Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 108

What Do You Do When Your Flight Is Overbooked

These days, it’s almost mandatory that airlines overbook flights in order to make money and also fill each and every seat on the plane. There is a small percentage of people who arrive too late to make their flight or just don’t show up and the airlines take this into account when booking seats on each flight. Unfortunately, this means that planes are often crowded and many people each day get bumped and have to sit around the airport for hours waiting for the next flight going to their desti...

Why Malta Is On My Travel List

Okay, so sometimes I get travel inspiration from weird places and Malta may just be the strangest. A few years ago, I was watching the World’s Strongest Man Competition, which I do when I catch it, because I love to see the crazy things they make them do. Previous ones have been held in places like Victoria Falls, where they complained of extreme heat. Like many sporting events, you get some wonderful shots of the destination between competitions, as well as before and after commercial breaks...

Visiting Las Vegas' Springs Preserve

On our last trip to Vegas, we had several spare days where we spent time with family and also did our own sightseeing things. Though we've been there a dozen or more times, there's always more to see in and around the Strip. One of the things we've ever done was to check out the Springs Preserve off 95, which brings together local plants of the southwest, native animals, history, science and art to create a fun and immersive experience for visitors of all ages.

Vegas has its own natural histor...

Why We Always Opt for Vacation Rentals

You’re probably sick of me talking about how vacation rentals are awesome, but since I genuinely think they can stretch your travel dollar further and use them myself, I will keep telling you until you do it – and probably afterwards – and see for yourself. Though we often stay in timeshare properties when it’s just the two of us, it is even more beneficial for travelers who go as four or more, because it gives you room to stretch out and also get away from people if you need to. Being crampe...

How to Travel the U.S. for Free or Cheap (and Safe)

Traveling can definitely be expensive, but if you plan and do your research, you have a much better chance of saving big money. I have traveled my whole life, but I never was a college student who had the opportunity to get and see the world, because I went to school and I worked to pay for my schooling and the few bills I had. I lived at home, but because books were so expensive for my classes, I really didn’t have any leftover cash to put toward travel. It was also a time when I didn’t know...

Shereen Travels Cheap Turns 6

Woo. This blog has survived six years and I still feel like there's more to teach and more to learn. In fact, usually I like to shout my achievements, but this birthday I'd like to do something different. Instead of taking you back to old posts, I thought I'd write a new one. For 2016, let me give you a list of 16 things I've learned from my travels that make me want to travel more and continue to learn from in the future. 

1. Sometimes you gotta go with the flow In life, things don'...

Celebrating Harry Potter (Part 2)

Late last month I gave you a big Harry Potter post to celebrate Harry's birthday and promised you more from the various activities that happened over the next week. I have acquired quite a few more Potter things since that first post about my Christmas Snape, so my house is more and more like Hogwarts every July. Here's how I celebrated my magical week .
This is my house's Potions cabinet with a little corner for Divination.On July 31st at 12:01am, we were let into Powell's to purchase th...

Vote For Shereen Travels Cheap!

In case you haven't seen it elsewhere, I've been nominated for Best Budget Travel Blog by USA Today 10Best! I'm super honored by this, as I'm on a short list of other fantastic blogs that I actually read as well. I'd love to win this thing, to prove that a small blog can be just as good as ones with a lot of publicity and many more readers. Help me out and spread the word among your travel-loving friends. If you enjoy my blog, you can vote every day through Aug 29, and I'd be very grateful fo...

Why I Love the Bellagio Conservatory

I'll admit, I've probably visited Vegas a lot more than most people. I've gone 5 times in the last 4 years and possibly a dozen times before that. I love the feel of the city and exploring outside of The Strip as well. I like gambling, but I also enjoy wandering the hotels to see the architecture and the creativity. One of my favorite places to visit is the Bellagio. It's the perfect mix of decadence and casual. You can easily spend all your money on the slots or the upscale shops and then sp...

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!

I don't normally stray that far from my normal travel tips, but I figured it was time to share more of my Harry Potter geekery. You know I love the Wizarding World and have gone to Harry Potter: the Exhibition, the Warner Bros. tour in London and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. I've also taken a fantastic Harry Potter walking tour of London and you may well remember my Christmas Snape (who stands guard all year in different headgear). Tomorrow is Harry Potter's birthday a...