Avalon Waterways river cruise in Cochem, Germany

I was dying to go somewhere exciting this summer, but everyone I wanted to travel with wasn’t available or didn’t have the budget. I have always had my eye on a river cruise. A month ago, I saw a Europe river cruise on a private sale travel site for under $2,300 per person. Not bad, considering it was nearly two weeks long and visited five countries! I thought it would be an easy, safe, and fun solo trip.

I noticed that the deal was based on double occupancy and didn’t have information about single supplements. I contacted customer support to find out how much extra it would cost. I was guessing a few hundred dollars at the max. When they gave me the numbers, I was startled. It completely doubled the price, erasing the deal. As you may guess, I didn’t book it.

I have heard stories from other solo travelers who have been burned by the single supplement, whether on tours, cruises, or lodgings. I can see how a business could feel that it’s losing half of its revenue if only one person is taking up the space, but it puts solo travelers in a bind.

“Cruises and tours are notorious for single supplements,” says Gray Cargill, solo traveler extraordinaire and the blogger behind SoloTravel.com. She hasn’t had problems at hotels, but says hostels are a big culprit. “On the front page of a hostel booking site, it will list a private room for a reasonable price (say $50/night), but when you go to book, you’ll see that $50 is based on per person double occupancy, and the private room cannot be booked for just one person, it must be booked for two,” Cargill says. “Voila–suddenly the price per night goes up to $100/night, and the hostel is no longer a cheaper option than a regular hotel room.”

I asked solo traveler Jodi Ettenberg, the blogger behind Legal Nomads, if she had experienced this. She spends a large amount of time traveling in Asia. She doesn’t take tours, but regarding accommodations, “Most of Asia has fixed price for double/single, except Burma where single room prices abound,” she says.

When I asked Cargill if single supplements have been enough to prevent her from booking travel, she said, “Many times. Pretty much every time I’ve tried to price a cruise in the past or a tour, the single supplement has discouraged me from booking.” I often feel the same way.

New solo cruise cabins

Cargill has found one travel option perfectly suited to solo travelers: “Norwegian [Cruise Line]‘s ship The Epic now offers over 100 ‘studio staterooms,’ which are staterooms for solo travelers. They’re not exactly half the price of a regular stateroom, but they also come with exclusive access to the Studio Lounge, where you can hang out and meet up with other solo travelers. So it’s worth it, in my opinion. They’re also really cute rooms.”

She said it’s been very successful for Norwegian and that the rooms book up fast. Royal Caribbean added three solo rooms to one of its ships, but that hardly even counts. “I think the cruise industry, up until now, has really underestimated the demand for single staterooms for solo travelers,” Cargill says. “It’s an untapped market.”

Gray Cargill in Montreal

Tips for avoiding single supplements

I asked Cargill for any advice she has for avoiding single supplements. “Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed some river cruises and tour companies have been waiving single supplements for certain excursions,” she says. “If you can be flexible in the timing of your travel, then watch for those deals to be publicized and jump on them.”

She adds:

Some tour companies offer roommate matching services that will allow you to bypass the single supplement. Your mileage may vary on this option; some people don’t mind sharing a room with a stranger, others do. (I do.) I was recently contacted by a tour company (AndaSpain walking adventures) that doesn’t charge a single supplement at all, and solos get their own rooms, because the tour operator books single rooms for them–which makes sense, right? So how come most other tour operators haven’t figured this out yet?  To me, that’s the kind of tour company a solo traveler should be looking for. Once you get outside the US, single rooms are more prevalent, and so it doesn’t make sense that tour companies aren’t booking single rooms for their solo customers. But my strategy for avoiding single supplements has been to avoid tours altogether or cruises that charge them. I’m a pretty independent traveler anyway, so I don’t mind making my own arrangements and going on my own.

Companies that get it

As Cargill mentioned, some companies are beginning to wise up to the needs of solo travelers and make some concessions when it comes to single supplements.

Andy Crisconi of One World Trekking, a Himalayan hiking adventure company, tells me that his company is noticing more solo travelers than ever before. “If singles are not willing to share hotel/lodge rooms or tents on a camping trip, the single supplement is practically unavoidable,” Crisconi says. “What we do is offer single travelers a discount equal to the single supplement charge. It’s our way of not ‘penalizing’ our single travelers. It’s easier and cheaper to do this in countries such as Nepal as opposed to those in Europe, but I feel that if tour companies wish to attract solo travelers they should be reconsidering their pricing structures.”

Travel Indochina, a company that does small group journeys to Asia, helps solo travelers out with their “Willing To Share” option. Their groups average 12 travelers, usually a mix of singles, couples, and friends. If there is another traveler in the group who is “Willing To Share,” you can pay twin-share price. Upon group departure, if there isn’t another “Willing to Share” traveler of the same gender, the single traveler gets a single room at no extra cost. Unfortunately, travelers who prefer to guarantee a single room will have to pay a single supplement, but it’s great that they have this option. Their itineraries allow some solo time. Most of their popular trips for solo travelers are in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent has also observed this trend and is working on addressing it, says spokeswoman Stephanie Preston. She says they have noticed that many of their affluent travelers are going solo, without their ‘usual’ travel partner (significant other, friends, family, etc.), but are not single in terms of a relationship. She says that 40 percent of these people chose to travel solo because their partner doesn’t share their interest in the destination or has a scheduling conflict. “To address the demand and also perpetual sticking point with solo travelers regarding the industry standard for a ‘single supplement’ fee, A&K has announced 30 trips in 13 of their most popular destinations where the single supplement either waived completely (like Egypt), or greatly discounted up to 75 percent,” Preston says. That’s what I like to hear!

