budget

Hmong Woman
The Hmong people of northern Vietnam

Why You Should Always Negotiate

If you've traveled in a developing country, you've probably been in a situation where you need to negotiate a price. Actually, you've probably been in this situation hundreds of times. Whether it's a taxi ride or a souvenir, in many places in the world it is perfectly normal to negotiate for a price. Many tourists and travelers have trouble with this concept. Depending on where you are, it might only cost a few bucks at the most. But to that local shopkeeper or taxi driver, it's a lot of money. Why not just give them that little extra that they are asking for? What's the harm? They need the money, and they are supporting their families, right?

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Desert Trek
Along the shore of the Red Sea in Sinai, Egypt

Our Ultimate Guide: How To Plan A Trip Around The World

In 2009, we spent 11 months traveling through Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. We want you to learn from our experience, so we put together a trip planning guide: How To Plan A Trip Around The World. We cover everything from budgeting to packing, route planning to insurance, safety to vaccinations, and visas to round-the-world plane tickets. Combining our first hand experience with tips and resources from other travelers, we leave no stone unturned.

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Suzy Guese: Redheaded Travel Blogger

Suzy Guese, travel writer extraordinaire, has spent the summer living in Italy. While soaking in the Italian lifestyle, she’s also been taking a number of shorter trips around Europe and writing about her experiences at suzyguese.com. She writes one of our favorite travel blogs, so check it out. Suzy claims that she has a red-headed temperament, and brings a young, fresh perspective to the European locations she’s been visiting.

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Read more about the article Syria: Extreme Friendliness
Baklava in the souq of Aleppo, Syria

Syria: Extreme Friendliness

Because the U.S. Dollar is so strong against the Syrian Pound, we found ourselves much wealthier than our Syrian counterparts. Despite this, the local people treated us as if we were the guests of honor to be looked after and taken care of - and they were not after our money. We were invited into homes for lunch, given free food at restaurants, and taken on free tours of historic sites.

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Disney World, Cheap

Yes, it's true. Disney World can be done on a tight budget. Luckily for us, we live within driving distance of Orlando. It's a long drive, granted, but doable for us. We realize not everyone is geographically close, but driving may be a lot cheaper than flying. Depending on the size of your family and your willingness to spend the night at a cheap hotel along the way, you could save hundreds if not over a thousand dollars by driving. Cheap hotel rooms can be found all along the interstate, and the price of gas for a few days is probably cheaper than a plane ticket.

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