Travel Tips & Trends

> Save money like the pros
> Grand Canyon Railway for free
> The Smokies and AAA
> America's oldest whitewater festival
> Waterways of the czars

Save money like the pros

The Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) recently polled its members to discover their top practical tips for traveling on a budget. Here are some money-saving secrets from people who travel for a living.

Travel in the off-season
"Traveling in the off-season saves big bucks on hotels and transportation, but there are other pluses too, such as fewer crowds and hence shorter lines at museums, churches, restaurants and so on." —Susan Farlow, freelance travel writer

"Cab drivers, hoteliers, merchants and locals are more accommodating and welcoming. You'll have a better experience at a lower cost." —Judy Wells, freelance travel writer

Use public transportation
Ask about multi-day or one-day tourist passes for local bus and rail services. Check transportation websites before you travel—for instance, the Visitor Oyster Card is good on all public transport in London, but must be purchased before arrival.

"Public transport allows you to get to know the flavors and nuances of the people in a foreign country, and you have the seren-dipity of encountering kind gestures and helpful questions." —Roger Toll, freelance travel writer

"Public transportation to and from the airport is the way to go. Even if you're renting a car, you can do so in the city and save on airport facility charges." —Al Bonowitz, editor, Hawaii Westways magazine

Have a picnic!
Visit markets, bakeries and other local shops (but avoid uncooked street food). Stay in accommodations that offer free breakfast and a refrigerator.

"Shopping at local markets is not only a less expensive way to eat, it can be healthier. You get a local's view of the area and you can try lots of interesting foods and then eat them in parks and gardens." —Christine Loomis, freelance travel writer/editor

"My husband and I often picnic in our room. A good bottle of local wine from a liquor store costs a fraction of those on restaurant menus. Take-out food from local gourmet shops and markets gives us quality equal to a fancy restaurant." —Mary Ann Treger, freelance writer

Eat your main meal at lunchtime
"Luncheon prices at restaurants are amazingly low compared to dinner prices. You don't have to make reservations, usually, and the food tastes the same." -Lorraine O'Donnel Williams, travel writer

"Lunch at the Tour d'Argent in Paris, a wonderful restaurant, is half the dinner price. Same ambience, same service, same duck." -Alan Solomon, freelance travel writer

Grand Canyon Railway for free

The Grand Canyon Railway, which runs from Williams, Arizona to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its diesel locomotive fleet this year. To mark the occasion, the railway will offer free rides to anyone celebrating their 50th birthday or 50th wedding anniversary in 2009.

Locomotives No. 6773, No. 6793, No. 6776 and B-Units No. 6871 and No. 6860 were built by the American Locomotive Company in 1959. They are all FPA-4 models, designed to hold a steam generator in the back, which was used for heating the passenger cars. Nowadays the train is heated with electricity, which is more environmentally friendly. Locomotive 6793 was the last FPA-4 ever built. The locomotives originally belonged to Canadian National Railway and were purchased by Grand Canyon Railway in the 1990s.

Guests turning 50 in 2009 may ride in coach class for free within seven days of their 50th birthday. Couples celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 2009 may ride coach class free at any time during the year. For more information call 800-843-8724 or talk to your travel agent.

The Smokies and AAA

Great Smoky Mountains National Park celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2009. The making of the park spanned 11 years-and an automobile club was instrumental in creating it.

After visiting Yellowstone National Park in 1923, Willis Davis, a director of the Knoxville Automobile Club (now AAA East Tennessee), envisioned the Smoky Mountains as a national park. Davis believed that, in addition to protecting the area's natural resources, the establishment of a national park would also stimulate tourism and economic growth, particularly through the development of safe auto roads over the impassable mountain mass dividing North Carolina and Tennessee.

Raising funds to buy the land was the greatest challenge. Unlike the western National Parks, which were largely carved from government-owned wilderness, the area included more than 6,000 privately owned tracts held by farmers and lumber companies.

Seed money came from individual donors and through the sale of subscriptions. No amount was considered too small, not even $1,391.72 raised by more than 4,000 school children. Tennessee and North Carolina set aside $2 million each. In 1928, a $5 million donation from the Rockefeller family saved the struggling fund.

