Travel

5 Financial Reasons to Research Locations Before a Vacation

Doing research before your vacation is a smart financial move. Research about your destination can help you better plan your trip and manage your money. In-depth vacation planning can reveal ways to save money on your vacation. Here are five financial reasons why you should research your next vacation location.

1. Planning Your Vacation Budget

Vacations are necessary. Vacations help you unwind, relax and rejuvenate. However, it is always important to stay on budget while you are enjoying yourself. Researching the location you will visit is essential for planning your vacation budget. All you have to do is read online reviews for restaurants and top attractions to learn how much money you should plan on spending if these sites are on your list of things to do. Most third-party review travel sites will tell you whether the attraction or restaurant is affordable or pricey.

Staying on budget during your vacation and not overspending starts with gathering as much information as possible and coming up with an itinerary. You want your vacation to be relaxing and not stressful because of how much you spend.

2. Research Can Reveal the Deals

The hospitality industry is very competitive. Researching your vacation location can reveal where the best deals on lodging and more are located. Moving just a little outside the beaten path can save you a lot of money. Becoming familiar with the location you are visiting, and the surrounding areas can open up the possibility of vacationing for less.

Keep in mind the center of the action will be more expensive than staying on the outskirts. Getting to know the location can reveal some low-cost hidden gems in the area.

3. Take Steps to Protect Your Health

HealthNet says every one of twenty searches on google is health-related. Traveling is a great opportunity for many reasons, but there are health risks you should be aware of. Losing time and money when you return from vacation because you got sick while traveling can put a big dent in your budget and fun. It is not just diseases that you need to research, you should also research the crime rate.

You don’t have to travel internationally to find high crime rates. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a trip to Philadelphia will put you in state number 27 on the list of gun violence. Protect yourself and your money by researching health and violence threats.

4. Currency Exchange Rates

How much is the U.S. dollar worth in Rome? What about the Bahamas? What about the exchange rate for the U.K.? All of these places have different currency rates. You will be on the winning end of currency rates in some areas. In other areas, the U.S. dollar is on the losing end. Proper vacation planning too far away locations require you fully understand how much your money is worth wherever you travel. Currency rates are published daily. You can find currency rates online.

5. Duty Costs, Tariffs, And Other Fees

Did you know that some countries charge a fee to enter the country at the airport? Usually, the fee is nominal, but it is still money you will have to spend. You must research customs charges, airport fees, duty costs, and other fees to ensure you are prepared to cover all your vacation costs.

There is one final tip for protecting your travel money. Ensure you become familiar with local laws. Fines and penalties for breaking local laws in other countries can be very costly. For example, according to Golf News Net, in some jurisdictions where golf carts are allowed on the roadways, the top speed is 35mph. If you break that rule, you will face a fine.

Doing your research with an eye on finances will make your vacation more affordable. Stress less about spending money on vacation by being thoroughly prepared. Learn more money-saving tips today.

Finding the Top Travel Deals this Summer

How to Find the Best Travel Deals

After a very difficult year and my father’s passing, my mom decided that we needed some time away. So, this summer my mom, nieces, and I are going to finally take the family vacation that he always wanted to have with his grandkids. It may also be the last opportunity we have to do a longer trip since the girls are growing up and will be going off to college soon. Unfortunately, we only had a couple of weeks to figure out dates, flights, hotels, car rentals, and ticket reservations. Thankfully, I have years of experience in the travel industry and was able to secure some fantastic last-minute travel deals. This is one family vacation we are all looking forward to.

Sites with the Top Travel Deals

With only three weeks to plan, the first task was to pick the destination and figure out transportation. After some debate, we settled on flying to San Diego and spending the week driving back. With that in mind, I went online to compare rates and deals.

Full-Service Sites

I usually begin my search with travel sites like Travelocity, Expedia, or Kayak to estimate the total costs. They have the most competitive rates for hotels, flights, and car rentals. And, they offer package deals to local attractions to save you even more. Another benefit is that they check service providers and locations around the world. If you are looking to find last-minute deals, it’s the perfect option for one-stop shopping.

Google Flights

Rather than pigeonhole our trip with non-refundable tickets, I wanted to book directly through the airline. So, I bypassed the first offers and looked at individual flights. Google Flights gives you a great overview and compares rates across the greatest number of domestic and international airlines. And, you can browse their pop-up calendar to search for the lowest rates by day. I was quickly able to locate the cheapest flights and best routes.

Booking.com

For hotel reservations, I rely on booking.com since it checks all accommodation types. And, it doesn’t require a deposit for the reservation unless you choose a non-refundable rate. Furthermore, you can typically cancel within 24 hours of arrival if necessary. Since I have used them so much in the past, I have also received “genius” status from my reviews and get an additional 10% off. We were able to find dirt cheap deals on express hotels along our route home.

Airbnb

For the longest stay of the trip, we used Airbnb to look at vacation rentals. I find it to be the better option when traveling in bigger groups since you get more space without a huge price tag. We found an entire house for nearly half the price of two hotel rooms for the same stay. It’s also nice to have additional amenities like a full kitchen and laundry to reduce other costs for the trip. And since it’s in a prime location, we have easy access to all the places we want to see.

