Money Saving Travel Tips for March 2007

I haven’t posted some money saving travel tips for a while now, so here’s a round up of things to keep in mind when you next strike out on the road:

• Check with your bank to see if they have an alliance with an overseas bank.  Ask if withdrawals from partner banks can eliminate or reduce your usage fees.  Take a list of the banks and locations with you.  Bank of America and Citibank have pretty good alliance programs in addition to a large network of partner banks.  I’m sure there are others.
• Many rental car companies charge an additional fee is you want a second driver on the rental agreement.  Frequently this is a “hidden” fee, and you won’t be told about it.  Some companies do not charge extra if the additional driver is a family member, and a few even waive the charge for a co-worker.  As in all fee-related situations, ask, Ask, and ASK.
• You can get a FREE current state map for your next driving trip.  Every state has an official website, and there is usually a link to tourism related products and information.  Follow the link(s) ““ which should lead you to free travel guides, maps, etc.
• Frequent hotel guests can amass quite a few shower caps.  These can be used as a shoe bag to wrap a shoe in and keep it from soiling other items in your luggage.  The footie slippers available at many airport security checkpoints can be used for the same thing.  These shower caps are disposable, easily replaced, and best of all, FREE.
• When booking a hotel room, compare the price of a club level or concierge level floor with the cost of a standard room.  Then factor in the extras that you will receive with the upgraded room.  Some upgraded rooms offer free internet access, a concierge room with free continental breakfast, soft drinks, and snack, fee-waived fitness room access, or other amenities that you’ll be needing and using.  Compare the total costs and see which one is really the better bargain for you.
• If you have some flexibility in your arrival and departure times, and you’re traveling on an over-sold flight, consider taking the denied boarding option.  While the actual offer will differ between airlines, and frequently based on the direness of the situation, offers may include first class or business class upgrades, a free round trip ticket, travel credit vouchers for a stated dollar amount used for future travel, a hotel room if the bump results in an unscheduled overnight stay, food voucher for use at airport restaurants, phone card, and sometimes (although rarely) actual cash.
• If you’ll be visiting a theme park (or other attraction) over multiple days, compare the multi-day pass cost with the cost of an annual pass.  Also, compare the cost of individual admissions with the cost of a family pass.  You never know which will be the better buy, so always do the math.

That’s it for this time, and if you know additional ways to save costs on travel, please leave a comment or email me.

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If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to vote in Flyaway Cafe’s March Poll on whether you think cell phone usage should be allowed on commercial airlines.

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