How to Save Money on Your Sedona Vacation

Spring fling, honeymoon, and summer vacation season is upon us. If you're heading for Sedona, check out a few ways to keep those rapidly inflating dollars in your wallet.

- Save on Rental Cars. Flying into Phoenix? Rent a car offsite instead of at the airport and save up to $390 a week on airport fees. You can cut out the additional taxes and fees for renting at the airport. Look for an offsite rental car location offering airport shuttle pickup or take a cab.

Traveling solo? Take a shuttle to Sedona and hoof it for a few days. When you're ready to go see Jerome, "the mile high town," or hike West Fork, go rent a car at Enterprise. You can walk to it from the vacation rental, Casita Colibri. Or have Airport Rental Car bring a wreck to your door--no extra charge. Just don't tell them I called their inexpensive cars wrecks.

- Save on Food. Frugal Sedona locals save by stocking up on groceries in Phoenix. Prices go up along with the altitude in Sedona. Health food stores can be expensive and rely on tourists paying a premium for food in the mountains. Two options cost-saving ideas for groceries:

1. After you leave the airport, stop at Costco, Sam's Club, or Trader Joe’s to stock up on food for your trip.

2. Shop the Sedona Safeway--it carries the least expensive organic food in town. Not as inexpensive as Phoenix organic, but still less than the boutiques. But if locally owned stores are your thing, you will want to go to the health food stores. Arizona companies own them, not national corporate chains.

- Eat out for lunch instead of dinner. Some restaurants offer the dinner entrées at lunchtime for a third of the price. Smaller portions in some cases, but not all. Avoid Uptown and stick with places that offer value.

- Bring a bottle for water and travel coffee mug and save on $2 and $5 hits as you're out exploring. You’ll also avoid adding more plastic to the landfills. Trick is, you have to remember to take it with you. Mine is usually still on the kitchen counter when I remember to use it.

- Avoid Tourist Traps. Jeep tours, vortex tours and other canned experiences can be pricey, crowded and commercial. Most of the same information is available elsewhere for free. Like right on this blog. Check out self-guided tours online, in the coffee shops and at the library. Seriously, try asking locals in the coffee shops about vortexes--most will tell you the spots to see for free. Many were former tour guides and other characters just enjoy sharing their love of the Red Rocks.

If going off-road is your thing or you don’t have a car you will want to take a tour. But there’s not much you can see on the mainstream, jeep tours that you can’t see on your own with a good guide book. Most hotels and vacation rentals have libraries with guide books and other information about local history and nature. The Sedona Library has an extensive collection of books about the local area and even a few good DVDs.

- Have to have tours and treatments? Well, it is your vacation so who says splurging on reiki or spa treatments has to go? It may not have to cost you big bucks. Ask the practitioner to barter or do a swap. Consider a home swap or trade from your online SwapTree inventory.

Related posts: 51 Free Or Eco Cheap Things To Do Around Sedona
Sedona Hiking Information

Healthy Home, Healthy Vacation: What's Your Eco IQ?

Take this eco-quiz and see how well you're caring for yourself and your loved ones, including Mother Earth. From Dana Mayer's column, The Green Scene in Four Corners Magazine. PDF file available online, beautiful hard copy available for free at select locations in Sedona and Scottsdale, AZ.

Win a Dream Vacation

Or just have a good laugh at Chevy Chase naked on family vacation--again. This time the nudity and nuttiness is brought to you by the vacation rental site, HomeAway.com. The mini film aired during the Superbowl to promote the HomeAway contest about horrible hotel experiences.

You can enter by sharing a story about a horrible hotel experience, either in text or video. Then pick the vacation rental where you'd rather stay--maybe Riverview, St. Augustine?

Or you can just vote for your favorite story March 2-9.

The Top Reason to Book Your Vacation Rental Now

Boy, it was a good thing that guy had his wiper blades up--I'm sure it made a big difference.

