How tos for understanding travel promotions and other deals

by Jamie Rhein on

When finding the best travel deals the options can seem overwhelming. Sometimes the math may not add up. A supposed deal isn’t a deal at all.

Linda Zavoral’s article, originally published in San Jose’s Mercury News, outlines the vocabulary of various travel savings to help travelers make better decisions before opening their wallets.

For example, a package does not have to offer savings. All it means is that you’re purchasing more than one service bundled together.

If a hotel is offering a package deal where tickets to an attraction are connected to a room, shop around for cheaper options. Sometimes the package deal is for more expensive rooms in the hotel, and you can find inexpensive tickets to the attractions elsewhere.

When booking a tour package, Zavoral also suggests that you check the deals a travel company may offer against what you might be able to book yourself. In many cases the travel agency’s price may be cheaper because the agency is buying up blocks of airplane seats and accommodations, but check anyway.

Another saving might come from checking out various places for the cheapest hotel room rates. Find out what the cheapest available rates are by looking at the hotel’s website and other travel sites.

If a hotel says its offering a freebie like free breakfast– or some other amenity as part of a package, check to see if this is a regular offering at other times, or truly a for now only deal.

When booking a room, make sure you’re clear if the rate is per person or per room.

Also, check to see if phone booking or online booking is cheaper. Sometimes the person on the phone may not be aware of a deal. In that case, check the website. This holds true whether its a hotel, a cruise line or a tour group.

Horchow baggage sale

by Annie Scott on

Horchow is currently having a 20% off sale on all luggage and accessories. Impressing your family and friends at the holidays just got one-fifth easier.

You may have already heard about this season’s fabulous new Samsonite Blacklabel Trunk Collection, pictured, with which I’m personally kind of obsessed. The 1920’s trans-Atlantic inspired look of the trunks make me feel like I’m in a slightly more anachronistic Titanic. But in a good way. Wait, is there a good way? “A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets.”

In any case (haha), the must-have collection is included in the sale.

The bad news is that a lot of this stuff is back-ordered and won’t ship out until November 21st, but it still might get to you in time for Thanksgiving, and definitely in time for the major holidays.

Don’t want to be in Titanic? Did you cheer when Jack let go? Then I recommend this set of “Safari” Croc-Embossed Leather Luggage from Bric’s. Chic, classic, and some of these items aren’t even sold out. Bonus!

Travel Alert! Get to Belize for under $150

by Grant Martin on

[ Edit: Looks like this one is dead, foks. Congrats to those who booked a ticket — ed.]

I’ve been sitting on this fare for a few days because I was sure that it was going to evaporate, but here, as I sit in a cafe three days after the fare went live, I stand corrected.

American Airlines is offering some pretty outrageous fares down to Belize for this fall and early winter from New York City (EWR) and Houston (IAH). For only abouht $150 round trip, you can get down to Central America, the jungles, beaches, strong dollar, and some classic adventure travel. Other cities around the country are clocking in at the $200 – $300 range, which, for a trip of this magnitude is still pretty fantastic.

The problem, in this case, is that the layovers on the connections are pretty terrible. If you’re planning on making a weekend out of the fares, you may have to reconsider the 13 hours that you may have to spend in Miami (or maybe you’ll enjoy it.)

They key, however, is to keep everything in perspective. You’re paying $150 to fly to BELIZE on a fare that’s less expensive than it usually is to fly 400 miles domestically. Book it, spend some time in Miami, bring a laptop and some movies and you’ll have a great time.

Travel deals abound for the holidays: Go for that dream vacation

by Jamie Rhein on

The downward slide of the economy is creating an upswing of excellent opportunities for less expensive travel. Because people are holding off on making their holiday plans, the travel industry is cutting prices to attract customers. That’s true whether you are into luxury travel or the budget version.

That’s the buzz as reported in this article from The New York Times. Reading the article is like a trip to the travel candy story.

Want a ski vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming? Other places in the Colorado Rockies? There’s a deal. How about a luxury beach vacation in Bermuda? To St. Lucia? Perhaps Las Vegas entices you. Or Miami. What about Aruba, Mexico or the Cayman Islands? The article outlines details about each.

Sure, you have to have some money in order to plop down dough for a plane ticket and a hotel room in the first place, but bargains range from free nights, and are along the spectrum of several dollars to 30% off. One popular reduced rate offer is that if you stay in a hotel on the actual holiday, the holiday is free. That means if you’re in the hotel for Christmas Day, Ho! Ho! Ho!, Santa has brought you a present.

The hitch is you have to bookend your free night with nights you are paying. Still, bring out the spiked eggnog and give yourself a toast to your good fortune on at least one day of the year. Many deals also apply for Thanksgiving.

The article points out one adage that I’ve also found to be true. Don’t assume a trip is beyond your means unless you check first and check often. If you can wiggle around dates and desires, a vacation could happen.

A couple years ago, we flew to Ft Lauderdale, Florida for much less than it would have cost to drive there, about $160 per person RT from Columbus. I just happened to check airfares on a whim about this time of year and was pleasantly surprised. Our hotel room, complete with an efficiency kitchen, was $75 per night. That flight costs about $100 more today, but I bet the room rate still holds. Ft. Lauderdale does not hit tourist season until after the holidays. If a bargain could happen for us, it could happen for you.

Garage sales and flea markets for travel bargains

by Jamie Rhein on

Garage and yard sales are on the rise as the stock market falls. The picking through what people don’t want to find the items that you must have–even if you never thought you might want one until it was in front of you– has never been better.

Instead of donating items to charity, these days more people are selling them to make some extra cash. Unfortunately, forclosures are also adding to the bounty.

Reading this article in the New York Times about the proliferation of garage sales reminded me of the used items I’ve purchased in my travels and why garage sales are worth putting on your itinerary. Going to a garage sale (or a flea market or thift store) is one way to find items for a lot less than they would cost new, and often reflect the place where you are traveling. You may not be able to find the items back home.

This summer, for example, I bought a brown chips and salsa bowl shaped like a cowboy hat from the thrift store in Philipsburg, Montana. The indentation at the top of the hat is where the salsa goes–the brim is for the chips. It was in mint condition and something I would never buy back home. Because I was in out West, and it looked western, I had to have it. I gave to friends of mine who appreciate kitsch.

When we were in England, I headed to a “boot sale,” the British version of a flea market. There, displayed on a blanket stretched out on the ground, I found a Wedgewood child’s mug with a Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit design. What could be more British or more perfect than that? I bought it for my son who I pushed in his stroller up and down the rows of goods.

If you end up at a destination and discover you’re missing items that you ought to have with you, a garage sale may come to the rescue. A few years ago, we arrived at an A-frame cabin near Mohican State Park in Ohio for a weekend get-a-way with my husband’s brother and his family. We knew the cabin had beds, and for some reason, we thought there would be bedding. There wasn’t and we were so unprepared.

Off we headed to find a store to buy sleeping bags, but with no luck. Instead, we came upon a garage sale at a motel of all places. There on a table were sheets, pillow cases, pillows, one sleeping bag and a full-size comforter. All were clean, in great condition, and ours for $20.

Keep your eyes open. Maybe there’s a deal just around the corner waiting for you in someones yard.