News & Features

Caribbean: Top 10 Budget Fodor's Choice Hotels

The Caribbean isn't all about five-star resorts. Often, you may want to save a bit of your vacation cash to eat in elegant restaurants or to shop for the perfect gift. But saving money in the Caribbean doesn't have to mean sacrificing comfort. Sometimes it just means going to a cheaper island, such as the Dominican Republic, Saba, or Dominica. There are some unique inns and resorts—Fodor's Choices in fact—where you can sleep for much less and still have a great time....
Dominican Republic Hotel Las Ballenas Escondidas. Looking for a truly relaxing and peaceful setting with a private beach? The French couple who run this place have created a small utopia of gardens and thatch-roof bungalows sloping down to the sea. An infinity-edge pool is in the middle of it all. Ballenas Escondidas is 15 minutes east of Santa Barbara de Samaná, nearly halfway to Las Galeras. This means it's essentially in the middle of nowhere. But where the remoteness and the nice pool and restaurant...

Ask a Disney Expert: Budget Tips for Families

For Fodor's recent "Ask a Disney Expert" Contest, travelers submitted their toughest Disney questions for Kim Wright Wiley, author of Walt Disney World with Kids 2009. Kim will answer questions from the contest's 8 winners, along with several others, in a four-part series on Fodors.com. Winners will receive a complimentary copy of the guide. Thank you to everyone who sent a question in! View all of Kim's tips: Dining at Disney | Touring Tips | Where to Stay Today Kim answers questions related to saving and spending smartly at Disney. Question:"There has been a lot of talk recently about staying on or off property. What value or price do you put on staying on property? Does waking up in the middle of the magic warrant the extra cost?" --- submitted by Angelo721 (winner)... Kim's Answer The main advantages to staying on Disney property are: 1. "Extra magic hours" which allow you to either enter one park early each day or stay in a park after the official closing hours. Since tickets are so expensive,

Budget Vacations: Paris vs. New York

New York City's streets are packed with visitors and, if our Forums are any indication, Paris remains an unfailingly attractive vacation option. While you could easily spend a month's mortgage in one night in either one of these two culture capitals, many of both cities' most pleasurable experiences are priceless....
5 Fun and Free Things to Do in NYC

• Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge for a spectacular view of the East River and seaport. Do it before October 13 for a chance to see the New York City Waterfalls exhibit.| Rate this free experience
• Educate thyself with a summer performance at Shakespeare in the Park. | Explore Central Park
• Explore MoMa on Friday between 4 and 8 PM, when the entry fee is waived. | Rate this free experience
• Ride the Staten Island ferryto see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the southern tip of Manhattan from the water. | Rate this free experience
• Marvel at Grand Central Terminal's spectacular main concourse; the ceiling painted with night-sky constellations

Take advantage of London's free museums and parks.

Many of London’s best cultural attractions charge no admission, and the number of free museums is staggering. The British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum are a few from the top of the list (though there may be a fee for special exhibitions). You can dip in and out of these and then relax with the locals for free in Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, or others. For more budget tips for London see this Forums thread, Beating the Pound in London.

Calculate your trip's gas cost

Input your route and the make and model of your car on AAA's fuel-cost calculator (www.fuelcostcalculator.com) and violà! Although figures assume there are no traffic jams, gas prices are updated regularly. Use it to budget for a road trip or to decide whether to fly or drive.

