Austria Travel

Ernest H. Robl: Austria travel data Specializing in Travel and Transportation Subjects For More than 30 years Stock Photography / Illustrated Articles AustrianTravel Data (for"The Slow side of the Danube") Where to get additionalinformation Austria (general) For additional information on the Wachauregion on the north shore of the Danube, contact Austrian National Tourist Office (click toconnect to Web site) P.O. Box 1142 New York, NY 10108 or Austrian National Tourist Office 500 Fifth Ave., Suite 2009 New York, NY 10110 (212) 944-6880 Austrian National Tourist Office 11601 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2480 Los Angeles, CA 90025 (310) 477-3332 Austrian National Tourist Office 500 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1950 Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 644-8092 The Austrian National Tourist Office canalso provide some information on rail travel in Austria and theAustrian Federal Railways. Rail Travel Railroads are an important part ofAustria's transportation infrastructure. Austria, about the sizeof the U.S. state of Maine, contains some 3,500 route-miles oftrack -- with most still served by passenger trains. (That's morethan enough track to stretch diagonally across the continentalU.S. from Seattle to Miami.) For general information on rail travel inEurope, including currently available rail passes, contact Rail Europe (click toconnect to Web site) 230 Westchester Ave. White Plains, NY 10604 (800) 4-EURAIL (Rail Europe is a marketing subsidiary ofthe French National Railways, which also represents otherEuropean railroad administrations in North America.) Information on rail travel in Europe isalso available from Forsyth Travel Library (click toconnect to Web site) 9154 W. 57th St. Shawnee Mission, KS 66201-9968 1-800-FORSYSTH (1-800-367-7984) or (913) 384-3440 (This company specializes in sellingEuropean rail passes, a wide range of travel literature[guidebooks, maps, etc.], and travel accessories.) Keep in mind that brochures available fromthese organizations (and your local travel agents) emphasizeconnections between major cities -- and that most maps containedin them depict highly-simplified versions of route systems. Rick Steves: Europe through the back door (clickto connect to Web site) Rick Steves, best known for his Europeantravel programs shown on PBS stations, also offers extensive railtravel information and European rail passes through his own Website. Steam Trains Information on special steam excursiontrains in Austria is available from larger stations. Ask about orlook for posters advertising "Nostalgie" or"Dampf" trains. Or, mention your interest in thissubject when inquiring with the Austrian National Tourist Office. Schedule Information If you travel on secondary lines inAustria, a copy of the comprehensive Austrian rail schedule bookis a good investment. It's about the size of a paperback noveland contains about 1,000 pages of thin paper. Schedules are easy to decipher, even if youdo not read German. The introductory material includes a sectionin English which also explains symbols used in timetables. Afold-out map shows route numbers. Schedules are arranged by routenumber. The book is available at ticket counters atmost rail stations in Austria. Ask for the "InlandKursbuch." An appendix even includes schedules for theDanube steamers. You'll have to purchase this book (about$9) after you get to Austria; it is not available in the U.S. The Austrian Federal Railways(sterreichische Bundesbahnen or BB) have an excellent scheduleinquiry Web site . You canfind connections and complete schedules for various routes byclicking on the above link. ###ehr ### Returnto Danube travel feature. Returnto travel feature main page. [Business] [Transportationdata] [Stockphoto newsletters] [Ernest H. Robl Home Page] [Feedback(e-mail)]

Taiwan Travel Guide Resources,

Taiwan Travel Guide: Resources, Articles & Tips Language Schools Volunteer & Intern Abroad Academic Study Programs Teenager Summer Abroad Medical Spanish & More Business Programs Programs for Educators Specialized Courses Programs for Groups Study Abroad Blog Cultural Immersion & Sports Christmas Around the World Chanukah Traditions About Us Downloads Specials Newsletter Contact Us What's New - Jump To Country - Argentina Argentina & Chile Austria Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile China Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt France Germany Greece Guatemala Honduras Israel Italy Japan Mexico Morocco Panama Peru Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Russia Spain Switzerland Taiwan Thailand United Arab Emirates United States Uruguay Venezuela Faculty