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Don't settle for an overpriced hotel room the size of a closet or a plane ride that requires three stopovers before you reach your destination. Learn these insider travel secrets from “guerrilla” travelers Jay Conrad Levinson and Theo Brandt-Sarif.
1. Plan as Far in Advance as Possible
Planning ahead is the single most important strategy you can use to consistently travel where you want, when you want, at the lowest possible price.
2. Buy Your Airline Ticket at the Right Time
Timing is everything, and being a savvy shopper is the key to finding great airline ticket deals. It's also the answer for travelers who intend to use frequent flyer miles and upgrade certificates for travel during peak periods such as Thanksgiving or Christmas.
3. Be Flexible
Getting what you want is important, but learning to negotiate a little can reap tremendous travel benefits. Keep an open mind when choosing flight dates/times, making stops along the way and selecting airports.
4. Go Online
The Internet has revolutionized the way we select travel services and, again, if you can be flexible in your travel arrangements, it offers a dazzling array of options, including hotels and car rentals, accessible with a simple click of the mouse.
5. Achieve Airline and Hotel "Elite" Status
Whenever possible, travel on the same major airline and book a room in the same hotel chain. Members of the elite class enjoy a variety of benefits, including baggage check-in at business or first class counters, bonus miles and the opportunity to receive upgrades on domestic flights, either free or for a nominal dollar amount. Hotels offer frequent-stay loyalty programs, which reward elite members with room upgrades and bonus hotel points.
6. Use Frequent Flyer Miles and Hotel Points Wisely
Smart travelers never waste air miles and hotel points, but instead get the highest return on them by redeeming them for premium travel—meaning business or first class—on international trips or for last-minute flights, which can be very expensive, and luxury hotel accommodations.
7. Purchase Frequent Flyer Miles Regularly
The world traveler who wants to fly in luxury regularly can do so by systematically purchasing miles from not just one, but multiple airlines. This strategy works much like a savings plan, ensuring a large payoff for the frequent flyer who consistently purchases the maximum amount of miles permitted.
8. Optimize Coach Class Comfort
Strategically choose seating that maximizes your chance for room to spread out, bring your own gourmet food and snacks and don't rely on the airlines for reading matter; bring your own newspapers, magazines and books.
9. Check Out Low-Cost Airlines
No frills doesn't necessarily mean no fun, but most low-cost airlines do cut corners with no pre-assigned seating, first class cabin or refreshment service policies. However, some major airline carriers are employing no-frill plans that still offer amenities and traditional frequent flyer programs.
10. Use Mileage Earning Credit/Charge Cards
Don't leave home without them! Every serious road warrior and world traveler will carry at least one mileage-earning affinity card, and many airlines, hotels and car rental companies offer bonus miles and points to travelers using a specific credit card.
Adapted from Guerrilla Travel Tactics: Hundreds of Simple Strategies Guaranteed to Save Road Warriors Time & Money, by Jay Conrad Levinson and Theo Brandt-Sarif (AMACOM, 2004). Click here to read a sample chapter from the book or here to access AMACOM's extensive catalog of business titles.
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