Free Airline Miles

This is a super easy way to earn airline miles without having to spend a dime.

http://www.e-miles.com/

Its free to register, and you earn miles simply by briefly looking at ads and answering about 5 short questions. The questions are all multiple choice and basically ask how you felt about the ad. You normally earn 5 miles per ad. You will be sent an email telling you when new opportunities are available for you to earn miles.

You will also often fine offers to purchase a product or subcribe to their magazine in which case you will earn extra miles usually around 100-300 extra miles. Sometimes you can earn 50 to 100 extra miles just for subcribing to their free newsletter.

The nice thing about e-miles is you can choose which airline you want to earn your miles from. Once you have accumilated 500 miles the miles will be transfered to your airline miles acount.

You will be surprised how quickly you can get to 500 miles. It only took me about a month to earn my first 500. That's 500 miles without spending a penny, you can't beat that!

Hotels.com Introduces Their Rewards Program

In July Hotels.com will be introducing a rewards program in which you can earn free hotel nights. With most other hotel rewards programs you only earn points for stays at their hotels and you can only use your reward points at their hotels. But with Hotels.com you earn points for any hotel booked through Hotels.com and you can use your reward points for any hotel booked through them. So you have so many more options. You will earn 1 free night for every 10 nights or points you earn. So keep an eye out for this reward program in July.

Royal Caribbean Winter Sale

Royal Caribbean is having a great winter sale.

11 Day Egypt / Eastern Mediterranean with air

1/5/09 $2649

1/26/09 $2349

2/16/09 $2699

3/30/09 $2749

Air & Transfers Included From:Atlanta, Boston, Chicago/OHare, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New York/Newark, New York/JFK, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Toronto & Washington DC (Dulles)

This is a great deal if you are looking for a winter get away. These Mediterranean cruises are incredible!

http://www.onlinevacationcenter.com/newsletter/4736.cfm

Reward Ticket frustrations

When I am trying to book miles reward tickets I always do so as far in advance as possible so that I have a better chance of actually getting a flight. Its not always easy to find reward flights.

A few months ago I wanted to book 3 tickets with my reward miles, I soon found that I was not aloowed to book 3 tickets at once. Delta would only let me book 2 tickets at a time so I had to make 2 seperate reservations, 1 for me and my son and 1 for my husband.

A couple of days ago Delta sent me an email telling me that my husbands flight had been change, and not just as far as the times but the acutal flight. He was being put on a completely different flight and would no longer have a non-stop. I called Delta up and explained to them that we were traveling together so we needed to all be on the same flight. This seemed to confuse them but in the end they agreed to change him back to the original flight. I asked for an email confirmation. Always get a confirmation.

When the email came it turned out that they switch my flight to match his, so we were out the non-stop flight.

The next day I got another email telling me that they were now changing my flight so once again our flights didn't match. So I had to go through the whole process again only this time it took them twice as long to figure it out. Again I asked for an email confirmation. When the email came, for some unknown reason, they seated us one behind the other rather then next to each other when there are plenty of seats next to each other open. I had to go onto the Delta website and change our seats.

All of this took place within 2 days, I still have 54 days before my flight. I can only imagine how many changes can take place during that many days!

If I had called in to book the flights prehaps they would have let me book 3 tickets at once but they also would have charged me more miles per ticket, miles I didn't have. It seems like the airlines go out of there way to discourage people from using their miles.

3 day sale

Crucon Cruise Outlet is having a 3 day sale. This is a really great deal.

$ 879 pp - $ 899 pp- MINISUITES!

7 nt. Caribbean & Mexican Riviera Sailings
New Bookings Only
Promotion Expires : 09/19/08
Not combinable with any other discount or promotion

Travel Dates:

NCL Pearl- 7 nt. W. Caribbean RT Miami
(Miami, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, Great Stirrup Cay, Miami)
Sailing Dates: 10/12, 10/19, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/30, 12/7, 12/14
Add $ 50 pp (i.e. $ 949 pp) for: 1/4, 1/11, 1/18
MiniSuites: $ 899 pp!!!

NCL Dawn - 7 nt. E. Caribbean RT Miami(Miami, Samana, St. Thomas, Tortola, Great Stirrup Cay, Miami)
Sailing Dates: 11/29, 12/6, 12/13

NCL Star- 7 nt. Mexican Riviera RT Los Angeles
(Los Angeles, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Los Angeles)
Sailing Dates: 10/18, 10/25, 11/01, 11/08, 11/15, 11/22, 11/29, 12/06, 12/13, 1/10*, 1/17*, 1/24*, 1/31*

Call now 800-493-6609 or Book Online at www.crucon.com/cc1.htm

Deal to Rome

Gate One is offering a great deal to Rome during the off season.

8 Day Rome, Florence & Venice by RailVisit Italy's Enchanting Cities on this Independent Rail Vacation - from $999*



Lead Price Travel Dates: Nov 27, Dec 4, 11 '08, Jan 15, 22, 29 '09Promo valid for departures: Nov '08 - Mar '09



The Deal
Priced lower than the competition, this 8 day rail package makes it easy to see three of Italy's most captivating cities on one trip. Explore independently or join an assortment of convenient and affordable optional tours. Enjoy an evening tour of illuminated Rome, the Eternal City, a walking tour of the dazzling renaissance city of Florence, or a romantic gondola serenade along the canals of Venice. Whether it's your first trip to Italy or a return visit to old favorites, this tour offers an ideal opportunity to spend a great vacation in bella Italia while we take care of the details, with flights, hotels, and reserved rail seats all prearranged for you.



