1. It’s a rare day when a $20 bid on priceline.com won’t get you an economy rental car anywhere.
2. Sometimes airlines really are playing tricks on you. But there are ways to get around it. You’re shopping for a flight on the Web, and the flight prices seem to keep going up, not down. Why is that? Many Internet sites install “cookies” on your computer when you visit. A “cookie” is a collection of information that will include your user name and the date and time you visited the site. Sometimes travel websites use this information to increase their prices if you repeatedly run the same searches for airlines or hotels. If you price a flight, and go back to the site a few hours later only to find that the price has increased, it’s probably a cookie at work. Before you buy a ticket, erase the cookies from your computer.
3. Not all islands are hurricane prone. Hurricanes not only do major damage, but they also scare the heck out of tourists. So what to do? The best places for a Caribbean vacation are the ABC islands: namely, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. They all lie outside the path that hurricanes have been following for hundreds of years. So next time you book that summer getaway, be sure to sneak a peek at these less-traveled gems.
4. Nobody uses traveler’s checks anymore. If you have been faithfully ordering traveler’s checks every time you hit the road, give up the habit. These days, the most economical way to manage money in a foreign country will probably be withdrawing currency from local ATMs as needed with a bank card.
5. But be sure to ask your bank in advance what fees are charged for international transactions and whether there are any no-fee ATM withdrawal arrangements with any banks at your destination. To lower the impact of a significant flat fee, make larger, less frequent withdrawals during your trip.
6. Advance tickets to Disney World can pay off. A seven-day parkhopper pass costs up to $485 (or about $70 a day) and expires after two weeks. This is a good idea because it allows you to get some of your travel arrangements out of the way now; you can work on the scheduling later. Buy the tickets at the gate and just one day will cost around $160.
7. There’s a way around exorbitant hotel dry-cleaning bills. A product called Wrinkle Releaser spray is an inexpensive solution to hotel laundering. You just hang up your clothing, spray it, smooth out the wrinkles with your hands, and let it air dry. Or you can try making your own by mixing 1 tablespoon of fabric softener and 1/4 cup of unscented rubbing alcohol with 1 cup of distilled water. Put it in a travel spray bottle and gently mist the garment about a hand’s length away.
8. There are secret words that can get you upgrades. If you’re willing to spend a little extra money, it’s worth asking the agent to “split the difference” on the price of the first-class ticket. If first class isn’t booked, which usually happens on less-traveled routes on off-peak travel days, the agent has some discretion when it comes to moving people into first class. Some airlines also let you use your frequent-flier miles to “purchase” an upgrade.
9. Sometimes we can get resort fees waived. The extra $10 to $15 per day they try to charge you as a “resort fee,” supposedly to cover such amenities as the swimming pool and fitness club, is nothing but a ruse to make a hotel’s rates appear lower at the time you are scouting for a room, say industry insiders. At the time of booking, scan the fine print of your agreement and ask the hotel about any fees that are not included in the quote. If you’re surprised by such fees at the registration counter, call your credit card company after checking in and ask it to get the fee waived.
10. Cab drivers are our best friends. “I always depend on the taxi drivers,” says Mark Zwick, one of the partners of PhillyTrips.com. “They always know the places to go, the things to see.”
11. Many times a taxi driver works in tandem with bars and restaurants and will have special coupons for his favorite places. He’ll be more than happy to let you have them. Why? Because he gets a kickback from the establishments. So let those taxi drivers take you to some places where they get a little something extra, because most of the time you’ll be getting something extra as well, in the form of discounted meals or drinks.
TOP SECRET! Cruise lines love repeat customers. All cruise lines have loyalty programs, and the more you vacation with one company, the better the perks will get—they could be anything from $100 cruise vouchers to private cocktail parties or free bottles of wine.
12. We pretend we’re traveling solo. Airline search engines mess with your head a little when it comes to booking your family’s travel. The truth is, sometimes you’ll get a cheaper rate by booking seats individually, because single seats can easily go unsold (especially middle seats in the back of the plane). Airlines jump at the chance to get rid of them. See what happens when you book seats individually.
13. We think trains, not planes. While traveling by train in North America is not the most popular choice, it’s the way to go when traveling abroad, especially in Europe. If you really want to become an expert at this type of travel, you must go to www.seat61.com. It’s the most comprehensive site out there when it comes to trains the world over.