The Thrifty Travelers

Frankfurt is a quick turnaround. We had a 1.5 hour stay and then on to a 4 hour flight to Cairo. Again, we are in business class and the service was great. We were treated well and enjoyed the food too! So we arrived in Cairo at around 3:30pm and were walking past the luggage carousels when Brandi noticed her suitcase go by. Originally, our luggage was booked all the way to Johannesburg, but I guess not hers. We made a quick stop to the EgyptAir baggage service (who we will fly next) and then received a visa for our day stay in Cairo. Let me tell you something...it is amazingly easy to get into Egypt. All you need is $15.00 and they don't even look at your passport. Weird. So, we get the visa, go through immigration (about 2 minutes) and then make our way out. We were met by Hany Halim, our tour gude for Cairo. He was a nice man, knew about his culture, and really loves his country! He was able to take us to the Cairo museum, to the main market, and even to a restaur...

I have always wondered why some people are addicted to seeing the world, while others remain trapped in a small town. My parents never travelled, mostly due to my father's job, but even if we did, they didn't enjoy the details involved in going away from home. I didn't catch the bug until I was in college and haven't looked back since. They always say that you learn about your loved one the best when you go on a trip with them.. I find great truth in that. You learn a person's behavior, how they handle situations (outside of the comfort of their normal routines), and what they enjoy in the world. You see, I am a traveler that wants to learn the history of where I am going, to understand the people, culture, and ideas that make up the good...and the bad of the town or country. My wife....well, she is an on-the-go traveler. She wants squeeze in all the good things to do in the shoretest amount of time possible. I would be happy with reading about a place and experienc...

The last time I went to Nicaragua, I called my cell phone company and asked them about rates....well, they gave me the runaround, but quoting me some decent rates. I should have never believed them. When I returned from a 4 day trip, I had an additional $300 in charges. Wow!!! I couldn't believe it. I tried to argue with them and received a reduction in my bill, but vowed that I would never do that again. So let me tell you my plans for our next trip. After considerable research, I have found a site called http://www.telestial.com which provides good international SIM cards along with outstanding rates. You can also rent a satellite phone to prevent any issues, but expect to pay more. The only issue is that you may have to unlock your phone. Now some companies in the past, T-Mobile included, will give you the unlocking code if you just ask...and find the right customer agent. If you can't get it done that way, I would recommend http://www.unlocking.com and pay $20 for an unloc...

I have read many horror stories of flight delays, baggage loss, illness, etc. on trips of long duration and how they were will prepared to deal with them. After speaking to many travel agents, reading blogs, etc. I decided the sensible thing to do was to get travel insurance for our World Cup trip. If you have seen our itinerary through the TripIt link, you can see that there are many stops and chances for delay, baggage issues grow with every one of them. Having travel insurance can really be a lifesaver. But who do you choose? Some good websites that can get you the information you need: www.travelinsurancereview.com www.squaremouth.com www.insuremytrip.com Our total cost for my wife and I was $325.00. A small price to pay for comprehensive coverage in case of loss, delays, theft, or illness. Let me know your thoughts on travel insurance and your experiences.

For years, my wife and I have been traveling all over the United States and outside of the country. We enjoy it immensely, but found that it is not cheap. In fact, the cost alone can deter people from making a journey that can impact their lives. We decided that this obstacle wasn't going to deter us and started looking for deals to help make our dreams of travel possible. Throughout the last few years, we were able to help our friends find some cool deals and so I decided to create a place where I can share some of the cool travel sites, secrets, and steals so that you can enjoy the world! Enjoy