Participants Parents Resources Search Site: AmeriSpan Study Abroad » Study & Travel Resources » Travel Guide Taiwan Travel Guide Resources, Articles & Tips General Information Taiwan Consular Information Sheet - A U.S. government information sheet with Taiwan entry requirements, safety and security issues, medical insurance, health information, and more. Taiwan Railway Information - Travel via train throughout Taiwan. An Official Travelers Health Source - The U.S. government's travel site related to health issues of travel abroad. Hotels & Restaurants Food in Taiwan - An interesting general guide on eating customs in Taiwan. Restaurant Guide - A straight forward listing of restaurants in Taiwan categorized by cuisine type. Taipei Hotels and more - Hotels in Taipei and other locations within Taiwan plus general travel information. News & Culture Taipei Times - An online English newspaper on Taipei and the world. Traditional Chinese culture in Taiwan - Everything you would want to learn about regarding the arts and culture of Taiwan! A must-see! Taiwan Headlines - An English newspaper. Travel & Tourism Online Travel Magazine - This site has lots of travel related material such as the arts, culture, festivals, shopping, attractions, sports and much more. A pictorial glance at Taiwan - A fun and different view of all aspects of Taiwan. Lonely Planet- Destination Taiwan - A fun site that includes basic travel information, history, culture, attractions, and more for the independent traveler. Taiwan Travel Articles New 'must learn' language likely to be Mandarin ( Learning A language ) - The Four Secrets to Long Term Retention... ( Learning A language ) - What you learn here has the potential to completely change your life! I have specifically applied these four secrets to the development of all Bilingual America Learning Courses. and have found over and over that students who follow these "Four Secrets To Long Term Retention" achieve outstanding results. Are Language Skills Enough? ( Learning A language ) - Article on the importance of cross-cultural communication AmeriSpan Study Abroad 117 South 17th Street, STE 1401 Philadelphia, PA 19103 Worldwide: (215) 751-1100 Fax: (215) 751-1986 USA: (800) 879-6640 WWW: http://www.amerispan.com E-mail: info@amerispan.com Business Hours: Mon-Fri:9am-7pm AmeriSpan Thanks You for Making Our Site Award Winning Quick Navigational Links Japanese | Korean | Chinese | Talenreizen | Sprachreisen | French | Sprkresor | Norwegian | Danish Study Abroad Reviews | Philly Sports Talk | Music Lyrics | Learn Spanish | Study Abroad Resources Spanish Abroad | Arabic Abroad | Italian Abroad | German Abroad | French Abroad | Portuguese Abroad Intern Abroad | Study Abroad Programs | Guatemala School | Languages Abroad | Teenagers Abroad Site Map | Charity | Privacy Policy | Link To Us | Articles 1 2 3 | Partners | Advertise | Affiliate

Mexico Travel

Cancun Mexico : TravelYucatan.com Cancun Mexico Info Including Beaches, Mayan Ruins, Tours Cancun Mexico CANCUN MEXICO Cancun is Mexico's most visited tourist destination and boasts over twenty-five thousand hotel rooms. There's golf, tennis lots of shopping facilities and a remarkable biodiversity. There are four hundred seventy-five bird species, over a hundred different mammals and twelve hundred plant species. Cancun has lots of beach and the hotels are magnificent. Some people actually never even leave the hotel grounds their entire vacation. This speaks volumes for some of these resorts situated on the edge of ocean beaches. The beautiful ocean are home to over two thousand five hundred marine species with five hundred different tropical fish. Cancun is located in the State of Quintana Roo at the most southern tip of the peninsula. It is divided into two sections: the Hotel Zone [Zona Hotelera] which is a 22 km sandy strip of land between a lagoon and seaside hotels located on Cancun Island and Cancun City/Downtown [El Centro] which is home to the many Mexicans who live in the district. Downtown is located on the mainland. Hurricane Wilma Distaster Information THE CANCUN HOTEL ZONE The hotel zone is an island shaped like a 7. It is joined to the mainland on the southern tip by the Punta Nizuc Bridge and the Playa Linda Bridge at the northern end. This 22 km strip of sandy beach is bisected by a long main street named Kukulcan Boulevard. On the north and south side of the island is the Caribbean Sea while an enormous lagoon named Laguna Nichupte is formed by the inside of the "7" on the islands southwest side. Cancun is similar to Miami or Myrtle Beach but with a more international flare . In some places you would be hard-pressed to notice the difference. You can however