As you may have noticed, I have been MIA from the travel blogosphere for a little while. I recently fell ill with a high fever that morphed into a good old fashioned common cold, complete with the teary eyes and a runny nose. It’s been a few days since I developed this sickness, and it came just in time for my trip to New Orleans, on which I am supposed to embark in just two days.

I’m hoping to be semi-healthy before Thursday. However, it got me thinking about flight cancellations/changes. I’ve never had to deal with something like that before. And with the possibility of having to skip out on visiting the Big Easy looming over my head, I began researching everything there is to know about non-refundable flights.

Most of the trips I book are non-refundable. Yet, depending on the airline, you may be able to move your flight (for a small fee) to another day and to a completely different destination all together! The best advice I can offer is to search the airline’s website or call them directly if you need to make a cancellation or a change. And if you are an avid traveler, you may want to invest in Travel Insurance.

I’m determined to make it to New Orleans as planned. So I’m off to take a hot shower, wash all my germ-infected pajamas and linens and drink plenty of fluids. You will be seeing the highlights of my trip to Louisiana by next week. Thanks for being so patient!

Tired of studying? When Spring Break comes around, a lot of kids want to get out of the dorm and head off to the quintessential sandy beach where the three B’s reign supreme: beers, beach balls and bikinis. However, if you are like me, you might not even like hot weather or swimming. And if your meager student budget can’t send you on a luxurious cruise or on an island vacation, you might want to check out the following alternatives. After all, Spring Break is about the memories you make with your friends, right?

~* A photo from Carrie’s scrapbook of her Spring Break road trip to Minnesota in 2002 *~

Take a road trip
I’m aware that the price of gas is constantly fluctuating. However, you can save money buy piling a few of your friends into the car and having everyone chip in to fill the tank. The best plan might be to cover the area of your neighboring states. And you may find that driving to these nearby destinations is actually cheaper than flying to all of them. Do some research and look for cheap hostels for your overnight stays. After all, you’re going on an adventure. You only need a place to sleep and take a quick shower. You don’t need room service and a concierge!

Volunteer
Ditch the vacation all together and spend Spring Break helping those in need. Put all that restlessness into action! Build a brand-new home anywhere in the world. Be a part of the relief efforts in the Midwest and the South to bring families back to their homes that were destroyed from hard rain and hurricanes.

Visit other friends
If you’re lucky enough to have friends who decided to travel across the country for college, try to plan a trip to see them! You might get a free place to stay, so all you will have to do is search for cheap airfare. If you must find lodging, take a few friends and split the cost of a hotel room or search online for a youth hostel.

Go camping
There’s no better way to travel on the cheap! If you like the outdoors, camping in the woods saves you money on a hotel. If you’re a little less rustic, split the cost of renting a cabin with big group of friends. Sure, you still might be catching some zzz’s on the ground in a sleeping bag, but you’ll have running water. You might even be able to find some deals, as the demand for cabins and cottages is higher in the summer rather than the spring.

This year, do something different. Take an alternative Spring Break trip! You won’t be disappointed.

Travel bloggers of the world unite!

Blogging has come a long way since the creation of the Internet oh-so-many moons ago. You’ll even find blogs on the websites of prestigious publications such as the New York Times! I admit that I had a LiveJournal when I was a tween, mainly so I could complain about my homework or vaguely describe the boy I liked. However, blogging now serves a different purpose for me.

I’m a travel blogger. People visit my site and read about my vacations and search for recommendations and tips. I’m part of a unique breed of bloggers that love to share their travel stories with the world. We explore new places, we chronicle our journeys and put it all on the Internet for everybody to see.

I really never knew there were so many people out there writing travel blogs until I was asked to be a part of the Travel Blog Exchange. Kim Mance and Maren Hogan of Galavanting Productions, LLC created a network for people like me to share ideas, photos and experiences. I am very honored to be the Community Manager for the site, welcoming new members and helping the operation run smoothly. With over 150 members in just three days after the launch of TBEX, I’d say this idea is a major success!

One of the best things about TBEX is the travel blogger meet-up scheduled for July 26 in Chicago. Kim Mance and Debbie Dubrow are heading this event, which I am sure is going to be quite the experience.