Photo by Ani Mayer, DC Blizzard Feb 2010

Sweet Eco Dreams

An Inn Is an Oasis From Environmental Affronts
By SARA RIMER
Published: February 5, 2010
The Topia Inn in the Berkshires is a laboratory of sustainability with an artsy vibe.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/travel/escapes/05greeninn.html

Florida Vacation Rental Rate Special

St. Augustine, FL January 20-30 $799 includes taxes and cleaning. See www.ecosmartvacationrentals or email Dana.

Copenhagan or Cop Out?

My eco-fatigue increases when I read the recent contradictory news about environmental consciousness, climate change, and global warming. But with the solstice, the light is returning along with my awareness of embodied wisdom all around me--from this Great Horned Owl near my Arizona home, to appreciative guests sending gifts and encouragement.

For 30,000 years humans have marked this time of year in connection with the earth. I celebrate this year by remembering that transformation does not happen because we will it or work for it, it is deeper than an idea or memorized words. Transformation is deep learning, not memorizing. It is enacted leading, not talking.

"It comes gratuitously when we clear the passageways between our minds and hearts, when we trust and act upon our bodies' messages, and when we master the art of transcending duality, which simply means that instead of resisting what appears to be "other" we embrace it, bring it into ourselves, and see what transpires when the poles unite." --Jan Phillips, The Art of Original Thinking.

Happy Holidays!

Photo by Dana G. Mayer.

Holiday Travel Tips

If you know your holiday travel dates early, set up an alert on yapta.com, an airfare-tracking website, for when the price drops. Want to get details on an assigned airplane seat? Check seatguru.com to find out whether it reclines, has ample legroom, or features a power port. Read more tips on the Holiday Travel Essentials Checklist

Take That Diving Vacation Soon or You May Be Swimming in a Sea of Acid

We put 22 million tons of CO2 into the oceans every day.

If you put a tooth in a glass of Coke, which is basically a tooth in water with Co2, it cracks into pieces—and a tooth is much stronger than a seashell.

Coral reefs may be gone in your lifetime. Two million years in the making, destroyed in a few decades--coral may be extinct within 50 years. We may someday live in a world without fish. At the very best, we will see hundreds of species become extinct.

2% of our GDP is all it would take to correct the problem, according to mainstream economists.

How do we say to our great grandkids that we let this happen because we weren’t willing to spend two cents more on a dollar soda?

I wonder if when my niece, Elsa is old enough to understand the problems that my generation left to hers, if she will wonder what we did about it.

I’d like to say to her that I did what I could to lessen my impact and spread information. I determined that the biggest things I could do to reduce my footprint would be to not have biological children, to live in a city instead of the country, to rebuild old homes instead of building new ones, and to drive and fly as little as possible. The average American's carbon footprint in my lifetime was about 20 tons a year. Experts agreed that an average reduction of three tons a person would begin to reverse global climate change. My footprint has been pretty close to zero for 33 years.

As for spreading information, I don’t know that I’ve reached more than a half a million people with my blog and the columns I write. Maybe I could do more. It’s tough to know without the perspective of time.

Here's one idea--how about we show up at this guy's presentation in Phoenix next month? "Why Man-made Global Warming is Exaggerated.” Or at least email him--coyote at coyoteblog. com.

Listen to the Elders

The Institute For Cultural Awareness of Sedona and Adam Yellowbird invite you to join them Saturday, October 17 at 1:30 PM in Page Springs, AZ to hold a council and pray for the highest good to come from the tragedy at Angel Valley Retreat Center.

This is not the time for pointing fingers--it is an opportunity to set aside and find ways to prevent this tragedy from happening again. We are all neighbors in the Verde Valley. Many of us hold retreats and host gatherings. Spiritual work is important to all of us.

Saturday October 17, 2009 at 1:30 PM we will gather with all interested parties at our Page Springs property at 2400 Page Springs Road. Please bring something refreshing to share.