go on guided excursions from Cancun to almost anywhere in the Yucatan. CANCUN CITY/DOWNTOWN The city begins where Kukulcan Boulevard meets Bonampak Avenue at the most northern tip. In Cancun streets are named after Mayan cities. Today over 450,000 people live in this growing community. The heart of the city is known as "Downtown" [El Centro] which is where the main vendor markets are located on Tulum Avenue. There are also numerous restaurants and boutiques offering everything from cigars to exotic perfumes. NOTE: We have purchased expensive perfumes in Cancun at 1/3 the cost of the perfume in the US and Canada. HOTELS OFF THE BEACH STRIP There are many hotels off the beach strip and these hotels drop in price dramatically. Many are within a short drive or bus ride to the beach. The rule is that the closer to the beach you are the more expensive. You can also find some pretty expensive 5 Star resorts way off the beach that cater to people who don't necessarily feel the need to be near the sea. If you are backpacking and traveling by bus there are a number of cheap accommodations near the bus station. If you just stand there with your backpack/luggage somebody will approach you and suggest a hotel. These guys are the hotel reps and get a commission for bringing in customers. HOTELS ON THE BEACH STRIP Every time you blink it seems there is a new hotel. We have spoken to many people who have had marvelous stays in more than one hotel in the beach zone. Quite often we talk to people who have been going here for over a dozen years and have never had a negative experience with any of the hotels. If you are planning on going there, the following articles written by Jules Seigel are recommended reading. Jules has lived in the area for over 20 years. See "Recommended Readings" located at the bottom of this page. GETTING AROUND CANCUN Public Bus The cheapest way to get around is by public bus. The public bus system operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week everyday of the year. For more information see: Bus System For bus travel outside the hotel and city zones see: Mexican Bus Taxi You can get a taxi cab anywhere in Cancun [except the airport]. You can take a taxi to the airport, but taxis are not allowed to pick up passengers there [although they try]. Taxi rates are set by how many "zones" you travel through to get to your destination. There are no meters in the cabs. This way you can get a price up-front from the driver as to how much the fare will be. Rates are posted in most hotels near the front desk. NOTE: Taxi rates are more expensive from the front door of your hotel than if you walk to the street and flag down a taxi [hotels get a kick-back]. Car Rental There are numerous car rental agencies for you to choose from. For more information including links to car rental agency web sites see: Renting A Vehicle Walking The hotel zone is 22 kilometers long and the hotels and malls are spread out along the coast. Depending on where your hotel is you may be within walking distance of any of the "big malls". If you go to the tourist zone of the city, everything there is within walking distance [bus station, banks, restaurants, hotels etc.]. Bicycle Some hotels rent bikes. You can ride on the sidewalks on Kukulcan Blvd. but we don't recommend riding on the street. We have also never seen "locks" supplied with bike rentals so it is hard to visit a mall without leaving your bike unlocked. Mopeds All we can say about renting a moped is that if you do you are risking your life. Those things are death-traps. We have seen the damage done. THINGS TO KNOW Cancun is an international tourist destination and thus there is foreign money and experience here. Many of the hotels are co-owned by foreign investers who also supply experienced management. There are countless Americans, Germans, Italians, Swiss, and Canadians working here. This is the tourist Mecca of Mexico and the Mexican government provides a safe environment for this to flourish. Crime is taken very seriously here. You are indeed safe. For vactioners, many of your questions could probably be answered if you read these pages: Cancun Vacations Info & Tips Cancun All Inclusive Interesting readings if you're planning a trip to Mexico: A Quick Guide To Beach Hotels Corruption Isn't What It Used To Be Medical Restaurants Shopping in a Mexican Market Supermarkets Transportation ENGLISH SPANISH hello hola please por favor beer cerveza thanks gracias bathroom bao travelers de viajero cash efectivo credit credito bank el banco open abierto Cancun is a world-class tourist resort destination and a thriving community of 450,000 full-time residents who lead normal, often very traditional