Gap Adventures is an international tour company that’s very popular with 20somethings. They don’t charge single supplements. Instead, they pair you up with a roommate of the same sex. They do have an option on most tours called “My Own Room,” which allows solo travelers to get a single room for a good price if they don’t want to share a room with a stranger. The prices really are quite reasonable; many of the tours I looked up only charged between $200-$300 total for this option.

Here are a few blogs that are great resources for solo travel:

• Solo Friendly
• Adventurous Kate
• Solo Female Traveler
• Journeywoman

Have you ever dealt with single supplements? Any anecdotes or advice?

The gist: Really phenomenal deals can be had, but it requires patience, strategy, and a big time commitment to participate in intense bidding wars.

You’ve seen private travel sale sites such as Jetsetter and SniqueAway that allow you to snag amazing deals, but now there is another form of unique travel deals: Off & Away, which holds travel auctions. Most of their auctions are for hotel stays, but some are for all-inclusive travel packages. They say you can get up to 99% off luxury hotel deals. (Though they will be launching a private sale section of their site soon, much like those mentioned above).

How it works

Unlike other auction sites such as eBay where you bid what you will pay, you have to buy bids before you can begin bidding on Off & Away. Bids come in packs and cost $1 each unless you buy a large package. Here are the bid packages:

The auctions themselves start at one penny, and each bid increases the auction price by one cent. However, the amount listed as the auction price is a bit misleading since you pay to bid. Once someone has won, they paid for their bids and also pay the auction price. Say you bid 100 times and win, and the auction ends at $100. You will have paid $100 for the bids and then pay $100 for the auction, for a total of $200. On a small scale, that’s not a big deal–in fact, that’s a fantastic deal for something like a two-night stay at a luxury hotel. But if you place a really large amount of bids and the auction price gets pretty high (which is possible for the big packages), it might be a lot more than you might expect.

Each bid extends the clock by 15 seconds, which means the bidding wars can go on indefinitely. This is where it starts to feel like a strategic game. I asked their team if there was an average amount of bids used for auctions. Here was their response:

In terms of stats on the average amount of bids used to win an auction, it’s really hard to say because it varies by the destination and property and even day. There have been instances where the same property is won by a bidder who used 200 bids and other times when it is won with only 5 bids. It also depends on the bidding strategy used by the winner. They could choose to start bidding early on in the auction and invest a certain number of bids or wait until later in the auction and jump in to win with a fewer number of bids.

Here’s what an auction page looks like:

If you lose

With most auctions, if you lose, you pay nothing. With Off & Away, you don’t get that $1/bid money back. Instead, you get credit of that amount to book hotels through their search engine. I tested out their search engine for Vancouver hotels, and I found some great deals at very legit places. Unfortunately, the credit is only good for one month. Though I did bid $10 on an auction (more on that below), and after losing, I unlocked a deal for a 120% booking credit special on that amount if I booked at that hotel. That sadly meant just a $12 credit in my case, but would be cool if I had bid a lot more. I did also see a 10% discount for booking early at many of the hotels in their search engine.

My test

I went to OffandAway.com and saw that there was an auction starting for a two-night stay at a Sofitel in New York City. I want to go back to the city sometime soon, so I bought a starter back of 10 bids ($10). I bid back and forth with someone a few times and then they gave up, and for an entire day, it looked like I was the winner. I had only spent four bids, so I couldn’t believe it. The next day, the auction was to end at 11 a.m. I kept a close eye on it, and someone would occasionally outbid me, and I would up mine by one bid. Then the counter turned red and started going down. 3. 2. 1. I expected it to go to zero and say that I won.

Instead, it went to “Going.” It stayed on that, and I couldn’t figure out what was going on–hadn’t I just won? I eventually refreshed the page, and all of the sudden I realized that the auction was still going and people were bidding every other second. Somehow, someone squeezed in a bid when the timer was at one second. Crap.

I decided to keep an eye on it, and I tried to increase my bids a few times, but then I ran out of bids. I didn’t feel like spending another $10 on a pack of bids, so I decided to observe instead. I went back every few minutes to check on it, thinking it had to end soon, but every few seconds, someone else made a bid and more time was added. It was pretty incredible how fast things moved. I would forget about it for a while and then check back an hour later, and it was still going. It actually was still going when I last checked around 4 p.m. At that point, the bids had gone up to over 1,000, and I could see the name of the winner constantly changing. A lot of people were in the game. I like the idea that the clock can be extended by more auctions, though it can get tiring since your window of getting another bid in is so brief. You can’t do anything else but sit and watch it. I was amazed that people were able to keep up with it all day.

I checked a few days later to see what ended up happening. I was able to see that the person who won had put in 39 bids total, meaning $39, and the auction amount ended up at $33.09. That means the winner paid less than $70 for a two-night stay in a terrace suite in NYC worth $2,000. The thing is, the people who started bidding earlier went through way more bids. My guess is that this person swooped in toward the end when everyone else was tiring out. That’s a pretty phenomenal deal, but it also takes a lot of dedication and time to plan that out and make it happen.

