Travel


AIRLINE TICKETS

1. Use the Internet to get the best deal
    Who flies where at: OAG
    Compare fares at airline websites like delta.com and
    Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Cfares, Farecompare,
    Cheaptickets,  Hotwire, Lowestfare, Priceline
    Smartertravel, Bestfares, Lastminutetravel, LastMinute, Kayak 
    When to book: Forecast fares at Farecast
    Get deal alerts from Hotwire's travel-ticker.com, tripadvisor.com 

2. Save by a Saturday stay over, 21 day advance reservations, Airline
    specials (e.g. Northwest airlines Cybersavers), Flexiblilty with
    schedules, Fly to nearby airport (e.g. Chicago Midway or Milwaukee
    instead of Chicago O'Hare) and rent a car.  

4. For cruises and tours/packages travel agent can save you time and
    money and give you advice in a way that the internet may not be
    able to provide. 

5. Travel Insurance at travelguard.com or Insuremytrip. 
    Get an email when fares drop at yapta.com
    Seat assignment at seatguru.com
    On-time flight performance at Flightstats.com

6. Check out discount airlines: AirTran, America West, ATA, Frontier,
    Independence Air, Jet Blue, Song, Southwest, Spirit and TED.  
    A price comparison website that includes some discount carriers is
    Airfarewatchdog.com.

7. Compare a tour package with booking the car, hotel. airfare and tour
         separately. Sometimes the tour is cheaper, sometimes it is not.

8. Frequent Flier miles (FFM)
         -   Do enroll when you are flying a new airline
         -   Do get credit for the flight taken (save your stub)
         -   Some FFM never expire some do at a certain date or unless 
             you have some activity in the account.
         -   Some airlines (British Airways) allow Family pooling of FFM.
         -   Some airlines allow you to combine FFM with cash 
         -   Remember to book early (up to 330 days) or very 
              late (days, hours)
         -   Be flexible in your travel plans when using FFM.
         -   Several credit cards give you FFM. Some have sign-up bonuses.
             Check annual fees.
         -   Don’t waste FFM on tickets less than $300
         -   Trade miles with other travelers at flyertalk.com and
              loyaltymatch.com
         -   Monetize unused miles at points.com 
         -   Sell your miles at corpflyer.com or mrmileage.com
         -   Several airlines (JetBlue,  Southwest) have restrictive FF
              programs.
         -  Sometimes it is necessary to use an alternate itinerary that makes
             use of your frequent flier miles.  
         -  Check fees and restrictions.

9. Student special fares on StudentUniverse

10. Negotiate with airlines for delayed and cancelled flights.

     HOTELS  

1. Hotel reviews at tripadvisor.com

     2. Book in advance for prime tourist locations and peak tourist season.

3. Check AAA, Government, Corporate and Travel club rates.

4. Consider a house swap at
           Homeexchange.com, Homeforswap.com, 1sthomeexchange.com,
           airbnb.com

5. Join hotel Perks for points programs such as Hilton Honors, Hyatt
           Gold Passport, Intercontinental Priority Club, Marriott Rewards,
           Radisson Gold points, Starwood Preferred Guest

6. Use calling card (3.5 c/min) at hotels. If hotel has a high flat charge,
           use the lobby phone. Or use your nationwide cell phone. Also avoid
           using the mini-bar and room service. Watch out for other ways
           hotels pad the bill: parking, health clubs, laundry, early checkout and 
           resort fees.

7. Choose a location away from downtown.  
           Get Frequent Flier miles at check in.

8. Shop hotels that cater to businesses for the weekend and discount
           hotels for the weekdays.  

     9.  Call hotel directly for a better deal.  

10.  Use the Internet for a great deal (sometimes a luxury chain may be
           cheaper than a motel)  

           Mainstream hotels: Priceline, Hotwire, Roomsaver
           Bed and Breakfast: Vacationspot, Placestostay,
                                         Bedandbreakfast.com
           Vacation Rentals  in Europe: Slowtrav
           Last-minute packages: Site59
           Also,  Quikbook, Hotels.com, Bid4vacations, Travelocity,
           Expedia, Orbitz, Kayak, Saveonsesorts.com, hostelworld.com 

CAR RENTALS/GAS

1.  Shop with all 6 major companies (Hertz, Budget, National, Avis,
     Alamo, Enterprise). Compare additional charges such as extra driver,
     gas, drop-off fees). Use the Internet to get the best deal Travelocity,
      Orbitz, Hotwire, Sidestep. European car rentals at autoeurope.com

2.  Book Minivan rentals early.
     Look for a discount code called a CDP # for certain
     organizations/clubs that you belong to (e.g. AAA).  

3. Calculate the fuel cost of your road trip using fuelcostcalculator.com 

4. Check with auto insurance policy and credit card company before your
    trip to avoid duplicating coverage the rental company wants you to
    buy. For example, CDW coverage that protects you from damage or
    theft may be covered by your auto policy. But there are advantages to
    CDW like keeping the accident off your record, avoiding "loss of use"
    charges and simplifying the claims process. 

5.  Get Frequent Flier miles for your rental. Do not prepay for a full tank
     of gas - you lose unless you bring the car back with the gas tank at
     empty.  

6. Bring your own GPS

7. Gas up the vehicle on your own rather than pre-paying for a full tank.

8. Check with your auto insurance when you rent overseas.

9. Check out the car-sharing service Zipcar

PACKAGES/TOURS/CRUISES

1.  Compare package rates versus booking air hotel and car rental
      independently. For the Carribean & the US, packages may be priced
      better. For Europe, independent booking may be better.

2. Great deals: bookingwiz.com, travelzoo.com

3.  Cruises:  skyauction.com, cruisemates.com, cruiseman.com,
     cruisecompete.com

4.  Adventure tours: eurobike.com, austinlehman.com, ROW Adventures

CREDIT CARDS

1. Credit cards such as that from Capital One are excellent for foreign
         currency purchases. See the Kiplingers article for details.
          Currency rates at xe.com

2. Get a 5% rebate on gas at BP gas stations along with other travel
           and dining purchases from BP Chase.