Budget Airlines: Yay or Nay?

Last week while watching “Nightline” (one of the ways I wind down after a long day), I was intrigued by a segment on Spirit Airlines,  the “ultra low cost carrier of the Americas.” They manage to beat their competitors by up to $100 round trip. Sounds good, right? Well, that low price comes at a cost.

Besides the no frills conveniences of in flight movies and decent leg room (their planes have 145 seats on board, the max allowed by the FAA), the airline also charges passengers to speak with a customer service rep and for carry-on luggage ($30-$45 for bags placed in the overhead bins). And the “Nightline” segment also noted in 2008, the Bureau of Transportation received 7 times as many complaints from Spirit customers than any other airline. Yikes! Their super savings prices aren’t looking so great after all.

I’m definitely for saving as much as I possibly can, especially when traveling, but I would never tolerate subpar service or amenities.

So, have you ever flown Spirit Airlines or another budget carrier? If so, what was your experience? Would you be willing to do without leg room, other frills or crappy customer service if you snagged a great deal?

Peep the “Nightline” video below.

Tags: budget travel, Spirit Airlines, travel

BonVoyou – Discount Travel Site

Have you guys heard of BonVoyou? Well, until last week I hadn’t heard of the Chicago-based company, but I’m so glad the travelista in me is in the loop.

The members-only travel site offers luxury and boutique hotel rooms for major cities around the world. At up to 50 percent off the regular rates, new sales are posted every week and last several days.

The new site is similar to Jetsetter, but what I really love about BonVoyou is that a portion of all sales are donated to charities that go towards improving schools and communities or foundations like Bear Necessities, which provides support for children stricken with cancer.

Upcoming sales include Boston, Chicago and Austin.

Interested in trying BonVoyou? Click here for an invite.

Tags: BonVoyou, travel

How to Pack a Carry On Bag

I never check my bags when flying. Seriously, I never (ever) check them. Besides the fact I’m afraid of my luggage being lost, I refuse to pay the fees. Though some airlines like JetBlue and Southwest allow you at least one checked bag for free, others charge on average $20 per bag.

Other than Spirit airlines, which now charges for carry ons (how insane is that?), other airlines allow you two gratis bags to bring on the plane. The key is to effectively pack so you can save cash, but also have your necessities.

Here’s how I pack a single bag for a 10 day vacation.

I start out with a general checklist of clothing:

• Dresses: they just make it super easy to get dressed. No need to worry about matching a top and a bottom, the dress is just one easy piece. Bring a mixture of casual day dresses and at least one LBD.
• Jeans: dark denim is pretty versatile. They’re great for day with a tank and sandals or with pumps.
• Dress pants: a white or black dress pant is always great to take along.
• Shorts: shorts or a romper depending on how you style it, can go from a day on the beach to a night on the town.
• Tops: an array of neutral tops will go with everything in your bag. A black cardigan or jean jacket is essential for chilly nights.
• Shoes: you really just need a comfy pair of flats, sandals, dressy heels in a neutral tone and maybe some sneakers.

Click more to see how I packed everything in one bag with plenty of space to spare…

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Tags: travel

Hostels: Yay or Nay?

I’m determined to make it to Europe in early fall but it’s so frickin’ expensive. However, I’ve been looking in to a few hostels to save me a ton of cash. Though I stayed at a budget hotel when I went to Belize, I’ve never done the whole hostel thing and I’m kinda scared/intrigued by them.

Advantages: affordable, you get to meet fellow travelers
Disadvantages: you’re sharing a room and bathroom with strangers!

Hostels are certainly more popular overseas, but there are a few in major cities in the U.S. I plan to make another trip to L.A. this summer and I came across a hostel with great amenities and under $40 a night…but I’d have to share a room with 7 other people

I love saving where I can (that’s the whole Living Fly on a Dime way) but being in close quarters with strangers really freaks me out.

So how do you guys feel about hostels? Would you willingly lodge with strangers so you have more money to spend on shopping, food, etc.? I really want to know what you guys think.

Moroccan Adventure {on a budget}

You guys remember Gecko’s, the travel company that offers amazing, affordable tours throughout the world? Well my friend Stephanie just returned from their 10 day Moroccan tour. Here’s her take on how she afforded the tour as well as some inside dish on the exotic country.

Cost:
The tour cost $1460, which included all hotels, transportation (train, bus, taxi, private car) throughout the country, guided tours, breakfast and a few lunches and dinners. I had Gecko’s arrange my airfare, but Royal Air Maroc (the national airline) is one of only a few airlines that fly from the U.S. to Morocco, so prices aren’t that cheap. Airfare is about $900 roundtrip. The average restaurant meal is between 60 and 100 dirham ($1 equals about 8 Moroccan dirhams). The average street vendor/food stall meal is between 10 and 40 dirham. Quality-wise, they’re both the same so go for the street vendors. There are no taxes or tips for dining out, so if a meal costs 60 dirham, you only pay 60 dirham.

Tour:
Gecko’s took us to most of the major cities: Casablanca, Marrakesh, Meknes, Fes, Essaouira and camping in the Sahara. All hotel accommodations are very basic, but that’s mostly because of the country itself. There really isn’t much to “see” in Morocco so we just went to different cities and walked around. Most tourists go to mosques, but once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. The transportation was a combination of the local train, taxi, and chartered bus. All of the transportation is good, but the driving there is atrocious so each time you get in a car, you see at least one accident (sometimes deadly).

Cuisine:
The food left a lot to be desired. Breakfast was always pieces of white bread. If we were staying at a fancy place, we got hard boiled eggs with the bread. Lunch and dinner is always tajine (beef, chicken, or lamb) or couscous (beef, chicken, or lamb). Dessert was always oranges; it was expected that each person eats between 3-5 oranges during dessert. Sometimes, but not often, you can find bananas and strawberries, but they’re expensive because they’re imported from elsewhere. It made me realize how much we take supermarkets for granted. For drinks, they only have bottled water (which tastes disgusting compared to ours), tea (which they drink between 10 and 12 times per day), orange juice (obviously), and Fanta. The mint tea was pretty good though, as they put actual mint leaves in it for extra flavor. And they LOVE sugar. The more sugar cubes someone gives you, the more welcome you are in their home. They call tea ‘Berber Whiskey’ so when someone asks, “Do you want to have a drink?” they mean, “Do you want to have some tea?”

Culture:
One of the most fascinating things about Morocco is their perception of race. I traveled there within a group of eight; I was the only American and the only person of color. Everyone else in my group was white; six were from Great Britain and one from Australia. Ironically, Moroccans assumed they were American and I was, well, something else. I noticed that Moroccans never use racial categories like we use here i.e. African-American, Hispanic, etc. It’s either white or brown. If you’re black, you’re brown because your skin is brown. I think their lack of labels was the most refreshing thing about their culture. About 90% of people I encountered assumed I was Moroccan because of my skin complexion. There were countless times where people addressed me in Arabic or French, the two national languages of the country. I tried to explain to them, in English, that I didn’t speak either. Usually I was met with a baffled stare. I suppose the best thing about being mistaken for a local is that I was rarely harassed for money.

Ah, sounds awesome (minus the less than stellar food and traffic accidents). What’s the last great trip you guys took?

Tags: Gecko's, Morocco, travel