lives. The greatest asset Cancun has is its natural marine playground which sparkles with a warm sun more than 200 days of the year. Cancun beaches are 14 miles of white-talc sand. Don't forget that sunlight in the Yucatan is more direct than most are accustomed to. Limit you initial exposure then increase exposure as your vacation progresses. Cancun resorts have long been a honeymoon destination but have now become a very hot place for weddings. In Cancun partying takes precedence over just about everything. There are more than 350 restaurants. Cancun hotels are excellent, ranging from four and five star to Grand Tourism. CANCUN INFO Introduction Cancun Hotels Cancun Hotel Map Cancun Beaches Cancun Vacations Info & Tips Cancun Map Bus System Cancun Shopping Cancun Restaurants Club Scene Cancun Attractions Cancun Golf Entertainment Cancun All Inclusive Deep Sea Fishing Weather Cancun Airport Pictures If you are staying at an all-inclusive for any length of time it is a good idea to tip the egg-lady at the buffet on your first day. She will remember you. In many resorts the egg-lady is in charge of the breakfest. Airport Transfers If you wish to plan your trip around visiting museums check out the page. For information about renting a car, taking a bus, road signs etc. go to the section on More detailed information on exploring Mayan ruin sites can be found in The Yucatan's many varied ecological destinations are reviewed in Emergency information is located in the section. | Cancun | Chichen Itza | Merida | Uxmal | Isla Holbox | | Mayan Riviera | Playa del Carmen | Cozumel | Isla Mujeres | Last Mod: November 2, 2005 2005 TravelYucatan.com v4.0 Description: Cancun Vacations and Travel Information Travel Information for Cancun Mexico

Spain Travel Guide @

spain travel tours vacations Spain Tourism Home World Tourism AfghanistanTourism - Albania Tourism - AlgeriaTourism - Andorra Tourism - AngolaTourism - Antigua and Barbuda Tourism - ArgentinaTourism - Armenia Tourism - AustraliaTourism - Austria Tourism - AzerbaijanTourism - Bahamas Tourism - BahrainTourism - Bangladesh Tourism - BarbadosTourism - Belarus Tourism - BelgiumTourism - Belize Tourism - BhutanTourism - Bolivia Tourism - Bosniaand Herzegovina Tourism - BotswanaTourism - Brazil Tourism - BritishVirgin Islands Tourism - BulgariaTourism - Cambodia Tourism - Canada Tourism - CaymanIslands Tourism - Chad Tourism - ChileTourism - China Tourism - ColombiaTourism - Comoros Tourism - CroatiaTourism - Cuba Tourism - CyprusTourism - Czech Republic Tourism - DominicaTourism - Dominican Republic Tourism - DenmarkTourism - Ecuador Tourism - EgyptTourism - El Salvador Tourism - EstoniaTourism - Ethiopia Tourism - FijiTourism - Finland Tourism - FranceTourism - Georgia Tourism - GermanyTourism - Ghana Tourism - GreeceTourism - Grenada Tourism - GuyanaTourism - Haiti Tourism - HondurasTourism - Hungary Tourism - IcelandTourism - India Tourism - IndonesiaTourism - Iraq Tourism - IranTourism - Ireland Tourism - IsraelTourism - Italy Tourism - IvoryCoast Tourism - JamaicaTourism - Japan Tourism - Jordan Tourism - KazakstanTourism - Kuwait Tourism - KyrgyzstanTourism - Laos Tourism - LatviaTourism - Lebanon Tourism - LibyaTourism - Lithuania Tourism - LuxembourgTourism - Madagascar Tourism - MaldivesTourism - Mauritania Tourism - MauritiusTourism - Mexico Tourism - MoldovaTourism - Mongolia Tourism - NepalTourism - Netherlands Tourism - NewZealand Tourism - Nicaragua Tourism - NigeriaTourism - North Korea Tourism - NorwayTourism - Oman Tourism - PakistanTourism - Panama Tourism - PapuaNew Guinea Tourism - Paraguay Tourism - PeruTourism - Philippines Tourism - PolandTourism - Portugal Tourism - QatarTourism - Romania Tourism - RussiaTourism - Saudi Arabia Tourism - SerbiaTourism - Seychelles Tourism - SingaporeTourism - Slovakia Tourism - SloveniaTourism - Somalia Tourism - SouthAfrica Tourism - South KoreaTourism - Spain Tourism - Sri Lanka Tourism - St.Kitts and Nevis Tourism - St. LuciaTourism - Sudan Tourism - Sweden Tourism - SwitzerlandTourism - Syria Tourism - TajikistanTourism - Thailand Tourism - Trinidadand Tobago Tourism - Turkey Tourism - TurkmenistanTourism - Turks and Caicos IslandsTourism - Uganda Tourism - United Arab Emirates Tourism - UnitedKingdom Tourism - United StatesTourism - Uruguay Tourism - Uzbekistan Tourism - VenezuelaTourism - Vietnam Tourism Due to the nature of the topic and the wide range of information available, in order to cover only a tiny bit of it properly, some of the websites included here may have a commercial element in addition to the excellent information they provide. Such inclusion does not constitute an endorsement of product or service by