Focus on the Experience, not the Destination, to Save Money on Trips

Who says getting away for the long weekend has to be expensive? We've already covered the best getaways that should be on your travel radar—here, we present more ways to save money this Labor Day weekend. Pay attention to last-minute deals and be flexible with your travel datesFamily travel expert Anne Taylor Hartzell of HipTravelMama.com says to keep an eye out for exclusive offers made by your favorite brands on social media websites like Facebook and Twitter, and to use mobile apps to book on the go for access to last-minute deals. Check out festivals and events happening in your area or if all else fails, consider adjusting the dates of your trip around the holiday weekend to avoid high prices: try to leave on the Wednesday or Thursday before Labor Day and come home Tuesday to escape crowds, or if possible, postpone your travel dates until the week after the holiday when hotel and airline prices will be more reasonable. Consider visiting an alternative cityHotwire.com recently released a study of the five most popular destinations visited during Labor Day weekend and listed recommendations for alternative cities with a similar feel that you can visit for less. The results included visiting Indianapolis instead of Chicago for 53% savings; visiting Toronto instead of New York City for 39% savings; visiting Reno instead of Las Vegas for 19% savings; visiting Washington D.C. instead of Boston for 50% savings; and visiting St. Louis instead of Atlanta for 23% savings. Amount of savings based on hotel bookings made on Hotwire.com between Jun. 15th and Aug. 5th for stays between Aug. 30th and Sept. 2, 2013. If you're anywhere near Atlanta: free concerts and discounts at top family attractionsLovers of all things Coca-Cola will be thrilled to hear about discounts for Fan Days at the World of Coca-Cola from Aug. 27th to Sept. 3rd. Purchase tickets through this link to receive $3 off general admission—buying tickets online to the Georgia Aquarium through this link also gets you a $3 discount off their regular admission prices. A free concert will also take place on Saturday, Aug. 31st in Centennial Olympic Park—stop by between noon and 4:30 p.m. to see performances by Uncle Kracker and Sheryl Crow. If you'd like to support a good cause this Labor Day weekend, try Action Dash, a family-friendly 5K where participants don super hero costumes and run through Piedmont Park to raise money for Action Ministries, a non-profit organization helping Georgia residents fight poverty. The event also takes place in four other Georgia cities on Labor Day: Athens, Augusta, Gainesville, and Rome. Keep an eye out for hotel deals in big citiesRed Roof Inn is having a big Labor Day weekend sale at several of its locations in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, and the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. Here's the breakdown: Red Roof Inn Chicago Downtown—Magnificent Mile: Rooms start at $149.99 per night.Red Roof Inn Chicago—Willowbrook: Rooms start at $69.99 per night.Red Roof Inn New York—LaGuardia Airport: Starting at $119.99 per night .Red Roof Inn Seacaucus—Meadowlands: Starting at $113.39 per night (located in New Jersey near the Meadowlands Sports Complex with easy access to New York City via the Lincoln Tunnel).Red Roof Inn San Francisco Airport: Rooms starting at $124.99 per night.Red Roof Inn Baltimore—Washington D.C./BWI Airport and Red Roof Inn Baltimore—Washington D.C./BW Parkway: Rooms starting at $71.99 per night.

It's my favorite time of year: Broadway Week in New York City, where you can save big on buzz–worthy Broadway shows thanks to 2-For-1 ticket deals on select shows Sept. 7-20. There are 22 shows participating this year and tickets are on sale now through the website. Options this year include Aladdin, Amazing Grace, An American in Paris, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Finding Neverland, Fun Home, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Hand to God, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The King and I, Kinky Boots, Les Miserables, The Lion King, Matilda the Musical, Old Times, Spring Awakening, Wicked, and Something Rotten! Also available are discounted tickets for perennial favorites like Chicago, Jersey Boys, and The Phantom of the Opera. Visit this nycgo.com link to book your tickets online starting at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 19th, and for more information about shows and blackout dates. 

