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Online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity are useful, but they’re just a starting point. Sure, they might be convenient, but they don’t always save you the most money. Here are some lesser-known ways to save cash on your summer travel that extend way beyond the usual stuff.
Find “First Dib” Travel Deals on Twitter
Once again, Twitter is an excellent resource to help you get the first crack at travel deals, often of the last-minute variety, before they get snatched up by the general public. For example, many airlines will share last-minute airfare deals to their Twitter followers that never appear on OTAs. For example:
- @SpiritAirlines: The Spirit Airlines official Twitter account is chock full of deals and coupons that’ll never appear on an OTA. For example, they recently posted a “Hump Day” coupon, good for Wednesday only, which saved travelers $24 off a airfare booking.
- @JetBlueCheeps: The Jet Blue Airlines Twitter feed is known for sharing exclusive deals and coupons to its 439,000 followers. For example, they recently tweeted a $75 off coupon code (USA75) good for a vacation package within the U.S..
- @AlaskaAir: If you live in the western United States, the Alaska Airlines feed is a great follow. They share almost daily last-minute deals on flights that are typically “first to public” offers. For example, a deal that recently caught my eye was a $69/one-way ticket from Seattle to Oakland, $20 less than anywhere else I could find it.
Also, a smart fall-back when searching Twitter for travel deals is a simple search for #TravelDeals. You’ll get inundated with deals on airfare, hotels, and rental cars. If you know exactly where you want to travel, then get even more specific on Twitter by searching for your destination. For example, if you’re traveling to Kauai, then follow @KauaiDiscovery and @KauaiTravel for more specific deals and travel information. Almost every popular summer destination has Twitter accounts to help you get there for less along with deals on activities once you arrive.
Book Your Hotel Directly or Find “Private Sales” to Beat Booking Sites
Because hotels have to pay a commission to OTAs, anywhere from 15% to 30%, you can often score a better deal by contacting hotels directly to book your room. If a hotel has to pay a 15% commission to Expedia, for example, they’re very likely to cut the OTA out of the deal and give you a 10% rate reduction, or a free room upgrade if you ask politely.
Also, many hotels have “private sales” that provide significant savings, yet never see the light of day on OTAs or the hotel’s actual website. These deals are typically released to fill vacant rooms or entice travelers to visit off-season and often only last for a few days. While many web sites want to charge you a fee to access these private sales, JetSetter.com and Groupon Getaways both give you access for free. To give you an example of the potential savings, JetSetter currently has a 5-star hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for $75 night (regularly $200).
Private sales are especially useful if you’re not sure where you want to take your next vacation, as they allow you to see where the best hotel deals are located and plan your trip accordingly. Frugal guru and travel expert Clark Howard sums this travel philosophy up best: “I don’t pick a destination that I have to go to. I wait for a deal somewhere, buy the deal, and then figure out why I want to go there!”
Reserve a Rental Car and Get Your Rate Lowered with AutoSlash
When you reserve a rental car on a booking site, you’re stuck with the rate you pay, even if that rate drops before you start your vacation. The folks at AutoSlash.com have come up with a way to offer you rate protection right up to the day you pick up your rental car. After you reserve your car with them, they’ll re-price your rental multiple times a day looking for a better deal. When they find one, they’ll automatically re-book the lower rate and continue to look for an even better deal for you.
In recent years, many major rental car companies have refused to let AutoSlash display their listings but their site remains as useful as ever. If you don’t book directly with AutoSlash, you can still have them track a rental you’ve booked elsewhere. In order for them to work their magic, you’ll need to provide the company you booked with, your confirmation number, your pick-up date, and the price you paid to reserve the car. If they find a lower rate they’ll send you an email with a link to re-book at the cheaper rate. After you re-book at the new rate, you can simply cancel your old reservation.
While the rate protection aspect is slick enough on it’s own, AutoSlash also scours the web for coupons and deals to all the major rental car companies and applies them to your rate to ensure you get the best deal.
Skip the Last Leg of Your Trip to Score an Airfare Deal
It seems crazy, but sometimes you can buy a connecting flight that makes the whole fare cheaper. For example, let’s say you’re flying from San Francisco to Chicago. Because Chicago is a hub city for United, Southwest, and American, in many cases you can get a better rate by booking a flight to Milwaukee or Cleveland with a layover in Chicago. But instead of taking the final leg of your trip, you simply walk out of the Chicago airport. This is called “Hidden City” or “Throw Away” ticketing, and has been around for years—but has gotten more popular recently due to United Airlines suing the website Skiplagged.com that specializes in the practice.
Hidden city ticketing only works if you book one-way, not round-trip. If you’re booking a one-way trip, then it’s easy to check the hidden city fare quote on Skiplagged.com. But things get a little more complicated when you’re booking round-trip travel. It boils down to only one plausible option: You’ll have to book two one-way trips and throw away the final leg on each. If you book a round-trip ticket and try to abandon the last leg on each trip, you risk the airline cancelling your return trip altogether after you “throw away” your initial connecting flight.
It also important to remember that you won’t be able to check baggage, or gate check your luggage, as it’ll end up in the wrong city.
You’ll find that your savings will vary significantly depending on your final destination. I ran my San Francisco to Chicago example through Skiplagged and Expedia, and the “Hidden City” savings of $55 for July one-way travel was definitely promising.
By adding these lesser known ways to save money on travel to your arsenal, you’re bound to end up with a little more money in your pocket when you return home. Money that you can hopefully save towards your next big trip.
from Lifehacker http://ift.tt/1FJ1K5b
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