Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 28, 2007)

Before you book a last-minute hotel for a trip the following weekend, check out the Marriott weekend specials. Many Marriott hotels offer tremendously discounted rooms for the upcoming weekend under the Marriott eBreaks Promotion.

The Deal:
Marriott eBreaks weekend specials offer tremendously discounted room rates at Marriott (and Marriott partner hotels) for the upcoming weekend. The rates are generally valid for Thursday through Sunday.

How:
Find Marriott eBreaks rates here.

The Inside Scoop:
The eBreaks rates are generally best at hotels and resorts that offer few, if any, discounted rates. The eBreaks rates at these hotels are generally quite a bit better than any other available rates.

Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 27, 2007)

Do you want a cheap rental car? If you are going to a city with low car rental rates, a new Hertz discount may mean that you can rent an economy car for basically just the car rental taxes.

The Deal:
Save $25 on weekend car rentals (of at least two days) from Hertz.

How:
Go to www.hertz.com and use Coupon/PC# 100575 when booking a car. The discount is valid on reservations until March 31, 2007 for economy to premium cars (as well as midsize SUVs).

The Inside Scoop:
This is a deal in cities with low car rental prices. This discount is good on almost any size car, including the inexpensive economy cars. Since economy cars over weekends in various cities can start at $10-$15/day, you can use this deal to get a free rental car (pay taxes only) in various cities.

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

I just made a car rental reservation and found a coupon that saved me 75% off of the total price. I did not find the coupon in the Entertainment book or through some other membership organization. I just googled “Car rental coupons.”

The Deal:
Use web search tools to find car rental coupons.

How:
Enter the following into a web search tool such as www.google.com: “[Car Rental Company] coupons”. You will likely find quite a variety of coupons. Also add to your google search any membership organizations that may offer discounts (such as Entertainment, AAA, AARP, ABA…).

The Inside Scoop:
Do not forget to check the “special offers” section of your car rental company website when checking rates. The best discounts are often found in this section of the website, especially during slower times of the year when the car rental companies want to increase demand for its cars.

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

Hawaii is really, really expensive. Hotels rates have skyrocketed the last few years. But there are a few deals available. If you are looking for a reasonably priced hotel, bookit.com has a promotional rate for the Spring at the three-star Sheraton Princess Kaiulani in Waikiki.

The Deal:
The three-star Sheraton Princess Kaiulani in Waikiki has a promotional rate of $99/night from March to May 2007 (excluding certain high occupancy dates). Oceanview rooms are available for only $30 more per night.

How:
To book a room or view restrictions, go to Bookit.com

The Inside Scoop:
Though the Sheraton is definitely a moderate (rather than luxury) hotel, this is quite a reasonable rate for a busy and beautiful time of year in Hawaii.

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

Another day, another airfare war. Airtran started the most recent airfare sale war, which is being matched by various competitors.

The Deal:
Fares as low as $29 each way are available for various routes. Though Airtran started the fare war, many carriers have matched the sale fares. Fares must be purchased by Feb. 22. 10 days advance purchase is required. Travel may occur until May 23. The list of cities which have sale fares is listed here.

How:
Go to an aggregator website such as Kayak.com to find the best availability.

Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 21, 2007)

Going to Europe? If you are traveling throughout Europe, you may find that Eurail (the train the travels practically everywhere in Europe) is an efficient and cost-effective way to travel. Eurail is running a sale for Spring and Summer 2007 – this may be the best time to purchase tickets to get the best deal.

The Deal:
Buy a 6, 8 or 10 day Eurail pass by March 31, 2007 and receive one free additional day. Once purchased, the Eurail ticket is good for six month (from date of purchase). Prices vary based on the number of days purchased and the number of countries you intend to visit.

How:
Go to Eurail Deal

The Inside Scoop:
European low cost carriers have flights as cheap as $1 each way (approximately $20 each way including tax) whereas the Eurail Pass starts at $405. So, the question is – why would anyone need to buy train tickets when air travel is so cheap in Europe? The answer is that Eurail serves the city-center of many large cities whereas the low cost carriers may serve an airport 50 miles from your departure or arrival city. So if you are traveling frequently on eight different days, the transportation costs and hassle associated with traveling to and from airports that are far from your departure and arrival location may make air travel less feasible and Eurail a far more convenient and cost effective option, especially if your vacation length is short. Also note that airfares on peak travel dates during the high-demand summer months can be quite a bit more expensive that the $1 fares that are listed in advertisements.

Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 20, 2007)

If you have been collecting Starwood Hotel points and you do not quite have enough points to redeem for free nights, what about redeeming a few points and paying a nominal amount for a hotel room? With Starwood’s Cash and Points program, it is possible to redeem as few as 1,200 points and pay as little as $25 and obtain a room.

The Deal:
Use Starwood points and pay $25, $30, $45 or $60 per night for Starwood hotels worldwide. The points/money required increases when the level of the hotel increases. Starwood designates its nicer hotels with higher categories – Category 5 is the highest level available for Cash and Points. Rooms are available for as little as 1,200 points and $25.