By Douwe & Richard Osinga, CEOs of travel app, Triposo Travel planning. Those two words are together so often, you might start to think they're inseparable. We beg to differ! If you're looking to have a unique and memorable vacation, spontaneity is where it's at. Of course, that's easier said than done, especially for the Type A among us. But don't worry—with 100+ countries under our belts—we're here to tell you that anyone can be a spontaneous traveler (and it doesn't have to break the bank). It just takes a little bit of practice. Here's our advice for how to become more spontaneous when you travel: Avoid review sitesWith millions of reviews for nearly every restaurant and tourist attraction on earth, it's easy to see the appeal of sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor. But it's important to remember that experiences are necessarily subjective, and basing your trip on what someone else (who may or may not be a reliable judge) liked or didn't like about a place is a recipe for confusion, frustration and—let's be honest—blandness. Instead, use your intuition and be adventurous. You never know when you might discover a hidden neighborhood gem, and it will be that much more satisfying if you find it on your own. Go off the beaten pathMany travelers stick to a small radius around their hotels, usually near the major tourist attractions. While this can be efficient, it leaves a lot of the real character and flavor out. Instead of choosing a hotel in the most popular tourist district, pick a more residential area, one where you're more likely to rub shoulders with the locals than with fellow fanny-packers. You can still visit the major sites, but you'll get a more "real" taste of the city. It's also a good idea to get out of the big cities. Explore the tiny towns and unspoiled hamlets that most tourists overlook. You'll be guaranteed to have an authentic experience, and the locals will probably welcome your curiosity rather than seeing you as yet another obstacle in their daily commute. Use the dinner plate methodWhile we suggest avoiding tourist traps, it's true that there are certain sites that are "unmissable." A trip to Rome probably wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Colosseum, and you certainly don't want to venture to Giza without having a gander at the pyramids. So try out the "dinner plate" method. Each day, choose a "main dish" from a list of must-sees (the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Macchu Pichu in Peru, the Opera House in Sydney). Then choose two side dishes that have a more local flavor. Perhaps you could visit the open-air market or have a picnic in a park. For dessert, inject some cultural flavor into your travels by attending a concert, popping into an art gallery or visiting a famous writer's favorite haunt. You might even sneak in an "amuse-bouche," or appetizer, of an impromptu street fair or a local band's concert. If you use this method, you'll be sure to see the most important places while avoiding a cookie-cutter vacation. Use all five sensesNot sure where to start when it comes to traveling spontaneously and discovering authentic experiences? Use your senses. Follow your nose for the best local cuisine. Use your ears to figure out where the locals are hanging out. Keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual or surprising. When you are attuned to your surroundings, you're much more likely to happen upon the kind of serendipitous events that will leave you with unique travel memories—and a great story to tell. Ask a localStill not sure what to do? Strike up a conversation with a local! Ask them about their favorite restaurants. Find out which neighborhoods they consider hip. Get recommendations for hidden gems and find out which mega-attractions are worthy of the hype. If you're not comfortable chatting up a stranger on the street, visit the local pub and buy someone a beer. You're likely to learn something and maybe even make a new friend. Do something you'd do at homeThis might sound totally counterintuitive. Aren't you in a foreign country so you can step outside your comfort zone and try things that are completely new? Of course, but often the best way to really learn about a new culture is to check out the things you'd see if you actually lived in a place. For example, visit the public library. Browse the shelves and check out the architecture. Go for a jog on a local hiking trail, take a yoga class, or grab a cup of coffee and people-watch for a while. Hop on a bus and ride it around the city to get a feel for what it's like to live and work there. You might be surprised at what you discover when you try a familiar activity in an unfamiliar place. We want to know: what are you favorite ways to travel more spontaneously?

We're all for the French government's new drive to make the country more welcoming to visitors. Its new publication "Do You Speak Touriste?" is intended to help put tourism—and its impact on the national economy—on the radar of more French citizens. However, one of the reasons France is considered unfriendly and unwelcoming—inspiring the country's 80+ million annual visitors to stay only a few days and spend less money than they do in the U.S. or Spain—is petty crime. Visit one of Paris's must-sees like the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower and you may get your pocket picked or your purse snatched. While j'adore the potential long-term benefits of this pro-tourist initiative the French government is pursuing, at Budget Travel we kinda prefer to cut to the chase. Whether or not the average Parisian ever learns to speak touriste, these tips from the U.S. Embassy in Paris will help you hold on to your stuff: Keep it simple. Don't carry more than you are willing to lose! That means a slimmed-down wallet with one credit/ATM card, an ID, and no more than $60 or so. Put a rubber band around your wallet and carry it in your front pocket. Zip it. Purses should have zippers and should be carried tightly under your arm. Backpack-style purses should be carried in front, not on your back. Copy that. Leave photocopies of your passports, credit cards, and other valuable papers at your lodging. Know the hotspots. It's not difficult to identify the places your most likely to get robbed: They are the top sites in Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Champs-Elysées. In fact, pickpocketing at the Louvre got so out of control recently that workers there staged a strike to draw attention to the problem. Be wary of groups of kids. Pickpockets tend to be young and they travel in packs. On the metro, they may swarm around you when getting on or off the train; try to stay away from the doors and be vigilant about strangers' access to your pockets or purse. On the street, be extra cautious if strangers ask for directions, try to sell you something, or spill a drink or ice cream on you. At ATMs, don't let yourself be distracted by strangers asking you questions. TALK TO US! We love Paris and want to know: Have you ever had trouble with street crime while visiting the French capital?