Now I am no travel expert when it comes to the best travel secrets out there. In fact, truly speaking I’m still a bit of a travel novice. Sure I’ve been to a few countries, and even lived in Brazil for four months but in terms of backpacking, hosteling and all that jazz I’m still preparing for my first big RTW trip. However, I’ve been blogging for a few years, believe it or not and I’ve read a lot of articles on travel and listened to hundreds of suggestions and I’ve come to learn one thing. What I am good at is organizing those suggestions and tips from other travel experts.

I’ve written about how I am using a private Google sites page, to store my documents and important links. Well now I’d like to share what I’ve come up with so far so that if you are getting ready to travel you can benefit from some of these useful tips.

1. Double Check Every Flight

Search for flights on multiple sites, there are a million and one travel sites out there so spend some time searching out which gives you the best deal.  If you know sites that offer specific routes or target a certain region/country then check with them too.  I’ve listed a few below for your convenience including some that are specific to where they serve. The big name search indexes, basically the ones you see commercials for, only list those airlines who will buy into their program so you may miss some cheaper deals with smaller airlines. Which is why it’s recommended to search through multiple sites because different sites may have different partnerships with various airlines.

2. Triple Check Directly with the Airline

If those search engines tell you that you can get a flight for $99 through Southwestern, Continental, or another airlines, then go directly to their website and verify yourself. Maybe you can even get it cheaper or the airlines charge less for baggage which ends up costing you less when you buy direct. Nomadic Matt suggests that you check the airlines foreign website as prices may vary and exchange rates may play to your advantage.

3. Airline Alliance Programs

There are airline alliance programs that may provide more options and cheaper rates due to partnerships when booking directly through these programs. The three largest are  Star Alliance, The Sky Team and One World. Utilizing these options may provide lower costs when looking at purchasing Round The World Tickets or a Continent Pass.

4. Start Your Search Early and Do Your Homework

There are a million and one search engine sites to help you find those last minute deals, which means there really aren’t any last minute deals. In the age of the internet, everyone is their own travel agent. So start acting like one by doing some research. I get weekly emails from airfarewatchdog.com on flights from my local airport so that I know what the average price is for a flight and know when I truly am getting a good deal. This way I give myself plenty of time to check the cost of flights. The closer you get to your departure date the less likely you’ll get a good deal, especially during the holidays.

5. Be Flexible

The more flexible you are the better. Sites make you select a specific date but most give you a  ± 3 days check box. Yet, even better than that some give you a flexible dates option where you just select a month you would like to leave. The more flexible you are the better because sometimes a day’s difference can mean hundreds of dollars more or less for your trip.

Additionally, if you look at nearby airports you may be able to find a significant difference. Smaller airports sometimes have great deals, my local airline is a tiny little one but has the best deals to Florida, so why drive an hour to the closest major airline only to pay more for the same flight?

6. Time of the Week Matters

If you just Google tips on when to or how to purchase cheap airline tickets you are going to hear the same thing over and over. So pay attention because it isn’t a coincidence. Flying is cheaper if you leave on a Wednesday or Saturday, the next best options are Tuesday and Thursdays. Why is that? Well most people want to travel over the weekends and don’t want to take days off work, when they must they are more willing to take a Monday or Friday and just make it a long weekend. Those mid week flights or Saturday flights don’t fill up as often so airlines are going to give you a better deal on those days.

Also, when you buy is important. Most airline deals go off on Monday night and by Wednesday morning they start to rise again. So shop on Tuesdays to get the best deals of the week.

7. Go Old School – Use a Travel Agent

As previously stated, everyone is there own travel agent nowadays. Which means those who are travel agents have to do better than what you can do on your own. Do your homework first, but then talk to a travel agent to see if you can find a better deal. There are also sites like FlightFox.com where you list your trip and multiple travel agents compete for your trip.

8. Connect With Airlines

Many airlines offer rewards programs or, even if you don’t want to sign up for a credit card there are loyalty programs that you can sign up with no obligations. Once you sign up with one of these programs you have the option to get on an mailing list to learn about deals or special offers.

9. Be Patient but Not Greedy

You started your search online, connected with airlines and made sure you are well informed. You have plenty of time to purchase your airline ticket and see the price you were looking for but want to wait for a better offer when all of a sudden prices shoot up. Just like at the gas station prices can fluctuate, and you may have been caught off guard waiting for it to keep going down when in reality it was back on the rise. Know the price you will feel comfortable paying and when you see it, or something close to it take advantage of it.

