How to travel like royalty when you get paid like the help
I love to travel. If I won the lottery, I’d head for the nearest airport and hop on the first thing smoking with nothing but my purse and a smile. I’d have clothes on too, obviously, but you get what I’m saying. The point is, I’d be traveling light.
Unfortunately, you have to play the lottery to win, so I have to resort to saving my pennies, creating a travel budget, and doing a little planning. Here are a few tips and tricks that I use to get the best bang for my buck.
1.) Do your research. – The first thing I do, after I’ve gotten a potential destination in mind, is find out what the “high” or busy season is. Then, I do my homework to find out what the “cons” are for traveling during the off or less busy season.
For example, I know cruise lines offer “deals” during hurricane season. The trade-off for the cheaper rate is that you may have to put up with a little rain. Or an actual hurricane. This actually happened to my sister, her tropical vacation destination was hit by a hurricane. They were evacuated from their hotel and she and her companion were stranded for a few days until order was restored.
Another example is Las Vegas. When I planned my trip to Vegas, I only looked at room rates for Monday through Thursday. The reason being, those same rates for the same rooms can double or even triple on the weekend. Trust me, you can get into just as much trouble during the week as you can on the weekend. They don’t call it Sin City for nothing. It also gets sinfully hot from about May through August or even September, so I made sure I avoided those months. Something else I had to consider, mandatory resort fees and conventions. Major events like the Star Trek convention and the Consumer Electronics Show cause a major increase in room rates.
2.) Investigate and start tracking airfare, if you plan to fly. – As soon as I decide where I want to go, I look up the airfare, make a note of it, and occasionally (once every week or two) check to see if the price changes.
First off, if you’re one of those folks who instantly think it’s cheaper to drive, consider the cost of gas and your time (vacation days you have to burn) before you automatically rule out flying.
I’m a huge fan of Southwest, and they have a “Flexible Dates” option that allows you to view fares for each day by month. This is very helpful in finding the lowest available fares.
When I track airfare, it’s over a course of some months, because I’m still saving my pennies. You typically get the best deal when you buy early. Also, you can set up a fare tracker to email you if the price drops below what you paid (or what you’d like to pay, if you haven’t pulled the trigger yet). There are plenty of free services available, but I typically use Airfare Watchdog, Orbitz, or Travelocity. (See item 13 for more information and tips on booking flights.)
3.) Start researching and tracking hotel room rates. – Once I decide on a timeframe, I start looking at room rates. And, I follow hotel room rates just like I do airfare (Hotels.com offers a price watch/alert email service if you’d rather someone else do the watching for you).
If I find a good rate on a hotel, I research the heck out of the hotel because sometimes a low rate is too good to be true. I openly admit I am not a Red Roof or Motel 6 kinda girl. And I don’t care if I’ll be spending limited amounts of time in my room, I want it to be nice. And I refuse to pay rack rate (never have, never will). I’m not knocking budget motels, to each his own, I just prefer a little luxury when I’m on vacation. To me, I’m motivated by the challenge of finding the most luxurious room for the lowest price!
I use Trip Advisor to look at reviews. The trick is to read many reviews, and always keep in mind that some people are easy to please, and some people can’t be pleased no matter what. If you read enough reviews you tend to find a common theme or thread regarding the pros and cons of a particular hotel. Trip Advisor also ranks each hotel in a particular area, and you can search by rating, price, style (trendy, best value, luxury, etc), or distance from an address, neighborhood, or landmark or attraction. Trip Advisor is also good for finding tours, restaurants, or other things to do at your destination.
4.) Be ready to move/act/book. – Make sure when you’re serious about taking your trip that you’re ready (financially) to move/act/book.
The thing about finding really good deals is you have to be ready to snap them up, because they don’t last long. This can be can be particularly tricky if you’re traveling with a group of people who are all paying their own way. Everyone has to be ready to pull the trigger at the same time.