Tragedy could visit any of us at any time. We are all vulnerable. Perhaps this event calls for us to build consensus on broad protocols for conducting sweat lodges, including any energy exchange that may be taking place. Come and be a part of the solution. Let us move forward and learn from this problem. Come, have a voice and express your ideas.

Let’s honor those traditionally trained in sharing the benefits of sweat lodges. The untrained and novices need guidance as does the public. Perhaps by joining together we can help the situation move to healing. This is a teachable moment. Let us take control of ourselves and take and give good counsel.

Adam may be reached at 928-646-3000 after October 15th.

Call Jim Beard at 928-554-0500 for details about participation jimbeard2@msn. com.

Sedona Sweat Lodge Mystery

Two people died and 21 were hospitalized following a sweat lodge ceremony at Angel Valley Retreat Center in Sedona, AZ. ritual Thursday evening. For those of you who've called and emailed me for details and to share your sorrow, I'd like to encourage you to stay up-to-date on the news to avoid spreading rumors and adding to the darkness. More on this story at ABC News.
Native American leaders speak out here. And you can follow the latest news and discussion on Twitter.

To clear up some of the rumors: two--not three people have died. And tests for tests for carbon monoxide and other contaminants were negative--ruling out early theories that the improper use of plastic and tarps or herbs and items thrown in the fire may have released fumes and harmed participants.

People have died in sweat lodges before, always elderly and people with heart problems. Just as with a sauna or hot tub, people with high blood pressure or heart problems should avoid overheating and only stay in for a few minutes. Native American rituals are practiced with Medicine People as leaders and it is rare that anyone would stay in a sweat for as long as two hours, as was reportedly the case in this situation. Beginners are monitored closely and only stay in the lodge for a few minutes at a time.

My heart goes out to the participants, to the families of those who suffered, and to Michael, Amayra and James. May you truly be led by Spirit in your future actions.

Should people profit from selling cultural spiritual practices? Angel Valley Retreat Center is a nonprofit organization. But staff receive salaries and guests include self-help gurus who make millions promising wealth if you follow "The Secret" and other spiritual practices.

How Healthy is Your (Vacation) Home?

1. Use this quick, fun quiz to determine how to make your home healthier. Also is a great way to evaluate a vacation rental. I learned that 60% of the lead in my home can be reduced by wiping my shoes at the door. Another good reason for taking shoes off altogether when indoors!

2. Coupons for green products at Seventh Generation. While I don't find the cleaning products work any better than mild dish soap and water or baking soda, I like the bleach free feminine products.

3. One of the few blogs I actually read every week is Healthy Child, Healthy World. They do more than regurgitate the same old information available everywhere in the media and regularly have fresh, new ideas.

4. International listing of smoke-free lodging, mostly hotels. The founder is working to create state laws for smoke-fee apartment buidlings and condos.

5. For your mental health, counteract the negativity of the media and economy with this Marianne Williamson message, "No More Lack." You are not at the effect of other people's thoughtlessness.

Fall Foliage Travel Deals on Vacation Rentals

Five Reasons why you'll love the magic of the Tennessee mountains.

1. September through December 2009 you can save 10% on vacation rental homes near Butler. Holidays excluded.

2. The brilliant color of the leaves in October rivals those in New England. The second and third weeks of October bring the most color, but even into early November, muted burgundies, rusts, and browns make the mountainsides glow.

3. The first weekend in October is the National Story Telling Festival in Jonesborough -- don’t miss it!!!

4. Watauga Lake is called the third cleanest lake in the US by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). 80% of the lake is surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest and best of all, there is no large industry or agriculture within miles. The best time to visit the mountain lake is September when the light slanting over the surface ripples elicits a WOW response.

5. Mountain Lake Vacation Rentals are smoke-free and do not use scented candles or air fresheners. Drinking water comes from 605’ deep in the mountains. And proceeds from the cans they recycle go to the Humane Society.

Safe Water Neglected at Expense of Public Health

The last thing you want to think about on vacation is being exposed to poisons and toxins. But with contamination in the US drinking water, it is not only possible, but probable.

