Travelling Starfish

Groupon.com

Two syllables – Group – On!

A company that is in the middle of controversy and one who’s in the news nearly every day.  For those of you who don’t know, Groupon (or other daily deal sites like Living Social, Quids In or Wag Jag ) send a daily deal to a distribution list of registered users.

It’s easy to sign up (and unsubscribe) and there are big savings to be had.

As a traveller, I’ve found that by registering with these sites before my trip and in the city I’m going to be heading to, I have the opportunity to save a bundle.  There are savings for hotels, restaurants, excursions and even spa treatments (my fave)!.

As for restaurants, since these sites are tailored more to small businesses you end up finding deals in locations that are likely to be off the beaten path.  To me, this opens up a lot of doors and makes the overall travel experience even that much better.

Living Social

Here’s what to do –

1. Visit one of the sites above and confirm your destination city.
2. Enter your email address and submit the details
3. Some of the sites send you a confirmation to verify your email address.  Simply go into your email and accept.
4. After that’s done, you’ll start receiving a deal a day in your email.  When you see one you like, just simply buy it and a voucher will be sent to you so you can redeem it with the supplier.

One good tip – when booking services, especially salons or spas where you want a specific date, phone ahead to make sure they can take you and book it on the spot.  Make sure you mention the deal you’re booking.  The last thing you want is to order the voucher and be unable to book the service.

That’s about it for me.  Enjoy & have fun!

Any other “daily deal” tips are welcomed,

Miriam

Jersey CI

Travelling isn’t only about exploring, sunning yourself on the beach & backpacking.  Some of my greatest travelling moments have been working – yes, working.

As a Commonwealth citizen, I have been very fortunate to be able to take advantage of the working holiday maker scheme (now called Youth Mobility Scheme).

The Working Holidaymaker Scheme is an arrangement where a person aged between 17 and 30 (in some areas 35) can come to the UK for an extended holiday of up to two years. You can work for up to 12 months of your holiday, but the holiday should be the main reason for your stay, not the work.

Aussie bound

There are other schemes in other Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada.  All are unique to their own country and worth a Google search.

When I first came to Jersey, I came over on the Working Holidaymaker scheme.  I was quite lucky to arrive and find a job almost straight away.  I temped at a bank on the island for about 5 months and then switched to another financial institution after where I stayed for just about 2.5 years after moving to work permit status.

I’ve also applied for an Australian working holiday visa (twice actually) although I never actually went over on it.  The process for Oz was extremely easy – I was able to apply online and I got notified almost within a day following that my application had been accepted.  For Oz, once you get accepted, you have 1 year to travel over and upon entering, 1 year to work and travel in Australia.  Now that I’m 32 (yikes )I am over the age limit to go to Australia but could still apply for one in New Zealand if I ever got the urge.

Me, Israel

Not only does doing a working holidaymaker give you the chance to travel longer (as you’re earning and don’t have to live off of your savings), you also get to have a totally different experience.  By working in offices, fields or elesewhere you get to interact with the local community and adapt to what it feels like to work in the place you are visiting.  It was my first exposure to working abroad and I truly have never looked back.

Taking the step to be a working holidaymaker gave me the confidence to work elsewhere in the world – as I have in Israel too.  By taking that step, experiencing new corporate cultures and ways of life, I’ve really grown as an individual.  I highly encourage anyone travelling for an extensive period of time to find out if the country supports a working holiday scheme.  You never know – you may just find your future home.

Enjoy,

Miriam

146 posts, 3 continents – what a year!!!

I can’t believe it but it’s already been a year since I started Travelling Starfish.  Just like I did on New Year’s, I’m casting my mind back to the year that just passed me and can honestly say that it’s been a year full of change, adventures and life lessons.

Most of 2010/2011 has involved a lot of travel – whether it be staying in Israel and travelling around the Middle East, a trip back to my hometown of Toronto or countless trips to the UK, these places have transformed me and my life.

As for writing this blog and Travelling Starfish as a whole, I love it!  Keeping a memoire of places I’m visiting in the present and looking back to past trips has really helped my writing capabilities, helped me learn more about the digital life of a blogger & allowed me to meet new friends in the blogging community.  This has only added to my zest and passion for seeing and experiencing the world around me.

