Yeah, there are a bazillion travel blogs, but a lot of those are written by folks who get access to the best seats and suites because, well, they write travel blogs. I hope to offer some more practical advice now that travel is starting to come back some. I think you'll find this a pretty exhaustive set of tips.
Another "yeah, yeah, yeah." I mostly flew on an airline on which I had status, which comes in handy for booking, picking seats and especially when things go higgledy-piggledy at the airport. But I also flew on plenty of airlines where I had no status, and I still know a few tricks. I'm also going to limit this to domestic travel because that's what I know best.
One caveat: Some of these tips might not be as sound now as they were pre-COVID. If you have traveled recently and can describe your experiences -- especially if they contradict my advice -- please do so in the comments section.
So, some tips, in no particular order, starting with flights (then on to hotels and rental cars, and one piece of advice on ground transportation):
1. Don't dismiss the legacy carriers: We've all gotten used to checking Southwest and other discount carriers for the best deals. Southwest also has a lot of fans because of its policy of not charging change fees. Nobody wants to pay hundreds for a flight then a couple hundred more if plans change, which was SOP with legacy airlines.
COVID changed that. To win back customers they lost during the pandemic, United, America, Delta and Alaska eliminated their change fees for most fare classes on domestic flights, also eliminating the biggest reason not to fly them.
It's important to check each airline's policies. For instance, some won't waive change fees for those uber-cheap no-frills fares they added to woo bargain-hunting passengers, and there are time limits for using your travel funds.
Also, note that legacy airline prices are competitive in some markets. Just remember that cost isn't everything.
2. Early-morning flights are best: Flight delays daisy-chain during the day. It's common sense. The first flight in the morning is less likely to be delayed because the plane and crew have been in your city since at least the night before.
It's not a 100 percent guarantee. Sometimes a previous-night flight arrives so late it can't leave on time the next morning before the crew gets its FAA-mandated rest. This has happened to me, but it's extremely rare.
3. Check for premium-economy upgrades: Nowadays, if you don't have status on an airline you're probably going to be among the last to board, which means no overhead space, which means checking your bag at the gate, which means it'll probably end up in Cleveland even if you're not going to Cleveland.
Frequent flyers get to board first and have access to premium seats up front. A lot of those seats used to go unfilled, so airlines began offering them to the public for sale. Sometimes you get more leg room, sometimes you don't, but you always get some form of priority boarding. Before COVID, some upgrades came with free cocktails.
These upgrades can be surprisingly cheap, depending on the length of the flight, time of day and routing. I've paid as little as $19 for one of these upgrades.
It sucks that we now have to pay more just to sit up front and board first, but it can be worth it, especially if can snag an exit-row seat with terrific legroom.
4. Day of the week matters: This might not be as true as it once was, amid COVID, as airlines try to regain lost revenue by limiting flights and packing the ones they sell, but it's always been true that cheaper fares were available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and late Saturdays. Maybe some of you more recently flyers can comment below on your experiences.
5. Get rolling on Hawaii, now! You don't need any proof of vaccine or recent COVID tests to board a domestic flight now -- except for Hawaii. If you are planning a Hawaii trip soon, you must create an account for each traveler on the Hawaii safe website and answer a boatload of questions. You can also upload your proof of vaccine.
You can go if unvaccinated, but you'll have to take a COVID test at a site approved by the state of Hawaii within three days of your trip. With no vaccine or test, you'll have to quarantine for 10 days. And if you're thinking of submitting a phony-baloney vaccine card, think again.
I just went through the website application process. It takes time. Don't wait till the last minute. You'll still have to complete an online questionnaire within 24 hours of your flight to get a QR code you will need to show when you arrive on the islands.
6. Hubs have advantages: Everyone hates flying out of O'Hare, Denver, Houston, Atlanta and Dallas, right? Right.
But if you fly an airline to and from its hub -- United at SFO, Delta in Atlanta, American in Dallas, etc ... you get one potential benefit: If a flight gets canceled or faces a long delay you have a better chance of getting on another plane that day because the airline simply has more routing options and seating inventory than its non-hubbed competitors.
