Four Ways to Win Travel Deals Beyond Regular Booking Sites
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity are helpful, but they’re just a starting point. They can be convenient, of course, but they don’t always save the most money. Here are some lesser known ways to save on summer travel that go far beyond the usual.
Find special travel deals on Twitter
Once again , Twitter is a great resource to help you get first impressions of travel deals, often at the last minute, before the general public catches them. For example, many airlines will keep their Twitter followers up to date with their latest flight deals that never show up on the OTA. For instance:
- @SpiritAirlines : Spirit Airlines’ official Twitter account is overflowing with offers and coupons that will never appear on the OTA. For example, they recently posted a Wednesday-only “Hump Day” coupon that saved travelers $ 24 on flight reservations.
- @JetBlueCheeps : Jet Blue Airlines’ Twitter feed is known for sharing exclusive deals and coupons with its 439,000 followers. For example, they recently tweeted a $ 75 discount coupon code (USA75) that is suitable for a trip to the United States.
- @AlaskaAir : If you live in the western US, the Alaska Airlines feed is a great option. They share hot deals on flights almost daily, which are usually “first public” deals. For example, I recently noticed a $ 69 one-way ticket from Seattle to Oakland, which is $ 20 less than anywhere else I could find.
Alternatively, when searching for travel deals on Twitter, you can use a simple search for #TravelDeals. You will be inundated with offers on air tickets, hotels and car rentals. If you know exactly where you want to go, follow up on Twitter for your destination. For example, if you are traveling to Kauai, follow @KauaiDiscovery and @KauaiTravel for more specific travel deals and information. Nearly every popular summer destination has Twitter accounts to help you get there at a lower cost, as well as discounts on activities on arrival.
Book your hotel directly or search for ‘private sales’ to surpass booking sites
Since hotels have to pay an OTA commission of between 15% and 30%, you can often get a better deal by contacting hotels directly to book a room. For example, if a hotel has to pay Expedia a 15% commission, they will likely exclude the OTA from the deal and give you a 10% discount or free upgrade if you ask politely.
In addition, many hotels have “private sales” that offer significant savings, but they never appear on the OTA or on the actual hotel website. These offers are usually to fill vacant rooms or to encourage travelers to visit during the off-season and often last only a few days. While many websites want to charge you a fee to access these private sales, JetSetter.com and Groupon Getaways give you access for free. To give you an example of potential savings, JetSetter currently has a 5-star hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for $ 75 a night (typically $ 200).
Private sales are especially useful if you’re unsure where you want to spend your next vacation, as they allow you to see where the best hotels are and plan your trip accordingly. Budget guru and travel expert Clark Howard summarizes this travel philosophy best : “I don’t choose the destination I need to travel to. I wait for a deal somewhere, buy it, and then figure out why I want to go there! “
Reserve your rental car and get a discount with AutoSlash
When you book a rental car on a booking site, you cannot calculate the rate you pay even if it drops before you start your vacation. The folks at AutoSlash.com have come up with a way to offer you rate protection right up to the day you receive your rental car. After you reserve your car with them, they will revalue your rental several times a day in search of a better deal. When they find an option, they will automatically rebook it at a lower rate and keep looking for an even better deal for you.
In recent years, many major car rental companies have refused to allow AutoSlash to display their listings, but their site remains as useful as ever. If you don’t book directly with AutoSlash, you can still ask them to keep track of the rental you’ve booked elsewhere. For them to work wonders, you need to include the company you booked with, the confirmation number, pickup date and the price you paid for the car booking. If they find a lower rate, they will send you an email with a link to rebook at a lower rate. After rebooking with the new rate, you can simply cancel your old booking.
While the rate protection aspect is good enough on its own, AutoSlash also searches the internet for coupons and deals for all major car rental companies and applies them to your rate to ensure you get the best deal.
Skip the last leg of your trip to win flights
It sounds crazy, but sometimes you can buy a connecting flight, which makes the entire fare cheaper. For example, let’s say you are flying from San Francisco to Chicago. Since Chicago is the hub city for United, the Southwest and America, in many cases you can get a better price by booking a flight to Milwaukee or Cleveland with a stopover in Chicago. But instead of making the last leg of the trip, you just get off the Chicago airport. It’s called “Secret City” or “Throw away” and has been around for many years, but has recently become more popular due to the fact that United Airlines is suing Skiplagged.com, a website that specializes in the practice.
The Hidden City ticket only works if you book a one-way ticket, not a round trip. If you’re booking a one-way trip, it’s easy to check the hidden city fares on Skiplagged.com. But things get a little more complicated when you book a round trip. It all comes down to one plausible option: you will need to book two trips one way and throw out the last stage on each. If you book a round-trip ticket and try to cancel the last leg on each trip, you risk the airline canceling your return flight entirely after you “discard” your original connecting flight.
It is also important to remember that you will not be able to check your baggage or check your baggage at the exit, as it will end up in the wrong city.
You will find that your savings will vary greatly depending on your final destination. I ran my example from San Francisco to Chicago via Skiplagged and Expedia, and the $ 55 savings in Hidden City on a one-way flight in July was definitely promising.
By adding these lesser-known ways to save on travel to your arsenal, you’re sure to get a little more money in your pocket when you get home. Money that you can hopefully save for your next big trip.