 10. Get A Refund

Check with your airline because some airlines offer refunds if the price of your flight drops below what you paid for. >Yapta.com is a site that not only helps you track flights before you purchase but after as well. Additionally, they offer to help you with getting your refund and list which airlines are know to issue refunds and for how much.

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10 Tips On How to Find a Cheap Flight is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Another year has passed, as I read through my 2010 resolutions and 2011 resolutions it is hard to believe that it has been two years since I started blogging. I honestly figured I would be a well seasoned traveler by now but truth be told, life has its own plans for you. It’s been an eventful year with graduate school, getting married, all that drinking and a few mini adventures. This past year we didn’t travel much, and this year will be limited until we take off next November/December.

It is always hard to look at a year passed and think about how fast it all went by, even more so when I’ve continued to dedicate time to blogging. That is, when I’m being a good blogging monkey and keep up on my posts. I think I’ve dedicated more to my New Brew Tuesday posts than travel but that is because of where I am at, for the time being. However I hope that this year marks the beginning of my life’s next chapter, which from the looks will be written in Spanish so I better learn more then cerveza and taco…is banana the same in Spanish?

So how did I fare with my 2011 resolutions? Well let’s see…

Fireworks International Fireworks Competition, Putrajaya, By Amani Hasan on August 31, 2007 via Flickr Creative Commons

Make Money Blogging – Well I’ve had the opportunity to publish sponsored guest posts. Which to be honest is hard. The idea of making money off of this site instead of just spending it sounds great. On the other hand I want to maintain the integrity of the site, so I have to filter through a lot of crap offers and then make sure this isn’t a guest post site, I need to balance it out with my own content.

Finish 90% of Grad School - I am on the ball with grad school and have only 3 classes left, two of which I am taking this semester – they start tomorrow night. Then I have one more class that I will take this summer and finally finish. I really can’t wait to get this one done because I think it takes up so much of my free time that between working, grad school, and volunteer tutoring (grad school requirement) I have little time for my wife and my blog…and I truly love both.

Blog about TESOL, Traveling and Drinking – Well the drinking part was easy but the TESOL aspect has been harder than I thought. Simply because most of the information is theoretical and I am not sure of its practical application. I will continue to work on this and try to share any tips that I come across, currently I am working on creating a list with one of my professors of must have TESOL books based on her 25+ years of working in the field. Traveling has been slow which means so is my writing on it.

Solidify Plans and Set a Date - This one was set and done awhile ago, but then plans had to change. Right now we are thinking end of November-beginning of December. However my father-in-law wants us to stay with him until March-ish when he can retire and return to Peru. The only reason he came to the states was to help my wife get residency but on the other hand anything delaying our departure has me groaning.

2012 Resolutions

Health -I am going to be in hot tropical South America this time next year so I need to work on the beer belly.  The plan is to put into practice Hara Hachi Bu, the Okinawan tradition of eating until you are 80% full. The other is the typical eat healthier and exercise once in a while type thing. I know with work, school and life this won’t be perfect but with the knowledge of sporting my bare belly on the beach I have the hope that I can slim down a bit.

Money - Save, save and then save some more. Right now we have a little over $10,000 in a CD. We have a total of $1,000 combined, a month going into our savings which we hope gets us close to $25,000 by our departure date. We figure that is a good amount to live off of and travel with. Especially since we plan to work in Lima, Peru for a little while after traveling.

Travel – Duh this is a travel blog, so we must travel…but smart so we don’t dip into our savings. We have plans to visit New York for St. Patty’s day and Niagara Falls sometime in June. The Niagara Falls is a belated honey moon gift from our parents with hotel and most of the flight costs covered. New York, we will be hitching a ride to visit my aunt so costs should be maintained there. Then there is that whole one way ticket to South America thing, you know just a little plan, which leads me to…

Get Organized – If we want to make this work and last we have to be smart about our travels. I’ve already started saving resources on our Google travel site, such as hostel & flight sites, legal documents, etc. Yet, there is still much to do, like set an itinerary, a shopping list of items we need to buy, formalize a budget, travel insurance, and the last minute to do list like changing mailing address and other items.

So much to do in a year, but I feel like this is going to be a great one because this is when we take that leap into the traveling world. I also talked with my boss today about our possible travel dates so I don’t feel the need to hide anything with is super great. What are your resolutions for the new year?