Airlines also have pilots and flight attendants on call in their biggest hub cities if needed, or at least they did before COVID-related staffing shortages. They can be summoned if the original crew gets waylaid in another city to prevent a canceled flight.
All that said, I love flying out of smaller airports when I can because they have fewer weather and air-traffic delays. My favorite airport in the Bay Area is easily San Jose-Mineta.
7. Use social media: Like all industries, airlines now employ Twitter agents to talk to customers, and it's often much faster than calling the 800 number. That can be extremely useful in a delay/cancellation to possibly get on another flight.
Even if you're in the air, you can contact airline customer service on WiFi.
(Speaking of which, airlines are pretty good about refunds for spotty wifi on planes. They've always taken my word for it. Check the various airline websites.)
If you're sitting on a tarmac long enough before takeoff (because of weather or mechanical delays) or after landing (because there's no open gate) and think you'll miss a connection, you can also call customer service from your seat if the captain allows it. You might get a jump on the other passengers who will wait to find an agent after deplaning.
8. Get a credit card: I just got a new card and within three months easily spent enough to qualify for a points bonus worth $1,000 in free travel for any airline or hotel. Plenty of similar offers exist.
If you mostly fly one particular airline, getting a partnered credit card can get you earlier boarding. It does with United, which also provides one-time passes to their private lounges. Save those when you have a long layover or delay. Those lounges were a life-saver for me.
This website, while acknowledging that it partners with some of the credit-card companies, has a pretty objective rundown on the value of each. That site also does the math on what the various airline and hotel points are worth dollar-wise compared to the others. It's a pretty good service for free.
HOTELS
1. Book early, but keep checking rates: While a particular flight almost never gets cheaper, as the lower-priced fare "buckets" get sold, hotel rooms often do. If you book real early, the hotel usually posts its most expensive rack rate. Over time, hotels sometimes lower prices to boost demand. You can then rebook your reservations.
I spent a lot of down time in the press box rechecking rates for hotels I already had booked. (You're welcome, Chronicle.) More times than not that paid off, particularly if I was willing to go to a different hotel run by the same chain nearby.
Caveat: Don't expect prices to drop for popular resorts like Hawaii, especially now that more people are traveling.
Important note: This applies to rental cars as well. We all know rental-car prices are sky high because the companies have fewer cars amid the pandemic. But I just rechecked my rental reservation in Hawaii and got the same car for $200 less than my original reservation. And I'll keep checking as the trip gets closer.
2. Caution with third-party booking sites: The Internet has really boosted comparison shopping, with a lot of good aggregators and online travel agencies that attempt to find the best rates. These are names you know, such as Hotwire, Expedia, Kayak and the like.
I've used these with no issues most of the time, but I had a couple of experiences where a problem arose with my reservation and the hotel directed me to the third-party booking site. That just adds a layer you might not want to deal with, especially late at night when you arrive.
If prices are similar, I prefer booking directly with the hotel or chain. It removes that layer, and these sites sometimes offer decent direct-booking discounted rates.
3. Call your hotel: I always call the hotel the day before my reservation, first to confirm the reservation, but also to make specific requests.
Hotels start assigning rooms overnight, so if you want a specific location, such as a higher floor, a quiet area, something close to the pool, etc... it's best to make that request the day before and ask the employee to "put a block" on that room if possible so you won't get moved the next day when front-desk personnel start shifting income guests around.
Without this step, your shot at getting a desired room decreases with every hour before you show up.
3a: Definitely call if you're arriving late at night, especially after midnight: You don't want the hotel's night auditor to list you as a no-show. It's a paperwork hassle. And I've actually witnessed travelers arriving late to find their room had been resold.
Yes, hotels overbook just like airlines do, and you could, as they say in the trade, "be walked," which means being sent to a different hotel in the area.
4. Breakfast? Maybe not: We all love going to the breakfast room at the hotel and using that flip-over waffle machine, right? Well, every hotel I visited during the pandemic closed its breakfast room, instead offering a bag breakfast THAT HAD NO WAFFLES.
I've heard tell of breakfast rooms reopening, though, so it pays to ask ahead of time, if that's important to you.
