Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
who resell them to the public at a cost
that usually undercuts standard rates.
One good source of package deals is
the airlines themselves. Most major
airlines offer air/land packages, includ-
ing American Airlines Vacations
( & 800/321-2121; www.aavacations.
com), Delta Vacations ( & 800/221-
6666; www.deltavacations.com), Con-
tinental Airlines Vacations ( & 800/
301-3800; www.covacations.com),
and United Vacations ( & 888/854-
3899; www.unitedvacations.com).
Several big online travel agencies
Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Site59,
and Lastminute.com—also do a brisk
business in packages. If you're unsure
about the pedigree of a smaller pack-
ager, check with the Better Business
Bureau in the city where the company
is based, or go online at www.bbb.org.
If a packager won't tell you where it's
based, don't fly with them.
Travel packages are also listed in the
travel section of your local Sunday
newspaper. Or check ads in the
national travel magazines such as
Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Maga-
zine , Travel & Leisure, National Geo-
graphic Traveler, and Condé Nast
Traveler.
Before you invest in a package tour,
get some answers. Ask about the
accommodations choices and prices
for each. Then look up the hotels'
reviews in a Frommer's guide and
check their rates online for your spe-
cific dates of travel.
Finally, look for hidden expenses.
Ask whether airport departure fees
and taxes, for example, are included in
the total cost.
11 Tips on Accommodations
SAVING ON YOUR
HOTEL ROOM
The rack rate is the maximum rate
that a hotel charges for a room.
Hardly anybody pays this price, how-
ever, except in high season or when a
big convention is in town. To lower
the cost of your room:
Ask about special rates or other
discounts. Always ask whether a
room less expensive than the first
one quoted is available, or
whether any special rates apply to
you. You may qualify for corpo-
rate, student, military, senior, or
other discounts. Mention mem-
bership in AAA, AARP, frequent-
flier programs, or trade unions,
which may entitle you to special
deals as well. Find out the hotel
policy on children—do kids stay
free in the room or is there a spe-
cial rate?
Dial direct. When booking a
room in a chain hotel, you'll often
get a better deal by calling the
individual hotel's reservation desk
rather than at the chain's main
number.
Book online. Many hotels offer
Internet-only discounts, or supply
rooms to Priceline, Hotwire, or
Expedia at rates much lower than
the ones you can get through the
hotel itself. Shop around. After
making a booking online, be sure
to call the hotel directly and con-
firm the type of room you've
reserved, especially if you have
specific needs (a quiet room, a
room with a view, and so on).
Remember the law of supply
and demand. Resort hotels are
most crowded and therefore most
expensive on weekends, so dis-
counts are usually available for
midweek stays. Business hotels in
downtown locations are busiest
during the week, so you can
expect big discounts over the
weekend. Many hotels have high-
season and low-season prices, and
booking the day after high season
ends can mean big discounts.
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