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2012 Resolutions – Countdown to RTW is a post from: Monkey Brewster

伏見稲荷大社

This is a photo from my trip to Japan last year, when we visited Kyoto. Kyoto is full of amazing sites, many also happen to charge for your viewing pleasure. This wonderful shrine is free, although I did give the typical admittance fee to the monk standing near the entrance. There are various shrines  of various sizes throughout the area and are linked by a criss crossed pathway that is lined with hundreds of Torii, the orange gateways.  To see more check out my video of Japan.

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Flinging Photos: Fushimi Inari Shrine is a post from: Monkey Brewster

People these days tend to be enjoying a wider and wider range of television program, thanks to expanded cable options and better streaming services for shows and movies. This means that rather than being dependent on basic cable selections, and the same old shows, people can enjoy more specific preferences, such as the reality shows that are now so popular on TV, etc. Among these preferences, television that explores different traveling options and attractions around the world have become extremely popular. Whether you like watching gritty exploration shows like Man Vs. Wild, or shows more geared toward showing you beauty and culture around the world, networks like the Travel Channel may have a lot to offer you. For example, a lot of people enjoy this channel’s frequent expositions on nightlife in different spots around the world. Here are few highlights among these expositions:

- The Travel Channel has covered Jamaican nightlife before, and displays it as a unique blend of resort-style beach relaxation and beach-front night clubs. Travelchannel.com has a good deal of information that backs up this exposition, and explains some of the various highlights of a late night out on this beautiful island. Specifically, the Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville bar in Montego Bay, Jamaica is mentioned as a staple of the island’s nighttime experience. This bar is situatied right by the water, and renowned for some of the best margaritas around, and is thus well worth a visit

- Travel Channel also covers some less conventional spots for nightlife around the world. For example, those unfamiliar with this region of the world may be surprised to see Reykjavik, Iceland noted for its intensely enjoyable party scene. Somewhat uniquely, Reykjavik’s night scene is made up largely of bistros and cafes that transform into bursting, popular bars at night. It is noted that nights often don’t really get started until midnight or after, but Icelanders there are known to party well into the early morning. There are a number of bars and clubs famous either for their ages or their propensity to attract great DJs and massive crowds.

Of course, these are only a few examples of a number of stories done by Travel Channel on nightlife around the world. You can also look up video and written expositions on exotic and renowned locations such as Cabo San Lucas, Barcelona, and many others. All of this represents one of the many perks of travel television, which seems to be gaining more and more fans all the time. If you’ve ever felt like you may want to see more of the world, or know more about some of your favorite places, this channel can be a great place to start, for both entertainment and information.

Meet the Author: Jim Anderson Jim Anderson and he is one of our contributing writers for cabletelevision.net. He is a travel enthusiast and enjoys exploring nightlife, among other things, around the world.

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Travel Channel Perks is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Image property of Author Tom Armenante

So, how many of you love insurance? Nobody? Didn’t think so. When it comes to preparing for a backpacking trip around Europe, the last thing you probably want to be worrying about is insurance. The most frustrating thing about insuring yourself as a backpacker is that you’re paying for something that might happen, so it’s quite often the case that you end up paying for nothing.

However, the financial implications of not bagging yourself a cheap holiday insurance deal before you jet off are huge. If something did happen while you’re away, it will cost you a fortune if you don’t have insurance.

There is a whole range of things you can get up to on your travels so, realistically, anything can happen. You could be swimming with sharks one day and climbing a rock face the next, which is exactly why we go travelling but also exactly why we need to insure our travels. Insurance is not just for health reasons, either: it covers your possessions against theft in busy places where pickpockets are rife. Of course, you’ll need to be vigilante wherever you are and make sure you report any theft to local police within 24 hours of the incident.

The variety of trips available means that there is also a variety of insurance policies. If you think you’re going to be getting more active than usual, you can get cover for sporting activities like bungee jumping and water skiing on your policy. You can get extended cover that lasts up to 18 months and even a discount for buying your policy online with some companies. What’s more, you can also have the choice of extended your policy while you’re already on your travels if you fancy trotting the globe that little bit longer.

If you’re looking for travel insurance compare on websites like moneysupermarket.com to have a whole bunch of options to choose from. Backpacker’s insurance is surprisingly affordable because most companies understand that globetrotting trips are planned on a shoestring in most cases.

Meet the Author: Tom Armenante Tom is a young budding traveler who writes for many tech and travel sites with aspirations of traveling the world.

