Travel Deals - Check Here Before Posting.

A quick question on Priceline/Hotwire name your own price deals ... It's just me and a buddy going out to Cali in May ... I got a pretty good price to work (11 bucks a day + tax for 'economy') ... The question I have is, how do I know what 'features' the car has? I only really care about A/C and automatic trans lol ... Most lower range rental cars don't have power anything or even CD for that matter ... but it doesn't SAY it specifically on the page ... Can someone help me out??

hey all,
I just searched on farecompare and one minute the price on a flight was $249 through AA and 2 minutes later on a new search it was like $30 higher...is this normal? Anyway, looking for the best deal on a flight aptil 12th (evening departure) until the 16th (morningdeparture_


Whats the hot new site? lol thanks in advance

I was gonna wait for a 10% off American Airlines coupon to save me $75. Then, the fare raised from $471 to $574.
Now, i dont have a coupon and the fare is totally expensive.

The regrettable thing about travel deals is that they are totally flexible from moment to moment!! That fare that went up could also go down later on, too. Don'tcha just love the travel industry!

It simply pays to be forearmed with all the coupons, mileage-earning credit cards, rewards programs, etc., before you go looking for the best fare. Then it is almost a crap shoot. You just have to take your chances and be content with the deal you get.

For me, I'm the worst follower of my own advice, since I usually find a little bit better deal somewhere after I've booked what I thought was a fabulous deal. With all the travel newsletters and bulletins I get or check out, that's bound to happen. So c'est la vie!

You're not necessarily stuck.
With some airlines you can actually put a 'hold' on a flight for up to two weeks, with no obligation.
Many airlines will refund the difference between the price you paid, and the lower price if the flight you're taking becomes less expensive later on. (You have to ask for it though)
If you find an incredibly better deal at a different airline, most airlines will not refund your money, but will give you credit for future flights.
Go to www.farecast.com to learn of new deals at your airline(s).
Another thing to remember is it's best to check prices several times a day.
I generally check with travelzoo or sidestep...find the best prices offered, and then go to the actual airline offering the sale and buy direct (if it's cheaper)
I got an incredible price (imho) on Saturday.
Saturdays and Wednesdays seem to be the most likely days for deals, but....you never know!

farecast is really good, but be sure to just keep checking the airline's websites themselves too. the deals on lufthansa's website change on almost a weekly basis so i'm not sure farecast will catch them. also, check to see what airlines are partners of the flight you want because sometimes you can transfer miles between partners and people forget to count that sometimes.

flight pricing is nuts. I was notified when I came into work this morning I will be going to Atlanta March 5th-8th. Not a big deal because work pays for the air fare, but I always like to shop around and get the better prices. Prices I'm seeing range from $500-$1233 for a round trip ticket from Louisville to Atlanta. Be cheaper for them to let me rent a car and drive it, its only about 6 and a half hours -- then we'd save on shipping my equipment too (i cant take my large equipment box on a flight due to size and weight, so we have to UPS it to my travel locations.)

After finding my exact travel dates, I played around with my options. I had $1,028 nonstop with Delta, $672 Nonstop with NWA, and $632 nonstop with Continental. -- so I changed my airport. Instead of using Louisville I used Indianaoplis, and I was able to find tickets for $298. Funny how a different departure airport is so much cheaper. I was toying with the idea of buying a $343 ticket to Orlando that had a connection in Atlanta, both ways, and just not continuing onto Orlando, but since I found a cheaper flight I will be going with that as long as my boss is okay with my flying out of Indy instead.

tell me about it. i've been looking at going to ireland and flying through london for a short stop from washington dc and price just dropped today for a limited time fare sale unannounced to $215. I'm doing mine myself and not for work so i guess i have more flexibility, but you should look into a travel agent or something for your company - sounds like it takes up a quite a bit of your time looking up travel info

I posted this in hot deals but, since there may be some who actually check the 'travel' thread (crazy, I know!!! )
I thought I'd share it here as well.

I spent many hours checking and re-checking hotel rates and reviews, and found what I think is a great deal.
This site has other (decent) hotels for less, but....I wanted something really nice (without having that sinking feeling I get when all of my money is being sucked out of my purse!)

So anyway, I found a gorgeous place about a mile and a half from Disney, with a bedroom, living room, and kitchenette area (which has a stove, microwave, toaster, coffee-maker, and dining area.)

There are a lot of other amenities, too, and I'm paying $76. pr night!

The website I found this on, (www.hotelkingdom.com) has many many other deals in lots and lots of locations, but, I like this one because of all the positive reviews it generated.