Book today and you'll pay substantially less than if you tried to build this package on your own, not to mention saving yourself the hassle.



Package Includes
Flights NYC – Rome, Venice – NYC. Other departure cities available
6 nights accommodations in your choice of hotels
2 nights Rome, 2 nights Florence, 2 nights Venice
Transportation between cities via reserved rail
Breakfast daily



How to Book
http://www.gateone.com/ to book or call 800-682-3333 to speak with one of our reservation specialists.

JetBlue Auction

JetBlue is now auctioning off tickets on ebay. If you go to Ebay and search JetBlue you will find a list of available tickets. The tickets are round trip and for for specific flights, dates and times. If you have a flexible schedule you can find some real bargains.

Budget Traveling

I am a huge budget traveler. I actually worked as a travel agent but wasn’t very good at it. Not that I messed anything up I just kept showing people how to save money or travel on a small budget and since we worked on commission that wasn’t the best thing to do. We earned a percentage of the sale so the agents were always trying to “up sell” so they could earn a higher commission. Now I work as a travel advisor, which means I teach people how to plan a budget vacation.

The most important thing is to never spend more then you can afford. If you spend your vacation worrying about how you are going to pay for it, you have wasted your money. I always recommend paying for the vacation before leaving even if that means you have to save for a little while.

For me, I have what I call my “travel fund.” Which is a separate place where I keep only money designated for travel. This way I know exactly what I have to spend and thus what type of vacation I can take. I save for my vacations one dollar at a time. I do lots of little things to earn money to go into my vacation fund. I sell items on Ebay, I sell copies of photographs I take, I teach online classes and I am involved in one of those pyramid business, one that actually pays, weekly.

My son also earns money so he will have his own money to spend on the trip. Kids love to have their own money. Our deal is if he makes the money he can spend it on anything he wants. He recycles, sells his old toys, DVD and video games on Ebay. He sells other items at yard sales. I have found that he is much more careful with his spend when its his own money versus me buying him things.

If possible, pay for your vacation entirely before you go. That way you don’t have to worry about paying for it when you get back and you can have a worry free vacation.

Tips For Cruisers

• 
  When boarding the cruise ship you will be separated from your luggage. After boarding the ship it can take several hours before your luggage is delivered to your cabin. So rather then sitting around in your travel cloths, pack a bathing suit, flip flops or a pair of shorts in your carry on. This way you can enjoy the pool while you wait for the rest of your belongings.



• 
  The cruise line sends pre-printed luggage tags for your suit cases with you travel documents. You will get 2 tags per person. If you have extra tags rather then let them go to waste, put them on your carry on bag, camera case, backpack, computer case or any other valuable items you will be taking with you. If these items get lost or left behind you will have a better chance of getting them back.



• 
  One of the worse thing that could happen on your vacation is to loose your child. Chances are you won’t but be prepared if you do. Have each child a travel wallet that is worn around the neck. Put all your travel information in the wallet including flight numbers and times, your destination, your ship name, cabin number, your home and cell phone numbers, emergency contact numbers, any allergies or special needs your child has. Don’t forget to include your name and home address and your child’s name and age. Include as much information you can think of to help authorities locate you. Have your kids wear the wallets while you are in the airports, touring and sightseeing or even when they are not with you on the ship. Always carry with you an up dated picture of your kids with you, in your wallet or purse. If you get separated from your kids you will have a picture rather then just a description to show people. It will help tremendously in locating your child.



• 
  Don’t wait until the last minute to pack and don’t pack while in a hurry. Many seasoned cruisers use packing lists. They keep a copy on their computers so they can just print it out when they are ready to start packing. You can adjust the list depending on your destination, such as pack shorts rather then pants. Make sure your list is complete with any medications you might need, camera’s, tooth brushes, hair spray, etc… It’s so much easier to pack when you have a list, simply go down the list and check things off once you place the item in the suit case. Make your list well in advance and leave a copy of it out with a pen nearby so you can add items as you think of them. You will most likely not remember everything to add to the list the first time and if you have it handy you can easily add items before you forget.



• 
  Book your shore excursions before you go. All the cruise lines let you do this. Excursions sell out. There will not be room for every person. If you wait to book your excursions until you get on board you may find they have already sold out. I always book mine as soon as possible. You can book them easily online. You can also change them providing you do it a couple weeks prior to shipping.

The Oasis is Open for Business

You can now start booking your cruise on the Oasis. More information is being revealed about the ship which starts sailing to the Caribbean in December 2009. It will have a aqua theater, which by day will serve as a pool and at night will become an outdoor theater where passengers can enjoys diving and acrobatic shows.

It will also have an onboard zipline. I have to say that’s pretty cool.

The ship will also have two story suites.

Go to http://www.rccl.com/ to book a cruise.

Free Airfare

This is a nice deal if you are thinking about a November vacation to Europe. Free airfare is included from Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Celebirty Cruise Line

11 Day Mediterrian Cruise

Mon Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
Tue At Sea
Wed Mykonos, Greece
Thu Rhodes, Greece
Fri Santorini, Greece
Sat Istanbul, Turkey
Sun Istanbul, Turkey
Mon Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey
Tue Piraeus (Athens), Greece
Wed At Sea
Thu Naples, Italy
Fri Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Sailing Date : 11/03/2008
Cabin Type Rate

Inside $2249.00

Outside $2349.00

Outside Balcony $3349.00

Port Charges Included
Taxes & Fees Additional

http://makers.cruiseone.com/travel/cruises/dealpage.do?id=22111&&kwcmp=KNC-OV&HBX_PK=ruecatt@dslextreme.com&HBX_OU=91