My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets

I've been nominated to continue the series of the best kept secrets from travel bloggers around the world started by Katie at the site TripBase. Each blogger who is posting in the series is submitting three of their favorite best kept travel secrets to make a comprehensive list of the best secrets from around the world.

Some of my top three best kept travel secrets have already been discussed on this site, and others have not, but I have to say that these are definitely my most favorite. So please check them out whenever you are planning a trip!

Imperial Palace Hotel - Las Vegas, Nevada

So call this one a travel secret hiding in plain site. Vegas is all about the glitz, glamor, and high rollers; and many of the hotels on the Strip have prices to match. If you want to go all out, all the Vegas hotels are amazing and worth staying at. But if you are trying to save a few dollars in the process then you may want to scale back the accommodation, you're hardly in the room anyway. The main choices that budget Vegas goers turn to are cheaper off strip hotels, Circus Circus, and the Stratosphere and if you catch yourself thinking of staying at one of these places STOP! I have said it many times before and I'll say it again, if it is not on the main Strip between Treasure Island and Excalibur don't even bother! They are not within walking, or stumbling distance and should be avoided at all costs. Don't be fooled by the map, they are not close at all! One block over is easily a 20 minute walk if not more, and the free shuttles that some offer cycle once every 30 minutes at best. (Pictured: Imperial Palace facade in Las Vegas - October 2008)


That is where the Imperial Palace comes in. It may not be the nicest looking hotel on the Strip, or have lavish suites, but the price is right for those looking to spend their money elsewhere on the Strip. Weekday nights are often as low as $49 plus tax and weekends barely tip the hundred dollar mark. Not bad in a city that room rates can sky rocket to $300+ on weekends for nothing more than a small bedroom and access to a pool. In fact, with the recession the Imperial Palace has been offering packages with 3 nights for a total of $89. That is 3 nights on the Strip located directly across from the shops at Caesars Palace for under the cost of what it would cost to see one Cirque du Soleil show! The money you save from going to another on Strip hotel would pay for two sets of tickets for those amazing shows!

If you are planning on going to Vegas anytime in the next year, sign up for the official mailing lists to the main hotels / chains on the Strip, there are many packages being offered that make any hotel within a budget and have perks such as free show tickets or spa packages to round out the deal!

Kayak Search Engine

This one isn't so secret anymore with their first advertising campaign kicking off on TV. Kayak is the only website out there that I use to purchase plane tickets and have talked about plenty in this blog in the past. What makes Kayak different from other sites is that instead of being a booking engine it is a crawling engine, searching hundreds of different airlines and booking pages to find the absolute best itinerary and deal for your flight choices. Kayak also has features that tell you if the same itinerary has been searched for in your specific month (round trip only) and what prices were found most recently and a feature to find the cheapest destinations per continent from your home location on chosen travel date. These are great tools all around but what gets me going back to Kayak time and time again is the fact that I have never seen a price cheaper for international flights on any booking engine, anywhere, ever. Most of my friends don't believe me when I quote round trip prices to Europe for $700 when they spent over $1200, and I have also converted my brother who is an avid traveler to be a Kayak believer. Check them out, I guarantee they'll save you some money on your next plane ticket.

Street Food Around the World

Street food may not be viewed as a travel secret as everyone knows about it, the trick is figuring out which ones are worth it and which ones are not. I found this out firsthand when in Luxor, Egypt this past August while trying to find some falafel which is commonly sold as street food. Walking up and down the main street across from Luxor Temple there are many restaurants, a McDonalds, and street stalls. Along the way I found one that caught my eye as there were about 20 people crowding around it, compared to zero at the other stalls. Yep, this is the one to eat at. Up right in the front of the stall was a big iron skillet full of falafel balls cooking fresh before they are jammed into pitas with veggies and optional moussaka, my favorite Middle Eastern dish. In an impulse I ordered four, which would be about the size of two large sandwiches from the McDonalds that was right next door. The total cost was about 8 pounds, or about $1.75 US. Not only were they awesome, but the irony in the whole situation culminated when we went to the McDonalds to eat in and the large fountain soda cost $1.85 US, more than FOUR large pita sandwiches with falafel and moussaka. Ah the power of street food. It was the best food I ate on the trip. So watch out for a hopping stall next time you are in a foreign country, because the food is probably the best thing you can get and you won't have to pay the inflated prices that tourist establishments normally charge! (Pictured: Frying falafel street food in Luxor, Egypt)


These are just a few of my travel secrets that I use during my travels. Thanks for Brian over at NoDebtWorldTravel for inviting me to continue the travel secret posts.

Posted in: Africa,Egypt,North America,USA