Here is their description of the place;

General Information
At the Cypress Pointe Grand Villas (Full name is Cypress Pointe Grand Villas) you can discover a whole new way to vacation! Located only one mile from The Walt Disney World Resort's Eastgate in elegant Lake Buena Vista, this resort offers a sunny oasis in the heart of the Orlando attractions area. Choose from one, two, or three bedroom villas boasting generous floor plans and features such as Roman style or Jacuzzi bathtubs, color cable TV's in every villa, fully furnished living room and spacious, fully equipped kitchen and dining area. Please note maid service is not included but is available for a fee ranging from approximately $35-80 per day depending on room type which is not included in your room rent. Find fun just outside your door with the resort's many amenities, including three outdoor pools, two whirlpool spas, a children's wading pool, a well equipped fitness center, a relaxing sauna, lighted tennis courts, and more! The Cypress Pointe Grand Villas are conveniently located near an abundance of shopping dining and attractions. The Walt Disney World Resort with all of its popular theme parks, is less than five minutes by car! Downtown Disney is just one mile from the hotel! Also only 5 minutes by car, is Sea World. Add two minutes to your drive and you'll be at Universal Orlando! No matter what your favorite attraction or pastime is, you will be just minutes from it when you stay at the Cypress Pointe Resort. When you are ready for a vacation that is a step above the rest, come to the Cypress Pointe Grand Villas and enjoy a great combination of amenities, accommodations, and location at an affordable rate!

And here is the link. http://lake.buena.vista.hotelkingdom...otel_i d=1062

(oh, and btw, there is no mandatory clean-up charge, you just have to leave the room in good condition.)

I have checked this site, but I am a newbie so go easy on me. Can anyone help me find a better deal on a flight from akron canton to las vegas (342)? I plan on leaving April 10 and coming home April 12th. Just want to experience Vegas for the first time. As I have stated, I have searched many of the sites listed, but I am positive someone can find me a better deal. Many of you have been there before and know all the tricks of the trade. Thank you so much.

Quote from coachkfan89 : I have checked this site, but I am a newbie so go easy on me. Can anyone help me find a better deal on a flight from akron canton to las vegas (342)? I plan on leaving April 10 and coming home April 12th. Just want to experience Vegas for the first time. As I have stated, I have searched many of the sites listed, but I am positive someone can find me a better deal. Many of you have been there before and know all the tricks of the trade. Thank you so much.

Next time do let us know which sites you searched. Quickly going to my fav--Travelocity--I came up with $272 on Frontier Airlines. Several things to know about flying to Las Vegas:

• Travelling to Las Vegas on Sunday through Wednesday typically results in air and hotel rates that average about 1/3 the price of weekend travel. This may not apply on weeks where major conventions are in town, but if your dates are flexible start with a Sunday or Monday departure to find the best possible deal.
• Best deals often are an air/hotel combo on most sites, especially shown on the TravelZoo newsletter. Make sure you register for that and keep an eye out for very short leadtime offers.

Make sure to check out Travelocity's Las Vegas Specials [travelocity.com] page for both air and hotel deals. (For example, when I put in your dates, I got an air/hotel Circus Circus deal for $310, an Excalibur deal for $371, and a Treasure Island deal for $397.)

Check out TravelZoo Las Vegas Vacations [travelzoo.com] for some current great offers and see TravelZoo Las Vegas Hotels [travelzoo.com] for current low-cost hotel offers if you should find a spectacular air deal alone.

Best of luck.

Thank you GearMaven. I will certainly check it out. I appreciate your efforts.

SM

How I booked a vacation for 2 in Orlando for under $1000

There are even less expensive ways to do it, but I paid extra for certain amenities I wished to have. (It’s not a slick deal if you wish you did it differently) Also, keep in mind that I am traveling during the last month of March (Spring Break period,) when prices for everything in Orlando are at a premium. If you use these tactics during the ‘off’ season, (September after Labor Day, October, the week after Thanksgiving, and December-excluding Christmas and New Years), your results will undoubtedly be much better.

Flight; $329. 2 RT tickets from my town (Louisville) straight to Orlando (MCO) I could have saved around $100 flying out of another airport, or flying into Tampa, but the convenience factor made it worth it to me.

How I found this flight deal; I signed up for ‘Ding’ through SW, I checked www.air-fare.com every day, I checked www.travelzoo.com often along with Travelocity and Sidestep. I also signed up to be notified b various airlines when a flight was available that matched my needs. I checked the travel threads on www.slickdeals.net and www.disboards.com every day. When I was actively searching, I checked all of these places several times a day. It was discouraging for a while, because the cheapest flights I could find came out to around $300. per person after fees and taxes.
I made sure to travel on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, because the flights are almost always alot cheaper then. I received an e-mail from Southwest that they had some ‘click and save deals’ I checked, and they were offering flights (one way) to and from Orlando for $69. As soon as I saw that, I jumped on it.

