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The summer’s a great time to hit the road, whether it’s for business or leisure. With airline prices ever on the incline, taking a road trip is a great way to save some cash on travel expenses. But, as we all know, the price of a road trip can add up, as well. So here are some tricks for keeping your costs down on the road.

Even though it doesn’t always feel like it, we actually have quite a bit of control over our circadian rhythms. Sometimes, it really is as easy as mind over matter.

Have you noticed that checking luggage is getting more and more expensive? I have. And when you’re traveling on a budget, carrying on instead of checking your bag is a quick way to save a buck. The problem: how to fit everything you need into a carry-on sized bag.

Presentations—love ‘em or hate ‘em, they are an inevitable part of working in an office. Public speaking is one of those skills that high schools continually forget to teach, even though it’s an everyday reality for many business people today. For some people, presentations come naturally, but for the rest of us mere mortals, we have to work and practice acquiring the skills needed to deliver a home run presentation. After years of giving informal presentations (and a couple speech classes later), I’ve finally stumbled upon a couple tricks that help me when the big day arrives.

Convention planning for businesses can be a battle. But you’ll always win the battle if you know how to take control of the most important things. Once you have those down, everything else runs like a machine. Many people lose the opportunity of a successful convention because they lack the organizational skills. Think of a convention like a big old party. In essence, it is – you need to get the venue, organize the guest list, manage the attractions, and all while making it seem effortless. However, there are a few things that you should probably avoid.

The greatest thing you can give yourself is a vacation on a budget – it dilutes a lot of after-trip guilt that we most often have. The feeling of “Oh! Why did I spend so much money!” Trust me, the after-trip guilt can override any fun you had on a vacation, because you are left paying it off for months. You can have your dream vacation and STILL make it within your budget. All it takes is some minor planning, a well-organized itinerary, and an education on vacation and hotel coupons. Smart Biz Savings has virtually everything you need to save money on your vacation – let’s give you a few pointers in getting you there.

We all pretty much have the routine down for domestic travel. But what about for those international trips?  While we all may think of the essentials for traveling (e.g. clothes, tooth brush, chargers, etc.) when packing for an international trip, there are a couple extra items on the list you might miss in your rush to make your flight. Remember: it’s always better to be over prepared than get caught between a rock and a hard place.

Technology is a must have this year, especially for CEOs and other top level executives. Running a company is like being the Patriarch or Matriarch of a family. You represent the company as a whole and everything falls into your hands when things go wrong. This is the reason why you must be prepared for the worst and your organizational skills must be at their best. A good CEO can take care of problems as they arise, but a great CEO will see problems before they become an issue. Today more than anything, technology has become so innovative that it’s nearly impossible to run into problems if your head is on straight – and with our 2013 technology discounts for businesses - it’s impossible to not afford the latest gadgets.

Family vacations are the best, especially when it’s your first time, which is why SmartBizSavings wants to share our philosophy on family travel tips. When a couple first has a child, it can be difficult to separate them at the early stages in their life. This often inspires you to stay home as much as possible, in fear of being faced with scary situations, inconveniences and hard to maintain routines. Well our philosophy is that there is no better bonding time than going on a family vacation. When the child starts to grow and make memories of his/her own, it is high time to make them the best they can possibly be by exposing them to different types of people and places.

SmartBizSavings' 2013 Budget Truck coupon is the highest it’s ever been. Exclusively for SmartBizSavings’ members, Budget Truck is now offering an extra 5% discount when they use our promo code to make a rental reservation. What does this mean? It means that starting today, you will get 20% off your next rental reservation if you book Sunday – Saturday. For the person who is in need of moving, these numbers are gigantic cost cuts on your moving day – an expensive day already. There are so many expenses when you are moving, that the slightest bit can help. With these cuts, you might as well be moving for free.

2013 Wyndham Hotel coupons are one of the fastest and easiest ways to reserve your hotel for your next vacation or business trip. When traveling by yourself or with a group, it can be stressful finding the right hotel at the right place. Thankfully, Smart Biz Savings has teamed up with one of the greatest hotel groups in the world, located in every major city in the country. You would be surprised as to how many hotels are actually owned by Wyndham. From Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, and Travelodge, you are free to use our discount coupon for any one of these hotels! With just a few clicks, you can save up 20% off the Best Available Rate (which is already low!) on your next overnight stay.

