Travel Tips for the Holidays

I know, it's not even Halloween yet and people are already thinking about the winter holidays. In this Bankrate.com piece by Dana Dratch ("9 Ways to Manage Holiday Spending"), I shared some tried-and-true travel advice.

My biggest tip would be to cough up the extra money to fly nonstop. Blizzards have a funny way of occurring the busiest travel season of the year, and you don't want to deal with the extra stress of missed connections.

As for being flexible on travel dates, I've flown on Thanksgiving Day, when the airports were empty and the TSA agents were super-friendly. Upon seeing my slice of chocolate bourbon pecan pie that I was going to hand-carry onto the plane, the TSA agent joked, "No mashed potatoes?" A jovial TSA agent, imagine that.

Photo Caption: Last year's Snowtober, when it snowed in New York City a few days before Halloween
Photo by Amy Chen

Post-Labor Day Travel Savings

When Kelli Grant of SmartMoney.com asked me for destinations that cost less after Labor Day but still feel like summer, I felt a slight tinge of regret for blowing several vacation days earlier this summer. If I waited just a few months, I could've saved hundreds of dollars.

Read the article here on SmartMoney.com.

My first money-saving suggestion was Cape Cod. A few summers ago, I visited in August and sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Saturday. After chatting with the bartender at the Bramble Inn in Brewster, I learned that Saturday is the absolute worst day to travel for a weekend getaway since many weekly rentals "change over" on Saturday. Lesson learned.

My other suggestion was Hilton Head Island, which apparently has a lower risk of being affected by hurricanes than, say, the Outer Banks. As much as I love the idea of traveling to the Mexico or Caribbean during hurricane season (cheap hotels!), sometimes the uncertainty cancels out the relaxation. For example, just this week, Tropical Storm/Hurricane Ernesto swept through coastal Mexico and many tourists at Cancun resorts were evacuated, according to this Associated Press article.

Depending on your flexibility or travel needs, I probably would try to pick a vacation destination with slightly less risk. Then again, I was in Seattle last weekend and my return flight was oversold (thanks, United!). I ended up at the airport Holiday Inn eating some pretty terrible food, showering in my flip-flops, and taking the first flight out, which meant waking up at 4:45 a.m. Monday and heading straight from SFO to the office. When is it worth adding something like the potential of a hurricane to your travel stress? Only you can decide.

By the way, I second the suggestion of Hawaii, which was recommended by Courtney Scott of Travelocity. A few years ago, I spent Labor Day weekend on the Big Island with my mom. We tacked on a few days after the holiday weekend (the long weekend typically overlaps with my birthday, yet another perfect excuse to travel).

Photo Caption: A small beach facing one of the ponds in Cape Cod
Photo by Amy Chen

Smart Tips for Budget Travelers

I could talk forever about budget travel, so I was happy to oblige when the Chicago Tribune's Josh Noel contacted me for some quick tips. (Yes, I'm that person who was annoyed to see that a tourist shop in Venice charged me €2 for a bottle of water when I could get it for under €0.50 at a grocery store a few minutes away.)

Read the article here.

What can I say? It's flattering to have my money-saving tips included next to smart strategies from George Hobica (founder of Airfarewatchdog.com) and Marc Peyser (editor of Budget Travel magazine).

Photo by Amy Chen

Last-Minute Travel: How to Get to London for the Olympics

It's not too late to visit London for the Olympics — if you're willing to pay gold-medal prices. These travel experts reveal how you can still save a little money if you're London-bound.

Read the story on CNN.com. (UPDATE: After CNN and Money mag parted ways in 2014, the online story is now lost in cyberspace... You can see a version of the story here).

Thanks to these experts for their money-saving tips:

George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com
Ruthanne Terrero, editorial director of Travel Agent magazine
Kimberly Wilson Wetty, co-president of Valerie Wilson Travel in New York City
Adam Dailey of Ludus Sports
VisitLondon.com
Kayak.com

Photo by Amy Chen

How to Find Spring Travel Deals

For Money magazine's April issue, I chatted with a few travel experts about their secrets and strategies for nabbing spring savings. Here's the online version on CNN.com.

3 Ways to Plan a Spring Getaway for Less

1. Don't wait to visit Europe. Expedia's Jeremy Boore found that visiting the French Riviera in mid-May would cost 35% less than traveling in June or July. The analysts at Hotwire.com also pulled some numbers and came back with a solid 20% savings if you traveled to Dublin in May versus June.