Skeptical?

You can check out their winners section, which shows you real people who have won. You can look at their recently ended auctions to see how much winners ended up paying. The deals people ended up scoring are really incredible.

Have you ever used OffandAway? If not, would you consider it?

I don’t know much about travel insurance, but I recognize that it can be a great asset, so I hope this helps those of you also wanting to learn more about it. The following is a guest post from Angela B.

If you are going to travel to a new place, you should buy travel insurance that will give coverage to you and your family against any damages and accidents that may happen during the trip.

What is travel insurance?
When you buy travel insurance, the contract gives you coverage for any of the financial and medical losses that may occur during your trip. It gives you coverage on lost or delayed luggage, cancellation of the trip, delay of trip, accidents, and medical treatment during the trip. You will get back your money if your luggage gets lost, if you cancel the trip due to sudden illness, or if a terrorist attack happens in the place you were going to visit.

Tips for buying travel insurance
Use these tips when buying travel insurance:

1.    Research different insurance policies. There isn’t just one type of travel insurance, so do some research to make sure you’re buying the right kind. There are many flavors, such as single trip insurance, annual insurance, group travel insurance, student insurance, cruise insurance, trip cancellation insurance, or delay insurance.

2.    Determine your activities. Decide which activities you will do, such as skiing, bungee jumping, scuba diving, etc. This will help you figure out which policy you need, as some policies are geared toward those who do active or extreme sports and activities.

3.    Don’t go with the cheapest plan. Choose the company that provides you the best and greatest coverage. You should not go for the cheapest policy, because no company can give you maximum coverage with a minimum policy charge.

4.    Read the policy thoroughly. Before signing up for a policy, carefully read all the details and the terms and conditions. Find out what your policy does not cover; for example, you may not get coverage for any kind of sickness due to preexisting medical conditions. You may not even get coverage for any kind of accidents that may occur if you visit places prohibited by the policy. Pay close attention and ask questions so you don’t get surprised later.

5.    Get the details on the documents needed. In order to get a policy, you will have to submit various documents. Find out what is needed early on so you can be prepared. You will have to provide your passport and visa in addition to documents on your health standards. Some insurance companies may also ask for your past travel history.

6.     See if the insurance company is easily accessible. Try calling their number from various numbers at various times to ensure they are very available. After all, if you end up needing their help while traveling, it will likely be an emergency situation.

It is essential to buy insurance if you want protection and ultimate peace of mind while traveling. Accidents can happen any time, and it helps you in times of emergencies in an unfamiliar place.

Author bio: Angela B.’s expertise is in the travel insurance industry and writes articles for many travel insurance companies.

photo credit: robef

photo credit: nathanmac87

For many young travelers, luxury hotels, resorts, retreats, safaris, and cruises are out of the question. I’m sure many of us would go if we could easily afford it, but $400/night vacations just aren’t in our budgets. That is, until private online travel sale websites began popping up. They’re free to use, and they offer killer limited-time offers on high-end travel.

A few years ago, private sale websites arrived for the fashion industry. Sites such as Gilt Groupe, Rue La La, Haute Look, and ideeli sprung up, all of which are invite-only. Every day, each site features private sales with extremely deep discounts on posh clothing, shoes, and accessories from several designers (some small and up-and-coming, others huge names like Salvatore Ferragamo and Marc Jacobs). Over time, Rue La La and ideeli began offering occasional sales for furniture, kitchenware, and other-non fashion items. Then, Rue La La introduced travel sales here and there, which were usually stays at hotels or resorts, and ideeli later followed.

Gilt Groupe opened up a sister site, Jetsetter, that was the same concept but only for travel. Several new travel-only private sale sites have popped up since. All of these sites offer high-end travel experiences or lodgings at significantly discounted prices, usually 50% off or more. Some simply offer a room at a chic boutique hotel at an affordable price, while others offer deals on suites or villas at lodgings at a property where most people could normally only afford a regular room. There are sometimes sales for packaged experiences that would normally be too expensive for many travelers.

All of the sites do a great job of providing detailed photos and descriptions of the experience or lodgings, in addition to itineraries or recommended flights, if appropriate. The websites each only have a few sales each day, so they hand-pick their offerings, making sure they are high quality.

Below are the three of these invite-only, travel-only sites that I’m aware of. I actually haven’t booked anything yet on any of these travel sites, though I have made purchases on several of the fashion sites. While being a member is free, to keep all of these private sales exclusive, you can only join these sites if you are referred from a friend. I’m a member of all of the fashion and travel sites mentioned in this post, so if you want to join any of them, email me at emily [at] maiden-voyage-travel [dot] com, and I’ll hook you up.

As mentioned, Jetsetter is owned by the same folks who run Gilt Groupe. They specialize in sales for experiential travel; I have seen packages for African safaris, Balinese health retreats, New York tennis camps, Costa Rica surf schools, and more. They also have many sales for stays at high-end hotels in major U.S. and European cities. There are usually two or three sales starting each day, and each sale is open from five to seven days.

Voyage Privé calls their specials “flash sales,” and they post several new ones each day. The flash sales last for five days each unless they sell out first. I have seen them offer several luxury cruises, including ones in China, South America, and the Caribbean. They have many sales for rooms at luxurious hotels in European cities, plus beach resorts in places like Mauritius, Hawaii, and the Dominican Republic. They also feature accommodations in large U.S. cities.

