Travel Deal of the Day (January 31, 2008)

Various Kimpton Hotels, which are boutique-style hotels in various cities, are offering sale rates through March 30, 2008.

The Deal:
Find rates at various Kimpton Hotels for stays Thursday through Sunday through March 30, 2008. Rates are as low as $99/night.

How:
Go to the Kimpton Hotel Deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 30, 2008)

Have you looked at your passport’s expiration date recently? If you are traveling abroad later this year, you should consider renewing your passport right now.

During the summer, wait times for passport renewal can be quite lengthy. However, the wait times in the winter are considerably shorter. Most people traveling abroad this summer are not thinking right now about renewing a passport. For this reason, now is a great time to renew a passport that is expiring later this year.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 29, 2008)

Another great opportunity has arisen to buy the Entertainment Book at a tremendous discount.

The Deal:
The Entertainment Book offers a variety of food, entertainment and travel discounts. The car rental, hotel and air discounts can be especially good. Due to a new Borders Bookstore sale of 40% off all books, this is a great time to buy an Entertainment Book.

How:
Go to Borders January 29-30, 2008 and use this coupon to save 40% off of an Entertainment Book.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 28, 2008)

OpenTable.com, a website that allows you to make free restaurant reservations throughout the United States and earn points towards free meals, is offering great promotions that allow you to earn as much as $10 for making a restaurant reservation.

The Deal:
When you are traveling out of town and you need to make dinner reservations, try OpenTable, which allows you to make free restaurant reservations. For most reservations, you earn $1 towards a gift certificate to any OpenTable restaurant. OpenTable is now offering specials for some reservations – those reservations earn you $10 towards a gift certificate. You must earn at least $20 in gift certificate credit to redeem your credits for a gift certificate.

How:
Go to OpenTable to find out more information or sign up for an account.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 25, 2007)

The Westin Embassy Row Hotel in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, DC is offering excellent rates for Winter and Early Spring travel via a promotion with TravelZoo.com.

The Deal:
Obtain a room at the four-star Westin Embassy Row in Washington, DC for $99/night including breakfast and parking. This rate is valid for Friday through Sunday nights through the end of April 2008, but is blacked out on various weekends. The rate must be booked by February 2, 2008. If you will use the parking and breakfast, this rate is truly an excellent deal for a nice hotel in the heart of Washington, DC.

How:
Go to the Westin Embassy Row Deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 23, 2008)

Is AAA worth the annual membership fee? The answer to this question depends on how much you travel and, quite frankly, your luck.

AAA charges anywhere from $50 - $100 per year for membership. With a membership, you generally receive a free car towing service (within a limited area), maps and travel discounts. The value of the towing depends on your need to be towed – which likely depends on the age/reliability of your car and luck. If we take the value of the towing and maps out of the equation, then you must analyze the kind of discounts available with AAA.

I usually find that the best AAA discounts relate to car rentals and occasionally hotels. Car rentals usually provide a 10% - 15% discount with AAA. The value of this discount can be quite dubious as I usually find that some other membership club, such as Entertainment Card, CostCo, American Bar Association, AARP or Sam’s Club, provides an equivalent discount. For hotels, the AAA discounts vary quite a bit. Some hotels offer excellent AAA rates. Other hotels offer a very small AAA discount or even no AAA discount. At these same hotels, you may find that the Entertainment Card, AARP card or Priceline/Hotwire will beat AAA.

So, my overall advice is get AAA if you value the towing and will accept any additional travel discounts. But if you do not value the towing, the AAA discounts can be quite sparse, so only get the AAA card if you know of a specific discount that you will use during the year that will pay for the AAA membership fee.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 22, 2008)

American Airlines is offering an exceptional deal to Tahiti – you can now redeem only 30,000 AAdvantage miles for a frequent flyer award ticket to Tahiti.

The Deal:
American is offering a tremendous sale for coach AAdvantage award seats on its partner Air Tahiti Nui. Seats are available for only 30,000 miles roundtrip, only 5,000 more miles than the amount required for a domestic US ticket. This is a tremendous discount when compared to the normal rate of 75,000 miles roundtrip. Travel is valid through the end of May 2008. Travel is valid only for Air Tahiti Nui’s service from JFK to PPT.

How:
Go to the AAdvantage Tahiti Sale.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 17, 2008)

Do you go to the same destination every Thanksgiving? Have you thought about Thanksgiving yet? If you know where you are going for Thanksgiving, now is the perfect time to book your trip.

