Nkodas Travel site

Archive for August, 2009

If you’re visiting a big city, hotels tend to be expensive the closer in you stay to the city center. Even the budget hotels might strain your budget. Consider staying in a suburb or the next small town over. Take a 15-20 minute bus or train ride into the city. Hotels and restaurants will be cheaper, and it may even be a cuter area to stay in.

Home swaps are becoming more popular as a way to save while on holiday. They’re good for families or small groups traveling together to share the expense.

As an even more frugal alternative to a hotel, if you’re young and adventurous, you might even want to give “couch surfing” a try. It’s a system where you register, then are referred to strangers who are willing to let you sleep on their couch. Sign up to host or be a couch surfer with an organization like Couch Surfing. They will connect you with others who are interested in letting you flop on their sofa. You can also sign up to host travelers yourself.

There are house swaps and couches to flop on all over the world. You have to be willing to give up a little of your privacy, but you can save a lot of money…. and make new friends while you’re saving.

Consider booking a fly/drive bundle or hotels bundled with flights. You might be an independent traveler who likes to find your own accommodations, but you might find you can save a bundle with that bundle.

If you want to go to a play or the opera look for half-off, same day sales booths. Many cities have these. In London and New York where everyone wants to see a play, these booths can save you a bunch. The only downside is you might not be able to see the latest plays. You may have to stand in a long line, and you might have to pay cash.

Are there any budget travel tips when you’re renting a car? Get the smallest car that you and your group can fit in. Car companies love to say they can “upgrade” you for only a little more…. but why do you want to pay more if you don’t need the space. Bigger cars take more gas… gas is expensive. (And, the driver in our team reminds me, they’re harder to park.)  Read more...

The cost of going to college has been rising over the past few years, and it is not expected to go down any time soon. While loans can be useful for paying off your college expenses they can be especially difficult to handle. It would be great if you could get your college education without having to pay anything for it and you can do that with government college grants. Not only are government college grants provided by the government but you won’t have to pay anything for them. You will have to follow the right steps in order to get the government college grants that you need though.

The competition for government college grants is especially tough because there are so many college students applying for them. You can get started on the road to getting one of these government college grants by knowing where to go to get them. The main concern is that not everyone knows how to properly apply for government college grants, and this can cost them a chance at free college money.

First, you will need to learn how to apply for government college grants. You can learn how by going to a government agency in your area that has the appropriate forms for getting government college grants. You will also need to find out what grants are available and what the requirements are for these grants. If you are eligible for any of these grants then you can apply for them with the documents that the agency specifically asks for. Of course, you’ll need to take care of everything by the deadline.

When writing out your applications for government college grants you should remember to write especially well. If you explain your needs clearly you will be more likely to get the government college grants that you are applying for. The requests should be succinct and not too drawn out.

Your applications for government college grants should be sent in as early as possible. The grants generally are a first come first serve thing, so you should get your applications in as soon as you can.

You can get information on the government college grants and the forms you can use for getting them at the financial aid office of your local school. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the most popular of these government college grants and will give you information on your Student Aid Report. This report will let you know if you application for a government college grant was accepted or not.  Read more...

Check out the launch of the Mongolia Charity Rally from Woburn Safari Park. The Mongolia Charity Rally is the original charity rally to Mongolia from London to the ancient Mongol capital of Ulaanbaatar. Run by UK adventure charity Go Help, the charity who don’t like to do fundraising the conventional way. Driven by Adventure. Focused on Charity. To follow this year’s Mongolia Charity Rally or to find out more about signing up, visit mongolia.charityrallies.org

Traveling to New York for the first time or for a short vacation can be an exhilarating experience. In today’s economy, the biggest question is can one afford to make such  a trip. Unknown to many visitors to the “Big Apple” are the incredible amount of  world class activities that are either completely free or much less than one expected. Before we look at some of these exciting budget affairs, let’s first discuss the two most important issues facing a New York Tourist: Flights and Accommodations.

Any seasoned traveler probably knows how to take advantage of the abundance of low cost flights available on the internet. Just direct yourself online to Orbitz, Expedia, etc. or any one of your favorite discount airline’s website and type in your dates. Shop around, book your flight well in advance and pay less than you would have expected. Accommodations are by far the most expensive part of the trip once you have found a flight. The typical New York chain Hotel offers average rooms starting at $250.00 per night or even much more. An alternative to this has seen a rise in the availability of furnished apartments open for short term stays to meet the needs of a budget traveler. The advantage of having a furnished apartment is that they typically can sleep 4 comfortably and include a fully equipped kitchen with a refrigerator. This means that besides the special occasions when one would definitely want to dine out in New York’s storied restaurants; breakfast, lunch, snacks, beer, wine, soda, water, etc. can all be kept in the room, saving an important part of the travel budget. A good resource for affordable furnished apartments and sublets in New York is http://www.nyfurnishedapartments.com and http://www.nyvacationapartments.com.

Without question, New York’s incredible selection of Museums rivals any city in the world. Tickets to any number of these institutions can cost more than an expensive lunch. However, there are a number of ways to get around this and see these important art institutions for free or barely anything at all. The MoMA offers free admission every Friday evening at 4:00p.m. sponsored by Target, Saving yourself the twenty dollars or a hundred for a family of five. The Metropolitan has a unique payment plan that allows you to pay whatever you feel comfortable with, even it is a single penny. Another twenty saved. Same thing with Whitney on certain Thursdays each month. The Guggenheim, like the MoMA also offers free Friday admissions as well, but not as frequent.  Read more...

Heritage, culture and Ayurveda are some facts that usually lures an international tourist towards India but the times are changing and this can very well be analysed with the increasing adventure travel in the country. In the present scenario, along with the well known places like Jaipur, Agra and Tirupathi, the adventure spots in the country are also catching some attention from the international tourists.

Some places in the country are really hot while some are covered with snow hence, the opportunity for several adventure sports are likely in India. Currently, the enthusiasm for river rafting, skiing and para gliding is increasing rapidly among the energetic adventure audience of the country and if it is included with one or two nights camping at a beautiful place, then it is seen as icing on the cake.

For those who start their journey from Delhi, Uttarakhand is seen as the best option to experience the adventure of river rafting. The camping spot Shivpuri, situated near Rishikesh offers a magical rafting experience to the tourists and is even rated as one of the best rafting destinations in the world. With good food, accommodation, adventure and relaxation, this place is quickly coming up as one of the most sought after tourist places in the country.

If one moves close to Kumaon and Garhwal in Uttarakhand then the adventure of trekking as well as rappelling doesn’t stand far from him. Inside the itinerary designed for their adventure travel, many people find Mukteshwar as a best place to avail a thrilling rappelling experience. However, no option of camping is available at this place, but some well developed resorts are enough to ensure the comfort for tourists.

Manali in Himachal Pradesh has also emerged as a big name in the league of adventure travel with the options of para gliding, river rafting, skiing, rock climbing and valley crossing present in here. With the help of its snow covered high mountains and fast flowing river, Manali has managed to conquer the position of highly acclaimed sporting destination in the country.

Previously, people thought that there is no point in searching for a deadly adventure in India but, as the government is exploring new sporting destinations in the country, the dream of adventure travel is only getting bigger.