I just found out about SniqueAway and joined the other day. It is owned by Smarter Travel Media—a TripAdvisor Media Group company—and all hotels featured on SniqueAway have earned a minimum four-star rating classification and four out of five review ratings on TripAdvisor. I’m not surprised that more mainstream travel brands have hopped on board with this concept, similar to how sale sites like Groupon are taking off. SniqueAway offers about three new sales a day, called “escapes,” and each sale lasts up to seven days or until it sells out. Some of the sales I have seen so far are a retreat in Trinidad & Tobago, a hotel in Portugal, a beach club in Curacao, a hotel in Providence, RI, and a beach resort in South Carolina.

Have you ever used one of these private sale sites?

I’ve always been reluctant to use the “name your own price” feature on Priceline. It allows you to name your own price by bidding for a hotel in a specific area for specific dates, but you don’t get to pick the place. Same for airfare–you give the general parameters, but you don’t get to select the actual flight.

If your bid is accepted, your reservation is made, and you then find out where you will be staying or when you will be flying. While I know you can use it to save loads of money, I’ve never used it because I like to thoroughly research hotels–the location, the amenities, the reviews, etc., in addition to flight details.

But lately, several people I know have snagged great deals on Priceline, making me wonder if I should give their “name your own price” feature a whirl myself. To learn more, I talked to Don Nadeau, a Priceline bidding expert. He kindly answered these questions for me via email. You can find Don on Twitter at @donnadeau.

Don Nadeau in front of a South African family hut

Q: Don, can you first tell me a little about yourself?

A: Needless to say, I’ve always loved to travel. As for travel-related work, I started off teaching hundreds of high school students the geography—primarily cultural geography—of Africa and Asia. I also developed perhaps the first secondary school Urban Studies curriculum. That’s me you’ll see spending most of my time walking around the cities I visit.

Then I got involved with a predominately inbound travel company that at the time was second largest seller of Amtrak tickets in the world (not counting Amtrak itself). We chartered entire trains. I still love rail trips and the budget side of the business.

Eventually, I became manager of a travel agency in Canada that specialized in Third World corporate travel. Those are the places in the world that I enjoy so much and so it was a perfect fit. I earned the CTC, the highest industry designation in Ontario, while there. I have lived in Canada, South Africa, and the States.

Q: How did you end up becoming an expert on Priceline bidding?

A: I had two reactions when I first heard of Priceline around 1997. How in the world did Priceline get a patent on a concept as simple as online travel bidding? Even eBay had to pay Priceline to offer this. And, two, Americans weren’t used to and don’t especially enjoy situations where prices are not set such as buying a car.

I figured people would welcome help and started learning as much as possible, but didn’t take BidonTravel online until 2002 when I saw how easily Priceline survived the dot com collapse. It’s still one of the most financially secure online companies around.

Don's view from the Millenium Hilton--the NYC hotel he recently got when he used "name your own price"

Q: What’s your number one Priceline tip?

A: Start your Priceline experience with hotels. These are reasonably easy to book when “naming your own price” and you can readily tell that you are saving money by comparing prices on other sites for the same neighborhood, quality level, and dates.

Moreover, you won’t face the downsides of bidding on airfares, such as lack of control over the time you depart.

Q: Are you saying not to bid on Priceline flights?

A: No. Bidding can really help you when you’ve missed advanced purchase deadlines or are facing expensive international fares, but otherwise it’s harder to grab significant discounts these days.

Q: I’ve never done Priceline bidding because I like to read hotel reviews and know about their exact location and amenities before I book. What do you say to someone like me who is reluctant to use it but knows there are benefits?

Even though you can save, I never recommend bidding on a hotel for a very special occasion such as a golden anniversary. There, you may want to know every little detail. And, you won’t want to bid if you have special needs such as bringing a pet into your room or wanting a bed and breakfast-type experience.

Honeymoons are another matter. I’d rather a couple without much money bid on a resort in Maui than postpone that type of experience to “when we can afford it” or go into big debt.

Frankly, for most trips, do you really need to know more than neighborhood, quality, and price when you book? Priceline hotel star ratings closely track AAA or CAA auto club diamond ratings for quality and availability of amenities and maps on the Priceline site show the neighborhood you’re bidding on.

Q: Are there downsides to bidding on hotels?

A: Yes. They become completely nonrefundable. You seldom receive frequent stay points. You will most likely be assigned a standard room and need to pay extra if you want a better view, etc.

Particularly in larger cities, you may end up with a room that may not be large enough for a rollaway bed. Priceline warns us not to bid if we need more than two people per room. That impacts a lot of families and groups of young people!

Q: How does Priceline handle handicapped rooms?

Don's view from his room at Westin Jersey City--a Priceline win for $108, and only a few subway stops to NYC

A: Physically challenged people should go ahead and bid for the savings. Once they know the name of their hotel, I highly recommend that they contact it immediately to make sure that they are assigned a suitable room. If a room will not be available, Priceline customer service will assign them another hotel at no extra charge. This is best done early, before alternatives sell out.

Q: How much can you really save by bidding on Priceline rather than purchasing at the published price?