Most times really good deals do not allow for changes or cancellations. In fact, many hotels offer a significantly discounted rate if you “pre-pay,” but the catch is you cannot change or cancel your reservation once it’s paid for. You have to be reasonably sure that you’ll be able to make it, or look into purchasing travel insurance (see item 12 for more info) if there’s any chance that you may not.
5.) Be flexible. – If I don’t go with a pre-pay rate, it’s not unusual for me to book two, three, even four different hotel rooms before I settle on “the one.”
When you book a hotel reservation, typically they do not charge your card until you actually physically check in, and most of them will allow you to cancel your reservation anywhere from 24-48 hours prior your arrival date without charging you or assessing any penalties. This is good if you’re still in the saving pennies phase, because you can snag a deal and pay for it later (you don’t want finance your trip on your credit cards, that defeats the purpose of saving your pennies and planning ahead).
If you’re really flexible, you can always look for last-minute deals! Just an FYI, there’s a phone app called Hotel Tonight that posts reduced rates for unsold hotel rooms. The catch is the reduced rate is usually for a same day check-in. The point is they’re trying to sell rooms that would otherwise sit empty.
And if you’re really really flexible, you can always walk into a hotel and ask them what their best rate is (also known as good old-fashioned negotiating!). Getting a good rate this way will only work during a really slow or off season when the hotel has plenty of empty rooms. The really flexible, and really really flexible tips are probably best used if you’re taking a road trip and simply need a good night’s rest before getting back on the road again.
6.) Be sure to check all of your options. – Sometimes the best deals can be found by going directly to the hotel or airline website, rather than using a service like Expedia, Orbitz, or Priceline.
I’ve found really good deals on hotel rooms by going directly to a city’s convention and visitor’s bureau website, or other official tourism websites. I once got a $300 a night hotel room in New Orleans for $89 a night (pre-pay rate) by going to their tourism website.
When it comes to websites like Orbitz, Hotwire, and other similar sites, just know what you’re getting into. I once booked a flight for my mother through Orbitz, and after a wonderful family trip to Walt Disney World, she got to the airport only to be told that the flight I booked and paid for on her behalf didn’t exist! They were kind enough to get her on a flight that did exist (without any additional charges, because she had the paperwork in hand), but it was very stressful for me because we were still at WDW enjoying our day while she was at the Orlando airport trying to get things sorted out.
7.) You have to have patience. – There is an art (and a little science involved) to finding really good deals. You patiently track prices and rates, and wait for them to fall. That’s how this works. And sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they even rise, depending on the destination and time frame that you’re trying to travel. Again I say, be flexible.
8.) Don’t fall for “bundle” deals. – It’s usually cheaper to book your flight, hotel room, and rental car (if needed) separately. Not that there aren’t bundle deals that actually save you money, but most of the time they don’t. They are typically designed for people who want convenience and don’t want to hassle with the time it can take to find a better deal.
9.) Do you really need a rental car? – My trip to Austin was the first time I’d rented a car in years, because my ultimate destination was another 50 minutes away (and in the middle of nowhere). When I’m on vacation, I am perfectly ok with walking, taking public transportation, or hailing taxi cabs. You just have to find out about the locations that are considered relatively safe and unsafe before you leave.
It might be worth it to pay a little more for a hotel room that is closer to the center of whatever it is you plan to do, rather than deal with renting a car. And sometimes a rental car is simply cost prohibitive. Let’s take New Orleans, for example. First off, the city is one of the most pedestrian friendly cities I’ve ever visited, not to mention they have a great public transportation system. And the taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap. If you plan on visiting the French Quarter, good luck driving a rental car. The streets are really narrow and parking is hard to find and practically non-existent. Most importantly, you will be charged anywhere from $25-$35 (or more) per day to park at your hotel. Yes, the garage attached to and associated with the hotel you are staying in.
10.) Sign up for promotional and discount programs (you can always cancel or unsubscribe when you no longer need them). – I saved 50% off of a room at Planet Hollywood (which is in the middle of the strip) in Las Vegas by signing up for the Total Rewards Program. The program is totally free and offers an annual (or is it bi-annual?) 50% off sale, in addition to frequent 25% off sales.
