Budget Travel's Blog

The latest travel news, vacation tips & advice, travel apps, and more

may 22

Universal Studios Orlando Plans Harry Potter Park Expansion

The Hogwarts Castle at Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida

Harry Potter fans, rejoice! Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express are coming to Orlando in 2014.

(Courtesy Pop Culture Geek/Flickr)

We've got some great news for Harry Potter fans: Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express are coming to Orlando in 2014, part of a new park expansion that will extend The Wizarding World of Harry Potter from its current home at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure to include both Universal Studios Orlando theme parks.

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0 by Kaeli Conforti Amusement and Theme Parks, Food + Drink, Literary Travel, Pop Culture and Travel, Family Travel, Girlfriend Getaways, Women's Travel
may 22

Military Travel Discounts For Memorial Day

Military Appreciation

Hotels and resorts are saying thank you to military members with special travel deals this weekend.

(Courtesy DVIDSHUB/Flickr)

What better way to honor those who serve our country than by making vacations more affordable for them? Several hotels and resorts are doing just that, offering up to 60 percent off regular rates exclusively for military personnel. From Los Angeles to the Caribbean, here are the best options for military families this Memorial Day weekend.

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0 by Kaeli Conforti Amusement and Theme Parks, Hotels, Trip Ideas, Family Travel
may 20

5 U.S. theme parks under $50

Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, CA.

(Courtesy Adam Freidin/Flickr)

With Disney parks recently raising their ticket prices to $89 for a single–park one day ticket—Universal Studios is just as bad—now is the perfect time to start thinking about smaller, regional theme parks where you can get your adrenaline fix for less. Here are five theme parks around the country where the daily price of adult admission is under $50.

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0 by Kaeli Conforti Amusement and Theme Parks, Disney, Historical Travel, Nature Appreciation, Pop Culture and Travel, Anaheim, Santa Cruz, Orlando, New York City, Ohio, Allentown, Trip Ideas, Family Travel, Girlfriend Getaways, Solo, Women's Travel
may 20

A New England Must-See

Emily Dickinson's home, in Amherst, Mass., offers beautiful grounds and a peek into the life of one of America's greatest writers.

(Courtesy DClemm/Flickr)

Cathy Bennett Kopf writes for TheOpenSuitcase.com

I swear I could hear my daughter's eyes roll back in her head when I suggested we stop by Emily Dickinson's house after touring UMass Amherst. I explained that I feel personally responsible for supporting these types of museums. If old English majors don't visit Emily's home and other important literary sites such as the House of the Seven Gables and Poe's grave, then, really, who will? She conceded, if I promised a sweatshirt in return. Deal.

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0 by Cathy Bennett Kopf Literary Travel, Museums, Pop Culture and Travel, Massachusetts, Trip Ideas
may 15

The Right Way to Cut in Line at Disney World and Other Theme Parks

(Alila07/Dreamstime)

We here at Budget Travel were pretty disgusted by the recent New York Post's story about wealthy Manhattanites hiring disabled "black market tour guides" to pose as family members at Disney World. The benefit? For $130 per hour—or more than $1,000 per day—up to six of the disabled guide's "family members" can cut in line at popular rides such as It's a Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean, while the less fortunate wait, sometimes more than two hours, for their turn. The practice is, of course, not endorsed by Disney, and takes advantage of the park's sensitive policy toward disabled guests.

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0 by Robert Firpo-Cappiello Amusement and Theme Parks, Disney, Anaheim, Hollywood, Florida, Orlando, Tampa Bay, New Jersey, Williamsburg, Family Travel, Girlfriend Getaways
may 13

The Best Day to Buy Airline Tickets

(Carlosphotos / Dreamstime.com)

Of all the questions I get asked by friends and family when I tell them that I'm Executive Editor at Budget Travel, the most frequent is: "When is the best day to buy airline tickets?"

The quick-and-dirty answer has traditionally been, "Tuesday" (thanks, in part, to a well-publicized finding by FareCompare.com, which went so far as to pinpoint 3 p.m. Eastern Time as the perfect ticket-purchase time on Tuesday). The more nuanced answer, of course, is, "It depends."

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0 by Robert Firpo-Cappiello How-Tos, Airlines, Before the Trip, Frequent Flier Miles
may 10

Great Getaways: Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine

Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida

View a live cannon demonstration at the Castillo de San Marcos in historic St. Augustine.

(Courtesy Kaeli Conforti)

There's more to Florida than theme parks, beaches, and cities where you can party til dawn (although those are pretty great, too!) Whether you're looking for a quick golf getaway or your next great family vacation, here are six of our favorite family-friendly activities and affordable adventures in Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine—all within an hour's drive of Jacksonville on Florida's northeast coast. Many area hotel options start at $89 a night, making a trip to this area super-affordable.

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0 by Kaeli Conforti Festivals, Golf, Historical Travel, Landmarks and Monuments, Literary Travel, Museums, Pop Culture and Travel, Professional Sports, Romance, Scenic Drives, Walking Tours, Family Travel, Girlfriend Getaways, Women's Travel
may 10

8 of the U.K.'s Most Famous Pop-Culture Destinations

The birthplace of WIlliam Shakespeare is just one of many popular-culture destinations in the U.K.

(Courtesy lavenderdays/myBudgetTravel)

Sophie Gackowski for HomeAway UK

It's fair to say the United Kingdom has produced some pretty famous exports. From Harry Potter to Henry VIII, these unassuming isles have certainly packed a punch over the course of world history. Do your interests lie in literature and folklore, music, or mythical creatures? Whatever you dream of when you think "U.K.," here are eight of our favorite vacation (we call it "holiday") spots, and the eminent exports that planted them firmly on the map.

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0 by HomeAway UK Art + Culture, Historical Travel, Pop Culture and Travel, United Kingdom, Liverpool, North Yorkshire, Nottingham, South Yorkshire, Stratford-upon-Avon, Trip Ideas, Family Travel
may 07

See the Mansions That Inspired The Great Gatsby!

Old Westbury Gardens, on Long Island's Gold Coast, includes a 1906 mansion as opulent as those in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

(Ambient Images Inc. / SuperStock)

Have you got Gatsby fever? This week, director Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby opens with Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, the tragic hero who amasses a fortune in an attempt to win back his first love.

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0 by Robert Firpo-Cappiello Architecture, Art + Culture, Art + Culture, Gardens, Historical Travel, Literary Travel, Museums, Nature Appreciation, Pop Culture and Travel, Public Art, New York, Trip Ideas, Family Travel, Girlfriend Getaways
may 03

Take a Day Trip to Historic Hudson Valley

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery offers seasonal lantern-lit evening tours for brave visitors. Among its noteworthy graves is that of Washington Irving, creator of the Headless Horseman and Rip Van Winkle.

(Courtesy Sleepy Hollow Cemetery)

As a little boy growing up in the Bronx, my first-ever class trip was to Sunnyside, the home of Washington Irving. There, on the banks of the Hudson River in Tarrytown, NY, my second-grade class toured the grounds of Irving's estate, learned how a 19th-century home operated, and, most inspiring for me, peeked into Irving's office and saw the writing desk that once belonged to the author of "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." I remember being enchanted by Irving's funny-creepy stories and not wanting to leave the back porch, with its views of the river.

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0 by Robert Firpo-Cappiello Art + Culture, Historical Travel, Literary Travel, Museums, Rivers and Lakes, New York