Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations

Fuel Prices and Summer Vacations

I’ve been getting loads of media calls on how to still have a summer vacation in this climate of expensive gasoline and and expensive (and less pleasant) airfares. One solution, if you’re in a place where it’s an option, is to take the train. Here’s my latest Tripso/MSNBC article on 12 days of public transportation, Four cities, two countries, one planet: The ultimate green vacation.

Personal finance expert Jean Chatzky interviewed me for an article for the New York Daily News, but then it got syndicated to so many places I got relatives sending me newspaper clippings. I had to chuckle when I got a Google alert the other day though and found out I was quoted on Oprah.com. Maybe now some housewives will start buying Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune.

I have been putting some of my advice in action this year, including crashing at the homes of friends and relatives. I’ve never gotten around to working out a home exchange yet though. Maybe next year. Meanwhile, I had the sense eight years ago to buy a car that gets 32 miles per gallon and I work out of a home office when not traveling, so I haven’t felt the sting as badly as the Hummer-driving suburbanites who spend an hour each way in traffic to commute.

But the most important advice is to find a way to take a vacation, somewhere anywhere. For all the workaholic entrepreneurs, check out this article from Inc. magazine: Taking more vacations increased the value of my company. How cool is that?

Of course if you have the time to really get away, you can easily make up for the cost of airfare by going to one of the world’s cheapest destinations, where you’ll eat, drink, sleep, and sightsee for a fraction of what you would spend down the road.