How:
Go to Starwood Cash and Points.

Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 19, 2007)

Aeromexico has a new two-for-one sale good for travel through December 14, 2007.

The Deal:
Aeromexico’s new two-for-one sale is good for travel to Mexico from the following cities: Austin, Boston; Chicago; Ft. Lauderdale, Houston; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Miami; New York City; Ontario, Calif.; Orlando; Phoenix; San Antonio and San Diego. Travel must be purchased by February 19, 2007 and travel must be completed by December 14, 2007.

How:
To purchase, call Aeromexico at (800) 237-6639 (not available online). Request the two-for-one sale. For more information, see the Aeromexico website.

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

One way rentals are expensive. The Jan 10, 2007 post discussed how National Car Rental often has the best one-way rates. Here is another way to save on one-way rentals with National.

The Deal:
When you join the National Emerald Club (frequent renter club) and your rent five times with National Car Rental, you are given a free rental day. Unlike most car rental companies, the free day(s) that you earn for renting frequently with National can be used on one-way rentals. Since one-way rentals can be very expensive (often near $100/day), this is a great use of one or more free days.

How:
1) If you are not already a member, join the National Emerald Club here. (A membership fee sometimes applies. Review the terms and conditions before joining.)
2) Rent using your Emerald Club number.

Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 15, 2007)

Five Stars on the Strip - you can have it at the Bellagio for as low as $179/night for certain nights in March, April and May 2007.

The Deal:
The Bellagio Hotel is offering a promotional rate starting at $179/night (weeknights only) for certain dates in March, April and May 2007. This deal includes certain nights during the very busy Spring Break season.

How:
Go to: Bellagio Hotel Deal

Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 14, 2007)

Starwood (Westin, Sheraton, W, St. Regis) has put many of its hotels and resorts on sale. For some hotels, the sale is rather unremarkable. But for various hotels, the sale rates are extraordinary.

The Deal:
Save money at various Starwood Hotels during the Starwood Hotel sale. The sale rates must be booked by February 16, 2007. Dates for the sale vary by hotel, but some hotels have sale rates available through the end of 2007 (including various holiday weekends). The hotel rates are non-refundable and non-changeable.

How:
Go to The Starwood Sale

The Inside Scoop:
There are some remarkable sale rates at nice resorts, including:
Westin Aruba $179
Westin St. John $189
Sheraton Keauhou (Big Island Hawaii) $129
Bora Bora Nui Resort $399
Sheraton Wild Horse Pass (Phoenix Area) $99
The Phoenician $185

There are also a number of city hotels on sale, including:
Westin Grand Washington DC $99
Sheraton Manhattan $169
Sheraton New York $179

Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 13, 2007)

Are you booking a package with a large penalty for cancellation? Are you taking a cruise? If so, you should seriously consider insurance for your trip.

The Deal:
Use www.insuremytrip.com to find insurance for trips with large penalties for cancellation.

How:
Go to Insure My Trip

The Inside Scoop:
It is especially important that you insure for unexpected events when most or all of your trip is nonrefundable. Cruises, for instance, will depart without you, regardless of your reason for being unable to arrive in time for the ship’s departure.

It is important to obtain insurance with a company separate from the business that is providing your transportation. To protect against bankruptcy by a cruise company, for instance, obtain insurance for a cruise from a third party rather than from the cruise company directly.

It is important to verify which costs are reimbursed by your insurance policy and what events trigger coverage. Most coverage includes reimbursement if a family member becomes ill and/or passes away – but the definition of family member can vary tremendously.

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

The MGM Grand in Las Vegas has a wing of the hotel with really sleek studio rooms known as the “West Wing” – the rooms are ideal for young couples. They are especially convenient since the West Wing, unlike the rest of the huge MGM Grand complex, is accessed via a private lobby with a direct exit to the Strip (without having to go through a casino). Now, the West Wing is available for as low as $69.99 per night in February. The catch – you must be a member of the MGM Players Club – which is free to join.

The Deal:
Get West Wing rooms at the MGM Grand for as low as $69.99 per night in February 2007.

How:
1) Join the Players Club here.

2) Call (866) 685-8481 and request the Players Club special.

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

Want to get away for President’s Day – try using site59.com.

The Deal:
Site59.com provides great last minute travel discounts for purchase less than 21 days before a weekend. These discounts are especially good for holiday weekends such as President’s Day. Traditional published airfares, hotel rates and car rates are usually much higher over a holiday, but Site59 deals are usually low pretty consistently (regardless of whether a holiday is occurring).

How:
Go to www.site59.com

The Inside Scoop:
Site59 sells inventory that a travel provider suspects might not otherwise be sold – so the discounts can be (but are not always) great. Usually, Site59 offers pre-negotiated rates (rates are negotiated between Site59 and travel related companies such as airlines, hotels, and car rental companies).

Site59 is especially good for travel within seven or fourteen days when traditional rates are incredibly high, but the Site59 pre-negotiated rates are often quite low.

