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DEL.ICIO.USWill summer travel incentives lure you out of town?
Are gas rebates and special deals enough to make you get out and go?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Whether or not the calendar shows it, summer has officially begun. If gas prices and economic uncertainty have kept you from committing to a vacation, now may be the time to start planning. Those very things that make travelers wary of spending money are causing the travel industry to provide great incentives to get you out of the house.
We solidified our summer vacation plans back in January when I had to pay for our summer rental. While those costs have been absorbed long ago, we are also locked into a vacation that requires a 10-hour drive in our family tank. I wish we could take advantage of many of these summer travel incentives:
Hotels and resort properties are fighting back against the high cost of driving, enticing travelers with offers of free gas cards or gas rebates. Check here for several hotels and resorts in the southeast offering gas incentives. Hotels.com, chains like Best Western, as well as individual bed and breakfast inns, are offering gas promotions at select locations throughout the country. And AAA offers free tanks of gas for travelers renting from Hertz.
In addition, vacation areas like Fort Lauderdale, Fla. are offering giveaways and special deals to encourage travelers. Go to www.sunny.org to check out Fort Lauderdale’s Summer of Discovery program. You can receive a free beach towel, a pair of flip flops, and take advantage of 2-for-1 deals on a variety of activities from river boat cruises and snorkeling to kayak rentals and museum admissions.
TripAdvisor’s top 10 list of family-friendly bargain hotels includes several hotels within the southeast that average $123 per night and include cool kid-pleasing amenities. The number one bargain hotel on the list is Dunes Village Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC. For $139 per night, your family can hit the beach and splash around in the resort’s indoor water park — complete with pool, waterslide and river ride.
TripAdvisor also offers a list of top 10 free attractions throughout the U.S.
- Or check out your favorite travel web sites to find cheap vacation packages as well as advice on saving money on your trip.
So will you take advantage of any of these travel industry incentives for your summer getaway? Where will you go? What free attractions in the southern U.S. would you recommend to fellow travelers? Do you have helpful advice for traveling cheaply this summer?
Permalink | Comments (25) | Post your comment | Categories: Southeast travel
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By Kim
June 4, 2008 8:10 AM | Link to this
Absolutely not. The expenses I am leaving behind will be here when I get back minus whatever money I spent on vacation that could go toward bills
By Getaway Now
June 4, 2008 8:38 AM | Link to this
Don’t really need any incentives to take a vacation but it’s nice to know that I can benefit from all these deals anyway. This might be the year for two or three weeks away. And - the fact that so many whiners are staying home this year, means less crowds and a more enjoyable time!
By Mrs. Warren
June 4, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this
Its hard to see the benefits of a vacation when everyone is feeling the numbers crunch. But people need to remember that vacations are healthy and with all of the stress we have been feeling due to financial issues, a vacation may be what the doctor ordered. We’re taking one and paying off credit cards at the same time. Whenever we get raises we just keep our budget the same and put the extra income in savings. This has worked out tremendously. We’re able to pay off bills and take vacations using cash instead credit cards. I recommend opening up an ING Direct account to anyone. Have it automatically transfered when your paycheck comes in. If you never see it in there, you won’t spend it!
By Muffin
June 4, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this
“whenever we get raises”? Consider yourself lucky to get multiple raises. That’s not the norm. I haven’t had a raise in a year and a half. I used to get them every January. My boss is not feeling a money crunch in any form or fashion, but for some reason he still feels the need to hold his dough close to his pocket. Extremely frustrating.
By Mrs. Warren
June 4, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this
Muffin… we do consider ourselves very lucky. But when I say “whenever we get raises” that doesn’t mean we get them frequently. Try yearly. I’m in law and my husband is in internet security. We did have a year where we both were promoted and thus received “multiple” raises in one year. I know there are many employers out there who don’t give raises or paid vacation and it makes me mad. I think that anyone who works hard, learns new things and puts in 110% everyday deserves to be compensated for it. We’re lucky to have both.
By rptrcub
June 4, 2008 12:29 PM | Link to this
I am planning on taking some time off, but only of the compressed 3- or 4-day variety. Let’s face it, we all need to get out of town, but I can’t afford to do it for one or two weeks. And my trips will be no farther than 150 miles from Atlanta. I will either be pitching a tent and buying groceries to prepare on the trip, or crashing on friends’ couches (it’s nice to have friends all over, but this may not work for families—I’m single). You can still have a vacation, but you’re just going to have to lower your time and accommodation expectations.
