Travel Deal of the Day (December 30, 2009)

With all the recent winter storms, you may have noticed the frequent notices published by airlines allowing free changes to your tickets in cities and during dates affected by adverse weather. These "weather waivers" have become common, so when the next storm is approaching, look at your airline's website for such a weather waiver policy. You will often be able to change your ticket for free, or, if the flight has been cancelled, refund your ticket without a penalty.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 29, 2009)

Alamo is offering weekend car rental rates as low as $10/day for participating US and Canadian locations. Rates are valid for weekend rentals January 6, 2010 - February 8, 2010. A 24 hour advance reservation is required, and the rental must be for 1-4 days. Rentals must conform with Alamo's definition of a "weekend rental" (see definition on the Alamo website) and must include a Saturday night. For full terms and conditions or to book, go to the Alamo Weekend Deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 28, 2009)

The American Bar Association (ABA) has published its 2010 discounted hotel rates (for ABA members), and the rates at some hotels, especially for some US hotels, are especially low. The rates are especially good at four/five star level hotels which generally do not offer many discounts. Here are some examples:

(1) Ritz Carlton Ft. Lauderdale - starting at $129/night;
(2) Trump Las Vegas - starting at $89/night;
(3) Four Seasons Miami - starting at $139/night;
(4) Ritz Carlton New Orleans - starting at $125/night; and
(5) Ritz Carlton Sarasota - starting at $169/night.

These rates sometimes include free high-speed internet. There are also some excellent discounts on club level rooms (which generally include free breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, deserts and drinks).

How:
Here are the 2010 ABA Rates.
Go here to see how to join ABA.

The Inside Scoop:
If you are not an ABA member, it may pay for you to join. Even if you are not an attorney, you can pay a fee to join ABA - given the hotel discounts, you may find that the fee more than pays for itself after a single trip. (Note that some people are eligible for a free or highly discounted membership.)

Travel Deal of the Day (December 23, 2009)

If you like to use in-flight internet and pay full price for this service, you can save money by doing a quick search before your flight.

The Deal:
Most, if not all, providers of in-flight internet service provide discounts/promotions for the service. If you do a quick search before your flight to find a relevant promotional code, you will likely save money off your internet service. It is also common to find internet promotional codes for free in-flight internet service.

How:
I recommend using your favorite search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo...) and entering (in the search engine) your airline as well as "in flight internet promotional codes." You can also check the website of your airline to find codes available on that website.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 22, 2009)

Participating Loews Hotels are offering 30% off three night stays for travel until January 31, 2010. You must book at least three consecutive nights at the same hotel to be eligible. Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply. For more details or to book, go to the Loews Deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 18, 2009)

If you frequently eat out when traveling, you might consider checking out gift cards for restaurants at your destination if the gift cards come with a bonus. For instance, for a recent promotion, Cheesecake Factory is offering a free cheesecake slice redeemable during late 2009 and early 2010 when a $25 gift card is purchased in its restaurants (see this link for more information). Other restaurants are providing additional benefits. As with any gift card purchase, there are certain risks. But you might want to consider whether a restaurant promotion can help you save money when eating out during your travel.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 17, 2009)

TravelZoo.com provides details regarding rates starting at $37/night for select dates in December 2009 and January 2010 at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas. Reservations must be booked by December 23, 2009. For more information, to see full terms or to book, go to the Monte Carlo Deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 14, 2009)

Hertz is offering up to $30 off a weekly or weekend rental through February 6, 2010. Rates are valid on economy through premium cars at participating locations in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Other restriction may apply. For full terms or to book, go to the Hertz Deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 14, 2009)

The Bellagio and the Mirage in Las Vegas have third night free promotions this winter:

(1) The Bellagio: Receive a third night free when paying for the first and second nights until April 6, 2010. Rates start at $159/night (not including the free night), and the promotion is subject to availability restrictions as well as other restrictions. For full terms or to book, go to the Bellagio Third Night Free Deal.

(2) The Mirage: Receive a third night free when paying for the first and second nights until January 31, 2010. Rates start at $90/night (not including the free night) but do not include a $15/night resort fee. The promotion is subject to availability restrictions as well as other restrictions. For full terms or to book, go to the Mirage Third Night Free Deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 11, 2009)

TravelZoo.com has the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan/New York City for $169/night for Friday-Sunday nights from January 3, 2010 - March 31, 2010. Rooms must be booked by December 23, 2009. Additional restrictions apply. For full details or to book, go to the Grand Hyatt New York Deal.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 10, 2009)

One of the steps you should take before any trip involving airport parking is a search for coupons for airport parking. Such coupons are commonly found on the internet or via links from major travel websites. The airport authority/organization managing your local airport may also provide coupons for airport-run parking facilities. This is an easy step allowing you to save money on your trip. Many people forget to check for coupons, but if you make this part of your travel routine, you can be one of the people whose trip is subsidized, in part, by the other travelers that do not search for such coupons.

In addition, do not forget to sign up for any frequent parker programs offered by the airport parking facilities. These programs often offer free or discounted parking benefits after a certain number of paid days of parking.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 8, 2009)

Megabus is offering 100,000 free bus seats on its bus transportation in the US between January 6, 2010 and March 20, 2010. Seats are available for booking starting December 8, 2009. To book, go to the Megabus website and use the promotion code "GETAWAY" when booking. (Please note that the Megabus website is extremely busy because of the promotion, so be patient when booking.)

Travel Deal of the Day (December 7, 2009)

The MGM Grand in Las Vegas is offering a sale with rooms starting at $55/night. The sale includes a $100 credit per stay for selected restaurants. Since there is no minimum stay required, you could pay $55 for a hotel night and obtain both the hotel night and a $100 food credit (assuming you meet the terms of the promotion). Availability is limited, and the rate must be booked by December 24, 2009 for travel until April 30, 2010. For full details, see the MGM Grand "Best of Both Worlds" Promotion.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 4, 2009)

If you live in the northern US and are traveling to Florida during the winter, you may want to consider driving a rental car one-way from the northern US to reach Florida. Rental car companies need to move cars to Florida during the winter to meet demand during the high-season in Florida. Car rental companies often offer good deals for one-way rentals to Florida during winter months - you can save money by driving down to Florida with a one-way rental and finding an alternative mode of transportation for your return (plane, train,...). If you are interested in such a deal, search around for one-way rentals to Florida such as this deal from National Car Rental for one-way rentals to Florida.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 3, 2009)

If you are traveling this weekend, you may be eligible for a free entrance to a great musuem. Bank of America cardholders have an opportunity to receive a free museum entrance this weekend (December 5-6, 2009) at participating musuems, zoos, science centers and botanical gardens. To receive the free admission, show a Bank of America ATM, credit or check card. For more information or for a list of the participating musuems and the full terms/conditions, go to this link.

Travel Deal of the Day (December 1, 2009)

If you are checking hotel rates, be sure to check some of the smaller hotel booking websites when checking available rates. Recently, I have found the best non-Priceline/non-Hotwire hotel rates on small hotel booking websites. Often, these websites negotiate low rates with hotels that may not be available when booking on the larger hotel booking websites or when booking directly with a hotel. For instance, Easy Click Travel had a $99 rate on a hotel that was otherwise at least 20% higher. So, when searching for accomodations, be sure to check around. Use an aggregator travel booking website such as Kayak or Sidestep and be sure to include the hotel itself, the hotel chain website and small and large-size websites in your search.