Cheap Travel Destinations

Newport Beach Shoppers Paradise

Although the area of Newport Beach is known for the harbor and love of the water, it also contains a hidden shoppers paradise. With the infamous Fashion Island and Balboa Island nearby, Newport does wonders for those who like activities yet enjoy shopping.

Fashion Island is one of the best areas of Newport Beach, containing over 200 stores. The Island has everything you could ever want, from toys to expensive clothes. If you’ve ever tried Fashion Island before, you’re probably aware of just how great it can be. With over 200 stores, it’ll take hours and hours to explore everything here - and possibly even days.

If you happen to be looking for an inexpensive, yet excellent experience, Balboa Island is where you should be going. The Island is accessible from Palm Street by ferry at the Balboa Peninsula, or by car/foot from Jamboree Road at the Pacific Coast Highway.

With its great location and environment, the community is home to more than 80 galleries, gift shops, and fine restaurants. All along the streets on the island, you can find locals selling great merchandise, along with vendors selling superb sweets and hot eats.

When walking on foot on the island, you’ll notice that there are wonderful views of the extravagent homes, harbor, and even the bay. Passing the street signs, you may notice that they are indeed named after precious stones, which is quite different.

Once you pass Turquoise, Topax, Diamond, and Sapphire, you’ll reach the popular Marine Avenue, which is where shoppers will fall in love. With unique and attractive gift shops and sidewalk cafes, it’s easy to spend hours here looking at everything you can purchase.

The heart of the Balboa Island’s shopping and apparel district, Marine Avenue has many unique boutiques and galleries as well. If hunger strikes, you can lose yourself in the tastefully impressive Balboa Bar,a bar made of vanilla ice cream that is dipped in chocolate.

With restaurants on the Avenue as well, you can enjoy everything from a simple meal to some of the best Italian food in Newport Beach. Offering you plenty of things to see as well, Balboa Island gives you more than just shopping - although the shopping here is something you must experience.

If you enjoy shopping and seeing beautiful views, Newport Beach is truly the shopping paradise you’ve been longing for. As a family vacation, Balboa Island and the surrounding areas can provide everything you need for fun and entertainment. For shopping lovers everywhere, Newport Beach provides the type of shopping you won’t find anywhere else.

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RV Travelling the frugal way in USA!

Two Best-Kept Secrets: Cheap Travel Destinations Off The Radar

It’s always nice to be the first to discover cheap travel destinations that have the makings of a tourist hot spot. Here are some of Asia’s fastest-rising geographical treasures. Read on, and book a flight now before the rest of the touring world beat you it.

Cambodia
Cambodia has Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider movie to thank for its rise to tourism fame. Indeed, after the movie was shown, worldwide interest in the Angkor Wat and Cambodia’s host of ancient temples glared and flared, drawing visitors to an all-time high in 2008. Statistics say last year’s number of visitors totaled two million, or ten times more than its number of tourists ten years ago. Despite the global fanfare, Cambodia is still relatively a secret waiting to be discovered among Americans. Its more famous Indo-Chinese neighbor Vietnam is said to have drawn twice as much visitors than Cambodia last year. Cambodia though is more of a backpacker’s paradise than a haven for tourists looking for the finer things in life. When it comes to lodging, your best bet are the private guesthouses dotting the major towns (no major resort or hotel chain has ventured to build yet in this part of the world).
What to see or do when you’re there? For $2 per day, you can rent a bicycle to see Angkor Wat on. The Angkor complex is definitely not to be missed. It has splendid rows of Hindu and Buddhist temples built as far back as the 9th century that will use up a full two days. You can also hit the Artisans d’Angkor shop near Siem Reap for traditional handicraft souvenirs.

Panama
Panama is the star in terms of tourism in Central and South America. In 2007 and 2008 alone, the country has posted 20- and 30-percent increases, respectively, in the number of tourists. Last year, Panama welcomed its one-millionth visitor, which can only mean it is well on its way to becoming a mainstream travel destination just like its neighbor, Costa Rica.
The main attraction of Panama is its rich flora and fauna and their well-preserved, lush habitats. Should you decide to go, don’t miss a hike up the Cerro Jefe within the Chagres National Park. At 3,000 feet above sea level, the mountain offers a breathtaking view of the Panama Canal, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean—a sight that you won’t get from the other cheap travel destinations.

Travel on a Shoestring: Top Three Cheap Travel Destinations in Europe

The global recession may have caused people and companies to cut down on their unnecessary expenses and costs. But should it also dampen your wanderlust and keep you from traveling? Not if you are going to any of the following cheap travel destinations.

Budapest, Hungary: Budapest has taken on the role that Prague used to play during the 1990s: that of being the hub for expatriates. When Prague attracted too many tourists for expats’ comfort, the expats had to find some place else to set up camp. Why do we say that Budapest is one of the cheap travel destinations these days? The recent decline of the dollar had an adverse effect on Hungary’s forint, causing it to decline by about 30 percent against the US dollar. Naturally, that means that you can get 30 percent more for every dollar that you spend there than what it would have otherwise fetched. Some of the things that you should see when you’re there: the art nouveau structures that dot the city, the Museum of Applied Arts, and the Great Market Hall for your shopping needs. You can also check out what’s showing at the Hungarian State Opera House for only $2!

Reykjavic, Iceland: Iceland’s currency, the kronur, had it worse than the forint, such that its value against the dollar has declined by almost half. For example, a hotdog in downtown Reykjavik, which used to sell at about $3.50 last year is now only $2.00! The airfare rates have also nose-dived by about 22 percent. Things you can do while there: bask in any of Reykjavik’s seven outdoor thermal pools, check out the five museums, the family park and the city zoo, and the bird-watching park at Videy Island. And did we mention you can experience all this—transport by bus included—by buying that Reykjavik Welcome Card at only $11 for 24 hours?

Berlin: This year, Berlin marks the 20th year since the fall of the Berlin Wall, so that in itself is a great reason to visit Berlin this year. Despite the investment in infrastructure, Berlin remains to be a relatively cheap vacation spot, what with its four- and five-star hotels that you can get for a bargain. This year, Berlin’s calendar is packed full of concerts, exhibitions and other memorials. You can also try the Berlin Wall tour or check out the central plaza called Potsdamer Platz, or do your shopping at the Renzo Piano shopping arcade. For 2009, we can safely say that Berlin has the most to offer among the cheap travel destinations.

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