Free software for your next trip
Last week I promised to do one better than just recommend inexpensive programs for your next trip. I said I’d find software that’s free.
Almost overcharged on Expedia
Q: I recently tried to book a trip on Expedia’s Flight Price Matcher, which is the service where you set your own price, similar to Priceline.com. I was booking airline tickets for a friend who has three kids, ages seven, three, and one. I entered all the correct fields: one adult, two kids, and one [...]
Bargain sites for Big Apple visitors
New York is the most expensive city in the Americas, according to the latest Economist Intelligence Unit report on the world’s priciest places. But that doesn’t mean you have to get fleeced when you visit the Big Apple. Just log on to the Internet and you’ll find plenty of ways to pare the price of your visit, whether you’re looking for an inexpensive restaurant or trying to discover good deals on entertainment. In the Travel Tightwad’s continuing series on how to save money when you travel to the most popular destinations in the U. S., we set our sights on Gotham this week:
Less is more
Travel agents are angrily denouncing Delta Air Lines’ long-awaited decision to eliminate their commissions - a move matched by the carrier’s competitors almost immediately - as a hidden fare increase. They claim airlines are effectively raising ticket prices by forcing travelers to pay higher agency booking fees.
Where’s Mickey?
Next time you’re standing in line for a ride at The Magic Kingdom in Orlando, notice the walls. Check out the sculptures. The landscaping. Look closer. Three circles - two small, one large. Isn’t that … a mouse head? It probably is.
Online savings in Las Vegas
I have a confession to make. This is going to sound a little strange, but when I lived in Southern California, I used to make the 4 ½-hour drive to Las Vegas for what most people would consider a very strange reason: breakfast. Breakfast in Las Vegas is incredibly cheap. You can order a large plate of eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, and toast with coffee for $1.99 or less. Better yet, go to one of the big hotels and stand in line for one of the buffet breakfasts. The food is inexpensive and plentiful.
Cheap software for the road
You’ve already spent hundreds of dollars on a personal digital assistant, or thousands on a laptop computer. Why blow more money on software?
Not getting my dollar’s worth
Q: Last September I reserved a luxury car from Dollar Rent A Car in Detroit. But I got a Chrysler 300M that was too small for two weeks of travel for four adults, a trunk too small for four suitcases plus a cooler, a leaky tire which required filling daily, a broken cup holder, and [...]
AmEx lost my miles
Q: American Express offered to upgrade my charge card to a corporate card more than a year ago. But when it did, it lost all of my frequent flier miles.
I found out about the missing miles recently when I went to cash them in for my honeymoon. When I told American Express what had happened, [...]
Point your mouse here for Orlando deals
Skip the highway rest stops with those garish “Cheap Theme Park Tickets” signs. Ignore the newspaper ads that offer two-for-one discounts to Orlando attractions. Tell your travel agent “thanks, but no thanks,” when he or she offers you a deal on Disney tickets. Click online instead. Some of the best discounts to the Magic City are available on the Web.
Click and save
During the course of the last six months or so, this column has evolved from a feature that comments on the vagaries of travel technology to a weekly resource that helps you save money when you travel with gadgets.
Sharpen the profile
The federal government is making a fool of itself by reducing its airport security screening efforts to senselessly random passenger checks.
Cruising for less
Want to ice skate or rock climb on your next vacation? You could head to a mountain resort-or you could just book a cruise. The newest ships are floating cities with shopping malls, movie theaters, health spas, and more. On the Voyager of the Seas, you can practice figure eights in the morning, then scale a wall of fake rocks against the backdrop of the Caribbean Sea that afternoon. “You could spend a whole week on a ship and you wouldn’t know you’re on a ship,” says Jim Godsman, president of the Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group.
Assault and batteries
Call it assault and battery, 21st century style. You’re on a trip. Your camera, cell phone, or personal digital assistant runs out of juice. Wham! There goes your productivity.
Mystery of multiple bookings
Q: I recently found a hotel room deal with the Chicago Downtown Travelodge through Orbitz. I filled out the requested information all the way through my credit card number and hit “enter” once. The system sat in limbo for at least half an hour. When it finally seemed to move on there was no confirmation.
I [...]