best travel deals

[bearkeley]

Any ideas on best way to find value travel deals? We have a 2 1/2 year plan to be FIRE but would love to have a few quick trips --- one is to travel to places where we could potentially retire, but also (like right now), a way to get out of the cold and go somewhere warm...

Most travel deals on google are for resorts, etc... I really dont want to spend money on a 'luxury' vacation - I'd be happy with something where I can live with the locals in some way, but also not having to stay at hostels or "couch surfing". Any good websites / travel agencies you can recommend?

thanks!

[AltaRed]

Google for things like "Destin Chamber of Commerce".. along the Florida panhandle, or "Destin condo rentals".* Sustitute your favorite place along the Gulf coast if that is where you want to be. Try even Mustang Island, TX or Corpus Christi, TX or even Padre Island, TX . Mustang Island is close enough to Corpus to give you the city when you want it, get groceries, see a movie, shop, etc.

It may not be warm enough to be in the water, but is still a huge break from snow and cold. There are many websites by rental firms looking to book people into condos and such for owners who are not there most of the time.* Quite a bit cheaper than commercial resorts.

[brewer12345]

www.vrbo.com and www.cyberrentals.com are both sites that list vacation homes and condos for rent by owner. We have found some surprisingly good deals, especially when travelling with family (kids, in-laws, etc.). You can frequently rent a nice house in your desired location for less than a hotel room.

Where are you? Some places are dirt cheap to go to from the East Coast, but a fortune from the West (and vice versa).

If you are inclined to do a cross country trip, I have always wanted to try a one-way RV rental from www.cruiseamerica.com They are using these one-way deals to reposition some of their "fleet", so they make it really cheap.

I also cruise the "deals" section of www.frommers.com Sometimes you will find a great sale on a destination you never heard of. That;s how we ended up going to Malta for cheap a few years ago (5 star hotels for $50 a night, etc.).

[FlowGirl]

Budget Traveler magazine (by Frommers) has a section every month where they list the latest travel deals... mostly packaged tours or hotel/air combos. Some of the deals are so-so, but some are really incredible.