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California, Air, Car, 8 Nights, From $839

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You're searching for 'Europe'. Displaying 1 – 5 of 44 Real Deals currently available.

  • BT Exclusive Deal! BT Exclusive Deal! Spain Cycling Trip, 7 Nights, From $698

    Trace Spain's hallowed Camino de Santiago through mountain passes and quaint villages with this exclusive deal on a week-long cycling trip. » Book by: Thursday, May 24, 2012, 11:00 PM

    BT Exclusive! BT readers receive a 20 percent discount on regular prices.

  • BT Exclusive Deal! BT Exclusive Deal! English Countryside, From $108 a Night

    Book this hotel deal and the sweeping moors of the scenic English countryside will be right outside your window. » Book by: Thursday, May 24, 2012, 11:00 PM

    BT Exclusive! BT readers receive a 10 percent discount on the regular rate for their stay.

  • BT Exclusive Deal! BT Exclusive Deal! Paris, Air, 4 Nights, From $1,162

    This Paris vacation deal includes a hotel right near the Champs-Élysées and a tour of one of the most romantic cities on earth. » Book by: Monday, Apr 30, 2012, 11:00 PM

    BT Exclusive! This deal is offered exclusively to Budget Travel readers.

  • Italy, Air, Car, 8 Nights, From $1,499

    Enjoy the sights of Rome, Tuscany, and Venice on your own schedule with this travel deal. » Book by: Thursday, May 31, 2012, 11:00 PM

  • Paris, Air, 6 Nights, From $1,129

    Save big on a week roaming the romantic streets of Paris with this travel deal. » Book by: Thursday, Mar 22, 2012, 11:00 PM

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Travel Tips

Tagged
Packing
391265

Shout Wipes take up very little space in your purse or backpack and are invaluable for treating stains. While traveling on an airplane, I gave one to a most grateful Italian after he spilled wine on his tie. Our friendship extended through customs, and we're now e-mail pals. Great stuff!

— Marilyn Rogers
Tagged
Air Travel
425275

On a Northwest flight from Wichita to Cleveland, a piece of my luggage was delivered more than a day after I arrived. In the meantime, I had to buy some replacement items. Save your receipts! I turned in the receipts when I checked in for the return flight, and the ticket agent issued me a $50 check.(Northwest allows up to $50 in interim expenses for the first 24 hours, and $25 for each day afterward, with a maximum reimbursement of $150.)

— Phil Richard
Tagged
Dining
420282

If you're looking for authentic street food--whether you're in New York or Bangkok--don't buy from the pitifully lonely vendor who has no customers. Head to the cart with the longest line of hungry people in front of it. Locals know which vendors serve the best (and safest) food. Even if you have to wait, your stomach will thank you.

— Bryan Thao Worra
Tagged
Technology
456337

Destinationcoupons.com supplies free discount coupons for cities all over the United States and the world. Print them out on your home computer and save on hotels, shows, rental cars, restaurants, and many other activities.

— Donald Bertolet
Tagged
Packing
385300

To ensure the studs of pierced and delicate earrings don't get damaged, I put them in a film canister. An added benefit is that they're less likely to be stolen when left in a suitcase or hotel room, because thieves presume there's nothing inside but film.

— Alison Taylor Fastov
Tagged
Photography
425288

I travel with two cameras: a digital SLR for the majority of my shots, and a small disposable camera for when I ask strangers to take pictures of me. As much as I tend to trust other people, I'm not ready to hand over my $1,000 camera to someone I don't know at all.

— Sam Antonio
Tagged
Shopping
390251

When my husband and I visit places like India or Thailand, we pack only one extra change of clothes. When we arrive, we hit a local market and buy local attire--woven shirts, saris, sarongs, etc. Not only does this make packing easier, but we get a better cultural experience and end up with lots of wearable souvenirs!

— Alice Fraser
Tagged
Technology
462310

We always e-mail our itinerary--including flights, hotels, and confirmation numbers--to ourselves and to family members. If our luggage is lost or our wallets are stolen, all of this essential information is just an Internet café and a few quick clicks away.

— Courtney Fuller
Tagged
Solo Travel
594678

In areas where the majority of people don't speak English, head to an Internet café. In our experience, they're full of friendly young people anxious to practice their English.

— Christine and Duncan Orr
Tagged
Loyalty Programs
434277

Using your frequent-flier miles, you might be able to visit two cities on one ticket. For example, my wife and I always trade in our Delta miles when we visit our daughters in Dallas and San Francisco. Because we have to fly through Dallas to get to San Francisco on Delta, we can stop over in Dallas for as long as we want before continuing on to San Francisco—and we use only one frequent-flier ticket each.

— Harry Bishop
Tagged
Hotels
504382

Instead of dropping my laundry off at the front desk, I take a walk around the block and look for the nearest dry cleaner--probably the same one the hotel would've taken it to. By cutting out the middle man, I pay a quarter of what they charge at the hotel!

— Amy Paks
Tagged
Planning
400296

Make a master list of jobs to do around the house before you leave (hold the mail, water the plants, take out the garbage). Keep the list on your computer, print it out, then check off each job as it gets done. You'll be able to go without worrying that you forgot to stop the newspaper.

— Glenda McMurray
Tagged
Packing
427320

Once the hotel shampoo bottles I always seem to bring home are empty, I refill them with my own brand of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel--instead of buying travel-size containers at the drugstore. I toss them, along with other small items (toothbrush, toothpaste, nail file, pillboxes, and a comb), into a medium-size Ziploc bag, and I'm ready to go; the clear plastic lets me find things easily.

