Free Travel and Vacation Information

Before September 11, 2001 we almost took traveling across country and out of the country by plane for granted. We never even had to stop and think about how careful we needed to be when we packed our things, we didn't have to worry about adding extra time to our boarding wait, nothing like that. We had a far more carefree and probably worry free way of thinking prior to that ominous date. The changes in the past ten years have been monumental and have taken away the innocence that once was.

These changes have been practical as well as psychological for everyone that has anything to do with travel. The majority of the changes of course have been within the airline companies themselves and probably to some extent other types of travel as well. Our entire nation has been given no other choice but to adjust to terrorism.

Right after the tragedy, travel all over the world was nearly immediately reduced and maintained that reduction until just this past year when it has finally shown some signs of increase. Even though travel has been gradually increasing, it still has not reached the levels it once was prior to the attacks on the Twin Towers. Travel at home however; recovered a lot quicker than travel outside of the United States, in fact statistically it shows that domestic type of travel has had a huge increase over the past decade.

With security be tighter than it has ever been the lines are airports are of course longer than they have ever been and that's whether you are flying domestically or overseas, it doesn't matter. So on average people must arrive at the airport hours earlier than they would have prior to 9/11. Today's airline security have been professionally trained and are ordered that everyone is fully searched and all items must be X-rayed so that they can look for things like corkscrews, knives, scissors and anything else that might be considered dangerous and could be used as a weapon.

Passengers now are all required to stand in line at the ticket counter even if they already have their tickets to be checked in and they must show some sort of picture ID whether it's a government ID or their drivers' license or they will not be allowed to board the plane. Your friends and relatives are no longer allowed to say good bye at the departure gate nor can they meet you there to pick you up. Only those with a ticket can get anywhere inside the actual terminals.

The planes themselves are far more secure and they try to have U.S. Marshalls on as many flights as they can and they will shoot to kill anyone who poses a threat to anyone on the plane. The planes themselves have improved cockpit doors that are harder for people to break into.

The changes that have been most profound however are the psychological ones. Americans use to be carefree travelers and have now become quite skittish and tend to now look at certain parts of the world as placed they will never travel to any longer such as any country in the Middle East will generally be off the list for most Americans as well as most of Asia a long with India and Pakistan. They have also become far more wary of those who they travel with when they look as if they may be of the same decent as those who attacked this country on 9/11. Americans were once laid back and trustworthy of most places they once use to travel to, still find themselves unable and unwilling to feel safe or trusting any longer even though a majority of these places have nothing to do with terrorism around the world.  

When you decide to take your holidays in a place that perhaps you have never been before it's a very good idea if you take the time to figure out just when it might be the best time to travel to your destination. It's important to take into consideration all of the various factors that will help to influence how much you will actually enjoy your trip.

If you travel plans are going to be domestic and you will travel in a plan then you probably won't have much problems with the air fare if you live in the United States. Generally the domestic air fare is pretty constant all year round, except for when there might be some specials that come up. Which you might want to keep your eyes open to. You also might want to be alert to the fact however; that during peak times like Christmas and Thanksgiving there actually might be some surcharges hidden so you may end up paying more for your air fare at these popular travel times.

Some airlines do offer different prices if you fly at different times during the week. You might want to check and see if the airline you are considering offers lower rates if you fly during the middle of the week instead of flying on the weekends.

So you should note if you are traveling during holidays, book very early. If you are traveling at any other time of the year try and wait for a sale on the fares, if none come up within thirty days of your planning then you should probably just go a head and book the least expensive that you can find at the time. Pick the days you want to fly carefully as well as the times and if there are stops or non-stop flights. Choosing non-stop could cost you more than the flights that have stopovers.

If you are in the United States and are planning an international flight there are going to be differences. Prices for coach especially are going to change in price depending upon the time of year that you are planning to fly. You might find as much as a $600 difference between peak seasons and off season air fares. The different days of the week can also affect the prices immensely. Changing your flight plan by one day could increase or decrease your cost as much as $300, especially if there are more than one of you flying together.