5. Daily room service? Think again: If you haven't stayed in a hotel during the pandemic, you're in for a surprise. Hotels no longer automatically clean your room daily, a move that initially began amid COVID when we were all afraid of passing germs through our fingers and businesses wanted to keep staff and customer a safe distance apart.
I have a conspiracy theory that hotels are never going back to daily housekeeping, not for health reasons, but because it's cheaper and folks are getting accustomed to it.
At the start of the pandemic, hotels I booked had absolutely no housekeeping during your stay. You could call down for clean towels and toss your dirty ones in the hallway.
Now, I've found, you can get daily housekeeping, or every other day if you prefer, but you have to ask for it.
6. What about Airbnb? I have no idea. I don't use them. I know people who swear by it, but I've also had acquaintances who shared horror stories, as recently as last week when a golf buddy arrived to find she had the wrong combination for the front-door lock and the owner was out of the country.
RENTAL CARS
1. I like bigger companies: If you're still reading, you've already gathered that a lot of my decision-making rests on the simple question of what happens when something goes wrong.
With rental-car companies, especially, bigger is better, even if it's also a lot more expensive.
I've had an "issue" or two with rental cars. There was that one encounter with a cement mixer. (Seriously.) And that time in Ireland when I had to drive on the wrong side of the road in the wrong side of the car, and well, let's just say the car was not returned in the same shape it left the lot.
That's when I discovered you really do get what you pay for in rental-car customer service. It's a lot easier to reach someone with one of the big companies when you really need to. Hertz, Avis, etc. also have better, quicker ways to get your car faster at the airport, which I'll note in the next item.
You might not be aware of industry consolidation. But Budget and Avis are owned by the same firm. Same with National, Enterprise and Alamo. So you could get better deals within the same outfit if you comparison-shop.
2. Join the loyalty programs: Even if you rarely rent a car, it pays to join Hertz #1 Gold, Avis Preferred, National Emerald Club, etc... These accounts allow you to forgo the paperwork or online reservation hassle each time you rent, and bypass the rental counter.
Many of the firms followed National's lead in letting loyalty members not only head directly to the lot, but also choose any car within the class they paid for. It's pretty cool.
Unlike airlines and hotels, you don't need status with the rental companies to enjoy these benefits. Just an ID number.
Even if you don't want to join, most of the firms have online check-in to save you time and in some cases let you bypass the counter. But, if you're using a no-name discount brand, double-check to make sure you don't need to wait in line. I've cringed at some of those lines.
3. To buy the CDW, or not to buy the CDW? I swear some firms aren't really in the business of renting cars but selling insurance, which is understandable considering how profitable it is.
Enterprise has the worst hard-sell. Honest to God, one time in Arizona the Enterprise agent scared my wife so much with tales of the torture and financial repercussions that would befall her if she didn't buy the insurance she was afraid to drive the thing.
We're talking about the Collision Damage Waiver, which has gotten expensive and in some cases can cost as much per day as the car itself.
Should you buy it? Depends.
The biggest pro is that if anything happens to the car, and you have the CDW, you are 100 percent off the hook. You just drive the battered machine to the lot, fill out some paperwork and off you go. I got, um, acquainted with the procedure during my career.
(Our corporate rate included the CDW. Yours might as well.)
However, many credit cards now include CDW coverage if you use them to pay for the rental. This next part is so important I'm going to resort to ALL CAPS:
READ THE FINE PRINT TO SEE IF YOUR CREDIT CARD IS THE PRIMARY OR SECONDARY INSURER.
If it's the primary insurer, it will pay all the damage, assuming your claim is accepted. If secondary, you have to go through your own insurance company or pay out of pocket, and the credit card only your regular insurance policy's deductible. Also note the rules might be different with a rental abroad.
Your own insurance company almost certainly includes rental coverage, but if you use your policy to cover the cost of an accident your rates will rise as if you wrecked your own car.
If you are one accident away from being uninsurable, you might find the CDW worth the exorbitant cost.
4. Insist on a car check before you go: You are entitled to drive off the lot with a sheet of paper that describes or shows on a diagram every ding, scratch and nick on the body of the car, so you won't be accused of creating them when you return it. Look for any flaws before you take the car and make sure the person at the exit gate gives you the paperwork.
