Thrifty Thinking: Last-Minute Travel Savings

Bob Diener, co-founder of  Getaroom.com, has some advice on how you can make the most of this holiday season’s travel. Bob is an industry expert with over 25 years of experience and with the holidays right around the corner, he can offer insight into all aspects of travel.

1.       Book early! Rates are expected to go up as it gets closer to the holidays. Early booking also means you can grab a room at preferred hotels before they fill up.

 

2.       Heading out of town for Thanksgiving? Consider traveling early morning on Thanksgiving Day and returning on Saturday to avoid the rush of travelers and to take advantage of lower hotel room rates.

 

3.       Want to enjoy a carriage ride in Central Park? Rates in NYC go down by as much as 60% after December 15^th, so wait a little while to find a hot deal.

 

4.       Alternate airports can offer you substantial savings to top destinations. Consider Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach instead of Miami, or choose Midway when flying to Chicago instead of the massive O’Hare airport.

 

5.       Traveling on Christmas Eve can be a lower option on flights and hotel room stays. Return the following Saturday for even lower costs.

 

6.       Top destinations for the holidays according to Getaroom.com are Anaheim, San Diego, Cancun, Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu, Palm Springs, Atlanta and Atlantic City.

 

7.       Las Vegas is very inexpensive the weekend after New Year’s. Let the party die down and enjoy great bargain rates such as The Quad, with center-Strip location for $20 a night. NYC is even on sale during this weekend – rates at the Millennium Broadway Hotel can be found from $170 a night.

 

8.       Use the phone to find the best rates! Getaroom.com offers personalized service with its unpublished rates that can only be acquired through its call center. More than 30,000 hotels participate in the exclusive program.

 

9.       Grab flights early in the morning as they are often the cheapest option during peak flight times. You’ll be up early with excitement anyway, so you might as well get your trip started.

 

10.   Get to the airport early. Due to overbookings during busy times you don’t want to miss your flight as you might have to wait hours or days to get another one. An extra hour at home isn’t worth all of the frustration of missing a flight.