Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 31, 2007)

The Paris Hotel in Las Vegas is running a promotional sale starting at $99/night for certain nights through April 2007.

The Deal:
The Paris Hotel is offering a promotional rate starting at $99/night (weeknights) or $159/night (weekends) for dates through April 2007. You must book by Feb. 4, 2007.

How:
Go to: Paris Hotel Deal

The Inside Scoop:
This deal provides very reasonable rates, especially during March and April (Spring Break time period) when rates tend to be higher.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 30, 2007)

Now is the time to go to Europe – if you want to go cheap. There are various seasons for travel from the US to Europe. Winter is definitely low season – meaning that fares are extraordinarily affordable.

The Deal:
Fares from eastern US gateways to Western European gateways (London and Paris, for instance) are lower now than at any other time during the year.

How:
Check for great European sales on an aggregator site such as kayak.com.

The Inside Scoop:
Here is the catch. You found what looks like an incredible deal to Europe. (For instance, there are a number of $89 and $99 each way fares from the East Coast to London.) Unfortunately, after adding in fuel surcharges, taxes and other fees, your $200 roundtrip fare more than doubles. Still, the base fares now are quite low, so if you can go now, go!!!

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 29, 2007)

What a difference a week makes. I was speaking to a friend recently about his trip to Arizona – we were looking at May rates, and we noted that the hotel rate for the last day of May was drastically higher than the first day of June. The reason is that the hotel in question (just like many other Arizona hotels) changes its rates from high season rates to low season rates on June 1.

The Deal:
It is important to note what the hotel considers its high, medium and low season to see if changing your dates slightly can result in a dramatic rate decrease.

How:
When planning a trip, note what the hotels in your preferred destination consider low season. Attempt to move your dates if your vacation is close to low season. It is important to note that the rationale for setting the high versus low season rates is often arbitrary. Arizona hotels, for instance, lower rates in the summer due to high temperatures. The difference in weather between the last day of May and the first day of June is negligible. But the hotel rates can be hundreds of dollars lower per night in June – so choose your dates carefully.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 26, 2007)

Boutique hotels can often be a nice, charming place to stay in major cities. Kimpton Hotels has established itself as a prominent brand of boutique hotels. Kimpton is now offering a sale for many of its hotels.

The Deal:
Various Kimpton Hotels are offering 15% off normal rates through February 24, 2007.

How:
To book a hotel, go to the Winter Special Page.

The Inside Scoop:
As with any hotel deal, you should compare the rates available with this special and the rates available with other hotels not participating in this special. Most Kimpton hotels are trendy hotels that would rate as a 3 to 4 star hotel. All Kimpton hotels include free high speed internet. Though the rates might not be the lowest available in a city, the hotels can be quite different and fun.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 25, 2007)

How do you find the lowest airfare? The answer to that question is complex, but the answer often stems from broadening your airfare search to include all itinerary possibilities. One way to broaden your airfare search is to include all the area airports in your search.

The Deal:
Always include in your airfare search alternative airports to ensure that you search for all available airfares. Often airlines will have fares from one area airport that may not apply to other area airports.

How:
1) When searching for airfares, include all area airports in your search. Usually, travel search websites will have a box entitled “check all area airports” which allows you to include airports within a 50 or 100 mile radius of your origin or destination city.

2) When running airfare searches, use the code for the metropolitan area that you are leaving from or going to (rather than the code for a specific airport). For instance, in the New York City area, run searches using “NYC” rather than “LGA,” “JFK,” or “EWR.” (You can also use “CHI” for Chicago and “WAS” for Washington, D.C.)

3) In cases where a code for the metropolitan area does not exist, investigate what are the other airports that are convenient, especially if that neighboring airport has a low cost carrier – use the codes for each of the individual airports when running airfare searches.

The Inside Scoop:
One good example of the importance of searching area airports occurs when searching for airfares to and from Cleveland, Ohio. When searching for airfares out of Cleveland, it is important to also search for airfares to/from Akron since Akron has service from Airtran, a low-fare air carrier that does not serve Cleveland. Sometimes Cleveland will have cheaper airfares, sometimes Akron will have cheaper airfares – but if you only search for Cleveland, you will not know about the Akron airfares and may miss out on Airtran’s frequent sales (such the sale ending 1/25/07 offering fares as low as $29 each way) that would not apply at an airport not served by Airtran. Similar situations occur in San Francisco/Oakland, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Boston/Providence, as well as many other areas.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 24, 2007)

Airtran is offering a new sale with fares as low as $29 each way for travel until March 14, 2007.