Spain's 15 Top Values for Travelers on a Budget

This week, travelers posting on our Forums shared their favorite ways to save in Spain with Caroline Trefler, Fodor's Spain 2009 editor. Their pointers, which including filling up on overstuffed bocadillos, checking into paradores, and finding free flamenco shows, all add up to an authentic experience. Talk Travel in the Forums: Share your favorite tips with Caroline and other travelers planning trips to Spain. 1. Renfe (Spanish Rail) Discount Tickets "Renfe has discounted tickets if bought in advance. Web fare offers 60% off and Estrella fare offers 40% off. Good deal if your itinerary is set in stone." -- yk 2. Free Flamenco "In Seville, it's a MUST to go to La Carboneria. Skip paying for flamenco show and come to this amazing place. I went in and saw the most mesmerizing flamenco show for FREE here." -- cl4udie 10. Menu del Dia "I still think the Menu del Dia (menu of the day) a good savings overall taken as a very early main meal of the day at 2-3pm. Last time we went to Madrid at Cafe

Eat Well, Save Money: Tips for Dining While You Travel

Through the simple act of eating a meal on a trip, you're actually participating in the cultural landscape of a place. Ingredients, flavor combinations, and cooking methods are essential elements: Particular dishes and preparation techniques, like spices, tell us something about who settled there—or who tried and failed—and who lives there now. Eating on vacation is part of the adventure—at times delicious, exhilarating, and challenging. Sometimes those tactile, sensory memories of eating pad thai noodles from a street cart in Thailand can be as memorable as an eight-course meal in Paris. In order to have these truly special experiences (rather than the forgettable ones you might have at the corner tourist trap), you may need to make sacrifices and be a little strategic about where and what you eat. Here are our tips for finding that special dining experience on a budget. Eat at the counter. Note that in cafés, bars, and some restaurants in certain parts of the world

Berlin on a Budget: 10 Tips

Fodor's Editor Salwa Jabado recently asked travelers in the Forums for their top tips about stretching a travel budget in Berlin, Munich, and throughout Germany. Our community members came up with many good ideas, including dining in Turkish doner cafes, sightseeing from the seat of a public bus, stocking up at the local Bäckerei, and surfing the web for a well-priced apartment (Ferienwohnungen) rental. Here is a shortlist of their tips specific to Berlin. Talk Travel in the Forums: What are your best tips for beating the Euro in Berlin, Munich, (and th rest of Germany)? 1. Make the most of a museum pass "My husband and I just spent five nights in Berlin and found it to be a very good value destination--particularly if you enjoy art museums. We bought the 3 day Schaulust Museum pass for 19 Euro and saw six museums, including the Pergamon (photo, right). Entry also included a free audio tour so it really was a bargain." -- outwest 2. Hop on the bus "The public bus no. 100 is the perfec

5 Airline Fees You Should Know

The golden days of flying the friendly skies are over. Free upgrades, flexible frequent flier reward programs, and full-service meals have become all to infrequent. This summer, as holidaymakers plan and book air travel for their summer vacation, they'll be running into a slew of fees that are already a point of contention between passengers and airlines. Keep the following fees in mind as you plan and book your summer travel to avoid any ugly surprises on your trip budget's bottom line. Talk Travel in the Forums: Which flying fees irk you and which do you manage to tolerate? 1. Fees for booking over the phone. There's an easy way to wean travelers off the comfort of booking flights through a live ticket agent. Charge them extra for the convenience, and change your rules often enough that your personnel aren't always sure of them in the first place. In April, Delta increased the cost of booking directly with a Delta representative from $20 to $25. Also, Delta SkyMile holders booking a fligh

Beating the Pound in London (and the rest of England)

Are you leery of the potential for England's pricey pound to sink your vacation budget this summer? Travelers on Fodor's Travel Talk Forums concur that traveling to London and around England can require some careful planning, but based on their experience, values are easy to find if one knows where to look. Here are just a few of their recommendations: Have a perfectly good idea for a day's itinerary in London that doesn't break the bank? Share your tips for trimming costs. 1. "Taking buses are cheaper (and more scenic) than the tube. £4.80 for zone 1-2 off-peak for tube; but £3 for bus only (per day)." -- yk 2. "I've been researching travel in London, and it seems like quite a few B&B's listed include breakfast in the price, some even offer a full English breakfast, or a choice between that or a continental breakfast. Most seem to be a pretty good price, especially for a place with character. They may not be hostel prices, but most of what I've seen were under 100 pounds."