Hoteltonight.com

Although I haven’t used this site much in recent years, it’s a great option for last-minute reservations. You can find some unbelievable discounts if the conditions are right. However, there are no guarantees that you will get more than a standard room or discounts at a specific hotel. But if you’re looking for the best price, you can’t beat their rates.

When to Look for Travel Deals

Another thing to keep in mind is when to look for travel deals. During my time working in the hotel industry, several travel agents informed me that airlines evaluate their prices approximately 45-54 days before departure. If the flight is filling up, rates go up. However, if there are many open seats, you can find some huge discounts. When I find a potential flight, I set price alerts to notify me of rate changes to help me score the best deal.

You should also be aware of travel seasons and when certain locations hit their peak. If you are willing to wait until the low season, hotel and airline rates drastically drop.

I also try to avoid heavy travel days such as holidays and weekends. During the busiest travel times, rates can double or even triple. From my experience, the cheapest days to travel are usually Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However, you should also check their calendar travel dates for the lowest prices.

The Best Travel Deals

So, how much did all this save me? Let’s take a look…

Transportation

We decided to fly one way to San Diego, then rent a car to drive back to see the Grand Canyon and a few other attractions along the way. I booked tickets for about $200 per person when most other airlines are charging $500+. I also found a great deal on a weekly car rental through Budget that was $400 less than the initial offers. In total, this saved about $1,600.

Accommodations

For the longest portion of the trip, we booked a vacation rental through Airbnb for only $225 a night. Not only will it give us more space, but it was also much cheaper than comparable hotel rooms which started at $150 per room, per night. And, the cheap hotels didn’t offer proximity, laundry facilities, or free breakfast. Not counting all the extras, this alone saved $375.

The remainder of the hotel nights were either booked using points or will be chosen along the way. We are also planning to stay with family for a few nights as well which will also cut down on costs.

Tickets to Attractions

You can also find ways to save money when you buy tickets to local attractions. We will have free admission to the San Diego zoo since we already bought a national zoo pass. And, we can also use our National Park Pass from last year since it is still valid. Having these passes saved us an additional $300+ on tickets.

However, you can also get discounted tickets if you buy a package, book through an online retailer, or qualify with any memberships.

Tips to Find the Right Deal for You

On a final note, here are a few tips to help you find the best travel deals.

  • Know which things you can be flexible with and which you cannot. Flexibility with dates, desired location, and staying near public transportation can net you huge savings.
  • Book directly with the service provider. Not only is it simpler to cancel and change reservations, many offer price matching with third-party sites.
  • Check for discounts. It never hurts to ask and you may qualify for one of these discounts:
    • 10% discounts with car clubs and discount buying club memberships
    • senior citizen discounts
    • employee or contractor rates
    • friends and family discount

You don’t need to be a super sleuth to find the best travel deals. But knowing where to start will give you a headstart.

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Ways around Cancellation Fees to Save You Money

Ways Around Cancellation Fees

 

When making reservations, it is important to pay attention to prepayment and cancellation policies. If you need to make last minute changes, you could find yourself stuck with large penalty fees. Fortunately for all of you, I have a few tips when dealing with customer service. My time in the hospitality industry has taught me a few tricks that can save you time and money. Here are a few suggestions to help you find ways around cancellation fees.

Building Rapport

The first mistake people make when calling customer service is unleashing their frustrations on unsuspecting agents. The tone you set at the beginning of the phone call is a huge determining factor in the outcome of the call. Speaking from my own experience, I did the bare minimum for customers who started calls by screaming at me or blaming me for their troubles. It immediately put me on the defensive and attempt to end the call as soon as possible.

However, I was much more empathetic when a customer calmly explained their situation. I took the time to not only understand the problem, but also to find creative solutions. Often times, I would go the extra mile for these callers. Sometimes this meant finding loopholes to waive cancellation fees, seeking permission from a supervisor, or offering other forms of compensation of equal value. The life of a customer service representative is full of stress and undeserving anger, so remember that patience and kindness go a long way. It may be cliché, but you really do catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Courtesy Holds without a Credit Card

Another little known tip when making reservations is the courtesy hold. Some hotels and airlines will allow you to hold a rate for 24 to 48 hours without a credit card. This gives you enough time to shop around or discuss it with your travel partners. Just remember that you will have to call back and confirm the reservation with a credit card or risk cancellation. If you are not quite ready to commit, be sure to ask if this option is available. This little known option can buy you extra time without a deposit.

Changing the Dates to Avoid Cancellation Fees

This last option falls into a gray area, so you need to be careful what you say on recorded calls. Most reservations allow cancellations within 24 hours of arrival. However, if you find yourself inside this cancellation period, there is a loophole. Instead of cancelling your reservation and paying the associated fees, simply change the dates. This puts you outside the cancellation period, allowing you to call back and cancel with no penalties.

Although you are not technically breaking any rules, it is frowned upon by many companies. Most customer service agents are aware of this tactic, but cannot offer it to you because calls are monitored. You should also be aware this does not apply to prepaid rates that require full prepayment.

Final Recap

When making reservations, you should always be aware of cancellation policies and required deposits. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you are paying unnecessary penalty fees. However, if you do find yourself within a cancellation period, you have options. Most times you can get what you want by politely asking for it. The most important thing is to be kind and courteous. People are more willing to give you what you want when you remain calm and rational.

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