Travel on a Shoestring Carnival: SUPERCARNIVAL #1

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Travel on a Shoestring Carnival. It’s been a good long while since our last carnival, so instead of trying to catch each carnival up individually, we will throw them all together (hopefully resetting the BlogCarnival listings) and hold the very first SUPERCARNIVAL. In this adventure, we’ll circle the entire globe twice in search of the best posts on travel for those without a lot of money to spend. So without further ado . . .

If you’re looking for a quick spin, try on these first 15 16 posts for size!

Let us start down under, where The Frugal Travel Mum presents A Frugal Guide to Melbourne, a must-read for first-time visitors to the city.

Heading up to China, Joyce Hor-Chung Lau takes us on a hilarious tour of snack stands and popular, low-end cuisine in What in God’s Name is That? Hong Kong Street Food, Part 1 and Part 2 and (update!) Part 3 at IHT Globespotters Blog.

Across the Pacific, Tim Leffel over at Cheapest Destinations is pushing the idea that Central and South America are where weak-dollar travelers will find the greatest bang for their buck. His recent posts on Cheap Fares to Latin America and Prices in Honduras (divide those in the photo by 19 for dollar equivalencies!) certainly have me convinced!

With all the talk of summer gas prices and higher airfares, there is certainly pressure for U.S. consumers to narrow their travel horizons this year. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a wealth of fun, interesting and cheap destinations in your backyard. No matter what corner of the U.S. you’re looking to explore, you’ll find inspiration from the following authors:

• Dave Wilson of the Las Vegas Sun has a rundown of the cheapest eats and amazing off-menu specials on the Strip in his series The Coin Bucket.
• Minnemom takes the guesswork out of Minnesota tourism with children with her extensive Excursions List, posted at Travels with Children. She has a great page on family Adventures on a Budget that all parents should find useful.
• Emily Haile presents beautiful ice paintings in Chicago at the Museum of Modern Ice in Paintings Below Zero posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Andrew Nelson gives us the low-down on the best barbeque and burritos in west Texas in No Country for Cold Men posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Amy @ The Q Family shows us even those destinations others scoff at can be perfect for unplugging in Things to do in Helen, GA posted at The Q Family Adventure.
• Mrs. Mecomber describes a family outing to the Oriskany Battlefield, an Independence War site in upstate New York, in the post Oriskany Battlefield: Bloodiest Battle of the American Revolution at New York Traveler.

Hopping the Atlantic, we find advice from Christine on enjoying Barcelona on 10 Euro Per Day For Two People posted at Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France.

Pam Kent explains how to see world-class performances in Britain for free in Get Outdoors this Summer in England at IHT Globespotters Blog.

Kristen Gunderson presents a collection of delightful and often-overlooked small museums in the French capital in Paris House Museums posted at Intelligent Travel.

Have you gotten your feet wet? There are even more quality posts after the jump!

Let’s take a little breather from the destination whirlwind and look at general travel. Two frugal resources for making your travel dollar stretch come to us this week from The Travel Advocate, who describes vacations on your employer’s dime in How to Go on Business Trips & Come Home With Extra Money, and Niharika of Travelhacker’s extensive list The Broke Vacationer: 100 Ways to Get Free Stuff When Traveling.

USA Today gathered ideas from travel gurus in the article Cheap Tricks for Summer Travel.

Chris Christensen interviews one of them in his recent podcast Episode 123 - Pauline Frommer on Budget Travel posted at The Amateur Traveler. Chris notes, “Frommer had particularly good tips for budget travel to New York City.”

Chris has another post over at Tripinator - Travel 2.0 on an unknown catch with HotWire bookings in HotWire.com says “Smoker? Non-Smoker? Use Something Else”.

David has useful Gas-Saving Tips for summer drivers at David Makes Cents.

Tip Diva presents Making Long Flights Bearable posted at Tip Diva, saying, “Long airline flights are sometimes inevitable, but there are things you can do to help make your trip comfortable and time pass quickly. Here’s how.”

Global Traveler presents Packing For Your Budget Vacation posted at Traveling Around The World, saying, “Packing for your vacation is a delicate balance of bringing the necessities and handy extras without overpacking.”

Now a quick look at finances. Raymond at Money Blue Book advises you to mitigate risk in the post Always Pay By Credit Card To Protect Against Airline Bankruptcy Loss and offers the following resources: List Of Credit Card Foreign Currency Transaction Fees and Airline Credit Cards That Offer Free Miles.

