All of us at www.BabyTravelPlanet.com love to travel, and we are always looking for ways to save on family travel when planning a vacation. Below are some of our ideas.
For more ideas about travelling with babies get our free E-books at http://www.babytravelplanet.com/ebook_register/
- Plan ahead. The highest cost for travel is when you make last-minute airline tickets and hotel reservations. Plan ahead two or three months and then start searching the internet for bargains.
- Travel in off peak periods. Whenever possible, travel outside the main vacation periods. You can book a package, including airfare and hotel at Disney World, for a pittance in September, for example, when the kids are going back to school. The best deals in the Caribbean and Mexico are from the end of May through November.
- Travel on less costly days. Many airlines offer lower prices on off-peak days, like Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, which can be a boon for you if you plan in advance.
- Become a internet vacation pro. Here are a list of sites that you can access to get air fares, hotel rates, cruise rates, and so on.
Travel umbrella sites. These can save you time by searching more than 100 travel sites at once — including sites for trip consolidators, hotels, and airlines, as well as umbrella travel sites like the ones below. But they don't search every travel site, so it's still worth your while to look elsewhere.
www.expedia.com
www.Travelocity.com
www.CheapTickets.com
www.Cheapfares.com
www.Orbitz.com
Airline sites. What I often do is search for airfares using Expedia. When I find a fare that is to my liking I then go direct the airline’s site and quite often find the same flight for less money. Here are some of the most commonly used airline sites.
www.delta.com
www.southwest.com
www.northwest.com
www.united.com
www.aa.com
www.continental.com
www.aircanada.com
www.jetblue.com
www.westjet.com
www.usairways.com
Hotel sites. Similar to booking an air flight, what I often do is search for hotel rates using Expedia. When I find a hotel and rate that is to my liking I then go direct the hotel’s site and quite often find the same hotel room for less money. Here are some of the most commonly used hotel sites.
www.mariott.com for Mariott Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard Hotels, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, and Springhill Suites.
www.choicehotels.com for Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion Hotels, MainStay Suites, Econo Lodge, and Rodeway Inn
www.hilton.com for Hilton Hotels, Doubletree Hotels, Embassy Suites, Hampton Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, and Conrad Hotels.
www.lq.com for LaQuinta Hotels.
www.holidayinn.com for Holiday Inns and Holiday Inn Express Hotels.
Cruise Sites. Cruising with your family is a great way to enjoy a vacation and it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. For example a 7 day cruise out of Florida on a well known cruise line in early December 2007 costs $1,132 US for 2 adults and a baby. That includes cabin, three wonderful meals a day, entertainment, its all included. We have never had any luck getting good fares direct from the cruise lines so we always go to cruise discount sites to get great rates. Here are the cruise sites that we recommend you check for the best cruise fares.
www.cruisevalue.com
www.cruisecompete.com . This is our favourite. See our article Where and how to get the best cruise rates for your family to learn how to save money using this site.
www.ecruisestore.com - Take a risk. I have often been able to save a lot of money on hotel rooms by booking a hotel room using the hotel’s Net Direct rate. This rate is usually at least 25% less than the hotels’ lowest rate. The catch is that you the rate requires full payment in advance, and it is nonrefundable. This rate is not always available, but when it is it will be part of their on line rate structure.
- Do a room check. Before you book accommodation, read independent traveler reviews. Our favourite is www.TripAdvisor.com
- Take advantage of e-mail offers. Many airlines, such as Southwest and Delta, send frequent e-mails announcing Internet specials. So do umbrella travel sites like Expedia. These are a great way to find out when deals are available. It requires registering on the Web sites, but the payoff is an early alert to low prices on airfare, hotel, and rental cars for your destination of choice.
- Become one of the locals. It's often tempting to book a room with a major hotel chain. And once you're there, if you don't know where to eat in the city, you're likely to end up at an overpriced chain restaurant. Don't do it! Locally owned and operated hotels are often much nicer and less expensive. And you'll learn more about the place you're visiting if you eat at the local hangout. For each spot you plan to visit, start with the Chamber of Commerce Web site, then follow the links to local hotels and B&Bs as well as to popular restaurants and attractions. These sites often list local parks and recreation areas, as well. Here are some web sites to check for small hotels and bed-and-breakfast accommodations...
• www.TravelBB.com
• www.BedandBreakfast.com
• www.TripAdvisor.com . What I like about TripAdvisor is that users to rate their experiences at specific hotels and B&Bs, so you can see what others thought about a place before you choose it. - Hit the road. Cut the cost of plane tickets out of your travel budget and your money will go a lot further. No matter where you live, there's probably a wonderful family destination within a day's drive. Why not start with a national park? Nearly every state and province boasts a gorgeous national park, from Acadia in Maine to Zion in Utah to Algonquin in Ontario. Go to the National Park Service's site and click on your state or province to find the nearest park. National monuments, parks, and historic and cultural attractions also make great travel destinations. Each state and province has a Web site listing its parks, and you can often book campground and cabin reservations online.
- Always ask about discounts. Don’t be afraid to ask, “Is that your best price?” Whether you’re booking flights, rental cars or accommodations, that little phrase can reap rewards. Whether you're booking airline tickets, hotel rooms, a car rental, event tickets, or even dinner reservations, always ask the reservation agent if the company is offering any deals. Don't forget to mention your kids. You may be surprised to learn that kids stay free or that you can get coupons for $10 off admission to the local aquarium or amusement park. Hotels sometimes have discounted tickets available that cover multiple local attractions, resulting in substantial savings. Some airlines offer discounts on seats for children, but these are becoming rare. Still, bring it up, as the reservation agent might not think to check into it unless you do. It doesn't hurt to explain that you're trying to save money and ask the agent for help in finding the best deal. One new mother who did this found that her Costco membership got her a bigger discount on a weekly car rental than AAA.
If you're an automobile club member, work it. You can get much more than hotel discounts with AAA. Use your membership to get breaks on rental cars, tickets to tourist attractions, and much more. Next time you plan a trip, stop by or call your local AAA office and ask what deals they offer for your chosen destination. And don't forget to pick up some of their free top-quality maps. - Don’t pay for insurance you don’t need. Before you fork out the big bucks for trip cancellation and interruption insurance, rental car insurance or out-of-country medical insurance, check to see if you’re already covered through your credit card. Some cards provide such coverage automatically as long as you use the card to book your flight, accommodation or rental car.
- Do some research. Once you have decided where you will be traveling on your journey, check out the local area’s online visitor’s bureau for tips on what to see, how to get around and any special offers on food and accommodation that may be available. A fast way to research this information is to go to Google and type in the name of your destination a plus sign and the word visitor bureau (example: Orlando+ visitor bureau).
Get our free E-books at http://www.babytravelplanet.com/ebook_register/
JoPa at www.BabyTravelPlanet.com
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