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

Most of us are pretty used to $100 change fees associated with changing a non refundable ticket. But are you aware that some routes have change fees that are much lower than $100 because low cost carriers (which have lower change fees) compete on those routes, forcing all carriers to offer lower change fees.

The Deal:
Find lower change fees on some extremely competitive routes.

How:
Read the rules associated with your ticket. Under the section of the rules entitled “penalties,” you should be able to figure out what change fee applies. If you are flying on a very competitive route, you may be surprised that the change fee is very low.

The Inside Scoop:
An example of lower change fees – certain routes where various carriers compete with Jetblue. On those routes, change fees are as low as $25.

Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 7, 2007)

What should you do when you arrive at the rental car counter and they ask you if you want car rental insurance? If you have no other insurance, you likely have no choice but to buy the insurance from the car rental company. But even if you do not have standard car insurance, you may have insurance from other sources.

The Deal:
Various sources provide car rental insurance, often at no additional cost. This can save you a ton of money (versus buying insurance from a car rental company).

How:
Here are some sources of car insurance beyond just the coverage sold by the car rental company:

1) The most likely source of car rental insurance comes from your standard car insurance. Many car insurance policies cover you on any car you drive, including a rental car. To be sure, check with your insurance company.

2) Check with your credit card. Many credit cards provide limited insurance on a secondary basis (meaning that they will cover certain costs as long as those costs are not picked up by any car insurance that you have). A few credit cards provide primary insurance, meaning that they will cover all costs, including those costs already covered by standard car insurance.

3) Some rate plans include limited car insurance coverage. Be sure to check whether your rate plan includes any coverage.

The Inside Scoop:
Most credit card companies do not provide liability coverage for damage to others – they only provide coverage for damage to your rental car. Be sure to check exactly what coverage you have before turning down car rental company coverage.

Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 6, 2007)

Are you a National Emerald Club Member? Or a Hertz Number One Club Member? Why Not? Such clubs are often free and membership will shorten your wait dramatically when picking up a car rental and may even save you money off of your rental.

The Deal:
Various associations and online promotions will allow you to obtain free membership in car rental associations such as the Hertz Number One Club or the National Emerald Club. These clubs allow you to give your payment information to the car rental company in advance in exchange for the ability to go directly to your rental car (at most locations), bypassing the rental counter.

How:
Do a Google search for free membership offers. Also, check the marketing materials for the clubs you are a member of - examples of organizations that may provide free memberships in car rental clubs include AAA, ABA (See Feb. 5, 2007 post), Costco, Sam’s Club, unions….

The Inside Scoop:
Some car rental clubs also provide special deals to members and/or provide free car rental upgrades to members. In addition, special perks are available to members. For instance, National Emerald Club members are allowed to add their spouse as an additional driver for free.

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

Do you want a tremendous discount on a five star hotel? Join the American Bar Association - you do not even need to be an attorney.

The Deal:
Save money on various four and five star hotels with ABA rates. See the full list of rates here.

How:
Go to the listing of ABA rates and call the hotel listed. Request the ABA rate.

The Inside Scoop:
Here is the scoop - you must join the ABA to be eligible for these rates. According to the ABA membership rules, membership is open to practically anyone, including: attorneys, legal educators, paralegals, legal assistants, law firm administrators, law librarians, consultants and "any other individuals interested in law."

Since there is a membership fee, you must examine how good the discounts are for your hotel choice. This is a really good deal for various Ritz Carlton hotels. (One example: a room at the oceanfront San Juan Ritz Carlton for $199.) Note that the membership rate is very low if you are a student.

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

Tired of Las Vegas? Want to help an area of the country that was devastated by Katrina? The Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, MS (managed by the same company as the five star Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas) is offering a $99/night for select nights in February 2007.

The Deal:
The Beau Rivage is offering $99/night rooms for certain nights in February 2007.

How:
Go to: Beau Rivage Deal

Travel Deal of the Day (Feb. 1, 2007)

There are a lot of people in first class who are not paying first class fares. In fact, the majority of people in first class do not pay first class fares. Many are very frequent fliers using free upgrades. But what if you are not a mega-frequent flier? There are now coach fares (that are not even the most expensive coach fares) that allow for free upgrades to first class.

The Deal:
You can now obtain free first class upgrades with a kind of flexible fare usually referred to as YUP fares. (The Fares are called different names on different airlines. The first letter of the name refers to the inventory code that the airline uses. The next two letters, “UP,” refers to the fact that a free upgrade applies to the fare.)

How:
When checking for fares, an airline’s website or an aggregator website usually defers to coach fares. Sometimes, especially when you have very little advance notice or if the flight is close to sold out, it pays to use the “advanced search” offered by most airlines’ websites and search for first class fares (usually noted on the website as “first class fares with restrictions”). In such situations, these fares that provide free first class upgrades can be lower than the most expensive coach fares.

The Inside Scoop:
One thing to note when searching for these fares that provide free first class upgrades is that many of these fares have restrictions similar to less-expensive coach fares. They can be non-refundable, have advance purchase requirements and may have penalties for changes. There may be similarly priced coach fares with such restrictions so you must check all types of fares and verify what restrictions apply.