Thursday 12 April 2012

Getting the Most Out of Your Travel & Hotel Deals

Today, many intending travelers are inundated with numerous travel deals being offered both in the online and the offline worlds. If you are cost conscious, you will, of course, be interested in the cheapest deals. However, it is worth knowing that such deals are not necessarily the best.  It is therefore advisable not to be in a hurry to settle for the cheapest offer that comes one's way. Rather, all available options should be weighed in order to get the most out of it. 

What's the greatest secret to getting an affordable airfare or hotel discounts? It is to plan ahead. This will give you ample time to search and choose. Nothing is too early when it comes to vacation planning. Also, you should know your budget and what do you really want. Deals should be compared adequately until you run out of options and choose the best among them.

Below are some travel tips to save you money and choose the best deal, whether you're a business traveler or planning a family vacation: 

1. Buy your ticket and book your hotel in advance. Flights and hotels that are booked in advance are always got cheaper.

2. Register for the airlines frequent flyer club, frequent business traveler, or similar club. You will earn some credits each time you fly with the airline. once the credits have accumulated well enough, they can be redeemed for another flight. This is ignored by a lot of passengers

3. Do not buy your ticket through a Travel Agent.  Travel agents usually charge between $15 and $35 per ticket. Safe money by buying it by yourself. When planning a more complex trip however, a travel agent can save you more time and money.

4. Compare prices online for the best deal. For example, Hotelscombined is an excellent platform to Compare hotels and get the best deals.

5. Booking for a package tour could be a wise choice for some destinations.

6. Booking fee may be discounted when all tickets are bought at the same time instead of buying one at a time.

7. Buy trip insurance. Insurance will not only save your life but also could save you money. The advantage of this is if fall ill in a foreign country, you can instantly apply the insurance to cover the cost of treatment. Else, you might end up using your vacation budget on hospitalization.

8.  Take advantage of seasonal offers. Some travel destinations are cheapest at certain times or season of the year. Booking for an off-peak season also would give you the best deal.

9. Smaller airlines often have lesser fees. Additionally, small airlines don't necessarily mean smaller airplanes.

I summary, never stop bargaining, always ask for lower airfare and cheap hotel rates.  However, it is important to compare and contrast all options since not all cheap travel deals will give you the real travel value that you desire. Travel will be more enjoyable if you get the most of your hard earn vacation budget.