Travel Deal of the Day (December 31, 2007)

With fuel over $3/gallon, it can be quite expensive to fill a rental car’s fuel tank. Hertz has an offer for free gas to lower the total cost of a car rental and to help deal with the high cost of fuel.

The Deal:
Get a free tank of gas when renting a Hertz car for at least three days. The offer applies for cars picked up by January 18, 2008. The deal applies even for the most reasonably priced "economy" class cars.

How:
Go to the Hertz Free Gas Deal.

The Inside Scoop:
The value of this coupon varies based on how "empty" your fuel tank is when you return the car. If you return the car on "empty" and the car holds around 15 to 18 gallons, this coupon is probably worth around $50, which is an excellent discount for a three day rental.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 28, 2007)

If you are dreaming of a Hawaiian vacation in 2008, here is a deal to help you make that dream a reality.

The Deal:
The Marriott in Waikiki (Oahu) is offering a fourth night free when paying for three nights. The deal also includes free breakfast and a room upgrade. Be sure to check whether the non-package rates for your dates sum to a lower amount (for four nights) than three nights using this package.

How:
Go to the Waikiki Marriott Free Night Deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 27, 2007)

If you are traveling to any destination outside of the US, be sure to carefully examine the extra charges and fees when you are obtaining fare quotes – itineraries for travel from a US destination to a non-US destination have a variety of extra charges and fees, so to ensure that all fare quotes are examined using similar parameters, you must correctly match up the extra fees that apply on most fares.

When you compare different fare quotes, especially from different websites, you must examine all the added charges that apply. Look for fuel surcharges, airport taxes and ticketing fees (for the agent/website ticketing the itinerary), just to name a few. Make sure you “click” all the way to the final screen on any website to ensure that the fare quote you are receiving actually includes all the relevant fees. In these days of added fees and surcharges, you must find the “final” fare quote before attempting to compare fares of different itineraries.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 26, 2007)

After a brief vacation, I am back to provide the Travel Deal of the Day.

Today’s tip relates to travel the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Due to the lack of business travelers this week, you may be able to find some of the premium seats such as bulkhead and exit rows that are normally coveted by business travelers. Such seats provide extra legroom and are usually the first to be selected by business travelers. Usually these seats can only be assigned in advance to an airline’s most frequent travelers. Since many of these business travelers are at home during the holiday time period, you should inquire at check-in whether these seats are available. (Note that some airlines charge an extra fee for these seats, but the majority of the airlines will assign these seats to any traveler at check-in for no charge.)

Travel Deal of the Day (December 10, 2007)

Many cruise companies have begun charging fuel surcharges. What is shocking about these fuel surcharges is not the fact that they exist, but rather the fact that they are being applied retroactively to trips not yet taken (but already paid in full). Cruise lines are not only charging these fees for trips that are being paid for now, but they are also collecting the fees from passengers that have not yet traveled but that had booked prior to the implementation of the fee. Since some cruise lines charge the fees and other cruise lines do not, you should be aware of the existence of these fees and incorporate the cost of the fees into the total cost of a trip on that cruise line.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 7, 2007)

If your idea of a vacation involves renting a condo rather than a hotel room, there is a website aimed specifically at you to help you find a vacation rental.

The Deal:
As mentioned earlier, VRBO.com provides vacations rentals that are listed by the owners of the condos. The rental units range in price from very moderately priced to very expensive. When using VRBO.com, you must do your homework. You cannot count on the fact that the pictures and facts on the website are entirely true – it is up to you to verify the facts on the website. But if you are comfortable with a little less assurance than you would have at a hotel, you are likely to find quite a deal at your vacation destination. With the market possibly turning to a recession, you may find deals now that may not have existed during a stronger economic time period.

How:
Go to www.vrbo.com.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 3, 2007)

If you are reading travel reviews, be sure to note how a person reviewing the hotel booked their reservation (in addition to comments regarding the hotel’s facilities and services).

The Deal:
Hotel review websites such as Trip Advisor can be great resources for finding out how people found the best deals. Travelers often are proud of their hotel deal and share stories about the unpublished corporate rate or the great promotion available only by calling a certain reservation office. Be extra aware of reviews that details that the hotel is available using services such as Priceline and Hotwire, which often offer tremendous discounts on rooms.