Offer Your Best Travel Tips in the Comments by 10am Eastern Saturday morning to Win.
Some of y’all will remember that I hosted an online forum about technology and travel that was sponsored by National Car Rental coinciding with the launch of their new mobile app.
I rent regularly from National and had been looking forward to the introduction of a mobile app (finally!) and the folks participating in the chat were friends and travel heroes.
I like the products I like, I share the reasons why here, and I don’t want there to be confusion over my motives — if I benefit personally from a referral link I always say so in the post, I frequently try to arrange to give any miles I may earn from referrals back to you in the form of bigger bonuses (some companies are receptive to this, others are not) and I prefer to do giveaways rather than take freebies myself.
There was modest compensation for participating in the National forum, and I already gave away half the amount here on the blog. I split it up into more than one giveaway largely because I didn’t want to have to do tax reporting!
I want your best travel tips in the comments.
- You may enter as many times as you like, but each entry should be a bona fide travel tip. I will compile the best tips in a subsequent post.
- I will select two winners, largely at random but to be eligible to win the entry must be (in my sole judgment) a genuine tip.
- Two prizes of (2) $100 Visa Gift cards each will be awarded.
You have a great chance of winning because internet traffic drops like a rock on Friday evenings, second slowest only behind Saturday evenings.
So.. what are your best travel tips? They can be anything from ways to improve the odds of getting an airline upgrade, a hotel suite upgrade, clearing airport security quickly, the best place to eat at a given airport, anything at all.
I love to learn from this community of readers, and love to be able to share your knowledge back with everyone else. I look forward to reading your submissions, and of course to selecting two winners!
- You can join the 30,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one e-mail per day) or subscribe to the RSS feed. It’s free. Don’t miss out!
Book a car rental online but DON’T prepay, then keep checking every day before your trip and if the price goes down, modify or cancel your reservation and re-book at the lower price!
use seatguru.com to help you select a seat on your flight. really cool website!
Always check multiple rates/sites when booking travel. hotels are famous for raising or lowering rates as the date approaches based on occupancy. So even after booking check back each week as the date approaches and re book if needed. Also remember the Government rate is not always the cheapest rate, in large cities like NY best available, AAA, corp etc. maybe lower then the govt rate.
Use Citi Thank You points to book AIRLINE tickets, they give you a 25% discount!
Forget mileage runs –credit card application bonuses are by far the best way to earn miles.
Refill your water bottles in the hotel gym. They almost always have a water cooler or some other source of filtered water.
If you need to buy a plane ticket and all the websites (e.g. Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, etc) are the same price, use Orbitz.com because if someone books the same flight as you at a later date, they will refund you the difference!
Pack a cheap chip clip or a binder clip. Perfect for keeping your travel snacks fresh and super handy for clipping hotel curtains together when they don’t quite meet and you want to avoid the early morning sun!
Use Matrix Airfare Search for finding the best fares online! Extremely powerful tool and very flexible.
If possible take first flight of day rather than late. Less delays and cancellations.
Take a portable powerstrip with you. Monster Outlets-to-Go includes a USB outlet.
Aside from the obvious benefit of having extra outlets, you also only need one adapter when in a foreign country, to plug in the adapter itself.
Put the room television remote in a zip lock bag. It will function just fine and you avoid touching the often stick or at least germ-y remote!
BOOKMARK View-From-The-Wing and read it every day to learn new travel tips and tricks!
Be nice! Not only the right thing to do, but it will get you further than being obstinant.
Check back for better seats several days before your planned trip. As elites get bumped up, their seats become available and you may get a preferred seat as check-in approaches. Know the upgrade windows for elites on the airline you’re flying.
Carry a couple of grocery bags – they can be used to hold dirty laundry, trash, stuff you randomly bought, maybe even vomit.
Use your local public library pre-trip: many offer downloadable e-books and audiobooks.
If you’re doing road trips through areas that don’t have good food, bring a rice cooker to use as an electric cooking pot.
Visit a public library when you reach your destination. large public libraries in urban centers often offer free cultural programs and exhibits. And nearly all public libraries will offer some wifi access, public computers at no or low cost, or allow you to charge your own devices. Also a great place for local information, tips, etc.
Use google voice over wifi to call home (US) for 1 cent/minute. And to text for free (if you’re using free wifi)
you can also use 411 to call a US business for free: http://lifehacker.com/5569538/use-goog+411-and-skype-to-call-any-us-or-canadian-business-for-free
For non-bonus everyday spend, the Club Carlson Visa is more valuable than a UR-earning Chase Freedom card, thanks to the Last Night Free benefit plus other benefits.
