NYC Shopping

NYC shopping.

London stuff

http://www.chicandcharming.com/2007/10/london-calling.html - London stuff!

Dirt-cheap England shopping

Dirt-cheap shopping in England.

Lesser-known things to do in London

http://galadarling.com/article/old-london-town

Wardrobe_Remix International Shopping

Second-hand shopping in Barcelona...Also, more here.

England shopping- London, Manchester, Cumbria, etc. and thrifting in London.

Montreal thrifting

Thrift shopping in all the Remixer's home towns.

And...tips for packing light for a trip to Europe.

London Vintage Shopping

Susie Bubble wrote, "Perhaps being in London, I'm spoilt by rich offerings from stores like One of a Kind on Portobello Road, Virginia, Rellik, Steinberg & Tolkien..."

An Oslo (Thrift) Shopping Link

Style Bytes made a post about thrift shopping in Oslo.

Two Paris Travel Links

The Budget Fashionista presents budget travel tips for Paris.

Some fun ideas for things to do in Paris.

Burning Man

I so want to go. Seriously.

http://galadarling.com/article/living-it-up-at-burning-man

http://www.burningman.com

http://galadarling.com/static/marybee

Montreal

This post from Faking Good Breeding has a small amount of tips for where to eat (and mentions a hotel that is apparently a good deal) in Montreal.

A Few Useful Bits

Tricia from Bits and Bobbins asked for suggestions for an upcoming trip to Amsterdam, Paris, and Antwerp. Here are the responses.

Gala from iCiNG gave a short guide to shopping in Wellington.

Singapore Shopping Guide

Another shopping guide from Fashion Spinach. This one's for Singapore.

Tokyo Shopping Guide

I know I said this blog was going to be about cheap travel, and it is. But whenever I find a shopping guide for a foreign city that I plan to visit, I want to put it in here in case I ever need it. Window shopping can be fun, and who knows...maybe some day I'll have enough money to actually do some serious shopping all over the world.

So, on that note, here is a Tokyo shopping guide from Fashion Spinach (Found via iCiNG)

A Guide to Melbourne, courtesy of galadarling.com

Melbourne can be a difficult city for visitors. While the main streets are obvious to everyone, they’re not where the really interesting things are. Melbourne requires a bit of effort — think of it as a treasure hunt. Go into weird alleyways, peer into arcades, allow yourself time to wander through & really experience the place.

To read Galadarling's tips for shopping, eating, drinking, and other activities in Melbourne, click here. Also, a shop that I want to go to there is profiled here.

Useful Website

http://www.toptipsforgirls.com/browse/21/travel/ - Random travel tips. Some are just plain paranoid, but some might come in handy.

Flickr Travel Guide

http://www.flickr.com/groups/world/ - The concept here is to base your travels on pictures from other travelers. I don't know if that's such a good idea, but the pics are gorgeous and I'm sure you can pick up a few tips for places to go.

Shanghai

One Website

http://www.world66.com/ - Has pretty detailed travel guides for lots of cities, along with some other, more unique, features.

Last Minute Travel Deals (taken from a CG! spring break article)

On a budget? Hire a travel agent. They can customize a trip based on your budget. They can do a better job meeting your specific needs than any website., and they usually have a few tricks up their sleeves. Suggestions for student travelers:
Student Travel Services: 800-648-4849
StudentCity.com: 888-777-4642
StudentUniverse: 800-272-9676
STA Travel: 800-781-4040

Procrastinator? Go online for last-minute deals and steals. When companies that offer packaged trips have vacancies, they often use consolidator sites to sell leftover spots for cheap. 2-3 weeks before you plan to go away, start looking at sites like 11thhourvacations.com, lastminutetravel.com, and bestfares.com. for good package deals. Don't wait too long to confirm, though, because things can disapear quickly.

Up for anything? If you're willing to go anywhere, try an auction site. They are simillar to last-minute sites, but they have the added fun of bidding. First, scan through sites like priceline.com or hotwire.com to see what's being offered, and decide what kind of trip you're looking for. Then research the going rate for the same kind of trip on a regular, nonauction travel site, like orbitz.com. This will give you an idea of how much to bid. Go back to the auction site and place a bid that is 20%-40% less than the regular price. Be aware: You won't be able to see some details, like what airline you're flying on, until after you've won.

