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16 Travel Hacks from Seasoned Professionals
April 11, 2008 | Permalink
Being travel fanatics, we often take it for granted that everyone knows the inside scoop on how to score the best seat on a flight or the lowest airfare. Still, there is a massive share of the public who doesn’t know about some of the simple ways to play the system. So, for those folks, we present our top 16 No-Brainer Travel Hacks:
1. Save on Parking. As airport parking costs rise, it pays to book ahead online. Parkrideflyusa.com offers buy 3 get 1 free parking discounts to military members, free travel insurance on your flight, and even a rewards program which earns you free day parking credits.
2. Want a seat upgrade? Good luck, it is getting tougher to play that game. Still, if you want to give it a go, be sure to check in online 24 hours ahead of time, as priority is often given to the earlier check-ins. Also, it helps to be in an airline’s (free) rewards program. Many gate agents can now see your miles status when your booking is pulled up, and upgrades are more likely to be given to loyal miles members.
3. Since it is difficult to get a seat upgrade to first class, be seat savvy when you book. Pick the location of your seat at checkout; if the booking tool you are using doesn’t allow you to do that, call the airline directly. Depending on the type of plane you fly in, bulkhead seats or seats in emergency exit rows can have more legroom. The definitive source on what the best and worst seats are is a site called SeatGuru.com.
4. Find the Lowest Air Fare… Really! Where do the big boys, like Kayak, FareCast, Hotwire, and Orbitz get their rate and availability information? ITA Software provides technology for accessing airfare and availability to all of these travel giants, as well as many direct carrier sites. Visitors can log on as a guest and get a comprehensive list of flights with rates and even warnings like “long layover” or “tight connection”. The interface is a bit cumbersome in comparison to other travel sites, but the rich information is worth it!
5. If you are going to be in the airport for a long time, try purchasing a day pass in one of the airline clubs. Often times, the cost for a one day trial is offset by the free internet access and complimentary light breakfasts or snacks. Additionally, if you decide to become a full member, you can usually apply the amount you paid for your day pass to the annual fee.
6. Some airline club memberships give you automatic access to other clubs. For example, if you are a member of United Red Carpet Club, you can also get into some lounges operated by Star Alliance member airlines and US Airways.
7. Need to talk to a human being? Road Warriors don’t have time for annoying and usually unhelpful phone tree routing. Check out GetHuman.com. The site, a creation by the man who brought you Kayak.com, lists the numeric or vocal codes you can use to quickly bypass the tree and get to a live operator. Need to talk to a human at an Extended Stay Hotel? Just click on any hotel's name on our corporate website, call the hotel directly and stay on the line.
8. If you are going to book a flight using your miles, book as far in advance as possible; 330 days in advance is when you need to start calling. And we mean start calling at midnight on the 330th day! Be prepared to talk on the phone a lot. There are often few seats per flight that can be purchased using miles. If it will be a long flight, you may have better luck purchasing the seat and then using the miles to upgrade. Be aware that you may need to meet certain conditions in order to redeem your miles: for example, you may have to fly using your mileage program at least once every three years, your miles may expire after a certain number of years, you will likely have to pay fuel and other surcharges, and your miles will only be redeemable for tickets up to a certain value. If you are in multiple mileage reward programs, try using a service like Mileage Miner to keep track of your flight, hotel, rental car, and even credit card miles.
9. If you use a credit card to book your flight, call your card company and ask to be switched to a mileage card program prior to booking. Delta, Continental, and most major carriers have partnerships with card companies so that each purchase earns miles in that airline’s rewards program. Often, you get bonus miles just for signing up.
10. Got Kids? Sign them up for mileage programs. It’s about time they start earning their keep, anyway!
11. (Free) Membership in a rental car rewards programs often gets you an upgrade on your vehicle. Although membership in an airline rewards program is seldom an advantage in scoring an upgrade, rental car programs are a different story.
12. Search for Rental Car deals on Hotel sites. Often times, hotel chains have agreements with rental car companies which entitle visitors from the hotel website to a special offer. Although the offers are designed for that hotels’ customers, anyone can take advantage of the savings. For example, clicking here will take you to a Hertz discount page designed for Extended Stay Hotels' guests.
13. Don't buy the rental car insurance. Instead, call your credit card company and ask if it insures your rental car; if so, book with the card and get the insurance for free.
14. Book your flight directly on an airline’s site, rather than calling. Direct rates are often the best, and some airlines will charge $10-$20 for booking over the phone.
15. Play the Bump Game (if you are flexible). Be sure to schedule your flight during peak travel times. These flights are the most likely to be cancelled or oversold, hence increasing the chance that you can score a free round trip ticket for your inconvenience. Survey the scene: if there are others that look interested in getting bumped, then take the first offer, otherwise, hold out and then haggle.
16. SHAMELESS PLUG: Even if you won’t be traveling on an “extended stay”, check out the rates of Suite hotels, like Extended Stay America, Extended Stay Deluxe, and Homestead Studio Suites. These hotels offer full kitchen suites and laundry, in addition to the regular amenities, and rates are often significantly less than non-extended stay hotels, particularly during off season.
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