Queercents

We’re still looking for a new vlogger to take over where Clint left off. In the meantime, here is a video about how to find cheap airfare from my new favorite how-to site, Howcast.com.

Video credit: Howcast.com.

JetBlue Airlines is going where no airline has gone before (at least according to my memory.) The eight-year old company is offering a unique promotion…for under $599, one can fly as many times and as many places that JetBlue flies for the time period of September 8 to October 8, 2009.

While $599 is definitely a lot of money for any travel budget, consider this:  JetBlue flies to almost 60 destinations in 12 countries (including Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, and the Caribean.) If you plan on making at least two cross-country trips or even a trip to the Caribbean, this promotion could easily pay for itself.

With hubs at JFK (New York City) and Long Beach (LA Area,) JetBlue has the country covered. With a strong emphasis in New England, Florida, and the Caribbean, you could easily have a multi-vacation-business-discount month of travel.

Of course, there are a couple of requirements: passes have to be booked by next Friday, flights have to be booked within three days of flying, and some international taxes are not included. It also appears you may have to some checking on availability in advance. Read the rest of this entry »

On August 15 – 16, 2009 the United States National Park System will offer a fee-free weekend at over 100 National Parks. This is an incredible savings as the fees typically begin at $10 per car but can run over $35 per car. For the weekend, almost every state has a National Park, National Historical Site, or a National Monument included in this special value, so it appears that almost every American should be able to take advantage of this deal.

If you have ever wanted to visit the Grand Canyon, the Everglades, or Acadia National Park, this is a great weekend to do so. This is the third and final weekend this summer that the National Park System will be doing the fee-free weekends, and I hope they bring back this program next year.

Reservations for camping or any other additional services are not included in this offer, but this is still a great deal.

It appears the National Park Service, which falls under the Department of the Interior, has been trying to improve its image with the LGBT traveler. A page on its websites highlights gay and lesbian contributors to its workforce. The website also features the Stonewall Inn, which became a National Historic Landmark in 1999.

As for me, I’ll be taking advantage of this weekend. I will be visiting Olympic National Park in the state of Washington.

If summer vacation for you means campfires, s’mores, and nature, then Camp Camp may be for you. Camp Camp started over 12 years ago and offers a “fun and distinctive vacation for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community.” Located in rural Maine, this is an ultimate week-long gay “camp” for adults.

Full disclosure…I have not experienced Camp Camp, but trust me; it is on my calendar for 2010. This year’s event will be August 23 – 30, and there is currently some space still available.

With an impressive repeat camper ratio (20% of the campers last year had been to the week camp five or more times) a community of campers proves that this may be the ultimate adventure.

Cabins are shared and rustic, and you are encouraged to leave your electronics at home (even your iPod.) But by the looks of the weekly calendar, you will be completely scheduled for the week…morning swims in the lake, sports in the afternoon, star gazing and bonfires in the evenings are all activities that are offered. One really does “bunk” in cabins…Camp Camp’s website states that “it certainly isn’t the Four Seasons, [but] most find the accommodations plenty comfortable…” Read the rest of this entry »

…One way ticket yeah! And I do hereby apologize to the Beatles!

Not everyone can get the time (or afford) to take off a week for a little relaxation.

Nor can one always afford the three day weekend away of which profiling a different one used to be a mainstay in the New York Times Travel and Leisure Section on a weekly basis. While pretty inexpensive all things considered, they also relied on cheap airfare since they were hops to other cities and weren’t all that cheap in the end… (though the one to Paris, France… sigh)

Me? Once in a while I like to do something different (odd?) and spend little money doing it.

Quite a number of years ago… late 80’s…. a series of books sadly out of print but a precursor to some other fair were published by Joan Lundquist Scalpone called Mini Day Trips.

Each of them (more than 16 books) had 150 Free or Very Low Cost trips and while specific to the Sunshine State offered some interesting things to do… from Ferry Boat Rides to Ghost Towns to Rooftop Vistas for viewing. Read the rest of this entry »

In August, I will be going on my first gay cruise with RSVP Vacations. I will be joining 1,700 other guests on a seven-day adventure to Alaska. A personal goal of mine is to visit every state in the Union, and I have told that a cruise is a fantastic way to see the majestic scenery of Alaska.

