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Thu 8 May, 2003 02:16 pm
... for finding good travel deals. (Please?) I'm trying to find the best deal for plane tickets, rental car, and hotel for a week in early June in Sioux City, Iowa. (What? It's a famous vacation destination. Chock-full of wonderfulness.) (OK, we're going to a family reunion.)
I've been checking out this and that online and it's going OK, but if anyone has any tried-and-true sites/ methods I'd appreciate it.
Thanks.
Hmm...Mrs. cav still swears by expedia.com. She even had a screw-up which they fixed with a discount.
I use Travelocity.com, but the last time I used it, the dang thing kept showing one ticket price, then when I tried to buy it, it would change and give me a higher price. Grrrrrrr!
I might have been bumping into a 14-day advance purchase limit though.
Sometimes it really pays just to call the airline up directly.
Try hotels.com for lodging deals. Also, if you purchased one of those fundraiser discount coupon books, they often have a treasure trove of car rental discounts.
Thanks guys. Looking. Hotels are so *^%$ expensive.
I just got plane tickets from Expedia, or one of those websties.
Anyway, my mom's friend flies a ton, and she was telling me she'll check the price of a ticket online, then call the airline directly. Sometimes it's cheaper. Also, she'll call late at night, around 1 or 2 am, for some reason she said you can get tickets cheaper that way. No idea if either of these are true, just passing the word.
I'd heard that about calling directly, too, Slappy. Maybe Michelle Slatalla in the NYT?
I'm really stuck on hotels just now. $75 is tolerable for a night or two but when it gets to be a week... oy.
Slappy's mom's friend is banking on good odds...that time of night, think of the people who work there, and the general lack of traffic...they are more laid back, and have more time to actually search for a good rate. Good conversationalists generally too. Sound advice.
Of course, I was too lazy to try these methods. Actually looking up a number and picking up the phone is a lot of work.
I usually use Yahoo Travel (which is run by Travelocity) but I've also had some decent luck with
http://www.freehotelsearch.com/ and
http://www.cheaptickets.com
For motels, it is definately worth trying. Posted rates do not always refect seasonable rates. Any period of high vacancy rates are subject to discounting. It is up to you to determine exactly what type room you are getting, a confirmation number, and the name of the person taking the reservation.
C'mon, you gotta be able to do better than $75/night in Sioux City. If you're just looking at expedia et al, a whole lot of motels aren't going to show up. Phone book's probably your best bet there.
Or avoiding the family. That's a good one, too.
Or being cheek by jowl with the family. May give in and stay at great-grandma's house with about 20 other people.
As far as I can tell, the cheapest rates are at Super 8, which I'll deal with if I have to but would really prefer not to. Other than that, the best seems to be $58/ night at a Best Western. That's OK, but a week... ouch.
Is there anybody in the fam in a similar situation you could share a suite with? You could drop the same amount of money on much nicer accomodations.
Hey. That's a good idea.
Hmmm.
There's always Motel 6. They'll leave the light on for you.
And a needle in the bed.
Okay, never did have that happen. There was a big scab in the bed at the Westfield (do they have a blue roof?) in Madison a couple of months back, though.
Ahem.....
Websites for hotel rooms are not going to save you any money. Period. They charge you the higher rate and pay the hotel a lower rate. Hands down.
Best bet is to call the hotel directly ~ ask for any specials. Ask if they have any coupons published. Best time to do this is in the wee hours of the morning ~ night audit shift is NOT into sales and will be honest with you.
Trust me. Please.
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