Travel Tips

The current state of the economy has many Americans in a financial pinch. If you are one of those individuals, you may consider putting off your annual summer vacation. The good news, you dont have to. You may have never given any thought to travel deals and discounts before, but you should now. By knowing where to look and what to look for, you can significantly reduce the cost of your summer travel. What steps should you take?

Think outside of the box. Many of us have a dream vacation destination. In fact, we often have more than one. If you do, dont decide right away. Estimate the cost of traveling to the Caribbean or Hawaii. If you like both, why not see which is the cheapest option? Speaking of your destinations, consider traveling to locations where the summer is their off-season. A good example is with Denver, Colorado. It is busiest during the winter for ski trips. There might not be any snow, but you can get great deals on hotels and airfare.

Aim for a weekday trip. Luckily, many American take weeklong summer vacations. Schedule your summer vacation to start on Saturday and end the following Friday. You will spend most of your nights at a hotel during the week. This automatically means lower rates. The same applies to restaurants in popular resort communities. You are likely to find more and better daily specials throughout the week.

Look at what is happening around town. You are planning a summer vacation. You are automatically traveling during peak travel season. For that reason, you fill find higher costs for flights, gas, car rentals, and hotels. However, there are certain times you want to avoid, like the weekend of July 4th. Once you decide on a destination, use the internet to research ideal travel dates. It is best to avoid times when there is a big sporting event, a concert for a popular musician, or a big hobbyist convention. The hotels not only charge higher rates during these times, but there is likely less room available.

Get started with online travel websites. Online travel websites are nice. Not only do they allow you to compare the cost of 50 hotels or more in a matter of minutes, but they also sell travel packages. Unfortunately, online travel websites dont always offer the best deals. You usually get the better deals only when booking travel packages. For just hotels or just airplane tickets, visit online travel websites and request a free quote. Then, head to the website of the hotel or airline in question and request another quote. They should be similar. If not, opt for the better deal.

Dont wait until the last minute to find the best deals. Many first-time travelers mistakenly believe the last minute is the best time to find the greatest deals. Yes, many airlines and hotels offer last minute travel deals, but this is very risky. As previously stated, you are vacationing in peak travel season. During the summer, it is easy for airlines to fill flights and hotels to fill rooms. Last minute travel deals arent guaranteed and you shouldnt risk it. If later see the cost of airfare or your hotel decrease, contact the company in question to get a refund for the difference. A refund isnt guaranteed either, but at least your travel plans are made.

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In March of 2006, Elvis Presleys Graceland estate was raised to the level of
Washingtons Mount Vernon and Jeffersons Monticello. It officially became a National
Historic Monument.

Of course, long before the Secretary of the Interior made this public announcement,
Presley fans worldwide had made his home a popular tourist destination; Graceland
already attracted more than 600,000 people every year. The designation of his home as a
national landmark celebrates his widely-known contributions to American culture and
music history.

Elvis Presley is among the most influential figures in 20th century music and pop culture.
He was most famous as a musician and was indicted into three halls of fame: the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the GMA Gospel Hall of
Fame. No other artist has been honored by all three establishments. Presley also
triumphed on television and starred in 33 movies.

Shortly after his rise to stardom, Elvis felt a need for privacy. In 1957 he moved out of
working-class East Memphis and purchased the 14-acre Graceland estate. The price tag:
$103,000 easily purchased with proceeds from his first hit record, Heartbreak Hotel.
Graceland would be Elviss primary residence for the next 20 years. His parents lived
there too, as did his wife-to-be Priscilla Beaulieu and eventually their daughter, Lisa
Marie. Elvis Presley died in an upstairs Graceland bathroom in 1977.

The Graceland estate is located south of downtown Memphis and is just a few miles
north of the Mississippi border. The grounds were named after Grace Toot, the daughter
of the homes original owner. Grace inherited the property while it was still farmland.
She gifted the land to a niece, Ruth Moore, who had the mansion built.

The colonial-style mansion is constructed of tan limestone with white columns. Two
stone lions seem to guard the front entrance. Elvis Presley expanded the living space
from about 10,000 square feet to 17,000 square feet. He is known for his extravagance
and a unique sense of design; some call it kitschy. The home reflected Elvis well; he
became so comfortable there that when he traveled, his hotel rooms were pre-decorated
with furniture sent from Graceland.