2. Pick a package. The team at Travelzoo is always a good source for package deals that bundle airfare with hotels. But be aware that sometimes the included hotels aren't in the best locations; you may have to pay to upgrade to a nicer hotel in a better location.

3. Head to the Caribbean before hurricane season starts in June. Lastly, the folks at CheapCaribbean.com can get you to the Caribbean for less. Yes, prices will go even lower once hurricane season starts in June, but no one really wants to risk having their vacations get rained out. Traveling in May, on the other hand, was cheaper than in April: Prices in May dropped off by 24% when compared to an April departure -- all the more money to spend on those tropical drinks with paper umbrellas.

How to Plan a Romantic Getaway for Less

I was flattered to be included in Dana Dratch's piece on Bankrate.com: "Spend less on romantic weekend getaways".

In addition to reading great tips from Peter Greenberg and Travel + Leisure's Rich Beattie, you'll find some of my affordable ways to plan a romantic getaway:

-- Savored.com: Skip the Groupon or LivingSocial coupons to avoid the cheapskate label. Honesty may be the best policy in a relationship, but do you really need to let your partner know that you're saving 30% on the bill at Le Cirque? (And yes, Le Cirque is a participating restaurant.) Frugality isn't so romantic.

-- SelectRegistry.com: You could spend hours sifting through B&B listings on TripAdvisor, or you could look at this association's website of well-maintained B&Bs and inns. Don't expect to find lace doilies and outdated decor here. Instead, many of these B&Bs are done up with crisp duvets and modern furnishings -- think boutique, not tacky. And the breakfasts! We're talking omelettes, French toast, homemade pastries, and more as part of the included room rate.

-- Always compare packages to a DIY price before booking. I write about travel deals a lot and unfortunately, I reject more than I'm able to cover. To me, a package is a great deal only if you're saving money -- and it's more convenient than booking everything a la carte. Some packages have inflated prices and all too often, these packages include things that you won't end up using. Be honest with yourself. Will you redeem that restaurant credit or those museum passes? Or could you book just the hotel room at a lower price without the package? (If all you're looking for is convenience, then you're probably not traveling on a budget anyway.)

Photo Caption: On a beach in Santa Barbara over Valentine's Day. Photo by Amy Chen

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

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.

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.

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

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

Holiday Travel Deals for Christmas & New Year's

Scared off by high prices and holiday-travel crowds?

Here are some affordable alternatives for holiday travel, as I wrote for Money magazine's November issue.

Where to Find Holiday Travel Bargains

Rather than ski in Breckenridge, head to Crested Butte, Colorado. I found a five-night Ski.com package that includes lift tickets and an airfare credit up to $400.

Everyone goes to San Juan, Puerto Rico, but you can find white-sand beaches and savings in Nassau, Bahamas.

New York City is one of the world's biggest New Year's Eve parties, but Washington, D.C. has the museums -- and the National Christmas tree.

Photo by Amy Chen: The view of the Washington Monument from the rooftop bar at the W Hotel.

How to Score a Free Travel Upgrade

If you’re not a business traveler with elite status, getting upgraded can seem like a long shot. Want a better seat on the plane? These days, extra legroom or an aisle seat will cost you extra. Want a nicer hotel room? You can pay a bit more at check-in for a room on a higher floor.

So how exactly do you ask for a complimentary upgrade without coming across as a demanding customer or a complete cheapskate?

I asked travel experts with the power to grant or deny an upgrade -- including a front-desk manager, a car-rental agent, and airline experts -- for tips on how to score that coveted upgrade and other perks even if you’re an infrequent traveler.

Check out my "How to Score an Upgrade" story on CNN.com or pick up a copy of the October issue of Money magazine.

UPDATE: "How to Score an Upgrade" has been picked up by Yahoo! for the homepage carousel. Thanks to everyone who noticed and let me know about it!

Photo by Amy Chen: An ocean-view room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Oahu.

Best Fall Travel Deals: Barcelona, Hilton Head Island & Sydney

I was asked by Money magazine about where to find the best travel deals this fall. Rather than resort to the obvious choices (Las Vegas? been there, done that), I consulted some industry experts, did the math, and came up with a list of winners: Barcelona, Hilton Head Island, and Sydney.

Check out this slideshow for the best shoulder-season destinations this fall.

Photo by Amy Chen: A wine bar in Barcelona's Raval neighborhood.