— Donna Cover
Tagged
Cruises
509660

Internet phone services like Vonage can be programmed to send transcribed voice mails to your email in-box. That way, you can check your home answering machine quickly at an Internet cafe without paying insane roaming fees on your cell. The transcriptions won't always be perfect, but you'll get the gist.

— Martha and Ken Wiseman
Tagged
Planning
402289

If you're traveling with someone, discuss a central meeting place in case you get separated. My husband and I were in Paris waiting to board the Metro. He was able to board the train, but I was left behind on the platform. Having a plan saved both time and needless anxiety.

— Marian Moss
Tagged
Planning
414289

We've traveled to both Mexico and China in the last year and had the same experience in both countries: When we tried to exchange dollars to local currency, the banks wouldn't take bills with graffiti on them--telephone numbers, names, doodles, anything. Nor would they accept any bills that were torn or damaged. (We noticed a group from France having the same problem with their euros.) So before you leave home, make sure that any money you plan on exchanging is absolutely crisp and clean--or better yet, ask your bank specifically for brand-new bills.

— John Rybczyk
Tagged
Car Rentals
397298

When booking a rental car online, click on "special offers" or "hot deals" to find the company's current promotional codes. Price your reservation using each code. Also, keep in mind that rates fluctuate according to seasons and slow periods. I managed to save more than $170 on a ten-day rental in Orlando, Fla.,by changing my reservation dates twice and by using different codes.

— Jeff Thomsen
Tagged
Dining
390278

While traveling abroad, I've frequently encountered some appallingly bad (and often very funny) English translations of menus. In those cases, I simply offered to clean up the translations in exchange for a meal. This has worked quite a few times.

— William Boyle
Tagged
Planning
400293

Some international airlines still give passengers a goody bag that includes a toothbrush, an eye mask, and socks for the flight. Keep those socks: They're handy when visiting temples in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, where you must remove your shoes before entering. I slipped on the socks and my feet stayed both clean and warm!

— Nancy Easterbrook
Tagged
Packing
396312

When I go on a trip that requires me to accessorize a number of outfits, I buy little Ziploc bags and place the appropriate jewelry/panty hose/scarf inside. Then I punch a hole just big enough to slide the bag over the outfit's hanger. This way, my panty hose stay snag-free and my jewelry never gets misplaced.

— Gina Beyer
Tagged
Packing
407290

My husband and I are retired, and we take two trips abroad each year. When unpacking, I put items we use repeatedly on each trip (flashlight, alarm clock, travel-size toiletries, etc.) into a box and keep it stored near the suitcases. No more searching or trying to remember if I've got everything for the next journey—it's all in one place.

— Mary Meikle
Tagged
Technology
479312

Quotetravelinsurance.com gives you comparable details on more than one hundred travel-insurance plans, enabling you to make the best buy. It relies on ratings from insurance industry overseers such as A.M. Best and state insurance commissioners before allowing an insurance company into its extensive lineup.

— Marc Oppy
Tagged
Air Travel
543678

When looking for the lowest airfare, I've found that in some cases the best rates pop up when searching for one traveler instead of two. Recently, I wanted to buy one-way tickets from New York to Orlando for two people and came up with $87 per person. But when I selected one traveler, the fare dropped to $72.

— Yoshi Matsuda
Tagged
Packing
413290

Use an empty M&M's Minis tube to carry quarters. The top holds tightly, but still pops open easily enough, and the size is perfect to slip into a car door or bag. I find it very useful when traveling by car (for tolls and parking meters) and by airplane (for luggage carts or newspapers).

— Judi McDowell
Tagged
Hotels
471362

Rather than automatically using your hotel's valet parking, you should check to see if there's an adjacent parking lot or garage that offers a better rate. On a recent trip, I was able to park across the street from my hotel for $10 per day--versus $27 per day to valet park with the hotel.

— Charles LaFleur
Tagged
Packing
530662

When traveling in the developing world, I always bring several packets of stickers to give to children. They're wonderful icebreakers.

— Linda Vogel
Tagged
Cruises
567667

Public libraries in the ports of Alaska are a tremendous money-saver. Who wants to pay $5 a minute for Internet use from a cruise ship? During a port stop on a recent Alaska cruise, we found a city library that offered free Internet use for 15 to 30 minutes. Our only cost was a short wait in line.

— Gail G. Jenkins
Tagged
Hotels
482364

Many tourist information offices provide discounted same-day booking services for local lodgings. My husband and I discovered this when we accidentally left a midweek gap in our travel plans between my husband's conference hotel and our B&B in Charleston. Instead of adding another night at either location, we stayed at one of the more elegant inns (normally over $200) for $70, courtesy of the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

— Audrey E. Vance
Tagged
Cruises
446365

We like to buy shipboard souvenirs, so we try to choose a ship that's completing its run of an area--that's when merchandise is generally put on sale. Last year, for example, on a sailing in South America, all of the T-shirts, glassware, and rain jackets were 75 percent off.

— Carol Callahan
Tagged
Packing
445276

My hearing loss once made it impossible to hear any alarm clock. Then I found the Shake Awake, an alarm clock that vibrates. I no longer stare at the ceiling all night prior to an early flight in fear of oversleeping. I clip Shake Awake to my pillow or place it on a hard surface near my bed, where its rattling definitely gets my attention.

— Kathy Hopkins

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