Greatest travel lesson learned: Find the local hangouts to experience the real, true culture of a pl

As reported this morning by USA Today , Travelocity s Thanksgivng Travel Report says travelers can pay up to $170 more on holiday airfare if they travel on peak days versus shifting their itinerary by a couple of days. To get a cheaper flight over Thanksgiving, the day-by-day analysis suggests travelers should avoid Sunday returns, and opt to return the Friday or Tuesday after the big day to get the lowest possible fares.
Check out the chart below. Average domestic airfare for the Thanksgiving los angeles lakers wallpaper holiday is cheapest ($293 roundtrip) for travelers departing on Thanksgiving Day and returning the Tuesday after the holiday and most expensive ($463 roundtrip) when travelers depart the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and return the Sunday after, los angeles lakers wallpaper two of the busiest days of the holiday. In general, a Sunday return bumps up the average fare while returns the Friday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving offer fares below the domestic average.
Greatest travel lesson learned: Find the local hangouts to experience the real, true culture of a place. During a trip to Europe, my friends and I spent several days with a French family in the small town of Vichy. We had a private party in their family-run creperie, feasting on cheese-stuffed crepes and sampling wine that we picked up in the Bordeaux region a few days earlier. los angeles lakers wallpaper Their English wasn't much better than my French, which is limited to a few well-known phrases from Moulin Rouge and the question: Parlez-vous anglais? (I'm proud to say that I can spout this question off in several different languages, and luckily most Europeans do indeed speak English!) After a few bottles of wine, the language barrier was hardly noticeable (slurring actually sounds the same in French!), and we managed to swap stories about life in other places. What a slice of local flavor!
My most beloved place in the whole world is: My grandparents place in Texas. It's a 10-acre oasis in between two sprawling cities: Dallas and Fort Worth. A creek runs through their enormous backyard, where Granddad built a deck over the water. The entire place is shrouded with all types of trees (mainly pecan), blocking the Texas sun in the summer. Dusk is the best time to sit on the deck, drink a glass of ice tea and watch baby raccoons from the spring litter surround their back porch as Gram feeds them bread (no lie!). There will be dozens los angeles lakers wallpaper of raccoons eating on any given night. In the fall, my family gathers in the courtyard in front of their house for an annual "weenie roast." Granddad lights the bonfire, and we roast dogs and s'mores. Yes, y'all, we're from Texas!
los angeles lakers wallpaper Favorite los angeles lakers wallpaper way to get around: Well, I'm not much of a driver. I get lost easily and my tires have never come across a curb they didn't want to get to know a little better. But, I do enjoy cruising around los angeles lakers wallpaper and listening to music. That said, I much rather explore a place by foot (with my iPod in tow) for a more intimate encounter.
View that took my breath away: Coming from Texas (where the view is wide but there's los angeles lakers wallpaper not much to see), scenes from my new home of San Francisco never fail to amaze me. The city is a pedestrian's dream, but don't forget to turn around and look behind you as you meander through los angeles lakers wallpaper its neighborhoods. You won't realize it, but you'll be at the tip-top of a hill and the ocean will suddenly seem to be at eye level. Take a drive through the Presidio and over the Golden Gate Bridge where even more stunning views await!
Always be a bit careful with these kind of things. Average fare covers a bit of a multitude of sins. Bottom line: you can get a cheap flight on any given day, or you can get stung for an expensive one.
The Travelocity Thanksgiving Travel Report is an analysis of domestic fares from U.S. origination points los angeles lakers wallpaper and includes taxes, fees and surcharges. While fares do run the gamut for the holiday, the analysis is a good indication of what travelers los angeles lakers wallpaper are actually able to book during the week of Thanksgiving. los angeles lakers wallpaper Flexible dates searching is always the best way to go to find the absolute cheapest fare.
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