Discount Hotel Deals for Branson

We are deep into the holiday season as I write on this very cold winter night. At this time Hanukkah is into it's 3rd night and for part of the globe Christmas Eve has started. Festivities are at their height and there is no doubt that this is a very special time of year. 

In Branson Missouri, a little tucked away city in the middle of the United States they enjoy an annual event called the Ozark Mountain Christmas Festival. Plain and simple, it's just a great event that offers the charm and warmth of a Norman Rockwell painting. No doubt at this point in the calendar, unless you're within driving distance to Branson making plans to visit there for Christmas has been missed for the year. That being said, however, as with any destination bargains abound for travel and vacations after such an event. More so, Branson is a great destination town anyway. It boasts being one of the largest providers of entertainment as a destination in the world. With over 50 theaters and entertainment venues it might just be right. Before I get into the discounts for hotels and accommodations here's the link to find out up and coming entertainment and Branson shows.  The guide offers a calendar of the events, ticket prices and ticket sales service.

To that end, Branson Hotels during the first week following New Years has some incredible deals and discounts. The average room rate per night for 3 Star Hotels is about $65.00. Again, these are 3 Star Hotels too. If you're looking for more upscale accommodations, the average rate for 4 Star quality hotels is about $125.00 per night. Generally it looks like rates for hotels are discounted about 25% from their level right now. 

Just to give a little insight and suggestions, I've taken the time to research and review a few properties in different quality categories. First is the Meadows Resort Branson located at 110 Willow Bend Drive.  Reviews I've read about this property have it quite simply as "magnificent". The resort is situated on a picturesque piece of land, and is geared to be family friendly. Not something that is often found in an upscale hotel property.  The Meadows Resort in Branson boasts 5 swimming pools, 2 hot tubs, 1 indoor pool, state of the art gym and fitness center and a whole range of activities to choose. Secondly, the rooms are fantastic. You can choose from one or two bedrooms and from single to king size beds. Also, depending on the room type you choose, units come equipped with sleeper sofas, full sized kitchens, washer and dryers and balcony's.  Find pricing and availability for Meadows Resort Branson Reservations. Availability is limited right now, but the seasonality should provide some openings. 

Coming down a notch we have the Best Western Music Capital Inn located at 3257 Shepherd Hill Expressway. The hotel offers four floors of 93 guest rooms and is located in the Shoji Tabuchi Theater District of Branson. The property offers an indoor heated pool, a steam room sauna, game room, concierge service, free parking and a complimentary continental breakfast daily.  Further the hotel property is located within walking distance to several key Branson attractions, such as 3 blocks from the Ray Stevens Theater, and two blocks from both the Pierce Arrow Theater and the MAX Theatre Complex. For Best Western Music Capital Inn Reservations check here. 

Last on our list is our recommendation for a budget hotel in Branson.  It's been my experience in travel, no matter what town you're in, that brand identity is the safest bet when you're looking for budget accommodations. To that end, the Days Inn Branson fits the bill perfectly.  The Days Inn brand in general is consistent and standard, and this property doesn't deviate from that norm. The Days Inn Branson is located at 3524 Keeter Street and is very close to some Branson attractions such as Silver Dollar City, the Grand Palace and the Table Rock Dam.  The hotel offers the standard in hotel room amenities such as in room coffee makers, hair dryers, and options for room types that offer king and or queen sized beds, plus handicap specialty rooms. Rooms  also include wifi internet access. The property offers a large outdoor pool and free parking. Days Inn Branson Hotel Reservations can be found with this resource.

Branson Missouri is probably a destination you may not have even considered as an option for a trip or vacation. Trust me, it's a little known treasure that you'll be sure to enjoy and revisit again and again. 

Travel Tips for this Week of Christmas

The holiday season is usually a time for visiting family, to traveling to see friends, or maybe even getting time to go on that vacation. Long and short it means travel congestion, increased lines at airports, train stations and bus stations, not to mention the hoard of cars on the highways and byways. As part of my public service message brought to you by Reserve Vacations we're going to offer a few bits of advice on how to deal with the overall "traffic jam" that comes along with all kinds of travel mediums this time of year.

First to our sponsor, Reserve Vacations Vacation Deals has a great deal to Cancun called the Royal Mexican Riviera Vacation. The package offers 4 days and 3 nights at the Holiday Inn Express Playa Del Carmen. The package offers standard hotel room, transportation to and from the airport, the use of all resort facilities and 2 $30 Certificates to the Spa. Now get ready, all of this can be yours for a mind blowing $199 per person fee. That's quite a deal. There are many other Cancun Mexico Vacation Packages that the site has to offer and they change regulalry. Not to mention other destination such as Pigeon Forge Tennessee, Branson Missouri, Atlantic City New Jersey, Las Vegas Nevada, and Myrtle Beach South Carolina.

Now to the travel tips. I've been combing the net for an all inclusive group of information that shows a full range of great tips. Ones that offer the best for each of the forms of transportation. Here is an excerpt I found from National Geogrophic Magazine's official Web Site and their section known as the intelligent traveller. The author is Jeannette Kimmel for the Intelligent Travler.