5. Never buy the "return gas tank empty" option: It sounds good in theory. Pay in advance for the gas and return it empty. Don't ever have to think about the gas. Tra la la.
Do you know how hard it is to coordinate your trip in a way that uses every drop of gas in the tank? This is a borderline sham that almost guarantees you will pay for gas you don't use.
Some rental companies do offer the alternative of filling the tank for you upon return if you agree to it in advance. The price per gallon is fairly competitive, but beware, there's usually a fee tacked on a well.
Just fill 'er up yourself near the airport if you can.
GROUND TRANSPORTATION
1. Consider a taxicab: We've all gotten accustomed to using ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft when we arrive at the airport. Paying via app is convenient, the cars are usually more comfortable than cabs and we tend to think of them as a money-saver.
But remember, Uber and Lyft can raise and lower prices by the minute. Surge pricing can blow the cost way higher than a taxi, whose rate is fixed by law. In Phoenix once during spring training, an unknowing acquaintance paid $80 for a Lyft ride that would have cost $20 in a taxi.
In most airports and most times, cabs are quicker, too, because they queue just outside baggage claim.
2. Rent off-airport: The bigger rental firms have locations throughout the town you're visiting. You can save tons renting there because they don't charge high airport taxes and concession fees.
In Phoenix, I can take a $25 cab ride to the Hertz Local Edition in Scottsdale and save over $100 in fees for a three-day rental. When making the reservation you also can choose to return the car at the airport rental center, usually for no additional charge.
The biggest drawback of the off-airport rental is the lack of car choice.
THE END
Good list. Some additional context to your point on daily housekeeping services. Completely agree that may well be a thing of the past. Pre-covid, about a quarter of the hotels I stayed in (all Marriotts) had an option by which you could forego housekeeping in exchange for 500 points/night. I never did it...seemed like a pretty transparent way to cut labor costs, and figured the housekeeping staff needed their jobs a hell of a lot more than I needed points, but clearly the hotels were banking on folks not really caring about daily service. Particularly when business travelers really just need a bed, a shower and good wifi, I think hotels will be able to get away with very limited housekeeping going forward.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing to note about booking a hotel directly - OTAs like Expedia or Hotels.com take anywhere from 15 - 30% of the hotel’s room rate. So booking directly with a hotel might get you better service because they appreciate not having to pay the commission to the OTA. Especially true for smaller establishments where every penny counts. By contract they can’t charge a lower fee than the OTAs but they can give you perks like a free cocktail, WiFi, etc.
ReplyDeleteA couple of comments: Southwest has NOT had their **** together since the pandemic. Have flown them three times since being vaccinated and every trip has been screwed up somehow. We were one of the lucky ones who DID get a flight home last weekend, though, but I’ll think long and hard before flying them again any time soon, at least until it seems they’ve righted their ship.
ReplyDeletePoint #6 about the hubs is an important one. I remember a few years ago I was flying home from a speaking engagement in Omaha, via Dallas. As we sat on the ground in Omaha, I got a text from Tripit saying that there was a mechanical problem, that my flight would be delayed four hours, and that I’d miss my connection in Dallas. I started frantically searching for alternatives to get home to California. It was a Sunday and the soonest I could get anywhere would have been TUESDAY. I realized that was because Omaha is a smallish regional airport and there just aren’t many flights going anywhere on any given day. (Thankfully, the Tripit text was a false alarm, and I did get to Dallas and got home that day.)
I’m also a big aficionado of The Points Guy (despite the credit card shilling) and have learned a lot from reading that site regularly. I get their daily newsletter via email.
Thanks Henry. Great tip about calling the hotel the day before. Going to give that a try.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff, Henry! I use Costco for all car rentals. Combined with their VISA, I get solid coverage as well.
ReplyDeleteForget the points guy, they've gone corporate sponsored blog. Doctorofcredit.com for all your cc churning needs.
ReplyDeleteIf you are going to Costa Rica (great call if so) you are required to buy THEIR national insurance on rentals, even if you have CDW covered by a) credit card and/or b) your own car insurance. Between $30-50 a day, more than cost of car.