So on this memorable anniversary, you may be interested to know what some of my favourite memories of the year are – here you go:

Petra, Jordan

Most Memorable Adventure –

Hands down, my most memorable adventure would have to be heading from Israel to Jordan to see the beauty that is Petra. As I said in my post, Jordan itself impressed me but Petra was a place like no other.  I can’t wait to go back and hope it is sooner than later.

Top Relaxation Memory

No surprise my favourite R&R moments in 2010/2011 were in Gran Canaria.  It was the first time in awhile, maybe my whole life, where I just took it easy, lounged around and enjoyed.

Big R&R moments have to include the “Get Fit” pool at the Gloria Palace hotel.  It was great fun and we could have stayed in there for days.

Best Meal –

I’ve had a lot of food over the past year.  Even though I travel on a budget, I do enjoy a good meal out.  On this category, I’m a bit spoiled for choice but I would have to say that Mamacho’s in Cleveland wins.

Even with a tickle in my throat (it was December!) I still indulged in spicy guacamole and tasty margaritas.  If only Israel, the UK or Toronto could do fantastic tex-mex like they do in the States!

Israeli Capp - the BEST!!

Best Drink –

Surprising to most, I’m going to skip over some of my favourite wines, cocktails or spirits and go with the love of my life – the Israeli cappuccino!

Sadly enough, this is one of my favourite things about Israel.  I don’t know if it’s the espresso they use or because the dairy is so lovely there, it is just incredible.  No more to say!

Geneva

Place I Want to Go Back to the Most –

In October, en route from Israel to the UK, I spent about 12 hours in Geneva, Switzerland.  In that short time it really made an impression on me.  Also even though it was absolutely freezing outside (I WAS coming from Israel) my heart skipped a beat when I saw the Alps in the distance.  Since then I’ve been keen on going back and seeing more of this city and also the country in general.

So what will this coming year bring?  To be honest, I have no idea!  This Starfish loves to travel and loves to write about her adventures.  I hope that I’ll have more interesting adventures, holidays and stories to tell in the coming year.

Thanks for all the support I’ve had in this 1^st year – when I write, it makes me feel happy but it is even better knowing that I can enlighten others who read it too.

Be sure to join me as I continue along life’s journey!

Miriam x

Over the past 10 years, I’ve taken a lot of flights – charters, discount and commercial airlines.  Even though many of us complain about the extra costs airlines are adding to flying today – excess baggage, charging for checking in and in-flight meals, the power really is in the hands of the customer.

To me, and as a marketer, I”ve always found discount travel very interesting.  When a lot of the airlines were going under, these discount firms stepped up their marketing efforts and created new, unique ways to compete.  You have to give them credit for that.  Not only did they begin offering a “no frills” option to consumers but they also forced other commercial airlines to lower their prices – making it a much more competitive market  Gotta love the power of supply and demand.

This short post isn’t about debating if discount airlines like Ryanair, Southwest or easyJet are really cheaper than the bigger airlines – I’ve actually already done that a few months ago and tested it too.  I want to now hear from all of you and understand who you think discount airlines are primarily marketing to?  Are they after students, the leisure traveller, families, convenience junkies or business travellers?

Looking at the 3 homepages from the discount airlines easyJet, RyanAir and Southwest above, who are they primarily speaking to?  Are they conveying the same message?

My thoughts - Ryanair and easyJet are going after the same market – the customer need is cheap and cheerful, no frills.  Southwest appears to be trying to change its focus slightly.  It appears that there is movement to a more sophisticated customer. I wonder why that is – without digging into the research, if anyone can enlighten me I`d be more than interested…do tell!

Now, I want to hear from you! What do you think? Of what you know about discount airlines and these 3 in particular, who are they marketing to? Tell me your thoughts & share this post so I can hear as many thoughts as possible!

