There are many different kinds of travelers out there. There are those that love a nice relaxing cruise, those that love to be pampered in a luxury hotel, travelers who will visit a city based on its restaurant options and people whose goal it is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. But while there are a lot of varieties of travelers, it generally comes down to two varieties: Those who enjoy being part of a tour and those that enjoy going off the beaten path and creating their own adventure.

My first experience with travel abroad came right after I graduated high school. One of my close friends and I booked a two week tour throughout England and Scotland. From getting on the bus in London, visiting a farm outside of Edinburgh, seeing Loch Ness and finally making our way down to Stonehenge, it was an amazing experience. My favorite parts of that tour however were the times we had to ourselves to just wander around the town that we were visiting for the day. Before even boarding the bus in London, we decided to forgo the dreaded hop-on hop-off bus within the city and make our own tour of London. While we may have missed a few things, we had a nice walk around and ended up in a few quant neighborhoods we may have otherwise missed (ie: real London).

While over the years I’ve definitely become an off the beaten path traveler, I can see where some of the benefits of having a tour guide came into play. While I’ve always loved and had a sincere fascination with the UK, I learned a lot from our tour guide Andrew (yes, I still remember his name) and we were directed to certain places to visit during our stops that we may have otherwise never heard of (like the most amazing gingerbread we’d ever had in Scotland… we ate all of ours plus whatever we picked up as souvenirs before making it back to London!). Tours are great for people who don’t necessarily want to plan their travels on their own, or for those that may not have all the time in the world to do the research before their trip. They’re basically paying for someone else to do the planning, research, hotel booking and of course the driving. They rely on the tour guide to tell them about the place they’re visiting, where they should go and what they should see. And there’s of course nothing wrong with that.

However, there are many benefits to traveling off the beaten path. On my last trip through the UK in April of last year, I took an amazing road trip through the Galloway Forest, discovered different parts of north Wales and spent a week as a ”local” in Liverpool. Yes, we had to do some of our own research first, and no there wasn’t a tour guide to give us the history of each location visited. But we were so excited about the trip that we did our own reading before we went to educate ourselves about where we wanted to go. Even better, we were traveling at our own leisure, not on a schedule as you do with a tour group. Of course, thanks to technology, we were able to look up things as we went along as well.


My advice for traveling off the beaten path?
Just rent a car and go! With a GPS, a successful
tour on your own is always possible.

Another great off the beaten path trip I took was in Phuket, Thailand in 2008. Villas in places like Phuket are affordable, relaxing and luxurious. However, Thailand is quite an exciting and exotic country to visit, and you’ll definitely find more interesting things if you step away from the villa for the day (as hard as it may be). During this trip we rented a car for a few days and simply drove around Phuket, visiting beaches the resort doesn’t transport you to and heading into villages and towns in the area. We came across a local market (selling some rather interesting food on a stick), contributed to the building of the Giant Buddha and discovered some amazing restaurants. Overall, while the villa was an amazing place to stay and spend a couple days relaxing, it was great to get out on our own and explore the area.


Found at a market in Phuket
while exploring Thailand.

But while one style of traveling may be for you and another style for your friends or family, we can all agree that getting out into the world is always an experience no matter how you do it. But how do you prefer to travel? Are you a tour bus fan or an off the beaten path traveler?

Sometimes a hotel room is great. You might need a place just to rest up for the night on a road trip, or you may want a bit of luxury for a few nights of pampering. But maybe you want to experience what it’s like to live in another country, or get a group of friends together for a vacation on a budget. For that, and more, vacation rentals are perfect!

One of the best things about vacation rentals is the price, especially when it comes to group travel. Think about taking a trip up to Vermont with a group of friends for a ski trip. You could stay at a pricey resort, or share the cost of a nice big house together. Splitting the cost between a group of up to 10 people can save you a lot of money. And what about traveling on a budget with your family to someplace like Disney for Spring Break? If you’re a family of 5 or more, hotels will generally charge you for an extra bed and can sometimes make you book another room. There’s also the option to cook your own meals, as groceries tend to be cheaper than eating out. Yes, sometimes when we’re on vacation we really don’t want to think about having to cook for ourselves. But eating out tends to add up pretty quickly, especially when restaurants and hotels know eating out is your only option. And just think of all the fun, different options you’ll find when grocery shopping in Paris!