The Deal:
For the most popular holiday time periods such as Thanksgiving, especially if you travel the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, ticket prices only increase as you get closer to the time of departure. For this reason, you actually save money by booking as far in advance as possible, before the flights become sold out and only more expensive seats are available. If you are traveling for Thanksgiving and are not flexible on dates (meaning that you must fly on the highest demand dates), consider buying your ticket now. For most of the year, you want to wait for a sale that will lower prices for your itinerary – these sales are likely a few months before your travel date. For the Wednesday before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, airlines do not have to offer such a sale, so you are better off booking now (if your plans are firm) to hedge against price increases.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 15, 2008)

If you live in Hawaii or have friends or relatives that live in Hawaii, you may have access to incredibly inexpensive rates at Hawaiian hotels.

The Deal:
Most hotels in Hawaii offer incredibly discounted rates to Hawaii residents. These rates are known as “Kamaaina” rates, and, for the most part, they are not advertised by any of the hotels offering them. The rates are extraordinary. In fact, many four- and five-star Hawaiian hotels offer 50% off standard rates (or even 66% off standard rates in some cases) with these rates.

You must be a Hawaiian resident to be eligible. So, if you do not have a residence in Hawaii, you may want to rack your brain to find out if you have any family or friends in Hawaii. (Any family member or friend living in Hawaii is eligible for these rates.) Because of the deep discounts offered with these rates, hotels will likely check for a Hawaiian identification card (e.g. – driver’s license).

How:
Call the hotel’s local reservation line and request a Kamaaina rate.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 14, 2008)

Are you taking the correct precautions when you pickup and return a rental car? If your pick-up and return of the car does not involve a damage report and a digital camera, you may be setting yourself up for a problem at some point. If a car rental company mailed you a letter three months after your rental claiming you had damaged a car, how would you prove that you had not damaged the car? Here are some simple rules for your next car rental to protect yourself from this problem:

During Pick-Up: Ask the rental car counter for a damage report to fill out before leaving the car rental lot. These forms allow you to document all damage (scratches, dents, paint chips, windshield cracks…) on the car. (If you pickup a car after sundown, drive the car over to a section of the car rental lot where there are spotlights/lighting systems so that you can see the damage on the car.) You must fill out the form and get a rental car representative to sign the form before you leave the car rental lot. This step is vital so that you can prove that the car had damage prior to picking up the car.

During Drop-Off: Take pictures of the car from every angle. You must document the condition of the car at the time you drop off the car. When damage occurs to a rental car, a rental car company may not be able to pinpoint exactly when the damage occurred, so you must be able to prove that at the time you returned the car, there was no damage.

Taking these two easy steps can alleviate much of the hassle associated with the issues that may arise after renting a car.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 11, 2008)

If you are contemplating a Las Vegas trip in the next few months, the Vegas casinos are starting their mid-winter sales – the four-star Mandalay Bay is offering a good deal with a free suite upgrade.

The Deal:
Mandalay Bay is offering suites at $110/night. The $110 rate is a sale on standard Mandalay Bay rooms, but Mandalay Bay is offering a free suite upgrade, based on availability. The sale rate is available mostly in January 2008, but the sale potentially extends through April 2008.

How:
Go to the Mandalay Bay Sale.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 10, 2008)

You may not have noticed, but it has become expensive to check extremely heavy luggage or to check a third bag. There are a few good ways to avoid paying these fees when traveling:

(1) Travel with only a carry-on bag. You avoid having to wait for checked-in luggage and you know that your bag will make it to your destination (since your bag is always with you). You also avoid any hidden extra fees for checking heavy luggage.

(2) If you are checking a bag, pack a small suitcase with only the essentials and leave some extra space for a few souvenirs. By using a small suitcase, you avoid the temptation to bring along too many items which may cause your bag to incur overweight fees. Also, extra space can allow you to accommodate a few extra items that you purchase while on your trip.

(3) Ship items home from your vacation destination. If you do run into a situation where your carry-on bag will not accommodate your souvenirs or your checked bag is too small for items you pick up while away, use a ground shipping company or the postal service to ship items back home. The price for shipping a reasonable sized package home is very low and usually is much less than the fees tacked on by an airline when your bag is oversized. You may also ship liquid items home if you choose to purchase such items while away and you only use a carry-on bag (since liquid containers over 3 oz. must be in checked baggage on commercial aircraft in the US).

Travel Deal of the Day (January 9, 2008)

You arrive at your hotel room and you realize you have been given one of the worst rooms in the hotel – either because it is next to the elevator, looks out on a dumpster, smells of smoke or some other odor, etc…Often, when you book through certain websites that offer highly discounted rooms (such as Priceline or Hotwire), the hotels are notorious for giving the less desireable rooms to customers. Whatever the reason for your displeasure for the room, there are ways to increase your chances of being assigned a better room or getting your room changed once you arrive:

Step 1: Contact the hotel before you arrive. The best game plan is to send a fax to the front desk manager before you arrive notifying him/her about any special occasion you are celebrating while at the hotel or about any frequent guest club membership you have that would be relevant to that hotel chain. Include in the letter any special requests (such as non smoking, king bed, high floor). Also, let them know you are a return guest (if applicable). This kind of contact lets the hotel know that a better room assignment would be appreciated. Always be polite – the front desk and the reservations department have tremendous discretion in room assignments.

