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Winter Travel Deals

Winter travel starts with the holidays, but includes so much more. Take a look at offers for airfares, lodging, cruises, transportation and even a great budget ski getaway.

Seasonal Planning

Budget Travel Spotlight10

Readers' Choice Awards for 2011

Sunday January 9, 2011

The About.com Readers' Choice Awards gain interest and prestige each year. In 2011, budget travel categories will appear for the first time.

Starting at midnight EST this Thursday, Jan. 13, send me your nominations for the best U.S. budget airline, the best international budget airline and the best frequent-flier program. Nomination submissions will continue until Feb. 4 at 11:59 p.m. EST. One week later, I'll post the finalists in each of these categories. At that time, you can vote for winners. We'll close the voting on March 8 and announce winners March 15. There's no prize -- just the bragging rights that come with getting recognized by the readers of one of the biggest networks on the web.

I will post a link here on Jan. 13 that will take you to a handy submission form. You will simply type in your choices and hit "Send Feedback."

If you're not already a subscriber to the About.com Budget Travel newsletter, sign up for free and receive automatic notification about the finalists and eventual winners. You can also visit the 2011 Readers' Choice Awards page to browse dozens of categories within travel and 12 other channels.

Help About.com identify the best of the best!

Step by Step Tips for Planning a First Budget European Vacation

Sunday January 9, 2011

Can you afford to take that initial European vacation? Inexperienced travelers usually are quick to speak up with a negative answer.

Some will look at this lovely scene along the Adriatic coast of Croatia and assume they can't afford to pay a visit to this picturesque port. In fact, sadly, many a traveler looks at all of Europe with the attitude that it is hopelessly beyond his or her financial grasp. At full price, they are probably correct. But they don't have to pay full price or make every mistake.

Plenty of people before you have done so, and you can learn from their experiences.

So take a look at 10 step by step tips for planning your first European vacation. Even if it isn't your first attempt, you will profit from taking a little time at the beginning of your planning to consider avoidable expenses that separate an affordable trip from one that breaks the bank.

Deals for the Week of Jan. 10

Sunday January 9, 2011

Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. For deals that aren't quite so fleeting, check out Winter Travel Deals. This week's deals include a free Eurail Select Pass day, a free car rental day and discounted Florida vacation packages.

Travel Coupons - Promotional Codes for Budget Travel

Sunday January 2, 2011

Have you ever noticed that "enter promo code" box in the checkout window during an online transaction? Perhaps you've wondered about it briefly and carried on with your purchase. Or, like many of us, perhaps you've experienced the satisfaction that comes from copying and pasting an obscure sequence of numbers or letters in that box and seeing your cost go down instantly.

The first step is finding the promotional codes. The second is ensuring that they will be accepted for your purchase. The final step is watching that cost figure drop.

There are many places on the Internet to find travel coupons or promotional codes. Take a look at 10 web pages that offer travel coupons or direct links to discounts. Make it a point this year to use promotional codes for as many of your online transactions as possible.

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