EcoXplorer is a founding member of Living on the Cheap, a network of websites published by professional journalists and consumer advocates. Find practical advice on saving money on travel and cars, groceries and shopping, plus tips from our experts on how to live the good life for less at Living on the Cheap.

ecoXplorer is your award-winning guide to green travel, green cars, and saving the green in your wallet on both.

ecoXplorer is edited by Evelyn Kanter, a professional journalist with more than two decades of experience as magazine and newspaper writer and photographer, radio and television news producer and reporter, and guidebook author and editor -- all focusing on travel, automotive, lifestyle, the environment, and your rights as a consumer.

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Enter These Free Contests to Win Cars and Vacations

Here’s your chance to win a free car and a free vacation, with these contests and sweepstakes from an auto manufacturer, an airline and an African country.  Not surprisingly, all these contests involve following the company on social media, including Twitter and Facebook.

2011 Kia Optima Turbo

Win a 2011 Kia [...]

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Contests to Win Trips to NASCAR, Dream Cruises

These three Tuesday Travel Deals are all contests to win free vacations.

Win a trip for two to the NASCAR races in Daytona, Florida on February 20, 2011.  The winner gets two passes for the auto race at Daytona Speedway, two VIP Garage Credentials with Honorary Pit Crew Position, a meeting with legendary NASCAR [...]

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Budget Travel Deals from Hotels, Airlines

Take advantage of these travel deals and bargains to save money on your next vacation or getaway, whether you are heading to the beach or the ski slopes.

Choice Hotels International is offering triple points on their membership rewards program for qualifying stays, through March 2, 2011.  You have to be a member of [...]

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January is Learn to Ski or Snowboard Month

January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. Resorts in 34 states are participating with discounted lessons.

It will cost you less to play in the snow in January.  Nearly 100 top ski and snowboard resorts in 34 states are offering free or discounted ski and snowboard lessons  during the annual Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month.

The theme of the 2011 program is “Humans Were Never Meant to Hibernate’.   The overall theme theme for this national effort is to get children and adults outside this winter for fun and exercise on snow.  The program ambassadors  are Olympic Gold medal winner Bode Miller and ski icon Glenn Plake.

The National Ski Areas Association reports there were between ten and 12 million skiers and riders in the U.S. last year, and just under 60 million visits to ski resorts for skiing and snowboarding. And this season could be even better, considering the bounty of champagne powder that resorts received early in the season.

Virtually every resort in the United States is offering some kind of package for Learn to Ski or Snowboard month.  See the next page for state-by-state highlights, from New England to the Rockies and Sierras:

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Best Funny and Offbeat New Year’s Eve Celebrations in USA

NYC's Times Square is the world's biggest New Year's Eve celebration

Everybody agrees that the two top places to ring in a new year are Times Square in New York City and anywhere in Las Vegas. But there are some other interesting, free, even quirky New Year’s Eve celebrations in the USA, from [...]

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Five Top Travel Apps for Safe Holiday Road Trips

The AAA estimates more than 92 million Americans will be on the road during the holiday period between December 23rd and January 2nd, 3.1% more than last year. There is a mind-boggling selection of iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry apps to download that will help make your driving and travel less stressful and perhaps [...]

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Budget Travel Hotel Deals for Early 2011

Sometimes, green travel means saving the green in your wallet.  Here are some deals, discounts and other special offers  will help stretch your travel budget –

$20.11 hotel room at Red Roof Hotels — Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, Red Roof is offering all guests its nicest price ever with a  $20.11 rate [...]

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Travel Contests for Free Vacations

Airlines, hotels and tourism boards are giving away free vacations.  Some current travel contests, sweepstakes and promotions often involve little more than signing up to the company’s Facebook page.  Now that I have your attention –

Contests and sweepstakes for free vacations

Grand Velas Riviera Maya — the prize is a two night [...]

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