The Deal:
Airtran has a 48 hour sale with fares as low as $29 each way. Tickets must be purchased by Jan. 25, 2007 and travel must be completed by March 14, 2007.

How:
The best way to book is to use an aggregator website such as kayak.com.

The Inside Scoop:
Some of the sale fares offered in this sale are very low. For instance, fares are as low as $39 each way between Akron and New York (LGA) and Akron and Boston. Fares require a 14 day advance purchase and are available for one way or round-trip itineraries. See the full list of rules here.

Note that various airlines will match this sale in cities where they compete with Airtran, so it is best to use a website that checks the airfares of various airlines to ensure you find the lowest fare.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 23, 2007)

Did you ever wonder how car rental companies get rental cars to Florida for all the winter tourists and then move those cars elsewhere for the summer when fewer tourists visit Florida? The answer is that they offer car rentals for essentially free for customers during Spring who want to drive cars from Florida to a variety of northern and western cities.

The Deal:
Starting April 8, 2007, you can get a one-way car rental for as low as $1/day when picking up a Hertz rental car in most major Florida cities and driving it to a variety of northern or western cities. You can see the applicable Florida and northern/western cities as well as the rates here.

How:
1) Go to the Booking Page

2) Click on “Quote It” next to the car size you would like to select

The Inside Scoop:
This is a great deal if you are a “snowbird” that lives in Florida during the winter but in the north/west during the summer, if you are moving from Florida, or if you are taking a trip to Florida but would like to drive back home.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 22, 2007)

I recently saw an advertisement offering a free toaster for opening a new bank account. If you happen to be opening a large account, something much better than a toaster is available. If you are looking to open a money market account of at least $10,000, you can earn a free roundtrip ticket on Airtran Airways.

The Deal:
Earn 16 credits in the Airtran A+ Rewards frequent flyer program (enough for a free roundtrip coach ticket) for opening a SunTrust money market account with at least $10,000.

How:
1) Open a money market account at SunTrust Bank with at least $10,000 by March 9, 2007. (You may also be required to open a checking account.) See details here.

2) Sign up for the Airtran A+ Rewards frequent flyer program, if you are not already a member, at the registration page.

3) Fill out a SunTrust Air Travel Redemption Certificate at the sign-up page by March 31, 2007.

4) Use your 16 credits for a roundtrip ticket on AirTran or save your credits for other rewards. See the full list of rewards here.

The Inside Scoop:
This is not a financial advice column, so I will just point out the fact that the small print indicates that the money market account earns interest rates starting at just 2.25% (or higher, depending on the size of the account) and you must keep the account open for at least 90 days. If you want to take advantage of this deal, I would advise you to compare the interest difference between this account and another higher interest rate account available at a local bank or an online bank and see if the interest you might give up during those 90 days is worth a free roundtrip ticket.

Various other restrictions apply – to ensure you are eligible for this deal, see the rules.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan 19, 2007)

Booking a wedding? Various Intercontinental Hotels are starting a program in February to pay for your honeymoon if you book a wedding reception at one of their hotels.

The Deal:
Get a free honeymoon (at an Intercontinental Hotel) when booking your wedding reception at an Intercontinental Hotel. Full details for this offer will be available starting February 1, 2007.

How:
Go to this website after February 1, 2007 to find out information regarding this offer.

The Inside Scoop:
It is unclear how good a deal this will be, but if you are considering a wedding reception at an Intercontinental Hotel, I would find out the details of this offer to see how attractive this offer might be.

Travel Deal of the Deal (Jan 18, 2007)

Do you need a one-way car rental?

As mentioned in the January 10th post, National Car Rental often has the best one way car rental rates. And now, National is offering $25 off its one way rates.

The Deal:
Save $25 off of one way car rentals of at least 3 days from National Car Rental. This offer is valid until the end of March 2007.

How:
Go to: National Discount

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 17, 2007)

Traveling this weekend? If you are taking a last minute trip, be sure to check the last minute hotel specials offered by Marriott.

The Deal:
Each week, Marriott offers deeply discounted rates for the following weekend as part of its eBreaks Program. You can often save over 50% off of normal rates.

