Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 121

The Best of Free Las Vegas (Part 1)

I've been to Las Vegas a lot. We've been making it a yearly event the last three years, as my husband is a huge NBA fan and loyal-to-the-end Trailblazer follower, and greatly enjoys seeing the newly-drafted play at Summer League. I don't adore basketball, but the games are fun and he has a friend meet us who is as into it as he is, so I can go or drop them off and then go do my own thing. This year, I went to only one day of games of the four I could have gone to and did a lot of stuff on my...

Review: Las Vegas Explorer Pass from Smart Destinations

Don't you want to do more when you travel? Would you do more if it meant you wouldn't spend more? In fact, what if you could spend less? Smart Destinations wants you to get more out of your trips by giving you discounts on attractions. They just released their Las Vegas Explorer Pass, which gives you the choice of 3 or 5 attractions which can save you up to 55% off regular ticket prices. This isn't the first time I've used Go Cards to make my trip more affordable, and it won't be my last. You...

Review: Travelon’s Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit

By now, you know I’m a bag lady. I love a good bag, including toiletry bags. Different trips call for different bags. You don’t need the same thing for a two-week trip as you do for a weekend getaway, so why have the same toiletry bag for all your trips? My answer is to have several of those as well. Travelon has come up with the perfect size toiletry bag for weekend getaways, which I was also able to pack for my week in Vegas. Luckily, as long as you have sunscreen and a little lip balm, you...

Finding the Perfect Seat on the Plane

See the best destinations for budget travel from the Top 20 Budget Travel Bloggers on TripAdvisor. (Look for a familiar name!) And if you need a little help with your summer travel bag, check the guest post I did on Krisztina Williams' blog.

When I fly and have the choice to sit in the very back row, I will pick it every time. I'm close to the bathroom and I can't get kicked in the back. I know I'm quite weird and most people don't like those seats. My second choice is the middle right behind...

Review: Travelon’s Multi-Purpose Packing Cube

If you’re into being totally organized when you travel, then you probably have packing cubes. I don’t use them for all my clothes, but I do like to use them for things like undergarments, swimsuits and having an extra outfit on-hand when we take a road trip or just in the car while on vacation. I love being able to just grab the cube and go or toss it in the dresser in the room, so all the underwear stay in one place and don’t get lost in our stockpile of shorts. Having everything neat and ea...

Road Trip With Your Pup

Moment of brag: TripAdvisor has declared me a budget travel expert and asked me and 19 other bloggers their favorite affordable vacation destinations. Check out the article here.



If I could, I'd take my dog  everywhere. Unfortunately, she isn't welcome everywhere even though she's small and better behaved than most children. When we travel, we usually leave her at home with my parents, but if we road trip it, chances are pretty good that she's going along for the ride. (See what I did t...

5 Fun and Frugal Day Trips from Portland

Traveling to Portland is great (and our airport has been rated #1 for the 3rd year in a row by Travel + Leisure). There are so many things to do in the city and suburbs when you visit, but if you’re looking to get out and do something less “hustle and bustle,” you may consider a frugal day trip. You can have a great time on your travels by doing a bit of planning and even spend less. photo creditMultnomah Falls – An hour drive east of the city will take you the second highest year-round water...

How to Make Friends when Traveling Solo

Traveling alone doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be lonely. There are travelers and friendly people all over and if you want to meet them, you only need to seek them out and be open to new experiences. Don’t live your vacation life in a bubble. Get out and have fun while making new friends along the way.
photo creditSolo travel has become very popular. People are leaving their lives behind and traveling full-time and just as many are taking relaxing getaways alone in order to have a little me t...

Happy Independence Day

I hope you're all having a great Fourth. We're celebrating with friends and a good old fashioned luau. Here's an infographic with some fun stats about this American holiday:


Source: EasyFinance.com
Enjoy your freedom and the fireworks!

7 (More) Ways to Save on Your Accommodations

Hotels and accommodations are expensive. You can search forever to look for cheap rates, but sometimes you gotta get creative to save some bucks. Heck, often it's the little things that can add up to big money, so don't overlook them like you may normally tend to do. If you missed the first part of this list, go back and check it out, as those are the main money-savers. Here we'll see how to use freebies to get more for your room rate.


Free is always a great price, but if you don’t know how to...