6 New Secret Ways to Save on Your Next Vacation
6 New Secret Ways to Save on Your Next Vacation
The weather very bad at he moment, but when it starts to get nice again. And the travel bug begins to bite. But the bucks aren’t stacking up the way they used to. Still you want to get away? In this economy there are some secrets the travel industry may not want you to know. So I checked in with my good buddy and travel guru Peter Greenberg of Petergreenberg.com for the scoop:
1. The best time to book an airline ticket is Wednesday morning at 12:01am (that’s really one minute after midnight on Tuesday). Why? Because most people book their reservations on the weekends and have 24-hours in which to pay but don’t always complete the reservation…those budge fares flood the market at midnight and become available to you! But here’s what you need to figure out: you must consider that it is 12:01am in the time zone where the airline is located…not where you live.
2. The best time to book a hotel is anytime Sunday afternoon. The revenue manager (the guy who sets the prices) is off. It’s up to the front desk person to set the rate. That person knows it’s better to sell the room cheap than to have it left empty with no money coming in. So call when the money man is gone and make a great deal.
3. This is an unprecedented “buyers market.” That means your negotiating power is at its best. Let’s say a hotel is advertising $99 a night, stay 2 and get the 3rd for free. That’s just a jumping off point. Ask for a 4th night free. See if the kids can eat for free. Ask for free parking. (Parking at a San Francisco hotel can run you $62 a day)
4. “Driveaway Deals.” When it comes to renting a car…you need to ask about this unadvertised special. Many car companies have too many cars let’s say in Florida in the summer and need them up north…so you would be doing them a favor if you drove their cars for them. You can get a rate of $6 a day and sometimes a gas voucher just to drive the car to a city where the company needs the car.
5. Rent an RV. Even with hefty gas prices, renting an RV is a much cheaper way to vacation. There is no need for hotels, car rentals and even dining when you drive an RV. RV sales are way down and they are happy to rent them to you. One word of caution…take a one-hour driving course before hitting the road with your mega roadster.
6. Take the choo choo train: Amtrak has done a terrible job of advertising an amazing deal. For $500 you can buy a 15 day pass in which they allow a number of free on and offs to each customer. Now that’s a cheap way to travel.
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