A: The last time I booked a “name your own price” hotel in Manhattan, the Plaza was offering its standard rooms for $700 per night. Now, I’ve stayed at the Plaza and it’s a really nice hotel in a perfect location, but $700? No way.

Although $700 skews toward the upper range, top-star hotels in Manhattan typically list prices of over $300 even during less busy seasons. Instead, my Priceline bid got me the 4-star Millenium Hilton in the neighborhood I most wanted. I looked out at the Hudson River. There was a large flat screen TV.

I paid just $135 per night plus tax—a real bargain in New York. If lucky, that amount might fetch someone a 1- or no-star hotel with bath in Manhattan at regular prices. Of course, price depends on demand. For good discounts, we’re not talking about Easter and Passover in Orlando or during a huge convention in Chicago.

In general, I believe you can expect to pay 30-70% less than prices listed on sites like Expedia.com.

Q: Where are the best bargains?

A: Right now, hotels near many large airports like O’Hare, Los Angeles International, Vancouver, Newark, and San Francisco are overbuilt for the demand. Winning name your own price bids for these can be unbelievably low.

Q: What are the basic steps one should take to make a successful low Priceline bid?

A: The steps you should follow are fairly simple. You especially want to make sure that you don’t overbid and that you maximize your chances of getting a low bid accepted.

I have posted bidding strategies and step-by-step tips on BidonTravel.com. There’s no charge to use these.

Have you ever bid for hotels or airfare on Priceline? What was your experience like?

The following is a guest post from Modi, a keen Internet marketer who adores traveling around the world in exotic and remote places. At the moment he works as a web design freelancer for a site that organizes Cunard cruises.

Marrakesh market

Exotic Morocco is one of my favorite destinations when I need to leave behind the European rationality and modern way of living. It is incredible how close to Europe it is geographically and how far it is culturally speaking. It is a multinational society that consists of various ethnic groups with thousands of years of history and culture. In order to understand the country better, one visit won’t be enough, as one has to try a few of the various parts of the country and experience the cultural differences of all the distinct ethnic groups.

The main groups are:
1. The Berbers
2. The Arabs
3. The Tuareg

What is very common among all the aforementioned different ethnic groups is the way they do business. Most Westerners often disapprove the way the markets operate in Morocco purely because they cannot understand that different rules apply. In my mind, this is the real beauty of traveling, exploring new customs, trends and ways of life as there isn’t any right or wrong one.

At first, it seems there isn’t any logic in the bargaining, but there is. I know that many people don’t like it at all, but if you see it from a different perspective and forget for a minute about how things work “back home,” it can be an unforgettable and mentally challenging experience.

Markets in Marrakesh, Morocco

Things to remember when bargaining:
1. Prices are irrelevant, if they have any value at all. This is why it is unlikely to find anything with the price written on it. This also justifies the fact that bargaining the price is expected as it is the norm.

2. Asking for a price doesn’t mean that this is the price you have to pay to purchase it. In fact, it doesn’t mean anything at all. It is just the starting price of an auction where the final price and the starting one will be miles apart.

3. Don’t go away if the starting price is too high. What matters is how much YOU are happy paying and now how much you have been asked for.

4. Never forget that the economic difference between the Moroccan economy and that of Europe or the US is around the ratio of 1/10. That means that anything worth $1 or 1 Euro or £1 should sound in your ears the same as $10, 10 euro and £10 respectively. Ask yourself if back in your country you’d pay $10 for that item that is being offered to you for $1. If the answer is yes, then buy it. To reverse it, each time you hear the word Dirham, think of Dollar, Euro or GB pound.

5. Bargaining is not a shame. It’s just how it is, and any price you offer will be considered seriously and with respect even if it is miles away from the starting price. Never think you do not offer enough, as they will never get angry or offended no matter how low your offer is. Instead, they will try to make you pay more–that’s how the game goes!

Bargaining tips:

1. Know that nationality matters! Moroccans are very aware of the wealthy countries; therefore, Americans, Japanese, British, Germans and Scandinavians will have to pay more than South Africans, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilians, Argentines, etc.

Food market in Morocco

2. One of the first questions Moroccans make after guessing your nationality is where you have been in Morocco. Even if it is your first time/day there, don’t say so and just tell them you’ve been then several times and that you liked the X and Y places that you’re planning to visit later. Believe it or not, those questions set up the prices which are always much higher for newcomers. It took me a long time to decipher that, but it’s definitely the case.

3. Never buy anything straight after you’ve seen it. Normally, what you find in a shop you will find it in other shops too, so just express indifference and suggest a relatively low price as if not interested. The vendor’s response will give you an idea of the actual price.

4. If there is something you really like, do not show your intention directly. If you make it too obvious that you really like and want to buy something, the price won’t drop much. Start bargaining for two to three other items that don’t interest you at all, and then ask for the item you originally liked while you are leaving without being emotional.

5. Moroccans will try to sell you anything asking for euros, US dollars or even British pounds. This is a trick so everything will sound cheap. Insist on bargaining the prices in Moroccan Dirham instead. That will give you a better idea of the actual value of the purchased item as well as transmit the message that you haven’t just arrived in the country.

6. Always bargain about a single item even if you need more than one. Once you fix a price for one then that price can drop at least 25% for any additional item of the same kind.

