The Lineup
Janice Lieberman
April 3, 2009, 12:06 PM 6 Secret Ways to Save on Your Next Vacation By Janice Lieberman

 

The weather is starting to get nice again.  And the travel bug is biting.  But the bucks aren't stacking up the way they used to.  Still you want to get away?  In this economy there are some secrets the travel industry may not want you to know.  So I checked in with my good buddy and travel guru Peter Greenberg of Petergreenberg.com for the scoop:

1. The best time to book an airline ticket is Wednesday morning at 12:01am (that's really one minute after midnight on Tuesday).  Why?  Because most people book their reservations on the weekends and have 24-hours in which to pay but don't always complete the reservation...those budge fares flood the market at midnight and become available to you!  But here's what you  need to figure out: you must consider that it is 12:01am in the time zone where the airline is located...not where you live.

2. The best time to book a hotel is anytime Sunday afternoon.  The revenue manager (the guy who sets the prices) is off.  It's up to the front desk person to set the rate.  That person knows it's better to sell the room cheap than to have it left empty with no money coming in.  So call when the money man is gone and make a great deal.

3. This is an unprecedented "buyers market."  That means your negotiating power is at its best.  Let's say a hotel is advertising $99 a night, stay 2 and get the 3rd for free.  That's just a jumping off point.  Ask for a 4th night free.  See if the kids can eat for free.  Ask for free parking.  (Parking at a San Francisco hotel can run you $62 a day)

4. "Driveaway Deals." When it comes to renting a car...you need to ask about this unadvertised special. Many car companies have too many cars let's say in Florida in the summer and need them up north...so you would be doing them a favor if you drove their cars for them.  You can get a rate of $6 a day and sometimes a gas voucher just to drive the car to a city where the company needs the car.

Great car rental deals

Photo: Pixland Image/ Jupiter Images

5. Rent an RV. Even with hefty gas prices, renting an RV is a much cheaper way to vacation. There is no need for hotels, car rentals and even dining when you drive an RV.  RV sales are way down and they are happy to rent them to you.  One word of caution...take a one-hour driving course before hitting the road with your mega roadster.

6. Take the choo choo train: Amtrak has done a terrible job of advertising an amazing deal. For $500 you can buy a 15 day pass in which they allow a number of free on and offs to each customer. Now that's a cheap way to travel.

Plus: 40 Great Travel Bargains and 9 Ways to Get Your Vacation for Less

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By JT, 10/05/2009, 9:39 PM EDT
Raind: I have to disagree about your quote: "the best travel deals are the ones booked far in advance, at least 6 moths to a year. The closer you get to the travel date, the higher the ticket prices get. Test this for yourself.." This may be the case generally speaking but many deals I have gotten were because I waited before buying the ticket. Often times depending on fuel prices, season, etc prices tend to fluctuate.
By Adamguy, 07/16/2009, 7:23 AM EDT
Save by comparing flight, hotel and car deals on various compare sites like tripmama.com, hotwire.com etc.
By Adamguy, 07/16/2009, 7:21 AM EDT
can try best deals for flights, hotels and cars on various comparison sites like tripmama.com, hotwire.com etc.
By lrtrosebud, 04/13/2009, 12:17 PM EDT
Room rates generally are non-negotiable. This comes from experience at multiple hotels. The only time we ever lower the rates are for walk-ins and when we have a lot of empty rooms.
By alienlovesong, 04/13/2009, 11:21 AM EDT
Topher et al.: I have booked rooms at a vastly different rate when I call the day of or night before, so I don't think you know what you're talking about - sure, rates are set, but they are negotiable -- unless you have no business sense and are trying to fail.
By Topher03, 04/11/2009, 8:06 PM EDT
I work for hotel reservations and the prices are set months in advance none of that stuff about the hotels is even remotely accurate. And asking for free parking and meals for the kids will just piss the reservations agent off because I know I hated it when people tried to haggle... you aren't buying a car, you're not negotiating a mortgage interest rate, you are booking a hotel and the agents have no say on the rate!! please do not listen to this... save the reservations agents!!!!!!!!
By Topher03, 04/11/2009, 8:04 PM EDT
I worked for hotel reservations and the prices are set months in advance none of that stuff about the hotels is even remotely accurate. And asking for free parking and meals for the kids will just piss the reservations agent off because I know I hated it when people tried to haggle... you aren't buying a car, you're not negotiating a mortgage interest rate, you are booking a hotel and the agents have no say on the rate!! please do not listen to this... save the reservations agents!!!!!!!!
By jlieberman, 04/09/2009, 9:32 AM EDT
I checked with Peter Greenberg :. the person who wrote these comments really doesn't know the facts. number one, this person wrote that MOST airline reservations are made during the week. that may be true, but that's not what i said. i said most airfare wars start on the weekends, and during that time all the matching and undercutting occurs. that ends on monday. therefore, all the folks who BOOKED low discount fares on Monday have 24 hours to purchase the low fares>
By novagtf, 04/05/2009, 11:03 AM EDT
The second item is also incorrect. Prices are set far in advance using specialized yield management systems. We don't just leave it up to the teenager at the front desk to set our room rates. I know this is the internet but please try to actual know what you are talking about before posting.
By raind, 04/05/2009, 8:26 AM EDT
The first item is not correct. Most airline reservations are done on the weekdays. Ask anyone in the travel industry. Even if there were more done on the weekends, cancellations are processed immediately via computer. Speaking from personal and professional experience, the best travel deals are the ones booked far in advance, at least 6 moths to a year. The closer you get to the travel date, the higher the ticket prices get. Test this for yourself.
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The Lineup is our blog of lists that cover topics like health, money, career and books. Written by Reader's Digest editors and guest experts, The Lineup will give you great advice you can use in your daily life.


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