Elviss indoor and outdoor estate expansions were considerable. For privacy, he
constructed a fieldstone wall around the grounds. (Today it is full of visitors graffiti.) He
added a wrought-iron privacy gate to the outside drive; its decorated with iron musical
notes. He installed a swimming pool with adjacent jukebox in his parents bedroom, and
the famous Jungle Room has a waterfall. Elvis also kept several televisions in the
basement and was known to watch three simultaneously.

Today, audio tours begin at the lion-flanked portico. Visitors then see Elviss living room
and the adjacent music room. The tour moves to the kitchen and dining room, and then
downstairs to the basement to see side-by-side TVs, a bar, and a billiards table. The tour
continues upstairs in the Jungle Room. Elvis memorabilia are displayed throughout, with
his sequined jumpsuits being especially prominent. Outdoors, people can see his trophy
collection, horse stables, and a shooting range. A separate building displays his car
collection and two small airplanes. Public tours show much of the mansion but avoid the
top floor where Elvis passed away.

Elvis died at Graceland in 1977. Medical reports vary; he apparently had a drug-induced
heart attack. He was buried at a public cemetery but people attempted to rob his grave.
Presleys remains were moved to his mansions Meditation Gardens, where the performer
joined his deceased parents and grandmother. The August 16th anniversary of Elvis
Presleys death is a particularly popular time for Graceland visits. Despite a downpour of
rain through Memphis, the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death drew a procession of
40,000 people.

After Elviss death, Priscilla Presley managed the property and greatly increased its value
by promoting tourism. Graceland opened to the public in 1982. The Presleys daughter,
Lisa Marie Presley, inherited the estate when she turned 30 years old. She kept the
mansion but sold 85% of the grounds to a private management company in 2005. The
new owner, CKX, Inc., plans to make Graceland a theme park on par with Disneyland.

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There is very much a difference between business travel that may last a day or two or even a week compared to the life some business people must go through who travel continuously for weeks or months on end. But it is a necessity of some areas of business that professionals representing that business do stay out on the road for a very long time. These road warriors are examples of people who understand the wear and tear the road can cause on the body, mind and spirit after months of continuous travel.

As humans, we are designed to have homes and nest. So the life on the road runs against that natural instinct to settle in one place and rest there. So the first challenge of traveling continuously is finding ways to replicate a normal life despite the constant travel. The one factor that can help with combating road weariness is the psychological factor of familiarity.

Because business persons who travel for many weeks may not see the same people for very long and often move from city to city, the hotels and restaurants eventually begin to blur into one place and the desire for the familiar and home starts to make itself known. So one way to provide that sense of sameness is routine. Even on the road, one can establish a routine that you can look forward to each evening. Whether that means watching the same television shows, scheduling your calls home at the same time each day or week or establishing hotel room rituals, by maintaining a sameness no matter where you are living at any given time gives the traveler that sense of normalcy that is missing in a life of nonstop travel.

Oddly enough, role models for living successfully on the road are some rock and roll bands who have been living such a life for years if not decades. If you examine their approach to touring, the ones that live that life for very long learn quickly to avoid substance abuse and live a healthy lifestyle. While the typical businessperson doesnt have to get up and perform on stage for thousands, it is important to sleep well and see your digestive systems and regularity remain stable during the constant change of travel.

That may mean establishing an exercise regime that you simply do not break. A morning run followed by a sauna and a light but healthy breakfast not only can get your day off on the right foot, it can confirm your routine and that you are in charge of your lifestyle on the road, not the hotel or the circumstances around you.

Another lesson we can witness from professional musicians who travel a great deal is an intense devotion to professionalism. For the musician, they are on the road for one and only one thing, to put on great shows for their fans. That focus can keep them centered for long periods of time. We can translate that focus to what we are about as we set out on a long business journey. By focusing on what we are on the road to achieve and give that 100% of our best efforts, that will give us validation when we find success at every stop along the way.

Musicians who learn to survive the road learn to take care of each other and use a sense of family and mutual support to get through a tough tour schedule. If you are traveling with others from your business, that same mutual support can go a long way to toward helping each you survive the experience. Talk openly about the challenges of traveling for such lengthy periods of time. Form an accountability structure to your professional friendships so each of you is looking out for the other. If you can get everybody out for that morning jog, soon your ability to work as a team goes beyond just how you function during meetings but you become a mutually supportive team in getting through the rigors of an aggressive business travel schedule.

By looking at the challenge of surviving the wear and tear of the road as one of lifes great adventures, you can gain an energy and a resolve to win each and every day of your business journey. And that resolve will be contagious for your fellow business travelers which translate into greater success in your business ventures during the trip as well.

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