Moroccan market

A bargain example
I really like that big, leather bag with a vibrant color. A guy further down the road had asked me for 350 dirham. In order to buy it I would do the following:

1. Ask for the price of those leather sandals (100 dirham)
2. Say that I am at the end of my holiday and don’t have much money
3. You will be asked to make an offer, I’d offer 40 dirham (yes, less than half!)
4. They would ask for 60-70
5. I would decline their offer and ask for the price of a small leather bag (not the one I want yet)
6. They will ask for 120 dirham
7. I will offer the same 40 as before
8. They would ask for 60-70 again (!)
9. I would insist I cannot pay more than 40 as I’m leaving the country soon
10. Price will go down to 50-60
11. Then I will offer 50 for that big one I wanted since the very beginning
12. Guess what, I will get the bag for between 60 and 70 dirham (with 250-350 Dirham starting price).
13. Last attempt, I will offer 100 for two of those bags and if I make it clear that this is all I can offer it may work too.

Have you ever bargained in Morocco? Do you find these things to be true?

Photo 1 by FrenchSelfCatering.com
Photo 2 by Luca
Photo 3 by Jeremy Hetzel
Photo 4 by Beth Matthews

My fiance, Bryan, proposing to me

Earlier this week, the travel blog Beers and Beans published a guest post I wrote. My guest post was about Honeyfund, a website that allows you to register your honeymoon and get funds for your trip from your family and friends.

I’m getting married in March, and while my fiance do need a few household things like new towels and cups, we don’t need much in that regard. I don’t want gravy boats, another toaster or bread machine, or fine china I will never use. Honeyfund will allow our family and friends to easily help fund our honeymoon as a wedding gift. It allows you to list items you need for your trip and break them up into increments so it covers a variety of price points.

Please head over to Beer and Beans and check out the guest post!

The Wilshire Grand Hotel in L.A.

I love Los Angeles, California; the sunny and breezy weather, unbeatable shopping, beautiful beaches, palm tree-lined streets, and endless entertainment. Who wouldn’t want to go there this summer? Downtown L.A. hotels can be pricey to visit, but I just learned about two summer deals that make it much more affordable. I feel it’s important to mention that I’m not being paid to write about these—I just think they’re worth sharing (especially the first, which is a type of deal I’d never heard of).

1.  The Wilshire Grand Hotel is offering a special called ‘Beat the Heat,’ in which the price you pay for your room is whatever the high temperature is the day of the stay (in Fahrenheit for downtown, determined by AccuWeather.com). According to a press release, “The average high temperatures for Downtown L.A. is between 82 and 86 degrees, but savvy travelers can expect some great bargains during June gloom.” You’re not out of luck if there’s a major heat stroke; the rate is capped at $99 plus tax should temperatures hit the 100s. How cool is that? The special gives you a Superior room, 20% off all meals in any of the hotel’s five restaurants and lounges, discount coupons for nearby museums and sightseeing tours, and an optional upgrade to a Junior Suite for just $20.

The Los Angeles Athletic Club

The press release notes that some restrictions apply for certain dates based on availability and occupancy, so call to book this special at (888) 773-2888 and use the rate code HEAT, or book online here.

2.  Another downtown L.A. hotel special taking place this summer isn’t exactly cheap, but it will save money and calories for those who would rather stay in shape than gain weight on vacation. It’s a package at the Los Angeles Athletic Club called ‘Fitness for Two’ for $189 plus tax. It includes a Deluxe Room at the Los Angeles Athletic Club for two, a 60-minute personal training session for two, a group fitness class, complimentary breakfast for two, and a free healthy snack. Free overnight parking is included.

To make a reservations, call (213) 625-2211 and give them the rate code SFIT.

Last time I went to L.A., we stayed at The Georgian, a very cool Art Deco, beach-front hotel in Santa Monica. Where do you think you will stay when you next go to L.A.?

I recently connected with Johnny Ward, an Irish 26-year-old with a raging passion for travel. He runs a travel blog, OneStep4ward, to document his journeys.  I found out that Johnny had some pretty incredible experiences, so I interviewed him. Read my Q&A with him below to learn about his adventures, how he pays for travel, tips for those who want to travel on the cheap, and advice for those considering a career break. Enjoy!

Johnny at Mount Fuj

Maiden Voyage: You have lived a very adventurous life! Can you give me a summary of your background and experiences?
JW: Yeah, but it hasn’t always been so adventurous! I lived in Northern Ireland up to when I was 18, in a town with 6,000 people and in a country of only 1.5 million, so I think maybe the limits imposed on me by that gave me the thirst for travel at a young age. At 18 I left and went to America for the first time to work as a counselor on a summer camp, and that was great. Then I went to University in England for four years, graduating in 2006 with a degree in International Economics. I have been on the road ever since, really! Coming from such a small town and a small country, you never really get exposed to any new cultures or experiences, so I have tried to remedy that with my life choices. I am trying to chronicle all the stories on my blog — there’s a lot of them and it’s taking a long time!

MV: What are you currently doing?
JW: Right now I’m in Sydney, Australia producing business conferences — it’s strange the jobs you end up doing when you arrive in a country! But I only have four weeks left, then I’m off to Africa for seven or eight months, taking in the World Cup and then setting off from Cape Town to Istanbul by land.

