Now that it’s almost spring and the weather is getting warmer, it’s the perfect time to travel. Don’t worry though, going on your next vacation doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank. There are ways to travel on a budget and still have a great time. That’s why we’re sharing the tips to make your dream vacation happen without emptying your bank account.
Do a lot of research on your travel destination
Google the places you’re interested in going to and find which sounds the best and most affordable.
Check out AAA for information on destinations and accommodations.
When you choose a location, buy a used guidebook – it might have some good tips in it!
Join as many loyalty programs as possible to get discounts on hotels and accommodations.
Ask friends who have traveled to the same location for their thoughts.
Find ways to save on your accommodations
Check with your credit card company to see if you have rewards or discounts on hotels.
If you are traveling to a well-known city, stay outside the city limits. It’ll be cheaper, and you’ll get a more culture-rich experience.
If you are traveling with more than one person, consider splitting the cost of a two-room suite rather than two separate hotel rooms.
Look for hotels that include free breakfast. Even if it just a bagel and some fruit, it is one less meal that you have to pay for during the day and you can even snag stuff to-go (shhh!).
Look accommodations with kitchens. This way you can save money by cooking some of your own meals, but still experience the cuisine by using local products.
Pack some of your favorite on-the-go snacks that travel easily. This way you won’t splurge on something expensive because you’re starving.
If there’s a to-die-for, but pricey restaurant, go for lunch rather than dinner. You will get a lot of the same service, but the food will be cheaper.
Find the best deals on events and must-see sites
Connect with locals who are happy to show you around for free instead of booking expensive tour guides.
Once you get to your destination, go to the welcome or tourist centers to gather more information, and maybe discounts, on events and sightseeing.
Walk instead of paying for transportation. Not only will you get more exercise, but you can see a lot more locations and save money!
When done right, traveling does not have to cost a lot. With a little extra preparation and some deal hunting, you can get away without breaking the bank. So, start planning your next vacation asap, use these tips to save money, and get some of that R and R that you deserve!
Dining Out, a print and web-based publication that delivers the latest culinary world news and our new media partner (yay!), recently published a great article about rising technology in the restaurant industry. Here are a few of the highlights…
Wine list goes digital: Wine-centric restaurants are switching from printed wine lists to the digital variety, usually hosted on an iPad or tablet of some sort. Since the first occurrence in Atlanta restaurant Bones back in 2010, many have followed suit because digital wine lists not only allow customers to access more information, but also make it easier for the restaurant to make content changes.
Checks delivered straight to your smartphone: Reservation companies like OpenTable, which work from a central point-of-sales system in each restaurant, now allow servers to push checks through the same system directly to the customer’s app.
Servers replaced by digital ordering interface: Chain restaurants are introducing tableside terminals and tablets for ordering, which similar to the digital wine list, gives restaurants flexibility with their menus as well as an easy way for customers to redeem promotions. The trade-off is the lack of hospitality, a main part of the restaurant experience that many believe will be missed if this trend goes mainstream.
Waitlist apps that shorten wait time: Apps like Waitlist Me and NoWait are making it more convenient for customers to wait for tables. While some just provide text message alerts that allow customers to go off site during the wait, others are completely remote, providing the ability to put your name on the list from home.
Digitized taphouses let you pour your own: Cutting down on labor costs and giving customers a unique experience, taphouses like Denver’s First Draft lets guests pour their own craft beer and wine by swiping a magnetic card for every round. Unlike the digital ordering interfaces mentioned above, First Draft is keeping hospitality at a premium with Beer Ambassadors to help customers choose from their 40+ beer and wine options. If you’re interested in joining their team, check out First Draft’s open jobs on Sirvo.
Read the full article for a closer look at technology in the restaurant world.
It’s official: Women Who Launch was a success! Michael Kilcoyne, the panel’s MC, did a spectacular job, asking a variety of relevant questions. The panelists, Stephanie Maxwell (@gosirvo), Jenna Walker (@artifactuprising), and Amy Baglan (@meetmindful), were in kind, sharing insight and experiences from their unique perspectives.
The highlights included discussing work-life balance, or “congruence” as Jenna calls it. Each of these women have had to conquer their own challenges to achieve zen: for Stephanie, it’s the small but no less important things, like eating and exercising, that she had to learn how to put first; Jenna didn’t want to sacrifice being a mom, so even though it meant less sleep, she woke up early to get work done so she could fit in school drop-offs and pick-ups; Amy has discovered that the key to maintaining her balance is mindfulness and meditation.
When it came to handling the strong emotions that go along with the stress of founding a tech company, each woman had a different take. Stephanie sets her emotions aside with her team because that’s how she’s most effective as a manager, while Jenna does the opposite, sharing that she “threw a fit” the week before as an example, because she’s found that she’s at her best when there’s no pretense. Amy falls somewhere in the middle, but highlighted the importance of having a second opinion when emotions run high by telling the audience about an email mishap that involved a dick pic. We all got a good laugh out of that!
All in all, it was great discussion about what it means to be a female founder in the tech industry.
Sirvo is taking part in Denver Startup Week’s panel, Women Who Launch, alongside MeetMindful and Artifact Uprising on Monday, September 21st at 4:00 pm at Galvanize.
The panel of female founders will be discussing the finer details of their entrepreneurial ventures within the male-dominated tech industry. Step into the shoes of these three women, each at the helm of startups in different markets and stages of the business lifecycle (pre-rev, rev, and exit), as they share their unique business perspectives, journeys, and experiences.
Check out the bios of the panelists below:
Stephanie Maxwell, CEO & Founder of Sirvo (@gosirvo), has successfully brought her business vision to life, going from concept to product launch in under a year. As a sole founder, she has proven to be an effective leader and operator by managing a growing team of six and spearheading the product launch with even more planned in the near future. Prior to founding the company, Ms. Maxwell was the Marketing Director for Lotus Concepts, Inc., a nightlife and entertainment company, a successful model and later launched her own event staffing business.
Amy Baglan, CEO and Co-Founder of MeetMindful (@meetmindful), the #1 dating site for healthy, conscious singles. Five years ago, she left a mobile marketing startup she helped launch in New York City (acquired in 2012) and bought a one-way ticket to India to explore the world. A year later, she moved to Denver and started her first business, YogaDates—an events company for like-minded singles—which was the catalyst for MeetMindful. She’s now on a mission to evolve and re-inspire the dating industry by marrying the power of content with a niche social experience.
Jenna Walker, CEO and Co-Founder of Artifact Uprising (@artifactuprsng), founded the company 3 years ago – just 6 months after her second daughter was born. The team took the company from concept to scale without additional outside investment – successfully bootstrapping their way to acquisition by Visual Supply Company (@vsco) at the end of 2014. Today, the team remains based in Denver, Colorado where Jenna, along with Co-Founder and sister Katie, continue to work to quickly to scale their e-commerce company and mission in both the USA and Europe. Prior to founding the company – the founders were professional photographers and had no experience running a technology driven business.
