Ellen Bari


Vacation homes for $500 a week

Villas near Puerto Vallarta, $266/week and up.
My challenge was this: to figure out how to get a group of four out of town for a week, with a $500 budget for lodging. It was a tall order, even for this frugal traveler. Most choices at that price were slim, and they tended to look [...]

Budget traveler’s guide to home-swapping

The owners of this Scotland house want to swap it for a place in NYC. How about yours?
Camping out or staying with relatives don’t have to be the only affordable ways to escape the city this summer. If you live in New York, especially in Manhattan or Brooklyn, your own home just might be [...]

How to fly the cheapskate skies

Photo by Tamar Ashdot-Bari
The other day I scored a $38 round-trip flight to Ft. Lauderdale—the fourth time this year I will be flying to visit my dad there for under $40. One time both my daughter and I flew together for under $70 roundtrip—total. While Spiritair’s $9 Club  consistently has the best [...]