Cruises can be an incredible value for your vacation dollars, especially when using some valuable tips:

Departure - The Alaska cruise departs from Seattle, about a 3-hour train ride for me so I will not have to pay for airfare. Obviously a major expensive for a cruise vacation can be air travel, and you can cut out this expense if you are within distance of major departure cities of Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, or Port Canaveral. However, as the cruise industry segments, expect more cruises to leave seasonally out of more cities like New Orleans and New York.

Type – Cruises range from intimate riverboat cruises with few guests, to family cruises like R Family Cruises, to club-like Atlantis cruises. Typically these queer-friendly companies chart out a ship for 3, 4, 7, or more days. Of course there are a plethora of traditional cruise companies as well. Read the rest of this entry »

Has anyone rented a car lately? Have you experienced sticker shocker? According to the New York Times, in mid-June, the weekly airport rental rates for a compact car averaged $347.44, compared with $210.38 a year ago. This is a 65 percent jump.

The culprit? Supply and demand: specifically, artificial shortages created by the rental agencies because they’ve scaled back fleets in this down economy. Here are 3 ways to find a less expensive option:

1. Book early. A lot of travelers use the book-at-the-last-minute strategy to find deals on hotels and airfare. This approach doesn’t work with car rentals. In fact, most times you won’t even find a car and when you do, it’ll cost you.

2. Try an independent car rental agency. The New York Times article points to mom and pop agencies that can be found at CarRentals.com and CarRentalExpress.com where the rates are typically 15 to 30 percent less than national agencies like Avis or Hertz. Read the rest of this entry »

I still remember my first vacation as if it was yesterday. I was about five years old, the year was 1980, and my immediate family was piled in our station wagon on our way to Mt. Rushmore. The sculpture is a classic Americana destination, especially for those in the Midwest. For me, however, it was a world away…one filled with excitement, adventure, and swimming pools.

My parents taught me a few tricks of traveling frugally. Always pack your meals. Always stay at a hotel or motel with a pool (the cheapest form of entertainment for kids.) Always go in off-season. It is with these simple tricks that I have been able to travel the world.

I will be joining the Queercents team and will be shedding some insight in the world of travel. The annual economic spending of the LGBT traveler in this country is over $70 billion alone per Community Marketing, Inc. That’s a lot of money, and how you spend it really matters.

I have four goals for my future postings:

1. Economic – I will post deals and share insight to the world of travel that will allow you to make the most of your travel time & dollars. Read the rest of this entry »

I have to say I love a story where a consumer is wronged by a company and then takes their complaints public in a creative, effective way. We’ve all had our share of frustrations with the airlines and my understanding is that musicians have it particularly difficult when airline staff force them to check their instruments into checked luggage and then the baggage handlers exhibit the IQ of those apes in the old American Tourister commercials.

That’s why I truly enjoyed finding out about the story of the band Sons of Maxwell, their broken guitars, subsequent struggle with United Airlines, and their resulting series of songs and videos on the subject. Here’s the short scoop:

In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say “no” to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week I put out a call for a travel writer and voila, a travel writer appeared. Eric Olson is excited to be joining the Queercents family as he will be providing commentary and insight on frugal traveling. Eric prides himself on creating itineraries highlighting LGBT owned and friendly businesses. He is currently a travel columnist for Just Out newsmagazine based in Portland, Oregon.

In his pitch, Eric provided ten reasons why he should get the travel slot. Here are 3 that prove his passport is always on stand-by.

1. Quite honestly, I believe Guinness beer should only be consumed in Ireland, and key lime pie should only be eaten in Key West, Florida… and yes, you can do it on a budget, and I can tell you how!

2. I strongly believe that there is more to queer travel than traveling to the White Party or staying in a four-star hotel that has been heavily marketed to the “upscale queer traveler.”

3. My next trip this summer will be a RSVP Cruise to Alaska (my partner made me do it). Think of the blogging opportunities… an entry titled, “The frugality of a gay cruise; does it exist?

If it does exist, I’m sure Eric will tell us about it. Please welcome him to Queercents.