A Last-Minute Idea: A roadtrip is always fun. Just pick a direction and drive. Find ideas on roadtripusa.com and roadtripamerica.com

Volunteer Vacations: For ideas, check out crossculturalsolutions.com, globeaware.org, globalvolunteers.org, and unitedplanet.org.

P.S. Wherever you end up, check out the visitors bureau for discount coupons for local attractions.

One Website

• http://www.chron.com/travel/ - A few very detailed travel guides

Travel Deals (Jane Magazine)

I'm the kind of person who will spend an hour looking for Promo codes online in order to get free shipping for a clearance-priced bra I'm buying on Victoriassecret.com. Why? Because I'm cheap. But you can reap the benefits at what I've been practicing for the past 10 years in the following paragraphs. On any given day, you'll find me searching travel websites, specifically my favorite, sidestep.com. I am obsessed with that site. It searches all of the other travel search engines, like orbitz.com and individual airline sites (including Jet Blue). The only time I go to orbitz directly is if my dates are really flexible-it's the best place to find out which weekend is the best one of the month to visit.
Just today I bought a ticket to Florida for $150 instead of $600 by flying to Philadelphia on the way home. It's mildly inconvenient, but the difference is half my rent.
One more search engine of note is letsgopets.com, which I recommend if the stress of smuggling your dog past the front desk in a tote bag gets to be too much. (I once tried to sneak a rescued greyhound into the bedroom of my apartment without attracting the notice of my roommate. If the barking doesn't get you, the skeetering will.) Kimpton Boutique hotels make a big fuss over dogs and give them little treats. (I recently saw a Golden Retriever living very high on the hog at the Hotel Vintage Plaza in Portland, Ore.) I think W hotels cosset animals, too.
Now, I don't want to sound like a corporate shill, but you really should sign up for all the frequent flyer programs you can. They're free, you get better treatment and sometimes you can bypass lines. Memberships can also help you get discounts and upgrades on things like car rentals. If you're calling an airline and at the end of your conversation they offer to transfer you to a car rental company, you might as well say yes, because you can automatically get 10 to 20 percent off.
When it comes to hotels, I like singular places. I also really love hotels--it's the single most important part of the travel experience, if you ask me. In Salt Lake City, for example, I like the Old Salt City Jail, where every room is a built-out stage set installation--like Egypt, with waterfalls. I stayed in a bed that was also a stage coach, but I wanted to stay in the log cabin, complete with rockers on the front porch. The point is, you can find indie places at sites like inns.com and bedandbreakfast.com.
I've also had pretty good luck googling "boutique hotel" + the location. HotelBook.com is another independent search engine, but their selection often seems pretty thin. The most beautiful hotels I've ever seen are listed at Chicretreats.com.
Once you find your desired hotel, either call the hotel yourself directly or use a travel agent to make the reservation. Travel agents are free, and they can put special notes in your reservation like, "Madame X prefers a high floor, with a view. The best available, please." Hotels are notorious for treating people who book through websites like second class citizens. And you can have the travel agent do the dirty work, if you're too shy to ask if there's anything else you can do to get a better rate.
Happy travels.
--Katy

Tokyo Tips (Jane Magazine)