Earlier this week, the New York Times published a shocking investigation of widespread pollution in America’s waterways, and the effect of contamination on the health of millions of US citizens. It is an eye-opening account of how big coal and other industry giants often treat our public waterways as a dumping ground for chemicals and waste, compromising the safety of unsuspecting consumers, and about the government’s inability to do anything to prevent it.

The findings are startling: An estimated one in 10 Americans read more at Healthy Children Blog.

What you can do:

• Check your destination for water pollution before you visit to see if you need to bring a filter or stay in a facility with filtered water. Sedona, AZ, for example, has no violations and good drinking water. Annapolis, Md, on the other hand, has violations all over the place. The New York Times has a national database of water pollution violations that is more comprehensive than those maintained by states or the EPA. Using an interactive version, you can look up any community, including your vacation spot, to find out which areas have been cited as polluters or fined.


• Use a filtered-water pitcher, from companies like Brita or PUR Water or a portable filter like those REI sells for hikers. While I'm not crazy about adding more plastic to the planet, our health comes first.

Fall Wildflowers in Surprising Places

There’s no time of year in Florida when something isn’t blooming but it seems that Mother Nature saves the best for last. Fall brings an explosion of wildflowers so if you’re a flower lover this is a great time to visit! Blooming in the pinelands are vanilla plant, deer tongue, several varieties of goldenrod, tiny elephant’s foot and the incomparable pine lily. The scrub is awash in blazing star, palafox, wireweed, red basil and goldenaster. In swamps and wet areas you might see climbing aster, string-lily and water lilies.

Look for wildflowers in parks and other public lands. Species and bloom times differ so it’s check in with staff about what's blooming at places you plan to visit. En route, check out waysides and ditches along country roads.

State parks and county parks offer free walks sometimes with an experienced botanist. Another source of information is http://www.floridahikes.com/, which lists wildflower hikes around the state.

Florida Native Plant Society members freely share accurage information and stories. Thei meetings and field trips around the state are open to the public.

Serious botanizers will want Walter Kingsley Taylor’s book on Florida wildflowers, "Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities and The Guide to Florida Wildflowers."

By Guest Blogger Fran Palmeri franpalmeri@comcast.net

Chic Cheap Vacation Rental Travel Deals

Looking to house swap Sedona, Arizona for London in 2010. Email details.

$86 a night Florida Vacation Rental, St. Augustine, FL. Minimum stay required, Sept/Oct 2009. Call 410-562-2281 or email for details.

For Vacation Rental Home Owners--Is your home smoke and fragrance free? Green? A healthy home? You can post your rate specials on this blog for free. We offer it as a courtesy to our 2292+ readers who are looking for cheap chic vacation homes. Email your posting.

Bark About It: Cheap Flight Finder

Automated searches on the big online agencies like Expedia and Travelocity often miss low fares and skip some airlines (Southwest). Airfarewatchdog.com finds amazing deals missed by automated searches. Their website says they're the only online agency tracking all airlines and showing promo codes airfares.

Vacation Rental Fraud on the Rise

Scottsdale man convicted of defrauding travelers in the US. Read more here http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/08/19/20090819sr-rentalfraud0821.html


Related articles:

Dana's Tips on How to Avoid Vacation Rental Fraud
Top Ten Things Vacation Rental Owners Won't Tell You

Travelers Drunk on Deals

CNN International
To keep customers coming, hotels, resorts and even vacation rentals have offered freebies, in addition to discounts. From spa services, free meals, ...read article on CNN

JetBlue announced its All-You-Can-Jet Pass. Through August 21, a person can pay $599 for unlimited travel on the airline for an entire month, starting September 8.

Scottsdale just $850 a week ! Luxury, smoke-free vacation rental on the golf course. Aug/Sept only. $1850 a month. Call (602) 686-6313

Perseids Meteor Shower Tonight, Get Outside

Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would become religious overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead the stars come out every night, and we watch television. --Paul Hawken

Perseid Meteor shower is tonight, get outside.