January 14,2007
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Vacation Tips 3: A Home Away From Home
The third part of your savings-packed vacation guide focuses on your accommodations while on vacation. If you are "going home" to visit family or friends and snagging gratis lodging, then you can skip this step. If you are booking a hotel (or motel, or Holiday Inn), then, as usual, a little research and comparative shopping goes a long way. The only thing worse than setting up camp in the Bates Motel is having to charge luxury rates for standard rooms to your credit card.
This is where your flexibility in determining when to travel will really stand to pay off. You may be able to scrimp and pinch on other details of your vacation, but expect to be hit with sticker shock if you waltz into town during high season and are looking for rooms at rack rate. There is really no time like the present to plan for your future vacation, and the earlier, the better. If you are using a discount card or program like the Entertainment book, they may even have an advance-booking deadline you must meet. Either way, the best deals will go fast, and even the most expensive will sell out if the time of year is popular. It really does benefit you to strategize when choosing where to stay – be willing to call around to a few different places, and see what rate they will offer you. Don't be afraid to negotiate with the reservations agent if a competitor is offering you a better deal. The worst that can happen is that you get turned down.
Continue on to Part 4 of this series.