The truth is, you can wander around any part of Tokyo and it will blow your mind. But here are a few helpful hints and especially fun things to get with. And don't worry, the subway system may seem really confusing, but everything is also written in English and easy to navigate.
First off, book a room at the Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu (tokyUhotels.co.jp) in trendy Shibuya. The hotel is dirt-cheap and located right in the center of this beyond-fun district. During the day, hit the intense, music-and-light-fueled department stores. At night, everything blindingly turns on. Buy a can of beer at one of the many convenience stores, then stroll around on the streets and people-watch. The kids have MAD style there. Duck into a karaoke joint, or get some inexpensive sake and sushi (look for a place that serves the dishes on a conveyor belt).
Also, you must, MUST go shop at Harajuku. There are a million cool places there, but here's a secret: When you exit the train, hang a right into the underground flea market. The prices there are the best on the street. (And say "hi" to the designer Harajuku Annie for me.) When you surface and go back to the main road, just explore. There are shops for every style, but I personally thought the goth stores were the most exciting, for cool interior design and unique wares.
Last but not least, check out the Sensoji temple in Asakusa. It's a bit of a tourist trap, but the shrine itself is breathtaking. While you're there, drink sacred water, inhale holy incense and be sure to get your fortune told.

Shopping Trip Guides (Lucky Magazine)

Paris
London
More London
Rome & Florence
Milan
Montreal
Mexico

Paris (Food and Shopping)

One Website

http://nymag.com/travel/index.html - About travel in the NY area, and also has suggestions for international getaways

Paris Shopping Tips from seamsters.net

yb Says:
My absolute favorite vintage shop in Paris is Anouschka on 6 Avenue du coq 75009. This place is heaving with top quality stuff from courreges to vintage shoes. It’s appointment only so you should make an appointment if you want to go (contact@anouschka.fr).Theres a retro accessoriez and jeans boutique on 72 Rue de Condorcet 75009 called Woch Dom. Really quarky and all retro stuff in immaculate condition. Bought amazing jeans here.
In St. Ouen, I think on Rue de Rosier there are the best vintage stores. stand 101 and 77 are true gems selling, well last time I went which was last year, Jean Patou, chanel etc. But I think flea markets like St.Ouen and Vanves have become to commercialised now. Everything is so overpriced its like buying stuff from Decades!
There is a really good antique ribbon shop near Opera but cant remember the name at this moment. Anyhow hope you have a nice time in Paris and bags some bargains which seems so hard these days!

Di Overton Says:
My daughter lives in Paris and I visit and hunt the flea markets but the BEST places are situated in every town. Depot Ventes http://www.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=depot+vente&near=Paris,+France&sa=X&oi=local&ct=title here you will find a map of the Paris Centre depot ventes. They are places where the locals take their stuff to sell. You will be amazed at what the French don’t want.On the outskirts of Paris in the small towns they abound. Really worth a visit.St-Ouen is vast but expensive, having said that I purchased a vintage tailors dummy for a song on my last visit. Unfortunately the best flea markets are in the South of France.I visit regularly to purchase items for my Ghost Furniture range and Depot Vente has always been the best place for vintage finds. Hope this helps.

Di Overton Says:
THE BEST shopping area is the Marais 3rd and 4th districts. Village St Paul has alleyways full of antique shops selling vintage laces etc there’s one in particular that sells the most amazing stuff but it is expensive though if you root around in the baskets you can find little bargains.. The Marias itself is full of little one off shops where even if you don’t find anything you get loads of ideas.Go to http://www.parismarais.com for loads of info.

April Says: January 29th, 2007 at 4:03 am
Right in the area of La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, there’s a whole bunch of fabric/trimmings/notions shops.
I go crazy everytime I’m there!!

One New Website

http://www.bust.com/letsgo/index.html - Search where you want to go and get a travel guide

Tips for Iceland From a Traveler

Iceland was fantastic, the only thing I'd recommend is not going in the winter. Not so much because of the cold (it's not that much colder than New York in winter, at least normally...not this strange winter we've had this year), but because there's only about 5 hours of daylight in the winter. The sun comes up at like 11:00 and goes down at 4:00, so I'd get up and look at my watch and see 10:00 and have no idea if it was morning or night. If I went back (which I'd love to) it would be in the summer, when they have 24 hours of daylight per day.If you go, definitely do a tour of the golden circle, which is a day tour of some of the most impressive geographic features of Iceland, including Geysir, Gullfoss the waterfall, and glaciers.Also really fun was the geothermal natural springs, which I didn't have any pictures of. Since Iceland is basically a volcanic island, there is a lot of geothermal heat, and there are these outdoor hot springs where the water is like 80 degrees while the air is 40 degrees, and you just sit in this steaming water amongst volcanic rocks. It's really relaxing.In Reykjavik, check out the Hallgrimskirkja, a church that is the tallest building in Iceland, you can get a great view of the city from there. There is a lot of interesting architecture too, like Perlan, which is this funky looking building that's actually a water reservoir, though they also turned it into a high class restaurant/mueseum. We were lucky in that my friend I went with had a friend in Iceland who showed us around, and his mother even cooked us an authentic Icelandic meal (a lot of fish, very tasty).Have fun!