11.) Do you have a AAA membership or other type of membership that offers travel discounts and deals? – Don’t forget about those programs you may be a member of that might offer some potential money savings.
Your company may offer corporate discount codes that can be used for personal travel.
I’ve booked hotels through AAA.com, and they typically have tickets to major shows, attractions (nationwide), movie theaters, concerts, and even sports events at a discounted rate (which I’ve also taken advantage of as well).
USAA also provides access to travel discounts (if you’re eligible for membership). That’s how I got such a sweet deal on the convertible Mustang I drove on my Austin trip.
12.) Check into travel insurance if your deal requires you to spend non-refundable money. – Sometimes you may find a pre-pay deal that is too good to pass up, and/or you may have to book a flight that cannot be modified or cancelled (without penalty). If so, check into travel insurance.
There are many travel insurance options that will cover more than disasters, acts of God, or major, unforeseeable health issues. I once paid $15 for trip insurance to cover the cost of a pre-paid hotel room (for four nights) in case I had to cancel for whatever reason. Thankfully I didn’t have to use it, but it was nice to know I had it.
Do your homework and read the fine print. If you still have questions, get on the phone with a representative from the company so you know exactly what you’re paying for. Look for reviews about the company and their services before you buy.
13.) On booking flights. – There was a news story not long ago that suggested Tuesday is the day you’ll most likely find a deal on flights. For the most part I’ve found that to be true but deals can pop up at any time.
The golden rule here is if you find a deal, BUY IT. I’ll admit I’m particular to Southwest, so I have a system. When I see a good deal or a significant price drop, I’ll buy my ticket. I continue to watch the price, and I’ll re-book my flight even if the price has only dropped by a few dollars. I have saved up to $100 on a single ticket by doing this every time I noticed a price drop (it doesn’t cost anything to re-book with Southwest). The catch with doing this, with Southwest specifically, is you don’t get a refund with their Wanna Get Away (i.e. lowest) rates. Instead, they issue you credit that has to be used within a year of the original refund date. For me, this is just an incentive to take another trip so I don’t lose that credit.
If you have a credit card that earns you points with an airline, you can pay bills with it, which will quickly earn you points towards a flight. You simply have to be disciplined enough to pay off the balance each month. Be sure to read the fine print, a lot of programs have restrictions and blackout dates, which is fine if you’re able to plan around those restrictions.
14.) I’ll make this my last one, I know my posts have been on the long side lately. Be nice to everyone you come into contact with, from the cook to the maid to the flight crew. Genuinely nice. These are the people who can be extremely helpful if you’re ever in need.
Tip well for good service. Give a few dollars to the skycab for handling your baggage, leave a few dollars each morning with a simple thank you note for maid service (this sometimes gets you towel animals, if you’re into that kind of thing or traveling with children), and a few dollars to the bellhop for handling your bags or hailing a cab for you.
People who work in the hospitality industry are usually a pretty friendly bunch. If you have the chance to strike up a conversation with some of these folks, you’d be amazed at the goldmine of information available to you. They can tell you everything from the best places to eat to the best days and times to visit tourist attractions. And all it will cost you is a few minutes of your time. Of course if your hotel has a concierge on staff, that’s exactly what these folks get paid to do.
Room not ready when they promised it would be? Be patient and understanding and you may find yourself with a free upgrade to a better room. This has happened to me, and I’ve gotten free room upgrades without even asking, simply by being friendly, understanding, and patient with people when things weren’t necessarily going as planned. People who are in customer service positions are used to being blamed and mistreated by people who can be incredibly rude and downright nasty when things aren’t going their way. Showing a little compassion for the person who takes the most crap and typically gets paid the least can sometimes work in your favor. But like I said, do it because you want to, and be genuine, otherwise don’t bother. Don’t do it expecting a favor in return.
I know this was another lengthy posting, but hopefully you’ve been able to get some helpful information from it. Do you have any tips or tricks that I may have missed? If so, let me know by adding them in the Comments section!
Already planning my next adventure,
Angela