Thanks Miriam

Seeing the world can add up over the years. I would hate to sit down and calculate all that I’ve spent on my holidays until now as I know that I  could have afforded a pretty size-able down payment on a house. Any regrets?  No way, Jose.  I will get that house soon but I still don’t think I’ll ever fully give up my zest for travel.  All the memories I’ve had, places I’ve been and people I’ve met are priceless!

Luckily, I must say that even with all my travels, I’ve not really broken the bank.  I’ve managed to see a lot while working and also by sticking to a budget (even when I didn’t really need to). Over the long-term, this philosophy has really paid off (so to speak).

Here are my top 5 tips on how I’ve done it and how you can do it too -

Volunteer!

1) Combine travel with volunteering / paid work / study - When I moved to the UK in 2006, I came over on a working holiday visa. This allowed me to stay in the UK for 2 yrs and work for 1 of them.

The work should be to fund your travels and is usually of a temporary nature but, for me, it led to a full time job and subsequently moving to a full blown work permit. So, it can actually be a step up in your career if you’re lucky like I was.  Even if you just temp or work in a bar, you get to see the world and not stress as much about money.  More importantly, you’ll also gain invaluable work experience as it is an amazing experience to see and feel the different environment while working abroad.

Other options are volunteering or studying.  Sure, with these you aren’t making money per se but you are doing something good for the world and yourself in the process.  With volunteering, you will likely be giving your time in exchange for accommodation and/or food so at least you won’t have any outgoings.  For study, most international study schemes allow you to get a part-time job so at least there is an option there too.  They are both incredible experiences.

I’ve always said that working / volunteering / studying in a different country is radically different than visiting it as you get to know local people and a much greater representation of the true culture of the land.

2) Collect and use points – In my first career job in Canada I travelled a lot and my company allowed us to keep our air miles and points. This paid big dividends for me. With these points I got multiple stays in hotels, 2 tickets from London to Toronto, 1 ticket from Toronto to Australia, 1 ticket from Toronto to Italy and countless other small trips around North America. Anyone who says that they “don’t bother collecting as they will never use them” is crazy in my opinion.  Not only do you get all these freebies – you also get other benefits, like lounge access (which is amazing – especially Air Canada‘s) and upgrade passes.  It was a really money saver over the long term for me so I urge you to join the clubs so you can reap the rewards!

Opt for the budget option

3) Book discount air early and commercial flights late through consolidation sites – This isn’t a foolproof plan and doesn’t really come into play during holiday time, but it usually is a good rule of thumb.

Discount airlines work on a volume model so they are trying to sell out quick. They will allocate the cheapest seats first and then raise prices according to the demand they see.

Commercial airlines usually charge more at the start in order to plan ahead in case they don’t get anymore demand for seats.  Discounting happens at consolidations sites like Expedia or LastMinute.com closer to the time of the flight.  So for these, I typically hold off on booking until closer to the time.

4) Pack light – As you probably know, this is not one of my strong suits but I’m sure I could have saved much more if I adopted this suggestion.

Even if you take out the savings on baggage fees, you will enable yourself to be able to use cheaper transport like trains and subways much more easily.  For instance, in Israel, you get charged for additional bags in the taxi – I think the same applies in Toronto.  The less you bring, the more savings all around.

Amazing deals in Egypt

5) When dining, always go 2 streets in from a tourist attraction before selecting a restaurant – This might just be the most important way that I save.

“Tourist traps” are money suckers and can really drain the funds during a holiday.  I always go 2-3 streets away from the main tourist attraction to select a restaurant.  I find that I always save a lot of money on the food and I get a more authentic experience.

A great example of this is when I was in Rome and I did as the Romans do – sorry had to slip that in there.  Seriously, I was around the Trevi Fountain, which is one of the city’s most famous sites, and I looked at a menu at a restaurant on the piazza.  A standard pizza was about 10 Euros.  For Italy, I thought this was a lot so my friends and I walked 2-3 streets away from the main area.  The result?  A nicer and more authentic ambiance and we got a 3-course meal with a glass of red wine for 8 Euros.  I think I’ve proved my point.

So those are my top 5 tips – what about you?  How have you saved money while travelling?  I’m always interested in getting a good deal!