If you're Traveling by Bus here are some tips. Many discount bus operators have emerged in the past year, giving penny-pincher passengers one-way tickets for as little as $1. They key to getting these cheap fares is, of course, to buy early. If you haven't done so already, buy them now!

Like any wheeled vehicle, buses are still subject to traffic conditions, just like any other car. Bring a book, charge your iPod, try to travel outside of rush hour, and don't cut your time too close. If you have to be at Aunt Millie's place for dinner at 3 p.m., it's best not to take the bus that is scheduled to arrive at 2:30 p.m. Try to be flexible.

Those traveling by bus after the holidays should check out MegaBus--the discount bus company is giving away 100,000 free bus tickets for travel between January 14 and March 18. Seeing as their tickets generally start at $1, and now they're giving away 100,000 free tickets, I'm not really quite sure how the company stays in business. But hey, I'll take it.

Getting on any number of trains or railways check out this advice. Those who don't like the confinement of a bus or the lines at the airport can opt to travel the old-fashioned way. Sure, it might take some four hours to get from D.C. to New York on Amtrak (compared to the 45 minutes on a plane), but--and especially if you are lucky enough to sit in a "quiet car"--think of all the reading and/or sleep you can catch up on, and of all the leg cramping that you can avoid.

Last, as most probably do, taking a flight here are some great bits of advice. Don't try to pack food on the plane. It's messy, and the whole point of traveling elsewhere for the holidays is to have someone else do all the cooking, right? TSA advises against trying to carry-on the following items: cranberry sauce, maple syrup, and gravy (among other foods). And while you can't bring those foods on the plane, you can bring cakes and pies; however, desserts are subject to additional screening (because pumpkin pie can be lethal...).

On November 20, TSA implemented "Green" lanes to all of its security checkpoints nationwide. The Green lanes are part of the "Diamond Self-Select" program that TSA created earlier this year, and were tested in some 48 airports. The Green lanes are designated for families, those needing extra assistance, and passengers who aren't familiar with security rules. Call it a segregation of the passengers who can take their time from those who are impatient, but either way, the Green lanes have been popular in airports so far, and should hopefully ease the security checkpoint process.

You can also reduce your time at the airport by checking into your flight online. Many airlines (like American Airlines or Southwest) will allow passengers to check in online and print out their boarding pass 24 hours before their scheduled flight. Currently, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and Continental are even testing a system that allows passengers scan their phone screen as a boarding pass. Delta passengers departing from LaGuardia can sign up online to receive a text message with their boarding pass bar code. Before they board the plane, all they have to do is hold up their phone to the bar code scanner, and they're on their way. All passengers should also check out TSA's Wait Time Calculator. Just enter your airport, day, and flight time and it will tell you the approximate time you will have to stand in line at the security checkpoint.

As always, with any travel, be prepared! Do your research! Don't show up to any airport or rail station without proper I.D., your boarding pass, and plenty of holiday patience. And be nice to transportation employees. I'm quite sure that plane and train delays are not their fault, so don't take it out on them.

Tips for Making the Most Out of Any Vacation..and Not Spending a Lot of Money...

There is no doubt that there are a lot of services out there that "claim" to offer great discounts on vacations and other vacation packages. My last post had information about treading lightly while looking for travel deals because many scams are out there. In today's post I like to offer a little advice in preparing for a trip. That is, things not to do that will first and foremost cost you money, but not waste your time or put you in a position to be harmed. It's all very important. Sure vacations are something that should not have an element of "work" with it, but there is no avoiding the adult nature of planning. It's just the way it is.

Two of the types of vacation packages that I've spoken often about in my latest posts have been to destinations like Cancun or those that are near theme parks. Each type of vacation has it's advantages, but also it must be stated that a better planned vacation makes for more fun, less stress and less cost.

For either of the type of vacation you plan, that is going to a destination that is sun drenched and has miles and miles of beach, or the type of destination that has super theme parks, the following suggestions make for the best trip.

1- Wear Sunscreen. Yes, I know this seems ridiculous, but I can't think of a more important initial step that needs to be taken than to put on your suncscreen. Get that sunscreen on those kids too. Sure there is no doubt that the sun has it's effects over the long term, but I'll tell you what. No one wants to deal with a kid with severe sun burn during a vacation.

2- Dress comfortably. This is not the time to put on those new shoes you bought to look good. I had an uncle that was in Vietnam and he said if there was one little bit of advise he had to anyone that was to keep your feet warm, clean, and comfortable. You're on them for hours and hours and having to contest with that new blister you got while visiting and using the Silver Dollar City Vacation Package you got a great deal.

3- Know the transportation services in the area. I'm serious. This actually goes hand in hand with dressing comfortably. Many of the destinations you will go on vacation to or visit have towns that actually provide free transportation. Like the owe so famous monorail of Disneyworld, these other towns also offer one form or another of shuttle service or car service to get around town. This can save a ton of money on bus fare or even renting a car. The reality is you really don't need to rent a car in many of these destiantions.