archaeolink.com. Sites are included for information value only. The number of sites available online for this topic is enormous. This site can not and does not index all travel resources for a country. These "tourism" pages are basically designed as a supplement to the Spain Social Studies links rather than for the avid business or pleasure traveler. For those of you for whom this "supplementary" material is not enough, the following does provide some idea of what is available online and will hopefully be a good starting point for a more serious search. Discover Spain with the Tourist Office of Spain __ Official website for travel and tourism information. You will fina all you need to know to plan a great Spanish getaway. - illustrated - From Government of Spain - http://www.spaintour.com/indexe.html IgoUgo: Spain Tourism, Things To Do In Spain __ You will find a series of journals written by real travelers giving their impressions and recommendations. - illustrated - From igougo.com - http://www.igougo.com/planning/journalRegion.asp?LocationID=289 Spain __ "The exuberance of the Spaniards and the glorious predictability of the summer weather have been attracting refugees from northern Europe's damp and clammy lands for decades, but Spain is much more than the Costa del Sol and warm English beer. It is drenched in the historical pageantry of empire and conquistadors, the artistic legacy of Goya, Velzquez, Picasso and Dal, and the romance of Don Quijote, Papa Hemingway and the International Brigades." History, culture, statistics and more. - illustrated - From Lonely Planet - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/spain/ Spain Tourism __ General website covering many aspects of travel in Spain. Beaches, nature, area guide and more. - illustrated - From spain-info.com - http://www.spain-info.com/tourism_index.htm Spain Travel Guide @ TravelNotes.org __ "...Culture and summer sun by the sea, with copious quantities of sex, and sangria stirred in for good measure. Find out more about Spain." - From TravelNotes.org - http://www.travelnotes.org/Europe/spain.htm Web archaeolink.com Top of Page

Disney Vacation Other Disney

MouseSavers.com - Ways to Save for Your Disney Vacation Great deals on all things Disney! Find out how to save on: Walt Disney World Disneyland Disney Cruise Line Transportation for Your Disney Vacation Other Disney Travel Savings Discount Disney Shopping Mall Live Disney Shows Disney Freebies Disneyland Resort Paris Disney Parks in Asia Disney's Vero Beach/Hilton Head Non-Disney Theme Parks & Attractions More information: About MouseSavers Frequently Asked Questions Trip Reports and Articles Links Testimonials Privacy Policy & Legal Stuff Contact Mary Ways to Save for Your Disney Vacation Jump to: Vacation Savings Account Other Ways to Save in Small Increments More Tips and Tricks Vacation Savings Account One of the best and smartest ways to save for a Disney vacation is to open a separate savings account specifically for your vacation fund. If at all possible, jump-start the account with a lump sum, such as a tax refund. Have a certain amount auto-debited from your paychecks and deposited directly into that savings account. That way you never see the money, so there is less temptation to spend it. And of course you'll be earning interest! If you put $25 a week into your vacation account and earn 2% interest compounded daily, you'll have $1337 in the account a year after you start saving, and $2677 in two years. If you're able to "jump start" the account with $500 and then add that $25 a week at 2% interest, you'll have $1847 in your account a year after you start saving, and $3197 in two years. By the way, it is very worthwhile to shop around for the best banking deal . The best I've found is the Orange Savings Account from ING Direct . I have one of these accounts myself. You can open one in 5 minutes or less and transfer money into it electronically. The ING account pays a variable 3.75% Annual Percentage Yield on savings with no minimum deposit and no hidden fees or service charges. (Compare this with what your bank or credit union pays on savings accounts. I predict you'll be amazed.) It's FDIC insured. You can easily set up an automatic savings plan with this account. Other Ways to Save in Small Increments Here are some additional, relatively painless tricks people use to get themselves to save. It's all about setting priorities -- and in some cases, tricking yourself into saving. What works for one person, won't work for another. Try one, or try 'em all. Remember, every penny helps! Buy US Savings Bonds You can purchase them online and spend as little as $25 each time. US Savings Bonds must be held for