How:
Each Monday, check the Marriott eBreaks Website to find the rates available for the following weekend.

The Inside Scoop:
These eBreaks rates are sometimes great deals, but sometimes can be higher than other available rates. When checking rates for a last minute trip, be sure to check an aggregator website such as kayak.com and investigate whether Priceline or Hotwire has competitive rates (in addition to these Marriott eBreaks rates).

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 16, 2007)

The four star MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas is running a promotional sale for certain nights from January through June 2007.

The Deal:
The MGM Grand is offering a promotional rate starting at $70/night for various dates in early 2007. The package includes a $25 bar/restaurant credit, a two for one spa certificate and additional spa discounts.

How:
Go to: MGM Grand Deal

The Inside Scoop:
This deal provides reasonable rates through the end of the Spring, longer than most of the other Las Vegas deals that have recently been offered.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 12, 2007)

Need to get away fast? If you are between 18 and 22 years of age, you can travel on any Airtran flight on a standby basis for between $69 and $89.

The Deal:
Travel anywhere Airtran flies for $69 or $89 for each nonstop segment (depending on the length of the flight). To be eligible, you must be between 18 and 22 – other restrictions apply, see the restrictions page.

How:
See the booking instructions.

The Inside Scoop:
This can be a good deal, but can also be a pretty bad deal, depending on when and where you are flying. Any connection involves two fees each way (at minimum, $69 x 2, or $138 each way). Advance purchase fares within the U.S. to most Airtran cities can be purchased for this amount of money or less – and you will not need to endure standby travel if you buy an advance ticket. But for last minute travel (especially if you want to fly on a nonstop route), this can be a great deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 11, 2007)

Just in time for college-visit season, Amtrak is offering great discounts for families touring the country visiting colleges.

The Deal:
For each Amtrak ticket purchased by a high school junior or senior, that student can get one ticket for a parent for free. Certain rules and restrictions (including blackout dates) apply - see these restrictions.

How:
1) Complete this form and obtain a promotion code after submitting the form.
2) Book a reservation at Amtrak.com using the promotion code you received.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 10, 2007)

Need a one way car rental? There are many companies that offer one way rates, but usually National Car Rental has the best rates since National usually waives the one way drop off fees that are charged by most other car rental companies.

The Deal:
There are a number of reasons you may need a car rental on a one way basis. One way rentals can be handy when you are traveling one way between two cities with very high airfares or when you are moving. The most common time when I need a car rental occurs when I am flying home and my flight is cancelled or I misconnect in a connecting city - often times, the later flight to my home city may be unavailable, but a flight to a city close to my home city is available. In those situations, it is always helpful to be able to find a reasonably priced overnight one way car rental.

Whatever the reason for your car rental, you can often save money on car rentals by checking one way car rental rates with National Car Rental.

How:
You should check car rental rates with an aggregator website such as kayak.com, but be sure to also check directly with National at www.nationalcar.com.

The Inside Scoop:
Many car rental companies other than National offer their normal non-one way rates for a one way rental, but then add on an exorbitant one way drop off fee. In contrast, National usually offers daily one way rental rates that are higher than non-one way rates but no drop off fee applies – making these rates very competitive.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 9, 2007)

The four star Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas is running a promotional sale for certain nights from January through April 2007.

The Deal:
Mandalay Bay is offering a promotional rate starting at $89/night for various dates in early 2007.

How:
Go to: Mandalay Bay Deal

The Inside Scoop:
This deal is especially good for the first week of April. That holiday time period, which usually has great weather, can be quite expensive - so, a $90/night rate is quite reasonable.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 8, 2007)

Like to write travel reviews of hotels or other travel experiences? You can earn American Airlines Advantage Miles or Lufthansa Miles (or earn gift cards at a number of merchants, including Amazon.com, itunes.com or barnesandnoble.com) by writing these reviews.

The Deal:
Earn American Airlines Advantage Miles or Lufthansa Miles for writing travel reviews at IGOUGO.

How:
1) Register with IGOUGO at Registration.

2) Fill out your travel profile.

3) Write travel reviews (referred to as “travel journals”) regarding your travel experiences. Add photos to those travel journals.

4) Obtain what the site calls “GO Points” based on setting up your travel journal and based on how many people that view your travel journal. You can turn in the points for miles based on the charts at the following link AA Chart or Lufthansa Chart.