4- This one may also seem ridiculous and maybe not even practical, but think about traveling off season. That is maybe heading to a place of beauty like Cancun near the summer or to a ski resort right before the season starts. Sure there are definite draw backs to doing this, like being on the beach in Cancun when it's 150 degrees, or trying to ski down a moutain of grass, but these aren't the absolutes. I've heard many great stories where someone took a trip to Cancun in late may to be greeted with wonderful whispy air and one guy that traveled to Colorado in early november to enjoy an early snowstorm.

All in all a lot of what I mentioned above may seem like common sense, but I'm sure like most of of if we don't think through the options the obvious never even gets on our radar.

Should any of you have any ideas that can really help out with keeping a vacation fun, stress free and from hemorraging money, as always please offer your advise and tips here.

Beware of Vacation Package Discount Scams..

Usually I take a lot of time and effort pouring through emails, sites, blogs and mailings that tell me about the up and coming vacation deals. All the time it never occurred to me that out there are many, many scams that fill these ads, just as much as the good deals that are out there.

So sitting here at my desk I thought the noble thing to do is to get a little into how not to get scammed with a vacation package that seems to good to be true.

The biggest scams when it comes to vacation deals usually come along with contests or awards. That is the infamous "You've Won a Free Vacation"...But with these come along so much bad I may not be able to finish my report in one readable post..I sure will try. Let's get into some of the "hooks" as we'll refer to them.

First there are the infamous free plane tickets. You get a call or something in the mail that says "Congratulations, you have been chosen from a select few people as are award winner and have received free plane tickets. These are usually pretty obvious when it comes to the scam because when it comes to free plane tickets most of the people I've spoken to usually want to know where the heck they are staying. When you look into the details about this kind of stuff, you see very quickly, that the company offering the free plane tickets requires that you book your hotel, get all of your meals and have to buy all the other things that go along with the vacation directly through them. When it comes down to it, you have a hugely inflated price tag that would have been less even if you included the plane tickets in the first place.

The second is a real beauty of a scam. I've found that this one catches many consumers off guard than probably any one scam. It's the Free Vacation Package. The reason this one is so tricky is that you don't know that you're screwed until you actually end up at your destination. The horror stories I've heard are anywhere from ending up in deplorable hotels, having to eat at run down restaurants and ending up in parts of towns of the destinations where they wouldn't house criminals. What's more, with these types of scams, they usually pull the old bait and switch. That is, ok, you're pissed off about your situation and want to upgrade. The vacation property will gladly do so, but only after you sign away your soul and your first born. What's worse is they won't even let you leave. Many of these scams make you stay the entire time, and if you want to leave, yep once again, get ready to hand over the first born. It's terrible.

The third that I've heard is really just awful. I mean, at least the others I mentioned above have actual places to go and see, but this one is a scam I feel that puts those that do it on a direct path to hell. Say you get the typical notification that you've won a trip or vacation like I mentioned above. All that is necessary is that you pay a modest fee to secure the vacation and you're all set...or are you?...Time goes by, you anxiously await to go on your trip and you never seem to get the confirmation papers or call you're waiting for to get going on your excursion. You try and get in touch with the Travel Agent that helped you book the trip and process your award...it's a dead line !! No lie...I've heard this referred to as the disappearing travel agency...Quite a disappearing act..and with your money.

The thing is there are things you must always be aware of when looking at deals that seem to good to be true. It's just the cold hard facts of today's world of technology and global economy. You could be receiving a deal from a company in a country that has no tie or oversight by any regulatory agency in the United States. Even when they're in the United States it can be tricky, but here are some strategies.

1- First and foremost, it should be common sense, but any travel deal that comes to you via email, mail or phone should always be looked at cautiously. The biggest stat to know here is that every scam comes in this form so be on the look out.

2- It's been my experience when it comes to buying anything why not just go with brand recognition. Sure, times are tight and the economy is down, but why not go to a travel company that is well known, or at the very least is reputable if you look them up at the Better Business Bureau, or other legitimate travel associations. I know it sounds like a pain in the neck, but I'll tell you what's worse...trying to hunt down the $1000 you put down on a trip that doesn't exist.

3- This last tip I really think is a big one. I know we all want to take the path to least resistance and not have to deal with the details or bs that comes along with anything. Ok that's fine. It's also fine to be interested in a deal that sounds pretty good, because, yes, times are tight and in times like these looking for economical alternatives makes sense. So do a little homework. Get the information from the person or company soliciting you...Make sure you get the name of the hotel and any other place that the promoter says they are offering to you..Then follow up with a call to the official office of these places. See if the name of the promoter and the company they represent are for real. Sometimes you may be pleasantly surprised and the company is legit. It's better than being unpleasantly surprised to open the door to your "vacation getaway" and see a family of roaches playing poker on the hotel room table.

There are definite ways to get a deal when it comes to travel and vacation packages. Let me also tell you that not everyone else out there is a scam artist. It's sad and it's a tiring, but the truth of the matter is you just have to take time to investigate just a little more into deals that sound too good to be true.

If any of you have stories, suggestions or anything to add to this post I certainly welcome them. This is an all too important subject.