I always try to ask ‘the locals’ where they like to eat….and not just go to the tourist traps.
My tip is to sign up for reward programs for hotels and airlines.
When traveling abroad, do your homework when it comes to credit cards and int’l phone fees. The last thing you want is to rack up unseen charges or spend hours on your vacation handling a financial dilemma you could have prevented. Different cards have different usage fees and some continents might actually reward you while others will punish you.
When traveling in China, be aware that you may only withdraw $300 per day from the ATM of a specific bank. It doesn’t matter how high you have set your limit with YOUR bank, you are limited by the Chinese banks. If you need more than $300 cash you will need to visit ATMs from different banks (and note that this can look suspicious to YOUR bank and they may flag your account for fraud).
Make a copy of your passport just in case it is lost or stolen.
The ITA software matrix is your best friend. Not only does it help you find the cheapest flights and especially so if your days are flexible. However when you compare it to its mainstream counterparts such as Orbitz and Expedia its heads above and you’ll never get trapped by their hidden fees.
when renting ahead, get the smallest vehicle you can make do with, especially if at a busy time, because you will likely get a free upgrade.
Always carry an emergency med kit when traveling. I’m not talking about your prescription meds. That a given. I’m talking about stuff we take for granted such as NyQuil, Zyrtec or even cough drops. You’d be surprise how simple meds like that are not sold at pharmacies in other countries.
If you plan to travel to areas where tummy issues are common, ask your doctor to prescribe a Z-pack for you ahead of time so that you don’t have to waste time trying to find a doctor to see you in a foreign country. This saved my trip when I came down with a case of tummy troubles in Peru.
I always use a credit card that is a “primary” and not a “secondary” insurer …when renting a car. Always read the fine print!!!!!
Download maps or update navigation in your phone to prepare for getting lost.
Even if you don’t travel often, ALWAYS sign up for the frequent flyer/driver/train program. Often the perks such a skipping lines at avis/national save you time and headaches so you can your travel experience. And make you feel like you’re Gary Leff!
You can’t use gel ice packs or actual ice while passing through security checkpoints, but you can use peas! I use a bag of frozen peas in our lunch tote to keep my family’s lunch cool on travel days. The peas can be ditched once you use them, or refrozen at your destination. (I wouldn’t recommend actually eating them after you use them as an airplane ice pack, though.)
No checked bags!!! If you need room …try “compression bags”! They really work!!!
For two people traveling together, pack half of your clothes in their bag and half of theirs in yours. Chances of both bags getting lost or delayed slim. If one bag is lost you’ll each still have some clothes.
When traveling with kids, let them each pack a small backpack for their carry on so they are responsible for their own entertainment on the plane. Of course, guide and edit as necessary.
Can’t afford business class on points or miles? Try economy plus. The small amount of extra room can make a big difference.
Reserve a rental car on a rate that allows cancellation, then re-check the prices a couple of days before your trip. Prices often drop quite a bit at the last minute, and, if they don’t, you’ll have your backup reservation ready to go.
If you don’t have a reason to check in early, check the seat assignments regularly when within 24 hours if departure. They can change and better seats can open up.
Always ask if there’s any additional discounts!
Use twitter to resolve problems on the go–for example tweet @AmericanAir if you are likely to misconnect and need to be protected on another flight. Also works for problems at hotels.
Get a global entry membership for the precheck that comes with it. It’s a real convenience for domestic flights.
Bring a pen! It sounds so simple but I recently forgot one on a flight to SXM and had to borrow one from a car rental counter to fill out immigration forms.
Check Living Social and Groupon for discounts on activities and food at your destination.
Don’t bother bringing soap to hand wash clothes. Hotel shampoo works fine and a drop of conditioner in the rinse water keeps them soft and sweet smelling.
When flying on an award ticket with a layover, it never hurts to ask if there is space on an earlier flight. I recently was coming back from Paris on a USAirways flight and noticed a flight leaving an hour earlier from mine at CLT. I asked the woman at the US Airways desk if it would be possible to change flights and she kindly agreed and put me in a better seat with more legroom than I had reserved!
check seat assignment just before boarding: someone gets upgraded and you might get to swtich to their seats and generally they are good seats
If at first you don’t succeed, hang up and call or email again! I tried my first Best Rate Guarantee with Starwood and it was rejected. I checked again and submitted the next day for a different hotel in the same city. Never give up because the second call or email may succeed!
Master USAirways & United routing ‘rules’.