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| Image Source: TIME.com |
Tops on the summer travel hot list: which dream islands have suddenly become affordable, the airlines that offer the best value, and where a thirsty traveler can turn for cheap beer on a hot summer day.
Summer starts this weekend, and to mark the season’s kickoff we bring you 10 of the best ways to make your vacation dollar go farther.
Most Unexpected Bargain Spot for Budget Travelers
Normally, the sunburnt Greek islands flood with tourists in July and August, and with the crowds come soaring prices. Not so this year. The country’s “ongoing financial crisis has caused visitor numbers to decrease and, as a result, prices have dropped in an effort to woo back travelers,” explains Lonely Planet, which named Greece as its top European destination for backpackers in 2014. Earlier this year, the Backpacker Index estimated that a budget traveler could get by on $55 per day on the popular island of Santorini, making it cheaper than Athens ($62).
Dream Island That’s Suddenly a Steal
According to Priceline, the average nightly room rate in Maui this summer is $188, a 10% drop compared with the same period a year ago. Other data have indicated that Hawaii’s visitor numbers are down, and that tourist spending is on the decline as well, likely related to an economy that continues to be lackluster—or at least is perceived as such.
Most Cost-Effective Place to Vacation
No need to complicate things: It’s the beach. Expedia surveyed travelers around the globe about a number of vacation topics, including which kind of trip offered the most bang for the buck. Beach vacations got the top ranking, with 40% of those polled naming it as the most cost-effective option. Meanwhile, 12% said cruises , and 7% named theme park vacations.
Where to Find the Cheapest Beer
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| Image Source: TIME.com |
GoEuro, a travel search site based overseas, ranked 40 world cities in terms of that all-important feature: beer affordability. Warsaw, Poland’s capital city, gets bragging rights for selling the least expensive beer of all, at £0.64 ($1.08) a pop. Berlin, Prague, Lisbon, Dublin, and Mexico City aren’t far behind, all featuring brews for under $1.35. Unfortunately, the per-beer prices are what tourists will encounter in a regular store, not at a bar, pub, or club, where prices are far more expensive. In Dublin, for instance, a pint of Guinness in a touristy pub will probably run about $10.
Most Affordable Business Class
The recent launch of JetBlue Mint, a premium service available on select coast-to-coast routes, brings spacious, fully-flat seats, high-end food and drink, and other business class amenities within reach of plenty of fliers. Fares between JFK and LAX or SFO start at $599 one way, and are readily available at around$1,600 round trip, compared with $2,500 and up for other airlines’ business class seating on the same routes.
Best Airline Seat Space for the Buck
The flight-planning site Hopper crunched the numbers and concluded that AirTran Airways, which is owned by Southwest, offers the best value per dollar of any airline in terms of what a passenger gets in the way of seat area and pitch. As for overall customer satisfaction per ticket price, that award goes to JetBlue.
Least Expensive U.S. Destination City
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| Image Source: TIME.com |
The fact that the average daytime high in July is 106 degrees may have something to do with why Las Vegas was named the cheapest U.S. destination city of the summer by TripAdvisor. But hey, it’s always delightfully chilly in the air-conditioned casino of your choice. Researchers added up expected costs such as hotel, taxi, and dinner and cocktails for two, and estimated that a night in Sin City would run $276, about $230 cheaper than the most expensive U.S. city, San Francisco.
Best Home Base for Travelers
Travelers who live in the vicinity of Chicago and Washington, D.C., are in luck: They have the best flight departure options in the U.S., according to WalletHub, which factored in the cost, duration, and directness of routing on flights both within the U.S. and abroad. It’s no coincidence that travelers in both of these cities have more than one airport to choose from when booking flights.
Best Credit Card for Travelers
The answer as to which credit card provides the best perks and bonuses for travelers is heavily dependent on the cardholder’s spending habits and vacation desires. CardHub lists a dozen good options, broken down into categories for travelers who prefer rewards focused on hotels, flights, and more. In terms of all-around travel bonuses, among the top-named cards is theBarclays Arrival Plus, which gives 40,000 bonus miles—the equivalent of a $400 statement credit—after a new cardholder spends $3,000 during the first 90 days. NextAdvisor also says the Barclays card is tops in travel rewards. The card has an $89 annual fee, but it’s waived for the first year. Another feature to factor in when deciding on a credit card to use for travel purposes: Some cards are safer when going abroad.
Cheapest Flight to Europe Before It’s Too Late
Low-fare carrier Norwegian Air has been aggressively trying toexpand service between Europe and the U.S. The airline, which has offered transatlantic round trips for under $500 (taxes included), recently brought its low-cost service to more U.S. cities, including Orlando. After a strong lobbying effort on the behalf of rival carriers and airline union workers, however, in early June the U.S. House of Representatives voted to block Norwegian’s expansion plans, reportedly due to concerns the airline wouldn’t be complying with labor laws. Since the Norwegian subsidiary that operates its transatlantic service is working with a temporary permit, the future of the airline’s international flights is up in the air.
Learn more about budget-friendly getaways from this John Jefferis blog.
