TravelLeisure

Ask a purist and they'll tell you that camping is all about the simplicity. They'll tell you that camping is about shunning material positions and getting back to nature. I disagree. In my eyes camping is about one thing and one thing alone; and that is having fun. With that in mind, here is a collection of five handy gadgets that can help to make your laid back and relaxing vacation even more enjoyable.

Portable BBQ

Camping food sucks; let's be honest here. Those little paraffin burners that are considered standard camping equipment are just about good enough for the production of soup, baked beans, or if you're feeling particularly adventurous, pasta; but if you try and produce anything remotely delicious then you'll soon find yourself limited by the materials at your disposal.

However; help is at hand in the form of the portable gas barbeque.  These handy gadgets fold away to roughly the size and shame of a briefcase, and are light enough to be easily transportable. The gas fuel removes the need to lug bags of charcoal around with you, and facilities cooking on demand, without having to wait hours for the coals to head up.Read more

Winter is thawing out, and spring is upon us. So what's a good buy in April, and what should you hold off on buying?

Cruises
Typically, April is a good month for cruises. But we discovered last month that cruise prices in general have been dropping when compared to last year, likely due to the industry's tumultuous string of recent public disasters. In fact, when compared to similar cruise deals from this time last year, 2012's offers are as much as 11 percent less. And we have continued to see an increase in the sheer number of cruise deals as well, making it still a good time (price-wise) to look into a vacation on the seas.

Spring Apparel… Almost
The general rule of thumb is to wait about two months after a new line of apparel hits stores to start seeing some of the better discounts. Many retailers began to debut their spring merchandise in late January and February, so that places April at about the two-month mark for some. Look closely at the discounts though: a spring sale that takes 30 to 40 percent off is still a mid-season promotion; you'll want a sale that takes at least 50 percent off or more, and if you can hold steady for a stacking coupon code, all the better. If you truly want the lowest prices — which of course comes with reduced selection — you'll likely want to wait until May.Read more

The new year hasn't been kind to the cruise industry. In the past two months we've seen one ship capsize, three separate norovirus outbreaks, a horrible engine room fire, and a ship excursion robbed at gunpoint in Mexico. Images of the helpless ships and passengers captivated viewers on TV and spread across the Internet like a brush fire, creating a public relations nightmare for the cruise industry.

But tough times for the public image of cruise companies mean good times for a customer's wallet — assuming you still want to step aboard a cruise ship at all. After all these ugly mishaps, the industry is not only combating a bad reputation, but also hesitation from travelers. Thus, to coax them from their indecision, numerous cruise lines have offered decreasing prices on their vacations.Read more

Planning a family spring break getaway can be a daunting task; avoiding the college-aged spring break crowd, navigating the elevated prices, and finding bargain accommodations without sacrificing amenities, are all important factors for families to consider. Family Vacation Critic© – an online travel guide for parents which features reviews of family resorts, hotels and destinations – has compiled a list of the 10 Best Budget-Friendly Family Resorts, which includes these top spring break destinations:

Comfort Suites Paradise Island Resort - Bahamas
What Makes It a Deal: Directly adjacent to Atlantis Resort and Casino, the major draw is that guests of the Comfort Suites receive full access to all of the facilities at Atlantis Resort, including the pools, water slides and river rides; spa; Kids Club; Dolphin Cay and Aquaventure, without the higher priced accommodations found at the Atlantis Resort.Read more

Joshua Heckathorn, blogger and President of Creditnet.com

The credit card industry is rapidly changing due to increased financial regulation and growing consumer demand for new and innovative products, making it the perfect time to take advantage of some amazing credit card deals. There are now myriad ways to avoid common credit card fees, save cash, and earn bonus rewards, particularly when traveling.

For starters, even if you're not a frequent traveler, make sure you keep the following credit card tips in mind:

1) Take advantage of discounts or additional cash back offers through your credit issuer's online shopping portal. Shop Discover and Citi Bonus Cash Center are two of my favorites among all the major credit issuers.

2) Get rid of any high-interest debt with a 0% interest credit card that has no balance transfer fee. Check out the Slate from Chase , which in addition to a $0 balance transfer fee is offering no interest for 15 months.

3) Don't pay for common fees such as foreign transaction fees and balance transfer fees. Two great card offers to check out are the Citi ThankYou Premier Card (no foreign transaction fee) and the aforementioned Slate from Chase Card (no balance transfer fee).

Getting back to travel, one of the most common questions we receive from consumers is, "How can I win at the charging for miles game?" Read more

Dust off your comically over-sized sombrero and load up on your favorite color of Zinka sunscreen; spring break is just around the corner. While the ideal destination of this vacation usually involves soaking up sun on the beach, coming up with the money to make such a trip possible is a serious challenge for your average college student.

Begging mom and dad and scraping couch cushions for change are always options for assembling the necessary funding, but they'll only get you so far. If you're dead-set on doing something special this spring break without spending a small fortune, try a few of these cost-cutting tips.

1. Use Your ID
See how far you can get on your student ID. There's no harm in asking a hotel or rental car company if they offer an additional student discount. Also, don't be shy with your ID when you're out of town. A student discount should apply to any student, no matter what state you come from. Check out this list of 81 student discounts for a few ideas.

2. Shorten Your Stay
Traveling mid-week is almost always less expensive than traveling over the weekend. Instead of booking from Saturday to Saturday, schedule your spring fling between Tuesday and Thursday. This means less spending on airfare and accommodations and still allows a few days of free time to tackle homework assigned by unsympathetic educators. Read more