Tips for Booking Hotels and Cruises

Everyone looks forward to going on their annual holiday and enjoying a charmed vacation. But, nothing sucks the charm out of a vacation like paying an arm and a leg for your hotel.

Our Experts have compiled some brilliant money saving ideas, so that you can save on your hotel booking without missing the fun of your vacation.

# Early Booking: "The early bird gets the worm,” in this case, the expression stands true for hotel bookings. We suggest you get into the habit of booking your room as soon as you've finalized your travel plans. This would give you more room options and the best hotel rates possible.

# Special Offers: A lot of offers and travel websites carry promotions and offer special deals for hotel bookings. Make sure to check these out.

Special offers could be in terms of add-ons like:

1. Free Breakfast
2. Free Parking
3. Promotional Discounts
4. Free Upgrades

Make sure to check out available deals.

# Freebies: When it comes to booking a hotel, the lowest price isn’t necessarily the best deal. A good deal is one which includes a lot of extras. The type of room and price should include amenities, like free continental breakfast, in-room coffee, shuttle service and an on-site pool and workout center, which can add up to big vacation savings. Make sure you check these out before you proceed with the booking.

# Booking Period: We suggest you be flexible about your travel plans. Always do research to find out about off season travel discounts for the destination you intend to travel to. You can always plan your trip in and around that time. This would be a major contributor in saving your hard earned money. The additional benefit while placing a booking during off-season is fewer crowds means shorter lines for attractions and cheaper tickets to shows and events you might want to see.

# Hidden charges: Watch out for any kind of hidden charges. Some hotels charge extra, such as city taxes and credit card fees after they’ve quoted you the hotel price. Always ensure that you have enquired about all the charges before proceeding with the booking.

# Booking a Package: Package travel deals are great for travelers intending to holiday in popular destinations. Try looking for a package that would include air fare, attraction tickets, hotel accommodations, etc. Chances are that this is going to save you more money instead of buying/booking each item separately. Since you are booking a package, you may be delighted to find a few extras thrown in.

# Stay Mid-Week: Weekends are generally the busiest times for hotels – and the most expensive time as well. If you can be flexible with the dates, we advise that you plan your trip mid-week, when the vacancy rate is the highest. You could book the lowest rate.

# Sign up for newsletters: Most travel websites offer promotions and other discounts with regards to various items, such as hotels and airlines via their newsletters. Signing up for the newsletter is a guarantee that you won’t miss any travel deals.

Sign up for the CheapOair.com Exclusive Fare Alerts Newsletter today, and be automatically entered into the, "Win a Trip for Two to Las Vegas" sweepstakes. Mistakes happen. But when the mistakes are connected to an airline ticket, they can ruin your entire trip. Always, carefully check, check and recheck all your information before you hit the ‘Book’ button when booking flights.

# Lowest price guarantee: There are many sites which compare prices. You’ll see plenty of different prices advertised for your hotel stay. To make this work in your favor, check many sources; and then go with whichever one offers the best deal.

# Location: Hotel prices tend to drop as you move further away from the center of the city, or beachfront. If you’re happy to take some public transport, taxi, or walk, you might be able to save a bit extra. Also, chances are there that you might be rewarded with lower room rates and perhaps even nicer accommodations for the same amount of money.

Tips for Finding Cheap Airfare

Think you need a vacation deals now? Just wait until you're scouring dozens of booking sites, aggregators and airline Web sites to find cheap tickets for your next trip -- then you'll really be ready for a week off!

Unfortunately for weary travelers, there's no real shortcut to finding cheap airfare. As with any purchase, you need to shop around to get the best deal -- by trying different booking sites, altering your dates and waiting until just the right time to purchase. But if you're willing to put in a little time and effort, you could save big on your next flight.