at least 1 year before you can cash them in. There is a 3-month interest penalty if you cash an EE or I Bond within the first five years from its issue date. There is no penalty for cashing EE or I Bonds that are at least five years old. Bonds pay very good interest compared with a regular savings account and since they are issued by the government, they are an extremely safe investment. Buy Disney Dollars Personally I would never use this method because it doesn't earn interest, but some people find it very helpful because you can't spend Disney Dollars anywhere but Disney! Disney Dollars are "cash equivalents." One Disney Dollar = one US dollar, and you can buy any even dollar amount, so for example if you have $31 saved you can buy that amount in Disney Dollars. You can also give your children Disney Dollars for birthdays and holidays, and ask relatives to do the same, so the kids will have their own spending money for the next Disney vacation. Disney Dollars can be purchased at any Disney Store or Disney theme park, or through Walt Disney World Mail Order at (407) 363-6200. The Change Jar Make a rule that you never spend coins. Save all your pocket change and throw it in a big jar. Label the jar (i.e. "Our Disney Vacation") to remind your of your goal. Periodically you can roll the coins and see how much you have. (This is a great job for kids.) Once it's rolled, put it in your vacation savings account. If you don't want to roll the change, see if your bank takes unrolled change . Some banks have change-counting machines and they'll count your coins for free or for a very small fee. There are CoinStar machines in many grocery stores that will allow you to dump in a ton of change and get a slip redeemable for bills at the cashier, but you'll pay a hefty premium (somewhere around 9%) for the service; if you do this, at least pluck out the quarters and roll those! Variations on the change jar: Never spend quarters , or never spend dollar bills . Put those in the jar. Checkbook Games When writing a check, round up your checkbook entry to the nearest dollar. For instance, if you write a check for $57.12, record it in your checkbook as $58. Not only does this help you prevent overdrafts, it also means you're accumulating a little extra in your account every time you write a check. Another good thing about this method is that you're earning interest on that extra money, assuming you have an interest-bearing checking account. Round down your deposit entries to the nearest dollar. For instance, if you deposit $300.91, record it as $300. Again, you're accumulating a little extra "ghost" money in your account. A variation on the checkbook rounding method: charge yourself a dollar every time you write a check, plus round up . So if the check was for $47.39, round it up to $48 and add a dollar, making the entry in your checkbook $49. Another variation on the checkbook rounding method: round up to the nearest five dollars . So if the check was for $52.23, round it up to $55. If it was for $9.51, round it up to $10. More Tips and Tricks If a payment ends, keep making it -- to yourself! For instance, if you pay off a car or a credit card, keep making that payment, but instead write the check to yourself and deposit it into your vacation savings account. Make a rule that "found" money goes in the vacation fund. For instance, if you get a rebate, tax refund, gift check or work bonus, deposit it in the vacation account. Give yourself an allowance for cash expenditures (i.e. groceries, gas, meals out, entertainment, etc.) and make a game of seeing how much of your allowance you can NOT spend. Anything left over at the end of the week (or month) goes into the vacation fund. Charge everything to Disney's Visa or a cash-back credit card and pay the card off each month. (Only do this if you can handle the temptation to overspend on plastic, and if you really will pay the balance off every single month. If you won't pay it off monthly, this is a bad idea.) Use the Disney Dream Reward Dollars or cash-back bonus toward your vacation. Cut out one small daily expense and put the money you're saving into your vacation fund. The savings can really add up. If you save $1 a day on something you buy at work, and you work 5 days a week x 50 weeks, that's $250 a year! For example: If you drink a cafe latte every morning, buy a travel mug and fill it with strong coffee and hot milk at home instead. If you usually eat lunch out or buy lunch at a deli, try bringing lunch from home at least 2 or 3 days a week. If you just can't get it together to make a lunch, at least try bringing a can of soda from home instead of buying one at the deli or out of a machine. Bring a