2 websites

• http://www.flare.com/travel/index.jsp - Gives tips on lots of Canadian destinations and some international ones.

• http://travel.discovery.com/ - Destination guides, reviews, etc. Has the potential to be very useful.

Shop Like a Fashion Editor in London (courtesy of Flare magazine)

Chic but Cheap: Fridays are best at London's legendary Portobello Road Market on Portobello Road (get there by 8 a.m. for the best selection). Start at the undercover market, alongside Cambridge Garden Road, where you'll find fab vintage clothes, shoes, and accessories, antique textiles, and bric-a-brac. And don't be shy about trying to strike a bargain. Then toward Golborne Road, where you'll find stores stuffed with antiques alongside great Portuguese and Moroccan cafes. Walk farther and you'll be rewarded with Rellik (8 Golborne Rd.), a fabulous but pricey vintage clothing store with an amazing Vivienne Westwood collection. Keep you eye out for Kate Moss, who's known to riffle through the racks.
In London's West End, Topshop, in Oxford Circus, is a fashion mecca: runway and trend-driven looks arrive in record speed and you'll find them here at the best prices. Really, no outfit is complete without a bit of Topshop's cheap frippery thrown in for fun. And celebs know this, too- although they go undercover or send their stylists to do the gathering.

Budget-blasting Fun: If Brit/homegrown labels appeal, head for Wigmore Street, where you'll find Margaret Howell at number 34. Fans of Paul Smith love this label, too, which was launched in the '70s. The men's and women's collections are as true to the designer's classic vision as ever, with lovely fabrics, simple detailing, precise cuts, relaxed tailoring and quirky touches. Get your decor fix while you're here: this flagship store houses mid- to late-20th-century-designed furniture, home accessory classics, and a concise selection of design reference books.
For a different flavour, try Marylebone High Street, where you'll find stores with a well-heeled, typical Brit feel. Look in on The White Company, 12 Marylebone High St., for quality chic fashion and housewares.
Looking for the designers with street cred? Head to the hottest department store: Selfridges, 400 Oxford St. The ground floor houses Spirit - key collections from all the hot high-street names in women's wear and shoes: Topshop, Warehouse, French Connection, and more. Don't miss the best of high design and high fashion on other floors. If you're in need of still more designer retail therapy (Dries Van Noten, Marc by Marc Jacobs or See by Chloe, anyone?), check out Liberty, 210-225 Regent St. Walking through that Tudor black-and-white frontage on Great Marlborough Street makes you feel as if you're as unique and eclectic as the department store itself.

Ok, I know I said this blog will help me travel cheaply.
Let's just say window shopping is key.

Places to go in London (from a Londoner)

It would be illegal not to have a whole page on Oxford Street. It has to have the biggest writing and totally stand out.So, everyone out the bus. We can always catch another. The largest highstreet in Europe is NOT to be missed!

Accessorize, Faith, H&M, Laura Ashley, Miss Selfridge, Mango, Warehouse, TOPSHOP, GAP, Next, Oasis, Boots, Superdrug, Jane Norman, Ernest Jones, Swarovski, H. Samuel, Supercuts, Debenhams, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Disney Store, Starbucks, French Eye, Jeans West, W H Smith, New Look, HMV, Schuh, Urban Outfitters and so many more!

2 Websites

• http://www.globetrekkertv.com/ - The website for the tv show Globe Trekker. Has travel and cultural guides

• http://www.wwoof.org/ - A listing of organic farms where you can volunteer in exchange for food and lodging.