiseDeals.com said that last-minute cruises could save you an additional 20%.

Read more travel tips here.

Duty-Free Shops: Deal or No Deal?

Are airport duty-free shops a rip-off -- or is it actually possible to find a decent travel deal at one of those ubiquitous duty-free stores?

Freelance writer Lisa Cheng (formerly of Travel + Leisure) tackled the tough topic for Frommers.com, which gained the attention of both USA Today and Rudy Maxa of the radio show "Rudy Maxa's World."

Since I edited the piece, I was asked to share some of Lisa's findings on last Saturday's "Rudy Maxa's World" broadcast. Listen to learn if it's worth buying designer bags, watches, cosmetics, cigarettes, or other items at airport duty-free shops. (I come on at the 23-minute mark).

Photo Caption: Duty-free cigarettes and alcohol are for sale by the departure gates at New York's JFK Airport. Photo by Amy Chen

Best-Value Destination: Lisbon, Portugal

I recently sat down with CNN.com to discuss Lisbon, one of the most affordable destinations in Europe right now. Want luxury for less? You can book a five-star hotel in Lisbon for about $160, according to Hotels.com's annual Hotel Price Index.

Yes, airfare to Europe is out of control this summer. Luckily, Lisbon is said to have weather that's similar to Southern California -- which means that come fall, Lisbon is still a good 10 degrees warmer than, say, Paris.

London: The Royal Wedding

Like the millions of people who tuned into watch Prince William marry Kate Middleton earlier today, I set my alarm to catch the live web streaming that began at 6 a.m. EST. Granted, I watched most of the ceremony on my iPad while still in bed.

The pomp and circumstance aside, I was especially impressed by the crowd control. In this shot, the cops/bobbies held hands to keep the crowd at bay as the revelers surged into the streets outside Buckingham Palace. The palace itself is open for public tours in August and September. While watching the wedding coverage, I couldn't help but get a bit nostalgic for London, where I lived for nine months while studying abroad during college.

On my tour of Buckingham Palace, I recall asking a security guard about the heavy red carpets that lined the corridors. Apparently the carpets are removed after the tourists have come and gone. (The carpets naturally aren't good enough for the Queen.) Perhaps the carpets were rolled out again for wedding guests at the reception?

Photo Caption: The scene outside Buckingham Palace as viewed on the iPad. Photo by Amy Chen

Brooklyn Flea Finds a New Home in Williamsburg

I'd previously described the Brooklyn Flea (www.brooklynflea.com) as a great place to find unique souvenirs (see my post about Flea Market Finds for AOL's Gadling.com). As it turns out, the Brooklyn Flea is also the perfect place to sample some of Brooklyn's best restaurants.

And just in time for lazy spring/summer weekends, the Brooklyn Flea has expanded to a new location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- which happens to be my neighborhood. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays through November, vendors will set up their wares in a gravel lot that adjoins East River State Park. Though there are already at least a half dozen food stalls there now, I'm especially psyched to check out Smorgasburg, Brooklyn Flea's new all-food market that will be held in Williamsburg every Saturday. Starting May 21, more than 100 food vendors are expected to fill this lot. I wonder how many I'll be able to taste by summer's end.

Until then, check out this slideshow of my fave eats at Brooklyn Flea.

Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Photos by Amy Chen

How to Find Hidden Airfare Deals

In the April issue of Money magazine, I tackled the multimillion dollar question: Is it possible to find affordable airfare deals?

Experts like George Hobica of Airfarewatchdog.com, Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com, and Ike Anand of Expedia weighed in on how to book cheaper plane tickets.

Read their money-saving tips at CNN.com.

Photo by Amy Chen

New York City: Super Moon

For the first time in 20 years, tonight's "perigee moon" looked 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter, according to CNN.com.

Photo by Amy Chen

New Orleans: Classic Treats Under $10

In honor of this week's Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans, these are a few treats that every traveler should try at least once. Unfortunately, more than a year has passed since my last visit. Luckily, these classics should still be there on my next trip (whenever that may be).


A trio of beignets ($1.82) and cafe au lait ($1.82 for a small cup) from Cafe du Monde

Muffuletta ($6.95 for a half) from Central Grocery

Photos by Amy Chen

Instagram iPhone photos

I'm starting to get addicted to the free Instagram iPhone app. Here is an Empire State Building photo that I snapped with my iPhone 4, and here is the same photo treated with Instagram's Lomo-fi filter. I especially love how the high-contrast grittiness changes the mood of the photo.

Cruising from New York City

I've started taking photos from my building at work around sunset. Sometimes, a cruise ship en route to the Caribbean sails into view. And each time I'm left thinking: "Take me with you!"

Photo by Amy Chen: Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Gem and the Empire State Building