In today's economic climate, many people believe that traveling is no longer a luxury they can afford. However, just because budgets are a bit tighter in recent years is no reason for vacation time to have to be spent at home. What some savvy consumers are realizing is that there are certain membership clubs which can provide invaluable discounts on all types of travel expenses, so that anyone can enjoy a luxury vacation regardless of their budget situation.

Travel clubs are a great solution to the question of how to enjoy a vacation without over-extending one's finances, but not everyone is clear as to how travel clubs work. Basically, a travel and entertainment club is one which provides a lifetime membership service to its clients. Members pay a fee for a membership card to the travel club, and this club has partnerships with a variety of hotel chains, restaurants, airlines, and other travel-oriented businesses to help them fill rooms and seats to capacity. When a hotel cannot book all of its rooms for a given night, it is a better business move for the owner to book some last-minute rooms at discounted prices rather than leave them empty, so they will offer special rates to the travel club, who passes these discounts on to its members.

This simple economic principle has proved successful for hotels, which is why travel and entertainment clubs have been able to partner with other tourist businesses to offer discounts on any aspect of traveling. Cruise lines often have difficulty filling rooms, for example, and allow travel club members to enjoy discounts when booking cruises in advance, since they will generally not be able to sell all of their rooms at a standard price. Entertainment options such as restaurants, dinner shows, and even trips to the golf course or zoo offer discounts in the form of certificates which members print out and present upon purchase. These businesses have worked out partnerships with the travel club in advance, so any certificate will be honored.

For quite some time, travel and entertainment clubs have been a way for people to enjoy all the perks of a classy vacation without having to resort to fast food or budget motel rooms. This system has proved so successful that the popularity of travel clubs is only expected to increase in years to come.