"The Best of" Travel Itineraries For Mostly European Cities

With the exception of New York City, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Toronto in North America you can get suggestions for trip planning in Europe by logging onto this free recommended website.

First, you'll be asked the date you plan to be there and for how many days.

Then you can base your vacation around your kids, outdoors, culture, or "the best of" for a first-time visitor.

Maybe you want to rest. There are suggestions for you as well as for the ones who want to see everything.

Depending on how much you want to spend, the site provides hotel choices (then you make the reservations on your own.)

After calculating, your days' itineraries are shown. Often you will be traveling "by walking" and the approximate time is included.

A fun site. I suggest you try it.

Highly recommended.

Save on Travel

Here are a few ways to save on travel (I've picked them up from various sources):

Buy your flight at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday morning in the time zone the airline is based.

Fly during off-peak times and days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at midday).

Consider alternate airports.

Rent cars other than at the airport where additional taxes are charged. Watch for last-minute specials, weekly rates, and pre-payment plans.

Don't assume you are saving money by using an airport shuttle--a cab may be cheaper, particularly if you are not traveling alone.

Ask the hotel manager for discounts or upgrades at the check-in desk.

Consider the concierge floor--it may cost more upfront but be worth it if you get breakfast and appetizers thrown in (the snacks are enough to fill us up!).

Stay with locals or exchange your home with one in a foreign country you'd like to visit.

Check out colleges and universities for dorm rooms.

You might enjoy camping or hostels.

Book an all-inclusive vacation package.

Go to a destination that recently hosted a major world event--like Vancouver or Beijing.

For more on travel, visit 50somethinginfo.com

Garage Sale Heaven: Enjoy Traveling and Hunting at the Same Time

I am a great believer in garage and yard sales. In fact, my oldest thought "garages" were "garage sales" because I'd call out, "There's a garage sale!" It wasn't until he was quite a bit older when he realized they were two separate things.

Buying at these kinds of events happens to be my personal favorite for recycling (and getting slashed prices). Some of our best toys and books came from local yard sales.

Have you ever thought of combining travel and the most humongous, glorious, amazing yard sales? I didn't until I read JenniferHaupt and Brooke Howell's article in an old AARP magazine.

August 5-8 is this year's The 127 ( Corridor) Sale , "The World's Longest Yard Sale," stretching from Gadsden, Alabama, to Hudson, Michigan.

The brochure reads: "Yard sales can be found along the route at homes located on the designated route, in business parking lots, along side streets adjacent to the route, in wide open fields and pastures...and basically anywhere people can find to set up."

Along the way, check out the 100 year old jail in Jamestown, TN (headquarters of 127 Sale). Visit the nation's newest national park at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Honor World War I's most decorated hero at Sergeant Alvin C. York Grist Mill and Homeplace. Find natural rock formations, bridges and arches unique to the area.

Continue on to Highway 64 from Fort Smith to Beebe, Arkansas, from August 10-12. You'll find 160 miles of yard sales, antiques and collectibles and flea markets.

But don't forget to take a narrated tour on the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad.

If you can wait until October 20-22 you can enjoy hundreds of vendors along 354 miles of U.S. 80 from Mesquite Texas, to Vicksburg, Mississippi, via Louisiana. An extra plus for this event: it shares its highway with classic and not-so-vintage vehicles.

If you can't get away and want to find garage sales in your area, go to Yard Sale Treasure Map.

You'll be notified about sales within a certain radius of your starting point.

Finally, for more discount shopping ideas, visit 50somethinginfo.com

Renting a Room Out of Your House

If you have a spare room that you can rent to travelers and would like to pay only $10-20 per night when you go on vacation, consider joining a bed and breakfast club.

The Evergreen Club is a "practical resource for travelers over 50 who enjoy people-to-people contacts."

There are over 2,500 guest rooms in the United States and Canada that are part of the club. Members retrieve accommodation information online and may contact the hosts by email.

Breakfast and an hour or so of the host's time helps travelers learn about unique sites in the area.

Dues are fully refunded if you aren't entirely satisfied.

Travel in Western Europe: Recommendations

She hasn’t been disappointed yet. I asked a former travel agent what she uses to get recommendations for accommodations and itineraries.

“Without a doubt,” she replied, “I use Karen Brown guides. The hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts aren’t inexpensive but they are always great.” She further explained that Brown doesn't cover every single country.

For Italy, try her exceptional hotels or bed and breakfasts. If you narrow your travel to Tuscany and Umbria, check her guide to the area.

Sample Ireland's gems or the hotels, inns and B&Bs in England, Scotland and Wales.

Similarly, France comes alive in her charming bed and breakfasts or her amazing hotels.

Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Portugal are covered at length.

Finally, don't miss Spain, one of my personal favorite countries.