The prices for planes, trains and automobiles keep rising. Last year you would have been able to fly from the east coast to the west coast for around $400 and now you can’t even make it to the mid-west from the either coast without paying twice that. Here are some helpful ways to save money on the summer travels.
1. Check out Hotwire for great deals on hotels. You put in your info, where you want to stay, what nights and then it brings up 2 – 4 star ratings and a price. You don’t know what hotel you will get but if you stick with the 4 star and the area you want, you will get a nice hotel. I did this and got Sheraton Hotel for $64 a night and the cheapest on the Sheraton website is $223.
2. Most hotels are running specials right now to get people to travel for the summer. Stay at Marriott for the weekend and get a Free $25 Visa gift card. Stay at Best Western and earn a $50 Best Western Camp Rock Travel Card. Even Expedia is giving away $25-$50 gas cards with 2-3 night stays.
3. When flying, you may only think about how much the flight is but make sure and check the extra fees that may be attached, like baggage, seat selection, curbside check-in. Southwest Airlines has all these for free. Flights are not cheap so check all airports in the area you are traveling, sometimes one that is a little out of the way can be much cheaper.
4. Check out public transportation in the town you are visiting. Most of the time you can find free shuttles from the airport to your hotel and sometimes free public transportation’s to specific destinations in the city. Even if they aren’t free, public transportation will save you a bundle, and what better way to see the real city life. You can look up the taxi rates by the city you are flying to and find out how much it will cost.
5. When driving, if you want to save a ton, try to avoid going out to eat too often. Take a cooler packed with lots of healthy snacks. Your wallet with thank you and your body will thank you.
6. Buy an Entertainment Book. You can save money on hotels, car rentals, airfare, movies, restaurants, shopping and much more. You can find them for any area your interested in traveling to. Right now they are offering a Free 2008 book when you reserve a 2009 book.
7. When trying to find activities to do in the city of choice, check out the Chamber of Commerce for that city. They have information on Festivals, Parades, Fairs, Parks and just about anything you can think of. Many times the festivals and parks are free along with some great museums and walking tours. County and State Fairs usually have discounts on any given day that make it very affordable, even some days where all you need to bring is a can of food to get in.
These are just some of the ways to save while traveling. I would love to hear from you, how have you saved on your travels?