Step 2: Call the hotel on the morning of arrival to remind the hotel of your room preferences.

Step 3: When you arrive, as mentioned earlier, reiterate you requests and be polite. A little kindness goes a long way, especially to people with a tremendous amount of room for discretion for room assignments.

Step 4: If you are unhappy with your room assignment, politely go back down to the front desk and state briefly why you are dissatisfied with your room assignment. Regardless of the rate you paid, most hotels want you to be satisfied and will work with you to find a room that is acceptable to you (assuming availability exists). The reason to do steps 1 -2 is that sometimes hotels are sold out and you cannot be moved to another room (especially if you arrive at a hotel late in the evening) – this is why you want to get pre-blocked into a desirable room as a result of steps 1 – 2. Also, even if the hotel is not willing to move you to a better room at the rate you paid, you may find that you can pay as little at $10 or $20 per night or stay and get a much better room with much better amenities (such as free breakfast, free access to workout facilities, free access to business center facilities) that may pay for themselves. Again, politeness and “kind persistence” goes a long way.

Step 5: Send a thank you note to the hotel employee that helps you obtain a great room and to that person's boss. Why? First, because being nice is a great thing and will let that person (and her/his supervisor) know that you appreciated the help. Also, if you return to the hotel, you will be remembered - and you will likely get a better room the next time as well.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 8, 2008)

When booking a ticket, many people start by searching for fares on specific days and on specific flights. If you are solely interested in the lowest fare and you are somewhat flexible with dates/times, I would highly advocate that your first search when finding airline tickets is at a website that allows you to view all possible airfares in a market so that you can find out what the lowest possible fares are and what it takes to obtain the lowest fares.

The Deal:
When booking a flight, use a site such as Travelocity to find all fares published in a market. Use the “flexible dates” search to find all possible fares regardless of travel date. Then, look at the rules related to the lowest fares. Some websites such as Travelocity have calendars that will indicate which days have flights that qualify for the fare you select.

How:
Go to Travelocity (or another travel website with flexible date search tools) and use the “flexible dates” search.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 7, 2008)

The five-star Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas is offering sale rates as low as $179/night for January – March 2008 travel.

The Deal:
Rooms at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas are currently on sale for various dates in January – March 2008. The rates start at $179/night midweek and $199/night for weekends. The rates require an advance deposit that is refundable if the reservation is cancelled at least 72 hours in advance of arrival.

How:
Go to the Venetian Deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (January 4, 2008)

If you are thinking about using your frequent flyer miles for a summer trip, now is the time to book the trip. Quite often, the primary complaint about frequent flyer seats is that they are never available. But in a quick search of many summer travel destinations, I have found many flights available. The key to booking frequent flyer seats is: (1) flexibility (being willing to depart or return a few days before or after your scheduled date when seats are available), (2) using the airline partners to maximize your chances of finding seats and (3) either booking far in advance or very close to the date of departure (within a week of departure).

Since we are now 6-8 months away from summer travel, most people have not yet planned their summer trip. For this reason, there are still many frequent flyer seats available. So, call now for summer travel using miles. Also, use the airline’s website and call the airline and search for seats on partner airlines (in addition to the airline on which you have miles) to maximize your chances of finding seats. And, most importantly, book now (you will undoubtedly have better luck finding seats for summer travel now rather than waiting for a few months).

Travel Deal of the Day (January 3, 2008)

I was making a reservation for someone in their 50’s the other day – the person automatically assumed that he/she was not eligible for a senior rate - this may not be true. As has been mentioned previously in this blog, senior citizen rates are quite often open to more than just those people "65 and older."

The Deal:
Senior rates, which are quite often the best publicly available discounts offered by a hotel, sometimes are determined based on AARP membership. Though most people assume you must be 62 or 65 to be eligible for a "senior rate," AARP membership begins at 50 years old. If you are searching for a good hotel deal and you are in your 50s, do not forget about AARP rates (which may be called “senior” rates at some hotels).

Travel Deal of the Day (January 2, 2008)

If you earn frequent flyer miles with Continental and you frequently rent cars, Budget and Continental Airlines have an excellent promotion.

The Deal:
Earn just under 10,000 Continental OnePass Miles (9,999 to be exact) when renting a car from Budget for at least five days. The promotion is valid when picking up a car by January 31, 2008. The promotion applies for all car classes.

How:
Go to the Continental OnePass Car Rental Deal to see all the promotion rules and restrictions.

The Inside Scoop:
This is an excellent mileage promotion. These days, most car rental companies provide 50 miles/day – this promotion offers 2,000 miles/day on a five day rental.