MV: How have you funded all your travels?
I’m not from a wealthy family at all, so I guess I have always known the value of money. When I set off on my journey after graduating, I think I had about $3,000 saved, and four years on, I actually have more money now than ever! I have never had a chunk of cash in my bank, so I try to find ‘work’ when I can (medical research, English camps in Korea, conference producer in Australia, professor in Thailand, counselor in the USA, and so on.). I don’t really see these jobs as work because they expose you to the country, get you off the tourist trail, and you get a better grasp of the country I think, and obviously give you the funds for your next adventure.

Along with that, I travel cheaper than anyone I have met on all my journeys! But I would never miss anything to save money, I just never fritter it away on imported booze and food! I have written a lot about it in my blog.

Johnny and friends at the Golden Temple

MV: What are some of your favorite places you have visited and why?
JW: This is a tough one! I guess I’ll have to say being at Mount Everest base camp; that was truly amazing, seeing Everest with my own eyes. Also, the Golden Temple in Amaritsar on the India-Pakistan border–as a structure, this is more impressive than the Taj Mahal, Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, etc. You see it and you get goose bumps, really. I lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a year or so and I have only good memories from there, too. I could go on to list one hundred more things, but I don’t want to bore anyone!

MV: What are some of your tips for traveling without going broke?
JW: I’m not sure if I can tell people how not to be broke considering the first three years of my travels were done on half an old shoestring, but I have endless tips on how to travel cheap! First off, I would say don’t try to go everywhere on your first trip. If you only have six months, don’t feel obligated to go around the world and see every continent; you have the rest of your life for that! People flying every couple of weeks spend a fortune on a round-the-world ticket and there’s really no need. Also, eat in local places–never in a backpacker joint unless you need your Western fix (we all need that sometimes!), drink local booze (no imported beers), take local transport–it’s an adventure and one tenth of the price of a pre-set tourist bus.

Johnny and friends in Bangladesh

MV: What are your upcoming travel plans for the future?
JW: The next 18 months for me are hopefully going to be great. I am going from France to Zambia one way then to South Africa for the world cup then back up through the east coast of Africa all the way to Turkey, hopefully! Then I’m off to study my Masters in Kuala Lumpur for 12 months straight after that! That’s the next two years taken; after that, a stint in South America, probably.

MV: Did you find it difficult to take a career break to travel? What is your advice for others who want to do the same but are scared?
JW: It’s only natural for people to worry about the consequences of taking a break (am I wasting my degree, will I be outdated when I return, etc.), but we only have one life. You have to take chances and live it to the full. What will you regret more on your death bed – not seeing more of the world and experiencing things you never even imagined OR spending too much time strapped to your desk, doing a job you don’t really care about? I worked out the answer for me and left – I don’t have one regret about it, and I would wager never would you if you take the plunge! Good luck!

The following is a guest post from Olga Garcia, a seasoned round-the-world backpacker and expat. Currently she is the Social Media Community Manager for Going Global, a leading provider of country-specific career and employment resources for individuals interested in working outside of their home country. She runs a blog called Goinglobal where she helps young people achieve their international dreams.

The author on a backpacking trip

The realization of your international trip finally hits the minute you step on to the plane. The excitement sets in and you can barely sleep on the six-hour flight ahead of you. All of the planning, saving, advice-seeking sessions, reading, blogging and preparing seem like a distant glimpse of the past (even though you were still getting ready three hours before boarding).

Six hours later, the moment you step off the plane, you are on a mission to experience this culture to its fullest. You indulge in the small pleasures of life; the decadent meals, all-night partying with your new friends, ridiculously expensive museums. All of these spending sprees are justifiable and worth it. You planned to spend money on this.

And then suddenly you see it, staring at you from across the room. It’s the one thing that you know matches everything in your closet and will make you feel like the most beautiful person in the world. It just happens to be ten times more expensive than you can afford.Two voices come chiming into your ears.

Voice number 1: “You saved for 10 months. You are worth it. Go ahead, buy it and you’ll see how much people will adore you.” Voice number 2: “You know that this is too expensive. Don’t do it.  It’s not worth it in the long run.” Who do you listen to? Why do you have to listen to either of them?

As travelers, we have all been faced with this defining moment. In that instance, we feel as though life will not be the same without this one thing. It could be an article of clothing, a piece of art or an extravagant experience.  Even though it might feel like the right reason while we are away, as soon as we get back home, reality sets in. The best way to avoid this guilty spending is to know how to deal with it before you leave.

As an expat and seasoned backpacker, I learned some tricks to make my trip financially more enjoyable. Every trip, no matter how big or small, needs a spending budget. This budget includes money for food, accommodation, transportation, entertainment and indulgent spending.

Guilty spending is the least obvious of the five but is just as important. Think of it as your emergency ‘loving me’ fund. Before you leave, decide how much (and come up with a finite dollar amount) you would want to splurge on yourself. That number is the limit for your guilty spending abroad. As you save for your trip, remember to set aside money in the ‘loving me’ fund, just in case you see something irresistible while you are abroad.

What do you do once you are in the situation? A couple of things. First, decide if it is within your ‘loving me’ budget. If it is, try it on, play with it, think about how you would use it if it was your own. Then let it go. Walk around the store. Go around the corner and have a cup of coffee. Impulsive choices have a 50/50 chance of making us feel great or horrible. Once you clear your head and realize that life will not be the same without, go and get it. If you decide it’s unnecessary, leave it behind. Congratulate yourself either way, because you made a calculated impulsive risk. You avoided getting into unnecessary debt, feeling guilty when you get home and you can enjoy the rest of your trip without dipping into your other funds. (Yes…that means that you can still have elegant dinners and you won’t need to eat at McDonald’s.)