UPS has joined forces with Smart Biz Savings to create new ways of saving money by offering some of the best shipping discounts for businesses and individuals there are, and they’re available to every one of our members! Whether it’s next day air, two day air, worldwide express, or standard, the discounts are just as great as the service you will receive from UPS. UPS is the world’s largest franchise in business, postal, printing, and retail services, having nearly 4,700 independently owned locations in North America. Being an employee of a small or medium business can require a lot of packaging and shipping, especially across the country. Today, the prices of postal charges seem like they’re getting higher every day. Thankfully, UPS shares the same philosophy we do – to save their loyal customers money! UPS has saved me from numerous headaches, and with their new shipping discounts of up to 28%, I know they will save me from many more!

Traveling for the Fourth of July is one of my favorite parts about summer, besides the excellent beach weather of course. No matter what color, age, or religion you are, our nation’s Independence Day seems to bring everyone together in unity as Americans, and the celebrations can be endless! Fireworks, hotdogs, party hats and cook outs – every option is better than the next. However, here is some advice: if you want the best 4th of July trip you can have, start planning EARLY! Use Smart Biz Savings’ hotel coupons to book rooms for your family and friends so that you can get a jump start in planning the rest of your stay. Every city usually has its unique way of celebrating the holiday; let me give you a few ideas.

Business discounts are everywhere, even if at first they’re invisible to the naked eye. Starting your own company is risky – there are so many things that must be thought out first, but the number one deciding factor of it all is MONEY! Can I afford this? How much would this/that cost? Start ups? Bank loans? The questions can be endless. I believe that knowledge is power, and business tips from any source you can find are well worth a read. Whether you are an employer, employee, or CEO, you must know where, why, and how your money is spent. If you don’t, you can plummet yourself into a deep hole of debt, one that will make you question the future of your company. Someone very smart once said, “Money makes the world go round.” – nowadays, it’s not just money, but debt, credit, and profit play a huge factor in deciding your future. Play smart!

It’s a rough world out there. And when you’re on your dream trip, although you might be seeing through rose colored glasses, the world is no different. Traveling is one of the greatest joys in the world, but it can sometimes be a scary journey too. I’ve discovered that experiences traveling abroad as a woman are often quite different than our male counterparts’ experiences. Women by nature are more open and friendly to strangers, often making them a target for pickpockets and worse. Just a few simple things to be aware of can save your trip from taking a disastrous turn.

When it comes to business travel, conventions, meetings abroad, and other networking travels, costs can be an investment – a chance to mingle with people in your field and possibly start business arrangements that will benefit both parties. However, we want to be smart about this! Here are a few helpful tips to get started. Once you are aware of these simple facts, business travel will be a breeze. Take control of your trip and don’t end up regretting a single thing!

I have seen a lot of my friends, before they accept a new job, consider certain employee perks. Will my future boss be flexible with other projects I’m passionate about? Is the company all work and no fun? Is my wellbeing important to them? If you ask yourself these questions before you say yes to a new job, you are completely right in doing so!  When your employees are happy, productivity will blossom, the work will be better, and success will ultimately follow. Every successful businessman will tell you that their company would be nowhere if it weren’t for the great morale of their employees. This is why we want to help you in every which way we can. Our employee coupons will give you more opportunities to be creative with your next employee outing!

As the cold winter is slowly coming to an end, the thought of spring getaways are becoming a reality.  Whether you go to a vacation destination every year with your family, or you are starting a new tradition, spring travel is a great way to get away from a busy world and make memories.  After all, it is the memories we remember.  However, spring is also a time of business travel, which is also important this time of year. Now that you have made up your mind, “I should really go somewhere this spring,” where will you go?  How will you get there?  Do you have the money?  The last question rang in your head a bit louder than the others, and I am sure you are thinking, “Oh wait, can I really afford a vacation?”  The truth is we often put things off because we are trying to save money, which is commendable to an extent, but we can’t put our lives on hold forever.  So let’s look for a compromise between that amazing $5,000 a night resort and staying in the house all spring with ice cream and the movie channels.

The time to start thinking about spring travel is now, and maybe even summer travel plans as well, all of which will likely include a rental car.  Rental cars allow you to have the freedom in a destination city as though you were back in your home town or city, you are able to go wherever you need to without worrying about cabs, friends, or family to drive you around.  When these trips are for business, it is even more important to be independent and punctual when getting to and from meetings or locations.