The Inside Scoop:
You earn points based on the creation of travel journals and how many people view the travel profiles. It pays to set up more interesting travel journals or review the most popular hotels/destinations, as more people will view that travel journal. See the chart of the points you can earn at the Earnings Chart.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 5, 2007)

Going to Hawaii? If you are shopping for airfares to Hawaii, be sure to look at prices to all the islands, not just the island you are most interested in visiting.

The Deal:
When traveling to Hawaii, check for low airfares to all the Hawaiian airlines since inter-island airfares are so cheap due to intense competition.

How:
When booking an airfare to Hawaii, check available fares to the four major Hawaiian airports: HNL (Honolulu, Oahu), KOA (Kona, Big Island), LIH (Lihue, Kauai) and OGG (Maui). Even if you are only interested in visiting one of these locations, you can often save a lot of money by flying into another Hawaiian location and taking an inexpensive inter-island flight to your final destination.

The Inside Scoop:
When purchasing Hawaii tickets, people often focus only on airfares to the island they are visiting. Due to intense competition among Hawaiian Airlines, Aloha Airlines and Go (the new Hawaiian low-cost carrier), fares are as low as $20 each way for inter-island flights. So, if the lowest fare into another Hawaiian city is a few hundred dollars lower, you can save money by using inter-island airfares.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 4, 2007)

Marriott Hotels and Hertz continue to offer one of the best travel deals out there with a buy two nights, get one night free discount (see the previous reference to this deal in the Nov. 20, 2006 post). While many deals come and go, this continues to be an incredible deal that allows you to get a free night for every two paid weekend nights anywhere from a Fairfield Inn (budget oriented Marriott brand) to a luxury five star JW Marriott hotel. You should consider planning your late winter, spring or early summer travel now and take advantage of this deal (deal good for stays starting by June 30, 2007).

The Deal:
Stay Two Nights, Get the Third Night Free at Participating Marriott Hotels and Resorts.

When:
Now through June 30, 2007 for a weekend stay of at least three nights (offer valid Thursday through Monday, with a minimum of three consecutive nights that include a Saturday night).

How:
1) Go to Marriott Deal.

2) Find an available hotel and click "Show Rates & Rooms" to find all available rooms.

3) When booking, ensure that the “rate rules” (which should be displayed before confirming the reservation) state that the Hertz promotion applies for the dates you requested. Print those rate rules to ensure you receive the appropriate discount at check-out.

4) According to the rules, the hotel will charge you for all three nights, then subtract the final night off of your bill at check-out.

The Inside Scoop:
This reservation can only be used once per stay, but if you stay at two different Marriott hotels on your vacation or if one stay is in your name and one is in your travel companion’s name, then it may be possible to get two free nights (one for a 3+ night stay in your name and one for a separate 3+ night stay at either a different Marriott hotel or for a stay in a travel companion’s name). For more information, see the full terms at: Terms and Conditions.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 3, 2007)

Travel Alert – travel to the Caribbean is available at $53 each way for the next two months from various East Coast and Midwest cities.

The Deal:
Various East Coast and Midwest cities (including Atlanta, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Detroit) to St. Thomas or San Juan is just $53 each way (plus tax) on United Airlines.

When:
Now through March 1, 2007 for a stay of at least two nights.

How:
Go to an aggregator travel booking site such as Kayak.com to find seats.

The Inside Scoop:
Seats using this fare are very limited and you will have to be very flexible with your dates. United may pull this fare at any moment so you must act immediately if you are interested in this deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 2, 2007)

If you are in the military or a dependant of military personnel, great deals are available at various hotels. One incredible deal exists at the hghly rated Hale Koa Resort in Oahu.

The Deal:
Military personnel or military dependants can get rates as low as $79/night at the Hale Koa resort in Waikiki. The Hale Koa is an excellent hotel that offers rates far below what neighboring hotels charge – the catch is that you must be in the military or closely related to someone who is in the military.

How:
1) Go to the eligibility page on the Hale Koa website to see if you are eligible: Eligibilty

2) View the rates available for each room category – starting at $79/night: Room Rates

3) If eligible, book a room at the Hale Koa at: Reservations

The Inside Scoop:
Room rates at Hale Koa go up as your (or your family member’s) rank in the military goes up – so incredible rates are available for great room types for a majority of the people eligible to stay at Hale Koa.