A to Z
Vacation Savings Kit
Ellen Elwell
I love to plan a vacation - maybe even more than I love to take it! The great
part about planning is that I get to "see" all kinds of fabulous places every
day - right on my computer screen. But finding steals and deals to actually go
to one is the biggest part of the excitement. My objective is to put together a
great family getaway that's as luxurious as possible - for absolute bottom
dollar.
One of the
biggest reasons for not taking a vacation is "money" - lack of it,
unwillingness to
spend it, or just not knowing how to find great travel bargains. Here are some of my favorite
ways I get the most for my travel dollar. If you have a little bit of
patience, you can too!
The "Ground Rules" -
Make Very Specific Vacation Choices
The best way
to keep costs under control is make up-front decisions:
- Pick a range of
travel and return dates (e.g., travel July 10, 11 or 12; and
return July 17, 18 or 19).
- Choose at
least two destinations for cross-pricing.
- Drive, fly or
sail?
- Start with a
maximum total budget - and then track costs of transportation,
lodgings, food, admission fees against it. Add contingency funds for spending
money and unexpected needs.
Helpful Free Planning Tools
Take - and keep - notes and lists using
these links:
- Fill-in Planning Calendar -
print it here.
- Transportation Calculator - compare
costs of flying vs. driving in seconds.
- Blank paper and forms for notes
and diary - choose and print.
- Pinterest - as you find
locations you love, be sure to open a Pinterest account and "pin" them once
label your travel pinboard. All your photos - with your comments and notes -
will always be at your fingertips.
Vacation Destinations: Ideas and
Tips
Season affects cost. You'll
always pay less for off-season destinations. For example, ski areas are
super-expensive during ski season. However, these beautiful areas
are also
great for summer hiking, fishing, swimming and golf
- and they're generally priced to sell. Conversely, theme parks are priced higher when kids are out
of school. So to
stretch your dollar, consider a "low" season destination like the Carribean,
Hawaii or Florida.
All-inclusive beach resorts
rock! You'll usually
find fabulous deals at all-inclusive resorts.You get food, snacks, drinks, kids'
camps and other entertainment - included in your room cost. You're probably
familiar with Sandals, Dreams and Club Med but here are some others: "Top 10 Best Affordable All-Inclusive
Resorts."
"Flash" sale sites provide
daily travel ideas with photos. Sign up for daily emails from
a few luxury
hotel "bargain" sites. They do offer lower prices
on fabulous digs. More important, however, they can help you
pick a general destination . . . and then find hotel bargains near
it.
Some beautiful sites for daily
browsing:
Getting Reasonable Air
Fare
Don't forget to plan
for two destinations (as mentioned above). Your flight can easily be the
biggest - and most non-negotiable - cost of a trip. So as travel pros
say, "Chase the fare, not the destination." Here are some great places -
with links - to start your search:
Getting the lowest fare isn't a
secret. You only have watch for and "catch" fares when they dip. For
example, flights may be cheaper at midnight on Tuesday vs. daytime on Thursday.
Saturday may be a better day to book than Monday. Or a flight may be
under=booked and need to fill seats.
Since you probably don't want to watch the
computer cost tables 24/7, there are sites that will watch them for you
- free. Examples: Hotwire, Hipmunk and Flight Deal and my all-time favorite
site in the world, Hotwire.
Cruises
I'm not a cruise
person - but lots of my friends are because it's extremely affordable -
especially for a family. In general, fares are lower as you get very close to
departure since they have tons of rooms to fill. If you do book late, however,
make sure that you do it a week before departure. It takes a bit of time to
solidify trip insurance and
excursions.
Pros. It's easy to pick a budget and
stay within it. "Extras" generally include room upgrades, excursions and trip
insurance (essential). If you're not too picky about your room's location and
configuration, you get a super-cheap trip to many interesting
destinations.
Cons. The ships having the lowest
costs can be crowded because they hold 1000's of people. The meals and
entertainment may be "mediocre" since restaurants and theaters
handle masses of people (think the hearty Vegas
buffets).
Good bargain sites for
cruises:
Hotel
Bargains
I admit that I love wonderful hotels. Until
a few years ago, I traveled 40-45 weeks a year on business. This means that I
spent a lot of time in hotel rooms for sleeping, working and reading.
Cleanliness is the world to me, but room service was high on my "must" list. So
I learned how to get fabulous prices - one way or another. I used to use my IBM
employee number to frequently book a Ritz-Carlton in a major city for 1/3 the
normal price. I joined a dozen hotel loyalty clubs for their upgrades. I'd tip a
front desk person at check-in to get a "fabulous room". And now, with the
internet, I find coupons, specials and so much more.
#1 Booking Considerations: Cleanliness and
Safety
On top of being
a heavy traveler, I also had Intercontinental Hotel Group as my significant
client for a period of time. From them, I learned so much (more than I can share
now). They have a great operation and verified my lifelong feeling that it's
worth paying a little more for hotel quality.
Life Magazine's 10 Worst Hotels and Motels
in America
The term "Better safe than
sorry" applies to accommodations - especially in this time of crime and
bedbugs (seriously!). So before you book, do check out TripAdvisor.com or
Google a hotel's name and location to make sure it's reliable and
clean.
The Thrill of Traveling "FREE" with Loyalty
Points
Last year, we went to New York City for 4
days for free - except for entertainment and meals - on points.
The airline points were saved the "normal" way, with travel and credit card
purchases. But the hotel nights were free - ones I received when I signed up
for a Hyatt Visa credit card. This hotel chain (like most others) offers
2-4 free nights just for signing up for
their Visa credit card.
To find out more about how to vacation
for free on points, allocate some time to reading the MommyPoints blog. It's
amazing!
Another tip: check out Award Wallet.com. You can enter all
your loyalty programs into your free online "wallet." Then this free,
uncomplicated website will keep all your account numbers, passwords and point
balance on one screen. (It does keep data for American Airlines and Delta - the
only key exceptions.) It's worth a bit of time to check out all your loyalty
accounts - even places like Sephora and smoothie shops. In 2012, there were
18 Billion unclaimed miles in the U.S.!
SUMMARY
Don't skip your vacation because of limited
funds. With a little planning, you can find a wonderful, inexpensive getaway.
Drive to a city and stay free at a Hilton or Holiday Inn (see the Loyalty Points
material above). Or get amazing deal on travel sites like Hotwire, Jetsetter or
Shermans Travel. Once you get the hang of bargain browsing, you'll be amazed at
what you can find.
As for me, I'm on the hung for a super-fabulous,
super-affordable (free?) vacation in Maui! Aloha until our next
blog!
Results? Comments? Please email me at
info@elwellinc.com. I'm looking forward to hearing from
you!
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