Ever wonder what it’s like to live in New York City? You can find out for yourself with a vacation rental!

Now, consider another option when trying to decide between a hotel and a vacation rental. If you travel a lot, whether it’s for business or pleasure, you may tend to get a bit tired of staying in hotel after hotel. Vacation rentals give you a sense of feeling at home while you’re away. Yes, a home away from home if you will. In addition, if you ever plan on moving to a new city or just want to feel like a local, vacation rentals are great to give you a sense of what it’s like to live in a certain neighborhood in a certain city. Many times the owner will leave personal touches to make it feel more like you’re at home, with all the amenities you need and none of the extra charges!


How about a private pool for your family vacation to Orlando? It’s all yours in this private condo that sleeps six and starts at $91/night!

Now that we’ve started another calendar year, you’ll probably be considering where to spend your all-important vacation time. When booking your travels through the Fare Buzz site, don’t forget that you can book a vacation rental directly on our website instead of having to contact the owner and wait for approval. And don’t be shy if you need help, we’re always here to help with your travel booking needs at 888-808-4123.

Happy Travels!

Fare Buzz has recently launched a vacation rental option in a move to set the company apart from other online travel companies. It also looks to improve the company’s revenue within a crowded travel industry.                       

“We at Fare Buzz are willfully increasing our non-air business,” said Arnold Walter, President and CEO of Fare Buzz. “There’s no doubt the sale of discounted tickets is our forte, but we are enthusiastic towards the sale of car rentals, hotel bookings, vacation packages and now vacation rentals.”

A recent survey from eMarketer predicts “there will be 117.6 million online travel researchers (61 percent of internet users) and 98.3 million online travel bookers (51 percent of internet users) in the U.S. by 2012.” Millions of Americans spend close to 60 percent of their total vacation cost on accommodations. Fare Buzz now aims to bring alternative options to these travelers, with something that’s both cost effective and brings all the comforts of home.

“Vacation rental bookings have seen a phenomenal growth of 73 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, and the revenues have also increased by 11 percent,” said Walter. “Keeping those metrics in mind, Fare Buzz started its vacation rental section, as there is a lot of pie to target.”

The new vacation rental feature offers roughly 30 locations to rent from within North America. Unlike other vacation rental websites, Fare Buzz allows the customer to book directly through the website. This new option will give Fare Buzz customers the opportunity to try something new, and for the company to receive feedback regarding travel preferences. Vacation rentals can be found at www.farebuzz.com/vacation-rentals.

About Fare Buzz:

Started in 1994 in New York City, Fare Buzz is one of the leading travel providers in the industry. The company has created affiliations with vendors of various travel products. Due to Fare Buzz’ buying power, the company is able to negotiate aggressive deals on air, hotels, car rentals and now vacation rentals to pass the savings on to the consumer.

In addition, Fare Buzz also specializes in discounted business class fares and offers an attractive rewards program for customers. For additional information, please contact Margaret Yekulis at margaret@farebuzz.com.

Are you planning to travel to New York and want to save big on your air tickets? “Think of traveling off-peak in the next couple of months on British Airways and book cheap flights to New York for under $616.84. You can even get cheap tickets to New York at the same rate when you book on premier league airline like Virgin Atlantic. Both the airlines are offering roundtrip airfares,” suggested an avid travel expert in his opinion piece in a leading British newspaper.

London-New York continue to be the most competitive and busiest intercontinental air route in the world. Buying airline tickets during the peak season usually proves to be a costly affair. If you purchase air tickets at the moment then you might have to spend $1,156.57 and above. It is therefore always sane to purchase tickets for travel during off-peak season.

Further, if you are looking for more budget options for travel from London Heathrow to New York JFK then you can also consider flying Kuwait Airways and save $154.21 or more on your tickets. Kuwait Airways operates three nonstop flights to New York JFK from London Heathrow every week and you can get tickets starting $925.26.

Besides, Aer Lingus is another cheap option which can provide you a deal from London Heathrow or London Gatwick for around $1,002.36 whenever you need, with quick connections in Dublin.