Daily Travel Deal: $13.95 car rentals

by Grant Martin on

Our theme of discounted vacations continues, with yesterday highlighting the opportunity to score 100 hotels for under $100 each and today bringing car rental deals.

Hotwire is now hosting a sale on vehicle rentals across the board, from as low as $8.95 per day in Minneapolis to over $20 near New York City. Combine that with a dirt cheap hotel and discount plane ticket and you’ve got yourself a short little vacay that’s only a shade more expensive than that exotic STAYcay that you were planning. Just make sure you book early because availability is limited, and this deal could expire.

Don’t forget to loop back to AOL’s top five travel deals if you haven’t gotten your daily fill of discount mayhem.

Go loco for National Train Day on May 9th with Amtrak discount codes

by Alison Brick on

National Train Day pulls into town on May 9th. Just in case you were deliberating how to celebrate it, consider the discounts that Amtrak is offering nationwide.

Pick a route, any route. There are plenty of discount codes and destinations to go around–whether you have east coast, west coast, or cross-country travel on your brain. Ticket discounts are available for everything from “buy one, get one free” to 25% off.

It’s good to note that discount codes usually require a 3-day advance purchase, aren’t applicable on the high-speed Acela trains, and aren’t available during holiday periods.

Even without the discount codes, prices on train travel seem to be lower than usual. Right now, you can save 25% on the California trains Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner, and San Joaquin. Book the tickets between now and May 13, and travel between May 9-16.

And if you’re a certified train aficionado who wants to celebrate National Train Day to the fullest, check out events in your area–you’ll find larger ones in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and smaller ones elsewhere.

Did you know? This year marks the 140th anniversary of coast-to-coast train travel.

[Thanks, Frommers]

Recession vacations: do more with less

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Vacation plans are changing. This isn’t exactly a surprise. With layoffs mounting and a careful eye trained on every expense, long vacations are becoming short, and short trips aren’t straying as far from home. For some destinations, this is actually paying off.

A handful of smaller cities are pulling in visitors that normally would set off for grander locales. Charleston, SC and Fort Meyers, FL, for example sustained double-digit growth rates in January 2009 (relative to January 2008), according to American Express Travel bookings. Tuscon, AZ, Palm Springs, CA, and Portland, OR have also seen surges – 12 percent, 13 percent and 38 percent respectively.

Even Philly is on the upswing, which makes sense when you think about all those New Yorkers who need a quick break from the city.

So, why do these numbers look so good? Well, it’s hard to say. Drops in airfare and room rates are obvious drivers. Or, it could be some sort of marketing savvy. When you look at the data, there’s no common thread.

What is universal, it seems, is that everything is getting smaller. Trips are shorter, people are spending less and the destinations aren’t as far from home as they used to be. With the many bargains that are available, we may be able to do more with less, but overall, we’re still doing a hell of a lot less.

Aside from places like Fort Meyers and Tuscon, there are a few silver linings. “Girlfriend getaways” are still going strong, but the ladies are stretching their dollars. Renting one car instead of several, chipping in for a vacation home and picking a day spa over a destination spa are popular cost-cutting measures.

Home port cruises are on the upswing, as well. Guests can drive to the port (instead of flying), cutting down on the total cost of the trip. Like everyone else, these folks are cutting some deals, too.

Pick your corner of the travel and hospitality business, and you’ll find more than a handful of bargains. The decisions we make come down to what travelers can afford – rather than what they want. But, we’re still getting out on the road.

[Via MSNBC]

Check out some of these other wacky laws, place names and signs from around the world!


EasyJet survival guide: six simple steps

by Tom Johansmeyer on
The name is seductive: EasyJet. This low-cost airline boasts occasional fares of below €10 (one way) and can get you almost anywhere in Europe. What’s not to love? Of course, entering the experience, you know deep down that there has to be some unpleasantness involved, but you accept that as a condition for cheap travel. After all, you’re only inconvenienced for a few hours at the most – it’s not like you’re crossing the Atlantic. These are short, easy flights that would be called “regional” back home.

Nonetheless, the whole gig can be an absolute drag.

The most difficult part of the EasyJet excursion is the rush of the crowd … which you’ll endure more than once. At some point, the line at the gate descends into chaos, as boarding “zones” decompose from a single line to several crowds of travelers jockeying for position. Then, the bus from the gate to the airport is little more than a cattle car and sets the scene for another crowded push in which any semblance of order is but a wish. By the time you get to your seat, aisle, window or middle no longer matters. You’re just happy that the uncertainty (as well as the shoving) is finished.

Fortunately, here are ways to make your EasyJet flight a bit easier (and, for those of you bouncing along the northeastern United States [LINK:tag], you can apply some of this to the Delta Shuttle). It’ll never be a first-class experience, but you’ll be able to avoid some of the stress involved in this form of air travel.