snack from home instead of hitting the vending machines. Giving up smoking may save you enough money in a year to fund a family vacation. I'm not kidding! If you're smoking a pack a day, you're spending at least $800 a year on cigarettes. In places with high tobacco taxes, you're spending $1600 or more. Ask your family to help you save. Often children aren't very aware of how much small expenses can add up over time. If you point out that every nickel they can save the household will get them closer to seeing Mickey, they may surprise you! Solicit their ideas and suggestions, and then agree to put aside what you've saved for your vacation fund. Be sure you have a plan for keeping the saved money separate, so that it doesn't get spent elsewhere. That might mean writing a check for the amount of money saved and depositing it into your vacation account, or putting that amount of cash into the change jar. Whatever it is, do it consistently. Here are a few ideas your family might consider: Spend less on entertainment. Borrow videos from your public library instead of the video store: most public libraries offer this service for little or no cost. Instead of going to the movies, check the newspaper for free local family entertainment and events, or have a family game night. Eat out less. Face it, cooking every night can be tiring and a drag, and that leads to eating out, which is much more expensive. So find a way to avoid this. Think up something you can make in the crockpot one night a week instead of getting takeout. Or turn cooking into a fun project once a week -- for instance, make a pizza with the kids instead of ordering one. Use grocery store coupons. Particularly if you live in an area like Southern California, where the major supermarkets will double the value of manufacturer's coupons, you can't afford NOT to clip coupons out of the Sunday paper! I do this, combined with buying sale items and seasonal produce, and frequently save 40% or more on my grocery bill. Seriously, 15 minutes of effort and a $5 coupon organizer can save you an amazing amount of money. Kids who are old enough to use scissors can certainly cut out coupons. Older kids can also sort and file coupons in your coupon organizer. Sell your junk. Have a big garage sale. Take still-in-fashion clothes to a consignment shop. Sell unwanted books, CDs, movies and collectibles you no longer want on eBay . You'd be amazed at what your old stuff may bring. Don't assume no one wants it. (I once sold a ratty bathmat the dog had chewed up, which I was using as a rag, for a quarter. It wasn't even part of my garage sale -- someone just noticed it lying on the ground and offered me money for it!) If you are a family of recreational shoppers, start going to garage sales, consignment shops and thrift stores instead of the mall. One person's trash is another's treasure, remember? There is often good stuff to be had at these places! Take a certain amount of cash and don't spend more. You'll get the thrill of the hunt and the thrill of the bargain, but for much less than a trip to the mall. Shop around on your insurance at least once a year. It's remarkable how much you can save. Rates for an identical auto insurance policy can vary from one company to another by as much as 100%! An easy way to shop around is to use an online site such as InsureMe.com , which will get you quotes from several insurance companies. I used this site to shop for life insurance and ended up with a great deal from a top-rated company. Evaluate your spending on cable television and telephone services. Maybe you don't really need extended cable or call waiting. Check rates to be sure you're not paying more than you have to for long distance calls. I've used OPEX as my long distance carrier for several years. I have tried AT&T, Sprint, MCI and others in the past, and this company is just as good... for only 3.9 cents per minute! To compare long distance rates, you can use a site like longdistanceworld.com . Get everyone to turn out the lights when no one is in the room, and turn off TVs, radios and computer equipment when they're not in use. Fix dripping faucets and leaking toilets. These measures may only save you a buck or two a month on your utility bills, but it all adds up. Encourage "gifts of love" instead of store-bought gifts. For instance, give each other certificates for back rubs, car washes, and other kind gestures that cost you nothing but your time and effort. Or set a low limit (like $5) on gifts and see how creative you can get. Back to the home page Back to top Content of MouseSavers.com is © Mary Waring & MouseSavers 2001-2005. No part of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.