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Backpacking Around Europe: Are You protected? is a post from: Monkey Brewster

If ever there was a heartfelt story of love, friendship and loyalty that needed to be shared, it was that of Hachiko. This is a story between a man and his dog that is known throughout Japan and to some Richard Gere fans.

While visiting in Japan, my wife and I would meet up with her cousin at the Shibuya train station. Shibuya is known as a busy bustling station, both in the station and the large crosswalk near it that leads to shops, side streets, business and much much more. In order for us to find one another when meeting outside of Shibuya, we would meet near the statue of Hachiko. Now I knew that the Akita is a popular breed of dog, native to Japan but what I didn’t know was what made this specific Akita so special.

It was around the 1920′s in Japan. A man by the name of Ueno, a professor at the University of Tokyo, would ride home from work each day where he would be met by his loving pet Hachiko. Hachiko knew exactly what time his master would arrive, and would thus show up to Shibuya at the same time each day to meet his friend.

One day at work, the professor suddenly died. Hachiko non-the-wiser showed up at his master’s regular return time and waited. Days passed with no sign of Professor Ueno, yet there sat Hachiko waiting. Hachiko would return to the station and wait each day for his master’s return for nine years until finally Hachiko passed away of old age.

Each day thousands of people pass through Shibuya, zipping by in their busy lives. Through all the growth and development of Tokyo, and through all the hustle and bustle Hachiko will forever wait for his master. A testament of friendship and loyalty that still resonates with me nearly 1 year since we were in Japan.

Click on my video from Japan which shows Shibuya and much more.

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The Tale of Hachiko is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Image is Property of Guest Author

Many people that travel to Britain make a point of heading to Edinburgh. Why? Well, it’s a city rich in culture, heritage and history and there are countless attractions to go and visit. There’s also an abundance of affordable hotels in Edinburgh near to all the major sites, which makes it even more of an appealing prospect for tourists.

Here are our top five must-do things in the Scottish capital.

 1. Climb to the top of Nelson’s Monument

The two most obvious attractions in Edinburgh are Edinburgh Castle and Nelson’s Monument, simply because you can’t miss them. So, let’s kick-off our whirlwind tour of the city with Nelson’s Monument, which is close to George Hotel Edinburgh and other central hotels and hostels. It was built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, has 217 steps in total and offers pretty neat views from the top.

 2. Learn all about Scottish culture

The National Museums Scotland is made up of several museums, some of which are based in Edinburgh, including the National War Museum and National Museum of Scotland. The latter is free to enter, which is an added bonus. People of all ages can discover all about a range of different subjects at the National Museum of Scotland, from art and design to the natural world.

3. See the daily gun salute at Edinburgh Castle

A trip to Edinburgh Castle when in Edinburgh really is a must for many reasons, including the stunning vista of the city that you’ll get if you make your way to the top. There’s a free guided tour if you’re a bit of a culture vulture and most days there’s a gun salute at 1pm that’s well worth witnessing.

4. Take a stroll down The Royal Mile

Most major cities have iconic streets. In London, for example, the likes of Regent Street and Oxford Street are known the world over. Edinburgh’s Royal Mile is still pretty special. It’s a hive of activity and is crammed with interesting buildings and clusters of bars, eateries and shops.

5. Visit a dormant volcano

No, that’s not a misprint, Edinburgh does have a dormant volcano within its boundaries and is thought to be the only city in the world that can lay claim to such an honour. Arthur’s Seat can be found in the group of hills that surround the Scottish capital and offers the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre and take in the surrounding areas.

Meet the Author: Tom Armenante Tom is a young budding traveler who writes for many tech and travel sites with aspirations of traveling the world.

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Edinburgh – Five Must-Do Things in the Scottish Capital is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Yield By Kt Ann (September 27, 2010 ) on Flickr via Creative Commons

You know that feeling when you are sitting at the airport and they announce that your flight has been delayed? Yeah, I feel like that right now and I need to tell you why.

Why do I “need” to tell you, because my dear friend, we are pals, amigos, chums and all that and well I need to vent. Plus I’m pretty sure, like 99.99999% X’s infinity sure, that the whole reason blogs were created was so that people could vent…and poetry which is like venting but more rhymie.

So why might I not be round-the-worlding as soon as planned? School. The down side of small schools is that they don’t offer all the classes you need each semester, which means you just have to wait. I was supposed to take three classes next semester and then be done with grad school. My wife was going to take two next semester and two in the summer then be done in August. That would leave us ready to go next October.