The first deeds were turned over to the government in 1930 and Great Smoky Mountains National Park was officially established four years later. Formal dedication of the park took place in 1940.

Visit www.AAA.com/travel for a wide variety of recommended attractions, itineraries and drive trips in this National Park and others. Back to Top

America's oldest whitewater festival

Salida's FIBArk (First in Boating on the Arkansas) Whitewater Festival draws thousands of visitors to this Colorado mountain town every year to watch paddlers from around the world compete.

Salida was the birthplace of whitewater sports in the USA. The FIBArk boat races started June 19, 1949 over what some argue was either a cup of coffee or a glass of beer. Six boats entered the Arkansas River in Salida on a 57-mile run to Cañon City through the treacherous waters and vertical cliffs of the Royal Gorge Canyon-only one finished.

Over the years the race has been reduced to its existing length of 25.7 miles from Salida to Cotopaxi, so that the dangerous stretch of Royal Gorge is excluded. This allows more competition, as more boaters have a chance to finish. The classic downriver event is still the longest whitewater race in the United States.

Now in its 61st year, the mid-June festival has turned into almost an entire week of river and community activities. As interest in whitewater sports has grown, Salida's riverfront has been enhanced with areas where boaters can train, perform and compete, and where spectators can enjoy watching the festival events. Besides the downriver race, the festival this year includes freestyle whitewater kayaking, slalom, raft races and the popular Hooligan Race for "anything that floats and isn't a boat." Events off the river include fun runs, bike races, a skateboard showdown and a hill climb.

For a complete list of festival events, visit www.fibark.net.

Waterways of the czars

Russia's mighty Volga is the longest river in Europe, flowing through the nation's heartland into the Caspian Sea. Cruising along this storied river transports the visitor into the heart of Russia's colorful history.

A cruise on the Volga begins in St. Petersburg, founded by Czar Peter the Great more than 300 years ago. On the river journey to Moscow, the first stop is the vast and beautiful Lake Onega, dotted with more than 1,000 islands. Most interesting among these, perhaps, is Kizhi Island, home of the Open Air Museum of Architecture with many stellar examples of traditional Russian wooden buildings. The 300-year-old Church of the Transfiguration is an onion-domed fantasy, with 22 wooden cupolas hand-built with chisels and axes, but not a single nail. Exploring the farmhouses, windmills and churches preserved here on this tiny island offers a glimpse into Russian life of centuries past.

Next, on a particularly scenic stretch of the river, is Yaroslavl—one of the oldest towns in Russia, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its beautifully preserved town center is an example of urban planning reforms ordered by Catherine the Great in 1763. The neoclassical radial street plan showcases many fine historic buildings of the 16th-17th centuries and earlier, including the Church of St. Elijah with its famous frescoes.

The last port before Moscow is Uglich, founded 1,000 years ago. Uglich is part of the Golden Ring, a group of ancient towns northeast of Moscow that contain some of Russia's most historically significant sites. A short stroll from the riverbank is the historic Church of St. Demetrius of the Blood, built on the site where Ivan the Terrible's son Dimitry was assassinated.

In the 1930s, Stalin ordered the building of the impressive Moscow Canal to connect the capital to the Volga. As the riverboat turns toward Moscow, this stretch of the cruise is particularly scenic, the banks of the canal lined with forests of towering pines and white birch.

From this beautiful countryside, the river voyager emerges into Moscow. Russia's modern capital is vibrant and cosmopolitan, but it's the centuries-old monuments that invite visitors to linger. The walls of the Kremlin were built in 1485, and the multicolored onion domes of nearby St. Basil's Cathedral have been the most recognized symbol of Russia for generations.

Numerous passenger ships cruise the Volga. One of the newest, and the first luxury river cruise vessel in Russia, is the five-star MS Volga Dream. Introduced in 2007, the Volga Dream has 58 outside staterooms with amenities including flat-screen satellite TVs, 24-hour coffee and tea service, and an elegant dining room offering complimentary fine wines.

For more information on Volga river cruising or other Russian travel, contact your travel agent.

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