Budget Travel tips

U.S. budget hotels performed less well in the first few months of the year than they did a year ago. Does that weakness signal some U.S. travelers feel a pinch from inflation?

When it comes to public transportation, the Germans are well ahead of the game. Instead of making people purchase different tickets or travel cards for each transport company and each mode of travel in every city and town you visit, they created the Deutschland-Ticket (or D-Ticket for short), a transport card that works throughout the country.

Staying in a bedbug-infested hotel is every traveler’s nightmare scenario. These pests can cause terrible bites and itching during your stay, and even worse, they can easily hitch a ride home with you via your luggage or clothing, leading to an infestation in your house.

Premier Inn’s parent company, Whitbread, announced on Tuesday an “accelerating growth plan” for the budget hotel group, which owns about 800 hotels in Britain and dozens more in Germany.

Travelers who live in South Florida rarely take for granted the warm weather and world-class restaurants available in the region, but enjoying that means sometimes it’s easy to forget how close Miami is to some of the most exciting destinations in the world. While people in the rest of America needs extended vacation time to visit countries like Dominica and Ecuador, Miamians can wake up, jump on a direct flight from Miami, and be in a new country in time for dinner (or maybe even lunch). And if someone in Miami gets a hankering to head to Europe, most of the continent is only an overnight flight away.

The first thing travelers should know about the Swiss Travel System is that it’s available exclusively for international visitors to Switzerland for a choice of 3, 4, 6, 8 or 15 consecutive days. In fact, nearly all forms of transportation are included with a Swiss Travel Pass.

Young budget tourists are putting off trips to New York City. Maybe it’s because they are finding it harder to find affordable rooms.

Premier Inn’s owner Whitbread said on Wednesday that a shrinking supply of budget hotels in the UK will strengthen its pricing power for years to come.

Generator Group, which owns or runs 21 hotels, gave a financial update on Monday that underscored the post-pandemic boom in travel.

EasyHotel has always been the success story of tomorrow. That’s been true since EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou invented the budget hotel chain in 2004.

Motels won’t go the way of the dodo bird if Lark Hotels founder Rob Blood has anything to say about it. 

Young people made Airbnb a household name, and CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky doesn’t want his online travel agency to lose its cool factor. Chesky is pushing the online travel agency to evolve faster to give the next wave of emerging travelers what they want most, namely, affordable places to stay and a hip, intuitive booking interface.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 44-year-old Denmark native Torbjørn "Thor" Pedersen. It has been edited for length and clarity. Although world travel isn't well-documented, record-keeper Harry Mitsidis told Condé Nast Traveler that about 199 people had traveled to every country; claims appear to be based on the honor system, the magazine reported. Pedersen spoke to Insider while he was still on his journey. He finally returned home to Denmark on July 26.

To the list of hotels that offer discounted rates to members of their loyalty programs—Starwood, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, InterContinental, Choice—can now be added the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Country Inns & Suites).

Vegas has come a long way, baby. No longer a Mecca for gambling and other less licit activities, the city has become synonymous with family fun, world-class dining, and big-name entertainment.

United has decided to delay implementation of its low-frills economy product, according to Skift.

Enter the Jarlsberg “Perfect Pairing” sweepstakes by September 12, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a four-night trip for two people to Oslo, Norway, including air and hotel.

United CEO Oscar Munoz began this morning’s investor call by acknowledging the company’s subpar operational and financial performance, and then proceeded to outline plans to increase his airline’s profit margins to levels achieved by American, Delta, and Southwest.

Editors’ Note: On October 1, 2018, Primera Air announced it will cease operations immediately. The following story was published on September 11, 2018.

We scoured the globe in search of destinations offering that dazzling combo of great value and serious vacation appeal in 2017.

Tickets go on sale today from a brand-new airline.