However, one of my classes isn’t offered next semester. Luckily, it will likely be available this summer so I can still be done by August. My wife on the other hand, one of the two remaining required classes isn’t being offered next semester nor likely will it be offered this summer which means she’ll have to take it next fall. The two electives that she has to take are easily squeezed in here or there but one little class may keep us here in the States until November or December. [insert sad monkey face] @(-_-)@

I know that it isn’t a terribly long set back, just a month or two later but then we get into the holiday season and prices go up in travel cost which means it might be better to wait until January. [insert another sad monkey face] @(-_-)@

Just when I was getting excited, we finally hit the 12 month mark, next month I could have started pricing flights (they usually only let you purchase 11 months in advance).

To make matters more complicated we have been telling our family to come down to Lima, Peru in March 2013. Where we hope to host a small wedding renewal ceremony, this time with my wife’s Peruvian family able to attend. We can travel up until that point, but that would give us no time to set it up. Additionally, I’m afraid if we go straight to Peru I’ll get caught up living in Peru and not backpack South America.
Oh the choices. Woe the delays. What to do?

No seriously, what should I do? The only plus is that it is more time to save money but the lack of travel is getting to me and I was really hoping this would be my last winter here. I’m glad tomorrow is New Brew Tuesday, I could use a drink!

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RTW Not So Soon? is a post from: Monkey Brewster

After spending some time with my family camping we took a nice road trip to New Bern, NC to visit my old college roommate. Although he lived in the small town of New Bern, NC there was still plenty for us to see and do. Especially while he was off teaching, we went out beaching and at night we all went out drinking.

New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi, and if you drive around you can see the Pepsi museum in the downtown area. Although we went a little bit of a different direction when checking out what to drink in New Bern. We first filled our bellies at MJ’s Raw Bar where we enjoyed delicious seafood to prep us for the night, I had jumbo shrimp that were about as big as I was. I can still taste them….MmMMmm

It's hard to see but if you look really hard you can see the dog

After the food we checked out a bar called TBM where two dogs were either visiting or regular customers. I’m not sure but the way that dog sat at that bar and ordered itself a drink, I’d say he was a regular (Sorry for the blurriness of the photo). Next we wandered off to the Harvey Mansion which has a quaint pub in the basement. This house was a stronghold during the Civil War and today it serves as a bed and breakfast upstairs and a Cheers like bar below. The only downside is that its NC and its a basement which means its hot. As you stumble around the downtown main street you’ll notice that their are bears everywhere…and they are dressed in funny outfits too. Supposedly New Bern is named after a Swiss town that means bear, which I can get but why that furry bastard has his tongue out all the time I’m not sure.

Another thing you may notice while downtown is the huge mansion. We found our way back downtown a different night to enjoy an amazing free concert at the Tryon Palace with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra.  They played over a dozen songs in a quick 1 hour tour around the world. The best part is that it was all free to enjoy, and listening to the soft sounds of the orchestra as I looked out the the water was enough to have me drifting off in a lullaby lull of happiness.

As for our daytime activities, we checked out the local stores and cuisine, North Carolinians like their BoJangles. Which to me seemed no more than a glorified KFC, although I guess in this case it would be NCFC. Either way the only thing that gave it any kind of quality was the sweet tea, but then again sweet tea is a southern thing and they do it right. Each sip took me back to my visit to New Orleans and that delicious tea goodness. When we weren’t eating and shopping we were lounging out at Atlantic Beach which is located about 20 minutes from New Bern. There is Indian Beach further down on one end and a military base on the other. I’m guessing there are a lot of bases in the area because it is filled with with soldiers or sailors or whatever they were. But back to the beach, well what can I say it was a nice clean beach, it had sand, oh and the ocean too. Compared to where I grew up, next to Lake Erie this was a vast improvement.

So if you ever find yourself down in New Bern, NC don’t go off and hibernate, go out, explore and have a beary good time. (OK no more bear puns I promise)

…..Something about honey @(^_^)@

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New Bern Getaway – A Beary Good Time is a post from: Monkey Brewster

An old building that had beautiful stonework.

The cobble stone streets, which are closed off to all cars.

The raised sidewalk along with the slanted streets were designed to clean the city during high tide.

A secluded area high up above the Gold Trail, giving you a chance to swim in the cool water.

An old Cachaça factory that used to gather water from the stream.

Rock surfing.

An old tree that sits in front of a beach hut restaurant, its passed relative were used to make the benches and tables we ate off of.

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Flinging Photos: Paraty, Brazil is a post from: Monkey Brewster