The season for flying and air fare is generally decided on the day that you are planning to leave the United States. You might find that the day you leave is in the low season and the day that you come back is going to be in the peak season. This will affect the price of your ticket as well. So it's important that you know when the low seasons begin and end as well as the peak seasons and when they begin and end.

Make sure to check out the weather for your destination, sometimes what is considered the best times or most expensive times to fly there is not always the best time of year at your destination when it comes to weather. If you find a time of year the weather is better it might turn out to be the time of year that is considered the low season for flying in the United States and this could save you a bundle of money on air fare.

The weeks will be divided up into segments and it depends upon the airlines how they do it. For instance some airlines will only consider Monday through Wednesday as weekday flights and Thursday through Sunday as their weekend flights, so it is important that you find out how the airline divides it's week up in order to save some money on your tickets.

No matter where your destination is, you will need accommodations. Accommodations will also have prices that vary according to the different high and low seasons so it's in your best interest that you do your research well with regards to where you will be staying. It may sound like a lot of work but you should try your best to make your accommodations match the same low or high season as your airline and it's fares if you are truly wanting to save yourself some money.

You should also consider staying in places that are business centered and give out special weekend breaks. Try to stay in a hotel that also gives special weekday rates for their visitors. You should also make sure that the hotel you stay at gives some sort of discount for those who stay for several days. You can also ask them a head of time if they will be offering any kind of specials around the time of your arrival.

In closing, when planning your trip try to stay away from the times of the year that are the most expensive to fly and to find accommodations, which means try to avoid going during the most popular times of the year. If you take time out to plan well you will end up not only having a great vacation but at a much lower price.  

Planning a trip to a major city and you really don't want to spend the money and time driving yourself? Then you might want to consider taking the bus. There are some advantages for travel in a bus that includes the amount of money you will spend and the variety of locations that they go to. But there are a few things you should know in order for you to enjoy your bus trip and get to you final destination in a safe manner.

When you are ready to board the bus, it is very important that you have your ticket in your hand. If you happen to not have it ready for the person checking the ticket, they may make you go to the back of the line or step to the side while you look for your ticket. They are not going to wait for you to find it and hold up the line behind you.

You will more than likely be allowed to take one bag on the bus with you, no different than on a plane because they also have compartments overhead. But, if you happen to have several bags to take with you make sure you keep a close eye on the bags that you have checked in. When you are waiting in line to board the bus keep an eye on when they are packing the bags on the side of the bus. Try and make sure that you see your bags. They often can get mixed up when they are on the luggage racks and get put on a different bus. Also make sure that your tags match your ticket when you get to your destination as well.

It's probably a better idea to go to the bathroom at the different rest stops that the bus makes. Buses generally will try to make rest stops every twenty to fifty miles. So if you can hold it while traveling it will probably better. The reason for this is that the bathrooms on buses are not always the cleanest.

Even though most buses claim that you can't eat or drink while you travel in the bus, these rules are hardly ever enforced by the bus driver. It does depend upon the driver but generally they won't say a thing about it so consider bringing your own snacks and beverages with you, just don't make a mess. This will save you a lot of money when it comes to eating at the rest stops.

The most important thing you should remember is once you are at a rest stop pay close attention to the time and the time the bus driver has indicated that the bus will be leaving. It is vitally important that you return to the bus on time. A lot of drivers simply will not wait for you and will leave you behind. This happens often. Even if you are right outside of the bus when it's time for the bus to leave he actually has no obligation to let you back on the bus. So always make sure that you consider returning to the bus about five minutes before it's departure time.

If your bus trip is going to be a long one it's a good idea to bring yourself some sort of entertainment. Have some sort of music to listen to and if you have a portable DVD player make sure to bring that with you. This will definitely help pass the hours since travel in a bus can seem endless sometimes.

If you don't want to get into any legal problems while riding the bus, whatever you do don't bring any king of drugs or alcohol onto the bus. If you have been drinking and the driver can smell it or suspects you have by your behavior, they have the right to tell you to get off the bus.

Make sure to keep your purse or wallet with you always. Never let them out of your sight, in fact make sure that you can feel it at all times. With all the different people getting on and off the bus at various different stops you are exposing yourself to the easy possibility of theft. So be smart and make sure your money is close to you at all times.