Hotel; $254.49 for 3 nights. This is an area where I could have saved more money, but, I wanted something special. It has a master bedroom, a kitchen with a stove, fridge, toaster, microwave and coffee-maker, a dining table, a ‘roman tub’, and two lovely pools. It is only a mile away from Disney and a mile and a half from Universal, and it has excellent reviews on many travel websites.

How I got this hotel deal; I checked the ‘usual suspects’ listed above, and I also bought some books on Orlando. (I could have saved $$ by going to the library, buying them used, or at least ordering them from Amazon, but I wanted them up-to-date, and I wanted them NOW! *lol*) The books I bought were The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2007 by Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa (I recommend it)
Passporters Walt Disney World Resort by Jennifer and Dave Marx, (this one’s a bit different, I’d read the reviews on it to see if it’s for you) and Disney on a Dime by Chris and Kristal Carson. (Not really much info in this one.) I also recommend The Penny Pincher’s Guide to Walt Disney World. I don’t actually have that book anymore, and don’t know who wrote it, but it’s the best book I’ve ever read on how to save $$ when in Orlando on vacation.
After reading in these books and on the Dis boards about a website called www.hotelkingdom.com , I decided to check it out. I went there and found the place I described above (Cypress Point Grand Villas) for $76. per night. (They had two bedrooms from $100. per night, but, I felt that would be wasteful with only me and ds staying).
They are a time-share resort, but I do not have to go to any timeshare presentation. I can if I want to, and get $150, but, it’s not something I want to do. I could have found a room for much less, but, for the price, the good reviews and the convenience and $$ saving by having a fridge and stove, and the location, it was worth it to me.

Rental car $151.09 1 week; Again, this is another place where I could have saved a few bucks by waiting until the last minute, but, it was worth $50 to me to have the peace of mind that it is taken care of.

How I got my car rental deal; I checked the places listed above, plus www.mousesavers.com and www.carrentalmomma.com and certain car rental websites (esp. Dollar, as they seemed to have the best prices on on-site rental cars.)
I had a few criteriae, I wanted to be able to rent at the airport. I have rented off-site before, and, honestly, for the $$ I saved, it just wasn’t worth the hassle. I also wanted to rent from a company that had good reviews by the Disneyers. I relied on the mousesavers site for this information. They said to avoid Payless car rental, if possible, so I did. After checking and re-checking all these sites, and trying many combinations of codes, I finally just went to Priceline and put in a bid of $15. per day. They accepted my bid, and, with taxes and fees, it came to around $150. It goes against my general principles to pay more than $100 per week for a rental car, but, since ds will be with me, and I will be driving straight to Dad’s house in Melbourne when we land, it was worth an extra $50 for the peace of mind. I was aware also, that it is Spring Break so, I’m not terribly unhappy with this deal.
If you just book your rental through a regular agency, you can book and cancel anytime you find a lower rental. You cannot cancel with Priceline, so, be sure of your dates if you decide to go with them.

Universal Studios, 2, 7 day passes to all the parks for $185.28 The average family of 4 spends $400. per day on tickets!!

How I got a deal on tickets; It would have been much more difficult had I NEEDED to go to WDW, but, we really like Universal. It’s so clean and fresh looking, everything is newer, and the rides are spectacular. I looked on the Dis boards, and Mouse savers, and everyone was talking about a 7 day unlimited pass to all of Universal’s parks for around $80. a piece. Since a one day one park pass is around $75, this is an excellent deal! We are not going to be in Orlando the whole 7 days, but, it’s the best deal going. It is an internet only deal. You pay in advance, and then print your tickets at a kiosk set up for that purpose. You can print them at home, but, I prefer the heavier weight of their actual tickets. (You tend to get quite wet at Universal!)

Staying at Dad’s house; FREE!

How I got this deal; Called Dad, said “hey Dad, we’re coming to visit” He said “ok” ymmv.

Ok. So this is my first time traveling on a plane by myself, only traveling on a plane once before in 92 with my mommy and daddy (aww.)

I hope to leave New Jersey on Thursday the 29th during the evening (btwn 6-9p) and land in Dallas, then take an early Monday morning flight out back to Jersey. Being that I'm such a noob at this, I prefer non-stop flights.

My mom for some reason is determined I should fly out of ACY (Atlantic City airport) - but I'm not finding any flights out of there, so Newark (EWR) or Philadelphia (PHL) will suffice, although she's highly against Philly for some reason. Speaking of which - how much does it cost to leave your car at an airport, because Philly seems to be showing the cheapest flights on AA.com, so if I had to, I suppose I'll drive myself.

So basically, if anyone could guide me in the right direction - I'm looking for any coupons, discounts, advice for a first time flyer.. it would be greatly appreciated.

The not that important postscript:
I'm meeting a friend in Texas, we're going to stay the first 2 nights in Dallas - Saturday night in Austin and then Sunday night go back to Dallas and catch the early flight.

Thanks in advance for any help!