Airline employees often get reduced rates at hotels, but anyone can negotiate a better deal. Booking a room? Check travel agency and hotel websites and then call the front desk directly, not the 800 number,  to compare prices. Inquire about specials and promotional packages, or extras like meals and spa treatments.  Hotels catering to business travellers often have cheaper rates on weekends. You can also ask about discounts for multi-night stays or money saving extras like complementary breakfast.

Find the best hotel room

Once you arrive, ask again about incentives.  If premium rooms are still unsold you may be able to upgrade for less than had you reserved in advance. Steer clear of noisy accommodation next to icemakers, elevators and service areas.  Since costs are the same for most rooms in a category, location can make the difference between a memorable or miserable stay.

For a recent trip to Barbados, I booked a regular room, even though plenty of premium accommodation was available.  Upon check-in, I mentioned that it was my husband’s first trip to the island and I was really hoping he’d like to return.  That comment may have initiated the free upgrade we received, though I was prepared to ask the manager if we could pay slightly more for a superior room.

Discount travel eats and treats

High-end hotels have high-end charges for everything, including meals and sightseeing. Walk a few blocks away from swanky digs and touristy spots and you’ll find lower prices. Even then, continue to press for discounts. A tour operator in New Orleans didn’t have an airline rate but gave me a CAA deal.

While you should accept a complementary breakfast, pass on paying for one. High-end hotels have high-end prices for everything, including food and sightseeing. Walk a few blocks away from swanky digs and touristy spots and continue to look for discounts. A tour operator in New Orleans couldn’t offer an airline rate but gave me a CAA deal.

Be aware that gratuities are included in many overseas restaurants and servers often push pricey bottled water when the local stuff is perfectly acceptable. My waitress grumbled “doggie water,” when I ordered tap water in Mainz.  “Pour away,” I replied. “I know that Germans love their dogs.”

Save money at museums and art galleries

Take out your card, not your cash, when visiting an art gallery or historic home.  Reciprocal agreements are frequently available to members of museums and galleries. Canadian Heritage members have free access to any National Trust property in Australia, the United States and the U.K. Reduced prices in their shops and restaurants are sometimes included.

Now you know how to create your own discounts, without travelling standby!

© 2011 – 2013, My Flying Fingers. All rights reserved.

You’ll need to tighten more than your seat belt if you take a cab from most airports to downtown, especially since your flight to Europe or Asia will probably land just in time for morning rush hour.  Hire a taxi and you could be stuck in traffic where the pounds or euros can quickly add up. Tokyo is notoriously pricey at nearly $300.00 but even a taxi from Charles De Gaulle will lighten your wallet by at least $73.00.

 A rail link to downtown may be faster, but on weekdays you and your luggage will battle with business commuters.  A smarter choice is an airport express bus to the city. Though it may move slowly, you’re guaranteed a seat and you can either sightsee or snooze.  You might have to hop a cab or subway to complete your journey but by then, the big crush should be over.

I’ve used public transit in Hong Kong, Japan and Chile and it’s easier than you think. But be prepared for quirky policies, like needing a ticket to both enter and exit a system.

If you do cab it, confirm the price before you get in – meter or flat rate –  and always carry your hotel’s address and phone number. After a late night out in London, a junior flight attendant asked the cabbie to “Take me to the Hilton.”  Three Hiltons and £60 later, he finally found his room.

© 2011 – 2013, My Flying Fingers. All rights reserved.

Do you find your destination information in travel guidebooks and magazines, newspapers, websites or TV shows?  You should consider adding books by travel writers to your list of resources.

 Right now, I’m savouring Frances Mayes’ A Year in the World.  She wrote the popular book Under the Tuscan Sun which unfortunately was made into a dreadful movie.  Mayes’ writing is rich and evocative and she sets the scene so well that, later on, you’ll swear you’ve actually seen it.

 While Paul Theroux’s writing often paints pictures of places you’d rather not see, Bill Bryson has you laughing both at him and with him.

 Most travel guidebooks offer a bite-sized snack of what to see when we travel.  Heavy on smart, snappy and sassy and light on real substance, it’s like trying to pack enough food for a month into a picnic basket. You’re bound to get hungry for more along the way.

  Think outside the travel guidebook box and you’ll get a real sense of place before you even take-off.  Anthologies like Travelers Tales or The Best Travel Writing are ideal places to start your search.  Mayes’ bibliography for A Year in the World yields a cornucopia of material while readers looking for a journey into the past can read my article Off the Beaten Path, about famous women travellers from 1650 to 1950.  I’ve included a comprehensive list of travel-related books as well.  Bon Voyage!

 Care to share your favourite books on travel?

© 2010 – 2013, My Flying Fingers. All rights reserved.