OpenSkies Announces Post Election Fare Deals

by Josh Lew on

British Airways-backed upscale carrier currently flies two trans-Atlantic routes, JFK to Amsterdam and JFK to Paris Orly. A one-way BIZ class ticket on the Amsterdam route will cost $1050 if it is booked by November 21st. Fares to Orly will start at $1100 if booked by the same date. PREM+ (premium economy class) tickets start at $550 one-way.

Is this a good deal? It depends on how much you value your comfort. The PREM+ class seats are akin to business class seats on other carriers. They recline 140 degrees and offer 52 inches of leg room. Seats in the BIZ class recline a full 180 degrees. OpenSkies also offers full service including a concierge, food and drink, and in-flight entertainment.

Fliers who put more of a premium on price than comfort should be happy with the recent announcement that low-cost carrier Ryanair will be charging as little as 8£ once its trans-Atlantic service gets off the ground. Still, for what you get, you have to admit the the OpenSkies deal is a good value.

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.

Competition is keeping some airfares in check, and in some cases, cheaper than you think

by Jamie Rhein on

From what I’ve been reading, despite the talk of how airfares are increasing, it’s wise to keep checking for the travel deals. They can be found.

According to this AOL Money and Finance article, depending on where you are heading, you can find a reasonable rate. Heading to Europe, for example, may score a bargain because there has been an increase in flights which means more seats to fill which means cheaper fares. Last month I checked out ticket prices from Columbus, Ohio to Copenhagen, Denmark and found a fare on Northwest just over $700. Not cheap, but cheaper than I expected.

A friend of mine flew from Boston to Columbus the end of August and paid a little over $200–another surprise. Some cities are bargain destinations: San Antonio, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Phoenix, for example.

In order to find deals, the article presents the recommendation that you search out the airports as well as the cities. Depending on what airport you use, you could save hundreds. If the fare to Newark makes your heart stop, check out JFK, for example. A flight from Minneapolis to Newark, a fare that used to be cheap, has now jumped to $1,600, but to JFK, the flight still hovers around $300.

When we have flown towards Montana, we looked into the cheapest flights within a 12 hour driving range. Denver was a bargain three years ago. Seattle was it summer before last. (Since once in Montana we would have needed to rent a car, renting a car in Seattle or Denver saved money in the end. Plus, it gave us a chance to visit friends and see other sites along the way.)

I’d also keep checking back since prices jump so frequently, and don’t assume. Two years ago my family and I were driving to Florida for Christmas because I assumed flights would be expensive since we were making our plans last minute. When I found out they were less than $200 a piece, we flew instead. Driving would have cost more, not to mention the time factor.

How to save up for the dream vacation in 90 days: Tips from a financial guru.

by Jamie Rhein on

I love financial expert Jean Chatzky’s voice. She sounds so calm and reasonable. I came across a video clip of hers where she outlines how to save for a dream vacation in 90 days. It’s not rocket science, and her tips do work. I just did number two myself.

Here are the three tips in a nutshell. Seriously. It’s not rocket science.

1. Once you decide where you want to go, find out how much it will cost. Chatzky says to figure in the costs of eating and entertainment as well. The ticket or gas prices are only part of it. Factoring in ALL expenses helps plan. She recommends travel Web sites to scout out deals.

2. Then she suggests that you look to see if there are ways you can save, such as seeing if you can use miles. (That’s how I’m going to Denmark with my daughter in December.) In many cases we have NOT used miles if flights were not that expensive. We wanted to save up miles for a bigger trip.

3. Once you know your total cost, divide the cost by 13 since you have 13 weeks to come up with the money. Chatzky then says you look at your expenses to see what you can cut out each week. Chatzky picks coffee, clothes, lunches out and make-up as areas for savings.

Her figure to save was $80 a week. If you save $80 for 13 weeks, that’s $1,040.

If $80 is a hefty amount, my idea is to expand the length of time you need to save the money. The point is to know what your goal is so you can aim for it.

Although cutting back on immediate expenses, Chatzky says that once you’re on the beach, or wherever, the sacrifice you made to get there will be worth it.

Here’s the link for the video so Chatzky can tell you the how tos herself.

Any tips you’ve come up with to save for your dream vacation? I’ve saved all spare change.

Solo travel. How to make it cheaper.

by Jamie Rhein on

For those who solo travel, bargains are harder to come by, particularly if you’re booking a cruise or taking a tour. Most tour prices are couple friendly. If you have a traveling buddy, lodging is cheaper.

Ed Perkins, a consumer travel writer for Tribune Media Services offers some suggestions for people who are going it alone to reduce the cost of an adventure.

One option is to have a cruise line or cruise operator find a roommate for you. Perhaps someone is in the same position you are. You would only be sharing a room, but the rest of the time you can strike out on your own.

Another is to look for a traveling companion by hitting up your friends, coworkers, family members, basically anyone you know, to find out if they know of someone who would like to go on a trip.

Check out an organization like Connecting Solo Travel Network, Travel Acquaintance and Travel Chums. These businesses specialize in hooking people up to single travel deals and with each other.

Perkins also suggests O Solo Mio Tours and scouting out last minute deals with tour operators. Sometimes you can get a good deal right before a trip starts.

Even for people traveling with a partner, hooking up with a single person can be a money saver and can offer a broader experience. When my husband and I were traveling in Vietnam we became friends with Amit, a woman from Israel. We shared a room and hired a driver together, and even arranged to meet up with her in Hanoi after we veered in different directions for a few days.

We also hung out with Stan, a Vietnam vet who was traveling alone. After sharing a meal, we shared the cost of a driver from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang. Since Stan was stationed in Nha Trang, this gave us an experience from his point of view.

Amit became our companion from Nha Trang to Hue and on to Hoi An.

In Hoi An, Amit and I had a wonderful time shopping while my husband was relieved to not tag along.