All Inclusive & Last Minute Vacation Packages

Online Travel Sites, Loyalty Programs, Deals, Discounts for Savings

Sep 22, 2008

An excellent " What's the Deal?" column rounds up the best travel bargains around the globe, by land, sea and air - and it appears online first.

The Washington Post travel experts recommend money-saving travel tips every Thursday online and Sunday in print. They find savings on sites like TravelZoo and Travelocity, deals from airline and car rental loyalty programs, discount tour and cruise operators, direct rentals from vacation property owners, and give tips like picking cheaper destinations, and looking for seasonal specials, e.g. $2 or $3 per day one-way car rentals for returning snowbirds.

Retired and semi-retired people with flexible schedules can go where - and when - the deals are.

Websites for Saving Money on Vacations: Sign Up for Savings by Email

Reputable aggregator sites (sites that combine travel deals from many sources) include

The big travel booking sites e-mail info on deals and special offers that they broker with travel providers. Try:

Airline and Hotel Loyalty Programs Send Special Offers

Even if you haven't earned points, the companies will start sending you e-mails notifying you about their special offers. Frequently, you can qualify for the bargain simply by being a member of the program.

Check Discount Tour Operators for Package Deals , Hotels, Cruises

Cruise Discounters for Low Prices and Specials

Companies such as ICruise have weekly specials, clearance sales and low-price guarantees.

Save With Vacation Lodging Rentals Directly from Owners

Rates are frequently much better than at hotels, and since the properties usually have kitchens, renters also save money on meals. Sites include CyberRentals and Vacation Rentals by Owner.

Quiz the owner beforehand. Ask for pictures and the names and numbers of former renters.

Money-Saving Travel Tip: Choose Destinations with Cheaper Rates

Instead of trying to find sale fares to your destination of choice, consider places not on your radar screen that pop up on airline sales.

A Southwest Airlines sale fare to Albuquerque may be the incentive to visit Santa Fe, or a trip to New Orleans right now could make this your first Mardi Gras. The Post notes that travelers won't see as many sales to cities served by only one or two carriers

Save on One-Way Car Rentals Traveling North from Florida

Take advantage of winter travel! Snowbirds can save by taking the scenic route back from a winter break in Florida with a one-way car rental deal.

With Hertz in 2008, renters could pay $2 or $3 a day (plus taxes) for an economy car for pickups April 8-June 30 from any of seven Florida airport locations, including West Palm Beach, Miami, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.

The catch? The car had to be dropped of at designated locations in one of 36 cities. This deal for $2 daily applied to economy cars rented by by Feb. 28/08 and $3 a day by March 31/08. Watch to see if this offer comes out in 2009.

The Washington Post's "Deals" expert Carol Sottili and the Post's Travel staff come up with new ways to save on travel every week.

The copyright of the article All Inclusive & Last Minute Vacation Packages in Senior Travel is owned by Grace Lichtenstein. Permission to republish All Inclusive & Last Minute Vacation Packages in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.