ReplyDeleteYou can get the slightly lower rate if you have your insurance, but you are still required to get theirs. I swear the Costa Rican president's brother is the national insurance czar. It may be worth investigating private transport if you are just going to a couple locations
Regarding the Hawaii Safe process: we just got back from Kauai and were surprised to find we needed the QR code not only when we boarded the plane on the mainland, but also when we rented our car. I had set up the Hawaii Safe account on my desktop, so when I got to the rental counter and had to access it on my phone, I could not remember my login and had to reset the password while standing there (sweating the fact that others were waiting behind me). So just be prepared to pull up your Hawaii Safe account once you arrive in the islands.
ReplyDeleteThanks Henry
ReplyDeleteThank you. now checking for cheaper hotel rates at same place and great idea to call the hotel a day ahead. Another great tip is twitter legacy airline reps. One problem with some delays/
ReplyDeletecancellations is that rebooking-by-phone people are suddenly overwhelmed and the options are either stand in line at Customer Service or wait on hold or both. With status the legacy airlines will auto rebook for you. Legacy carrier Lounges often have
service desks with short lines.
All you say about status is true. I did try to write this for folks who don't have status, which is the majority of casual vacationers. Thank you.
DeleteGood piece Hank. I’m in Hawaii now so here’s my take on that point: the inbound paperwork seems more onerous than it is. It’s just information gathering so when you land it’s already in their system. You show photo ID, they pull up your account and you’re basically done. The important thing is that your account gets marked saying that you’ve met the requirements. Both the condo office where we were staying and the car rental agency wanted to see that check mark. So to avoid having to open that web page each time, take a screenshot of it that you can more easily retrieve.
ReplyDeleteAlso in Hawaii, the availability of rental cars has greatly improved. We booked over the summer at $100 a day because that was the going rate, and by the time we got here it was down to $50 a day.
Good tips! Some things I learned from a just-finished trip to Scotland.
ReplyDelete- Everyone wants contactless payment. That means credit or debit card, no cash. Check your cards to see if they support it. Worked fine up to a certain amount, then had to sign a slip after that. I think if I had assigned a PIN to my credit card I could have saved that step.
- Twice now I've tried to use Uber while outside the US. Both times had to upload credit card info. Both times it failed. Maybe related to the PIN thing, I don't know.
- Couldn't find a home-test kit for COVID-19 anywhere. Ended up booking a test in Scotland. Super easy, had results in 40 minutes.
Hi - Solid tips there, Hank. I'd only like to comment that people shouldn't fear checking bags so much any more. I am a semi-pro traveler, domestic and international (on a legacy airline predominantly). I check my bag for everything but small trips. I've not had an issue in several years, and even that was minor, and my bag was delivered that night. I do choose non-stop flights, even if more it's more expensive to minimize risks, though. Technology has improved baggage handling a lot. United has a feature to "track my bag" in Flight Status now. Also, wait times for claiming bags have also improved. Happy travels.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing this excellent blog for us. I have gained good stuff from this website. I am looking forward to your next blog.
ReplyDeleteIf you searching for a legit financial service .Check it out. Link below.
Buy a card
legit dark web
Unclaimed Mystery Box
legit PayPal transfer dark web
dark web financial services .
Not only that, but I am happy to share this post with my friends. Keep it up...
The most important thing to do after your accident at work is to make sure that you are safe from further harm or injury and that you are getting the first aid and legalexpert
ReplyDeleteAnthony Constantinou | Anthony Constantinou CEO CWM FX says There are host of good companies offers you the finest services I have seen one great site that also provide Russian cruise and other facilities as well. Whether you need a flight or to rent a car, cell-phone or travel insurance you can get all that and more by contacting them.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for sharing this knowledge with us. I am grateful for the chance that has been provided to me. I am grateful for all of your efforts. Hopefully, this information will be useful to others as well. Visas for COVID work
ReplyDeleteA sunset hike is a perfect way to end the day and enjoy the beauty of nature while getting some exercise.
ReplyDeletehttps://touvarism.com/