1. Buy Early

Especially during peak travel periods, making reservations late in the game can cost you a lot of money. Airline ticket prices typically go up 21 days, 14 days, 7 days and 3 days before flying, so if you're planning ahead, try to make the call before these deadlines. And if you're traveling internationally, you'll want to book even earlier -- from three to six months in advance -- for the best deals. However, sometimes you can get lucky if you wait, which brings us to:

2. Buy Late
Often you can buy tickets at the very last minute for a great price, if the airlines have failed to fill their planes. Many airlines offer weekly newsletters that feature their best last-minute deals. You can also find many of them listed in our Travel Deals section, or at specialized sites like travelpackcanada.com If you can stand the suspense, and if you are flexible with your itinerary, you can find fantastic money-savers to very attractive travel destinations.

3. Shop Around
No matter how good it sounds, you should never book the first fare you see. Start your search by checking a few of the major online travel providers, like Travelocity.com, aggregator sites like TripAdvisor Flights or consolidators like CheapTickets.com. Airfarewatchdog is another good source of low fares. Checking these sites will give you a preliminary idea of which airlines fly your particular itinerary, what the going rate is and what restrictions might apply. Armed with this information, you can head directly to the appropriate airline Web site to see if the same flights are any cheaper (some airlines guarantee to offer the lowest possible fares on their own Web sites). While you're there, check to see if the airline is running any sales or promotions to your destination.

If you don't see anything in your preferred price range, don't be afraid to bide your time and watch the fares for a bit. Most major booking sites have alert features that will e-mail you when your fare drops to a price you're willing to pay.

4. Know When to Buy
The hardest part of booking a flight is knowing when to stop tracking fares and make that final purchase. If you're flying within the U.S. or to select international destinations, Bing Travel can help you reach that decision, offering fare predictions for most major cities. Just plug in your itinerary and the site will advise you either to book now or to wait, depending on whether the fare is expected to rise or drop. Another useful site is the aforementioned Kayak.com, which offers fare history graphs for domestic and international flights, allowing you to see whether your fare is headed in an upward or downward direction.

Finally, keep in mind that most airlines launch fare sales on Tuesdays and Wednesdays -- so if you decide to buy on a Monday, you may be gnashing your teeth on Tuesday when your destination goes on sale.

5. Be Flexible
If you live close to more than one airport, check out the fares from all of the airports near you. Many online fare searching engines will ask you if you are willing to depart from or arrive in more than one city. Yes! Also, experiment with different travel dates; shifting your itinerary by a week or even a few days can make a significant difference in fares. You'll usually find the best deals on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

6. Don't Forget the Discounters
As their nickname suggests, discount airlines can save you a bundle, but they're not always easy to find. Luckily for consumers, discounters are cropping up more frequently on aggregators and booking sites (Kayak now offers fares for JetBlue, Spirit and AirTran, for example) -- but there are still a few holdouts, such as Southwest and Allegiant Air, whose fares can't be found anywhere but their own Web sites. If you're traveling outside the U.S., don't forget to check the international discount airlines as well.

7. Use Your Frequent Flier Miles
Use Your Frequent Flier MilesWhy pay a fare at all when you can use your frequent flier miles? Although redeeming miles has gotten more difficult in recent years, it's still a good option to consider, particularly if you're booking early; airlines designate a very limited number of seats on each flight as eligible for award travel, and these seats go quickly. For more on redeeming your miles, check out our frequent flier Q&A with mileage guru Tim Winship.

8. Get a Refund When Fares Go Down
If fares go down after you've purchased your ticket, ask for a refund! You may not always get one, but policies vary by airline -- and many do not publicize the fact that they will refund you the difference if prices go down. It can't hurt to ask.

Yapta.com is a site that will track flights for you after you purchase and notify you if the fares go down.

9. Consider an Air Pass
In order to promote tourism in their countries, many national airlines offer air passes at reduced rates for tourists. If you're planning to do extensive travel in one country or region, an air pass might be your most cost-effective option. For example, Qantas offers an Aussie AirPass for travel throughout Australia. For more information, see our guide to air passes. Planning an even bigger trip? Look into around-the-world tickets and fares.

10. Check for Deals and Discounts
Don't forget to check our comprehensive Travel Deals for the latest fare sales -- we post new ones every weekday. If you or your traveling companions are senior citizens or children, you'll want to take a peek at our senior and family areas as well.
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