Jeremy Zongker lists 21 Ways Credit Cards can Save You Money on Your Summer Vacation at Creditor Web.

Sarah presents Tips To Save Money On Vacations posted at Tips To Save Money. Learn To Be Frugal.

Rested up? Buckle that safety belt, because we’re taking off again!

First to Brazil, where Tony Galvez presents a directory of Youth hostels in Brazil with links to their webpages posted at Brazil Travel Blog.

Then to Mexico, where Serena Makofsky presents Viva Che! Vive Calle las Casas! posted at Mexican Pop Spot, saying, “Oaxaca is a shopper and foodie paradise, and both types will find nirvana on Calle de las Casas, a street south of the zocalo. Bargain-priced treasures abound, from homemade chocolate to Che Guevara hightops.”

North of the border, we’re spanning the lower 48 with more U.S. travel advice on:

• San Diego. Jamie presents Experience San Diego on a Budget posted at Go San Diego Card Blog.
• Las Vegas. Beth Blair presents Las Vegas Cheap Eats and Drinks posted at Traveling Mamas.
• Utah. John Ur presents Cinematic Road Trip: Utah posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Atlanta. Amy @ The Q Family presents Target Free Tuesday at Imagine It! Atlanta posted at The Q Family Adventure. (Find more about the Target program she mentions here.)
• New York. Mrs. Mecomber presents Visit to Fort Stanwix, Rome, NY and Corning Museum of Glass, Corning NY Part 2 at New York Traveler.
  

Back across the Pacific, Jack Norell presents Destination Idea: A New Zealand driving holiday posted at Eyeflare - Travel Articles and Tips, saying, “For a change from adrenaline-filled adventure sports pursuits, maybe try a driving holiday in New Zealand? Here are some ideas to get you started.”

Next up to Thailand, where Steve presents Had Sai Khao | White Sand Beach posted at Thailand Musings. Amy takes the family to the big city in The Q Family Adventure: A day in Bangkok… posted at The Q Family Adventure.

Onward to India, where Chris Guillebeau shows that a little research makes a big difference in the price and quality of accommodation in India Travel Journal Part I posted at The Art of Nonconformity.

We’re now on the final leg of the journey, back to Europe. Feel free to stop here and recover a bit from this virtual jet lag, as there are still a lot of interesting posts left to read.

We’ll start on the Iberian peninsula, as it seems I’m not the only one with Spain on the brain.

Heather Cowper presents A picnic from the Mercado Central - in Valencia posted at Heather on her Travels, saying, “If you don’t want to splash out on a restaurant lunch in Valencia, then visit the Mercado Central with Heather for a mouth-watering picnic that’s a feast for the eyes and won’t cost the earth.”

You can listen to Heather talk about more details from her trip to Valencia over at the Amateur Traveler.

Robert Carlton presents The Fallas Festivities in Gandia 2008 posted at Costa Blanca Webcast.

Dave Hall writing at Notes from Spain suggests another attractive Barcelona park in Life Beyond Park Guell?

More picnicking from Christine at the Open Air Market in Barcelona posted at Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France. She also writes about The Exchange Rate and Travel in Barcelona.

Christine then munches her way north in Eating in France on 10 Euro per Day for 2 People.

Ashley Thompson presents All (Baby) Bottled Up in Montmartre posted at Intelligent Travel, “about a cheap fondue restaurant in Paris where they serve wine in baby bottles to get around the tax on stemware.”

We’re hopping on the train with Jul at Europe String, who writes on 7 reasons to love train travel.

Arriving in Prague, ivanisko reviews independent bookstores selling English-language books in A Report from Prague posted at Bookstore Guide.

Save your accommodation money for beer and set up a tent! Jeannette Kimmel reports on camping on the outskirts of major European cities, where to find the campgrounds, and how to buy a camping kit from KarmaBum in How to Really “Backpack Europe” posted at Intelligent Travel.

You’d like to stick around Europe a little longer but don’t have enough euro coins left to rub together? Christopher Cook presents some ideas in his post How To Save Money In Europe: tips on stretching the weak dollar at -noambit -Travel Europe.

If you’re still with me, I wish you a hearty congratulations on two successful trips around the world! Travel on a Shoestring Carnivals will resume their regular schedule starting June 7th, when we present more budget travel news and tips from Europe. Would you like to see your post included? Submit those European posts here and encourage your fellow bloggers to participate as well! If you’re new to blogging or to blog carnivals, find all the details about this one in the Carnivals tab.