Destinations
Aaaah, now for the destinations! Where to go without spending a fortune? The truth is, deals appear every day, and by the same token, places that were once affordable, suddenly become expensive for no apparent reason.
Take Hawaii, for instance. I've visited the Hawaiian Islands many times over the past 40 years and always been able to find a deal. Yet the prices I'm seeing as I write this blog make French Polynesia look like a bargain. Ditto for the newly remodeled Maswik Lodge in Grand Canyon National Park. Rooms that used to rent for $80/night in summer, now go for over $250/night. At the same time, I've just finished booking a 12-day trip to Italy, in which I was able to find entire apartments for an average of $135/night. In fact, the money we saved on airfare covered most of our lodging.
The bottom line? If you have your heart set on visiting a particular destination, follow my tips as outlined in Ruth's Radical Cost Cutters and see the savings turn your dreams into reality.
I've organized this section by region. Click on the links below to see my recommendations.