[Photos thanks to EasyJet]

1. Get to the gate early, and sit as close to it as possible
Since there is no assigned seating, preparation has its rewards. By arriving at the gate early, you can find a seat as close as possible to the gate itself. When it is time to get in line for boarding, you’ll be among the first to know.

2. Help start the line rather than join it
Once you see a few people start to hover around the gate (not necessarily forming a line but signaling their intentions to do so), join them.

3. Stand near the door on the bus
Those at the front of the line, naturally, will be the first to board the bus that takes you to the plane. The common mistake is to go as deep into the bus as possible, to make it easier for those who follow. Don’t do this. Step through the door and move immediately to one side or the other. You’ll be out of everyone’s way but will still be among the first to step off the bus when you arrive at the plane.

4. Move quickly to the plane
If you think a line forms somewhere between the bus and the plane’s door, you’re out of your mind. Movement continues to be by crowd. Step off the bus as quickly as possible and find your way into the plane. Hesitate, and you will find yourself jostled and (worse) passed en route to the best seats in the house. You’ll be reduced to the same primal urges as your fellow travelers – instead of watching this animalistic drama unfold from the comfort of your seat … which happens to be both bulkhead and aisle!

5. Use your overhead storage
Getting onto the plane early means that you can take advantage of the overhead storage, which does fill quickly. Miss this opportunity, and you will lose that precious legroom under the seat in front of you (as I did). I measured the space from the front of my seat’s cushion to the back of the one in front of me. I can’t give you an exact number of inches, but I can confirm that it’s less than the length of a size 9 ½ shoe. The floor-space, of course, is a bit larger, but not much. Every inch counts. If you can recapture some space under the seat in front of you by tossing your bag above your head, don’t give it a second thought.

6. Bring your own nourishment
If you thought domestic airlines in the United States were stingy, EasyJet will change your perspective. Even the basics start at €1, and shooting a desperate look will only get you a shrug or an apology – neither of which will address your thirst. Eat before you board, and bring a bottle of water. If you have a longer flight, maybe grab a small snack. Remember: this is not long-haul. I brought neither water nor food on my two-hour flight from Madrid to Marrakech and was fine. But, if the thought of even a short period of time without some sort of refreshment is akin to unchecked brutality, pay either before you board or on the plane. The price will be about the same.

2009 the year of the bargain

by Tom Johansmeyer on

We’ve all seen the flurries of deals, either here on Gadling or in our inboxes. There’s no avoiding the fact that airlines and hotels are desperate to get you into seats and rooms this year, and they are ready to make it worth your while. Mid-town Manhattan hotels were offering deals for New Year’s Eve! That shows just how hard up the travel industry is. When you plan your trips this year, be prepared to benefit from the competition for access to your wallet. Understand, however, that deals come in different forms.

The first opportunity is obvious. Look for deep price cuts in an attempt to fill seats or rooms. Last week, for example, several domestic airlines offered fare sales within a few hours of each other, and the others rushed to get in line. JetBlue and AirTrain have one-way tickets to major cities selling at well under $100. Virgin America promoted a $139 transcontinental flight … which can actually be found for $109 on some days. Not to be outdone, the internationals are following. British Airways is now offering business class seats for as little as $2,000, and Open Skies can get you from New York to Amsterdam in premium economy for half that (round trip).

With the hotels, it gets a bit more complicated. Some of the best promotions won’t have big price drops, but they’ll deliver a hell of a lot more value.One of my sources tells me that the super-premium, absurdly luxurious hotels seem to be doing fine. If you don’t have a liquid net worth of above $50 million, this simply does not matter to you. So, don’t even think of living like last year’s hedge fund managers for pennies a night. It isn’t going to happen. Be realistic.

At the other end of the spectrum, bargain hotels are slashing rates and taking advantage of a larger audience, since people who would have spent more in the past are looking down market these days.

In the middle, keep an eye on the merely upscale. They are in a tough spot on room rates. These hotels are generally unwilling to cut their prices significantly, as it would impair their reputations and make it hard to push pricing back up later. But, they realize the conditions in which they have to operate. You can use this to stretch the value of your budget. Look for free nights, perks at the on-site spa (or slopes) or packages that include meals. There are deals to be found, and they can be substantial. You just have to accept that they won’t begin with a huge price cut.

Sometimes, the best deals aren’t the lowest-priced. If you can be flexible with the size of your budget, you may find yourself able to get a lot more for your money than if you spend less. When you think about the total cost of your trip (instead of looking at the room, flight, meals and activities separately), the inclusion of meals and spa treatments, for example, can actually lead to a total savings. Keep an open mind, and you’ll see that some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities could open up for you in this market.

Need more ideas? Check these out.