To have a clear financial conscious while traveling takes planning for indulgent spending. I once met two guys who flew from London to Miami for the weekend. They each got into $5,000 in debt over a span of two days. That’s $2,500 a day! Remember that instant gratification is short lived. You control your money and not the wonderful things that you see along the way.

Do you have any horror stories of guilty spending? How do you resist temptation?

This is the last post of a five-part series about how you can travel the world for free. Be sure to check out the first post, second post, third post, and fourth post.

This one sounds obvious, but most often, it’s not. When it’s our birthday, an anniversary, Christmas, Hanukkah, Mother’s Day, or whatever else the occasion, most of us just ask for electronics, jewelry, or generic gift cards. Many times, these things go unused or are unnecessary and do nothing but clutter up our homes. You can avoid unneeded junk and travel for free if you simply ask for the right gifts.

While some friends and loved ones are happy to throw cash at you without a specific goal in mind, most people want to feel like they are buying you a real gift. If you want to go on a specific tour, you can give your family members the brochure or website so they know what they are contributing toward. You can send them an itinerary of where you want to go and tell them how much the flight will cost. I have friends and family members who have done this, and more often than not, their loved ones were happy to help them achieve these travel goals for special occasions.

If you need gear, like a new backpack or travel guidebooks, ask for those as presents. You can also ask for travel-related gift cards. Here are examples of some of the travel gift cards available:

• Travelocity Hotel gift cards
• Southwest Airlines gift cards
• American Airlines gift cards
• Marriott gift cards
• Budget Car Rental gift certificates
• Viator tours gift cards

Additionally, if you are engaged, you don’t have to make your wedding registry full of plates and gravy boats — try a honeymoon registry. Websites like HoneyFund make it possible for guests to contribute directly to your dream honeymoon trip. To make people feel like they are really giving you something special, you can create a list of “gifts,” like a day tour of ruins, breakfast in bed, a boat ride down a river, a hang-gliding expedition, a massage at a spa, a romantic picnic, etc. Your guests aren’t actually buying you that individual thing — they are really just giving you cash — but it’s a great way to give them the sense that they are buying you a specific experience and a fantastic way for you to travel for free.

Next special occasion, don’t waste your precious gifts on things you don’t need. Tell your loved ones that you want to travel, and let them know that you would appreciate them helping you have those experiences rather than accumulating more uneccessary stuff.

Have you ever given or received travel as a gift?

Photo by MarcinMoga

This is the fourth post of a five-part series about how you can travel the world for free. Be sure to check out the first post, second post, and third post.

As we all know, traveling can be astronomically expensive. If there is a subject you are very passionate about, you may be able to travel for free by winning grants.

The purpose of grants is usually to research, teach, or study something, or to document a subject through reporting or photography. Many grants are for teachers and students, but there are also grants for journalists, photographers, scientists, and more.

Here is an example of a fantastic grant experience. My mother is a high school English teacher. Each year, her school district offers several grants to teachers. Grants like these are untapped resources; many of the teachers aren’t aware they exist, or never bother to apply. To apply, you must submit a proposal on where and what you want to study, in addition to explaining how you will document the experience. She proposed going to Scotland and England in order to research the Romantic poets, and to document it in real-time with a blog. She beat out the competition and won the grant. They funded an unforgettable two-week trip that took her through Edinburgh, the Scottish borders, and the beautiful Lake District of England. I tagged along for the first week (on my own dime) and had a ball seeing her visit the poets’ homes, graves, and settings.

Two summers later, they paid for her to spend a week studying in Oxford. Several years before that, another teacher in the district won a grant to study Shakespeare in London for a few weeks. They were given a set amount of funds, so it was their responsibility to stick to the budget (or pay what went over it), but what a cool way to travel without spending any money.

Many other types of grants exist. A good friend’s mother is a lifelong journalist, and as a single empty-nester, wanted some adventure. She won a government-funded grant that allowed her to spend a year living in Algeria teaching fledgling journalists. They provided her with accommodations, a driver, etc.

The U.S. Department of State runs the well-known and competitive  Fulbright Program, which sends students, scholars, and accomplished professionals abroad in cultural exchanges. There are opportunities to study, teach, research, and exchange ideas all across the world.

Travelocity runs a grant to fund volunteer vacations, and Roadtrip Nation offers a grant for travelers who want to hit the road, explore the country, and interview people across the way (you have to document it either through a blog or video). If you just do some Googling, you will be shocked how many types grants are available for travel. Don’t think that you have to be a published researcher or accomplished scholar; there are many grants for young people.

Grants are often highly competitive, so before you apply to a grant, spend some time thinking of a subject that you are passionate about and spend a lot of time carefully crafting your proposal. Have a few friends read it before you send it in. For major grants, be prepared to obtain several reference letters.

Here are several places where you can find information about grants:

• Travel grants for Student Travel on About.com (you don’t have to be a student for many of these)
• University of California, Berkeley’s list of travel funding programs (by discipline)
• Pulitzer Center travel grants

Have you ever applied for or won a grant that allows you to travel for free?