vacation planning

How to Book a Great Vacation Rental

Published June 14, 2021 | By Clark Norton

Vacation rentals can provide an excellent alternative to staying in hotels while traveling, but there are possible pitfalls you need to know before you book with VRBO or Airbnb.

Guest poster David Goldstein, who has extensive experience staying in vacation rentals abroad (as my wife and I did in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan; the island of Milos in Greece, and elsewhere), explains:

By David Goldstein

My wife and I have been booking vacation rentals through VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) and Airbnb for almost 20 years.

Both platforms offer great options for travelers who are looking for something a little different than a typical hotel experience. We enjoy the freedom that having our own place in a foreign city allows. We grocery shop in the local markets, explore the neighborhood bakeries, and start to get a sense of new cultures.

While I wouldn’t go so far as to say… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, travel mistakes, travel tips, vacation rentals | Tagged Airbnb, Booking vacation rentals, vacation planning, Vacation rentals, VRBO | 34 Comments

How to Travel Cheaply: 13 Planning Tips

Published October 31, 2017 | By Clark Norton

You can spend a lot of these…

These days, traveling always seems to cost more than you think it will — or should.

Expenses add up, even after you’ve bought the airline or cruise tickets, perhaps pre-paid your hotel or rental car bills, or even booked an “all-inclusive” vacation.

And these…

It’s those little “extras” that can be killers: the pricey cups of coffee in that chic cafe, the seemingly irresistible shopping finds, the spur-of-the-moment decisions to splurge on…whatever.

And yet, those splurges can amount to some of the most memorable moments of a trip.

So, what to do to ensure you don’t return home from a vacation stressed out by credit card debt and a dwindling bank balance?

This guest post by Jesse Miller, the first in a series of how to travel on the cheap from jenreviews.com, offers some answers — or will at least get you… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Budget travel | Tagged Atlas Obscura, travel planning tips, travel tips, vacation planning | 5 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.