Bon Voyage on a Budget

Fly Someplace Fabulous
For travel to another country or continent, search online for packages that combine airfare and hotel to save cash (see the sidebar “Take It to the Web,” page 180, for some smart sites that will help you scrimp painlessly). “We’ve seen savings as high as 40 percent over booking a flight and hotel independently,” says Arabella Bowen, editorial vice-president of ShermansTravel Media (shermans travel.com). Got the beach on the brain? “For the best value, U.S. travelers should look for islands whose currency is pegged to the dollar, like the Bahamas, or countries like Mexico whose peso is very stable with the dollar,” says Jim Hobbs, founder of Cheap Caribbean.com, a site for discounted island vacations. Yearning to visit the Motherland? Consider the winter “secret season” in South Africa, which starts in May (go to southafrica.net/usdeals for a list of tour operators). Read more & source