November 2008 Strategy File 20 Recession Travel Rules Surefire ways to get more vacation for less Courtesy, Priceline Even in the shakiest economic times, savvy families can always find ways to shave pennies, dollars, and even hundreds of dollars off their travel spending. Here are 20 tried-and-true strategies to help you get more bang from your vacation buck: 1. Always do the math. Think you’re a savvy traveler? Well, here’s a question for you. Which is the best hotel deal: One that delivers (A) 50% off your second night, (B) your fourth night free, or (C) 30% off your nightly rate? Go ahead and get a pen and paper. Or a calculator. Or a fifth grader. We’ll wait. This dismal economy has offered a silver lining for travelers: Super hotel deals, and lots of ’em. But those deals are dreamed up by hotel marketing teams who crunch numbers and write catchy headlines for a living. And that’s exactly why you need to do the math before reaching for your credit card. Sometimes you won’t save quite as much as you’d think. Take the “Better Tomorrow” promotion that’s currently on the table through March 31, 2009, at Starwood Resorts (which includes W, Westin, St. Regis, and Sheraton hotels). For every night you book, you get 50% off the next night’s rate. Wow, 50% off! That sounds unbeatable, right? You can put your calculator away now. Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, the very wise travel editor at the Baltimore Sun, has done the due diligence in her blog: “But here’s a problem that I did find when I eagerly began plotting my holiday stay at Starwood’s new Resort at Singer Island in Palm Beach. (Yes, as usual, I’m headed to Florida for Christmas. Why? Because I have a mother who knows how to use a cell phone and guilt.) I found three different rates for three different specials for four nights during the same week. Starwood’s ‘Better Tomorrows’ special would cost me $867. Their ‘Winter Sale’ offers a 30% discount and would cost $688. They also have a ‘4th Night Free’ special—the word ‘free’ is so enticing—which would cost $1,067. The last two specials I checked for the very same dates. So you would have two guests staying the same nights, with one paying $400 more and both thinking they got a deal.” So the correct answer is C. A 30% discount trumps “fourth night free” (which is essentially a 25% discount) and it also beats “second night at 50% off.” And in both cases, the difference can be substantial. That’s not to say that the “Better Tomorrow” promo isn’t a great deal. It’s just that you can probably do better—maybe even with a different deal at the same hotel. 2. Pick a destination within driving distance. “The family road trip is still cheapest way to travel, and especially now that we’re seeing the price of gas going down,” says Pauline Frommer, budget travel expert and creator of the award-winning series of Pauline Frommer’s Travel Guides. According to the AAA’s fuel gauge report, a gallon of regular gas now costs $2.46, on average, compared to $3.60 only last month and over $4 last summer. Meanwhile, we haven’t seen the same dramatic freefall in the cost of air travel within the US. Sure, the price of jet fuel has dropped, but airlines have not rolled back the fuel surcharges they began slapping on domestic air tickets last summer. (They have, however, started slashing fuel surcharges on international routes, so ticket prices to Europe and other foreign destinations are down.) The airlines have also introduced a ton of new fees in the past year on everything from snack boxes and pillows to preferred aisle and window seats or a row with extra legroom. (You’ll still be in coach, mind you, but you can pay to be a smidgen more comfortable.) It’s not pretty. The high cost of air travel is a compelling reason to target vacation spots within a day’s drive of your home. Think all the great destinations are further afield? Check out your state’s official tourism website as well as those for neighboring states (start at Discover America, the mother ship for US tourism). Not only will you find travel discounts and getaway packages, but you’ll be surprised at how many terrific getaways spots are right in your backyard. Remember, kids don’t give a toss how far you travel, as long as they have fun when you get there. 3. Haggle for your hotel room. Pricing is all about supply and demand. Hotel managers get nervous when there aren’t enough heads on beds, which leaves you, the customer, with more leverage. “Don’t be shy about negotiating,” counsels Pauline Frommer. “Hotels are more willing to bargain than they have been in the last three or four years. We’re seeing hotels that used to enjoy a 95% occupancy rate now down to 65% in some cases.” Even if the hotel manager won’t budge on the room rate, he may be willing to throw in a sweetener, such as complimentary breakfast, free parking, or resort credits that can be used toward dining, spa services, and other amenities. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. 4. Fix your own food. When budgeting for a vacation, it’s easy to underestimate how much you’ll spend on food. But when your family eats out three meals a day, every day, for an entire week, your total food bill can easily hit quadruple digits. Consider opting for an all-suite hotel, such as Embassy Suites, Homewood Suites, or Residence Inn. Priceline has even devoted a page to hotels with kitchenettes. Having a kitchen (or even a fridge and microwave) will give you control over how often your family eats out. Fixing just one meal a day in your vacation digs can save you hundreds of dollars over the course of your getaway. As a bonus, you’ll get much more space for you money than you would in a standard hotel room at the same price point. When renting a vacation home or condo, Frommer advises using local agencies or going with a vacation rental by owner. “Small local agencies and individual owners tend to keep better control over properties,” she says, “and their prices are usually lower than at the national agencies, too.” Next page