By Enlightned One
June 4, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this
Anyone who has gotten a raise should feel fortunate. I havn’t gotten a raise in 6 years. I work for the government and an just proud to have a job.
By Meany
June 4, 2008 2:34 PM | Link to this
Hey, “Enlightned One” - if you could learn to spell better maybe you would get a raise (at least you spelled “one” correctly).
By JJ
June 4, 2008 2:54 PM | Link to this
My exciting vacation this year consists of visiting college campuses to select one for my daughter to attend in the fall of ‘09.
By Sp Ed HS Teacher
June 4, 2008 7:52 PM | Link to this
Teachers will get a 2.5% pay increase with the Sept 30th paycheck.
In the meantime, I signed up to take some classes this summer that pay me to attend. I will make $300 which is enough to off set the expenses. That will be my vacation. If I stay home the other 5 weeks of my time off that will save money.
By Theresa
June 4, 2008 9:49 PM | Link to this
Hey Keith — I got in the mail an interesting flyer — It’s for a new resort in the SMokie Mountains — It’s called Wilderness — it’s a water park resort in Sevierville, TN —- said they had grand opening deals — that somebody might be interested in that -
By Keith
June 5, 2008 10:11 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the tip Theresa. I checked into the Wilderness resort in the Smokies. The resort hotel just opened this summer and is running grand opening specials all summer, including kids-eat-free deals and savings up to $75 per night. Check out Wilderness at the Smokiesfor more information on the specials and the resort’s huge indoor and outdoor water parks.
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By M. R. Biggins
June 26, 2008 9:24 PM | Link to this
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June 26, 2008 9:24 PM | Link to this
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By jackson
June 27, 2008 8:11 PM | Link to this
hi all
Travel warning. There has been lots of reports of robbery, scams in Shanghai. Many of tourists have been forcibly extorted money and they were forced to use their credit cards to pay more extortion money. Many of these syndicates operate at Nanjing Road in Shanghai and kidnap tourists and drive them to an unfamiliar place and in some instances simply rob them on the spot.
These syndicates bring along a mobile VISA/credit card terminal to swip your credit cards. Please beware and warn your friends to be extra careful when visiting China and do not talk to strangers. Many of these syndicates operate in groups. Usually one innocent looking man or lady will approach you asking if you want to visit tourist sites or cafe, pubs or discos or karaokes. Next , a group will approach you saying that your friend owes them 10000USD or more. Then they will extort money. Be careful
The syndicates register chinese travel agencies which are ficticious such as 忠成船空 Zhong Chen Travel . Police are still investicating.
One real case is Merchant Number : 103290047220088 Terminal Number : 75446602
By jackson
June 27, 2008 8:11 PM | Link to this
hi all
Travel warning. There has been lots of reports of robbery, scams in Shanghai. Many of tourists have been forcibly extorted money and they were forced to use their credit cards to pay more extortion money. Many of these syndicates operate at Nanjing Road in Shanghai and kidnap tourists and drive them to an unfamiliar place and in some instances simply rob them on the spot.
These syndicates bring along a mobile VISA/credit card terminal to swip your credit cards. Please beware and warn your friends to be extra careful when visiting China and do not talk to strangers. Many of these syndicates operate in groups. Usually one innocent looking man or lady will approach you asking if you want to visit tourist sites or cafe, pubs or discos or karaokes. Next , a group will approach you saying that your friend owes them 10000USD or more. Then they will extort money. Be careful
The syndicates register chinese travel agencies which are ficticious such as 忠成船空 Zhong Chen Travel . Police are still investicating.
One real case is Merchant Number : 103290047220088 Terminal Number : 75446602
By jackson
June 27, 2008 8:11 PM | Link to this
hi all
Travel warning. There has been lots of reports of robbery, scams in Shanghai. Many of tourists have been forcibly extorted money and they were forced to use their credit cards to pay more extortion money. Many of these syndicates operate at Nanjing Road in Shanghai and kidnap tourists and drive them to an unfamiliar place and in some instances simply rob them on the spot.
These syndicates bring along a mobile VISA/credit card terminal to swip your credit cards. Please beware and warn your friends to be extra careful when visiting China and do not talk to strangers. Many of these syndicates operate in groups. Usually one innocent looking man or lady will approach you asking if you want to visit tourist sites or cafe, pubs or discos or karaokes. Next , a group will approach you saying that your friend owes them 10000USD or more. Then they will extort money. Be careful
The syndicates register chinese travel agencies which are ficticious such as 忠成船空 Zhong Chen Travel . Police are still investicating.
One real case is Merchant Number : 103290047220088 Terminal Number : 75446602