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 "Terrific value" 2008-05-31
By Sofia
The Contrarian Traveler's Guide to Getting More for Less, does what it claims, and proves an intriguing read besides.

Expect the low down on factors that drive pricing - be it for tickets, destinations, accommodation....or activities and food once you arrive. Market forces and psychology that contribute to overpricing are deftly exposed, and pointers to dodge the traps go well beyond the obvious.

The research effort shows: key resources are provided; price comparisons are presented in simple tables which make startling and important points; and anecdotes from experts relay unique perspectives.

Throughout, the author keeps his sights firmly on the travel experience. For instance, intertwined into the advice, expect the odd reference to flamenco classes, smelling papayas, sleeping on the deck at night, and the like. This helps make the book the good read that it is. What's more, the advice is placed in context - there's a time to budget, and a time to sit back and splurge. By the end of the 170 odd pages, readers should be ready to disentangle the confusion of information out there, home in on the essentials, and free up time and finances to enjoy all that travel offers. I highly recommend this book.



 "Well Worth the (Low) Cost" 2008-03-19
By Randy Given (Manchester, CT USA)
This book is certainly worth the (low) cost. Many books of this type are a laundry list of simplistic ideas. This book goes beyond that and offers solid advice. Not Nobel prize winners, but ones taken from good experience. While reading the book, I applied a couple ideas to 2 upcoming trips and cumulatively saved nearly 20 times the cost of the book (and I was already pretty good at finding deals online).

The author certainly makes one feel better about the contrarian approach. He has inspired me to widen my horizons even further (I have to get my wife to read this book!).


 "Travel doesn't have to cost the earth" 2007-06-10
By Michael Buckley (Canada)
Travel doesn't have to cost the earth. If you want to stretch the travel time without compromising on the experiences, reading this excellent primer by Tim Leffel could be just the ticket. In fact, travel at a cheaper rate often boosts the chances of meaningful encounters and experiences on the road. Leffel points you toward destinations that offer fine quality at low rates, and shares his secrets for getting more bang for your buck in a host of other areas. A dozen other authors and experts weigh in with money-saving tips--from which side of Fiji to head for, to apartment exchanges--to dining in markets to sample great food.

This concise book is packed with down-to-earth advice on money-saving strategy. The thing is, even if you just pick up two or three really useful ideas from this book, then it has paid for itself--and a lot more besides. And Leffel knows the ropes: he is editor of a gritty online magazine called Perceptive Travel. Highly recommended for the savvy traveller.





 "Helpful to some" 2007-03-27
By Tea Time (United States)
For those who still book package tours and allow other people to make their travel plans for them, this book will be helpful. For those who use the internet to plan their own travel, it offers less. It's a bit long on cute anecdotes and short on solid practical information.


 "An Excellent Intro for People Who Don't Know Where to Start" 2007-02-09
By JerseyGirl (New York, NY USA)
I am also a writer and I have websites about independent travel and alternatives to traditional group tours, package tours, and EXPENSIVE trips that most people can't afford without financial struggle. I get unsolicited email all the time from people who have no idea where to start. Yesterday, I got an email from a recent college graduate who said he wanted to see the world and literally had no idea where to start.

First, I suggested he get a passport.

Second, I suggested he pick up Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune: The Contrarian Traveler's Guide to Getting More for Less.

Why? Because he has a vague inkling that there are other approaches besides the ones he sees advertised in the Sunday travel section and in the pages of glossy travel magazines, but the letter-writer has no idea where to start.

And Tim Leffel's book will help him a lot. Later, as he gains experience, he may find himself haggling over a seventy-three cent meal in the back alleys of Bangkok, but for now, he needs to know the basics. How to get a decent hotel, how to score a bargain, how to catch a bus in another country... even how to buy an airplane ticket.

Travelers have to start somewhere, and this is a good place.


Read more Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune: The Contrarian Traveler's Guide to Getting More for Less

The World's Cheapest Destinations: 21 Countries Where Your Money is Worth a Fortune, 3rd Edition
How to Travel Practically Anywhere
The Rough Guide First-Time Around The World, 3rd Edition
The Traveler's Handbook, 9th: The Insider's Guide to World Travel
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel