By Mike DuBose

Over the last thirty years, there have been major changes in how we travel and costs have risen significantly! However, as a frequent traveler, I have learned that it is possible to travel at a higher level of accommodation with a lower price. Before you begin, it is best to join travel organizations such as AARP [(800) 424-3410 or www.aarp.com] and AAA [(800) 477-4222 or www.aaa.com]. Both charge minimal fees and generally offer the premier discounts when renting cars or hotel rooms. Because of their significant membership base, these organizations have been able to negotiate with various automobile and hotel chains to offer their members significant discounts. These associations (particularly AAA) will also provide complimentary, valuable travel information such as maps, travel assistance, auto towing, help getting into your locked car, key replacement, discounted travel packages, and fuel when your car has run out of gas. Also, look for Internet travel companies that provide discounted prices such as Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, and Lowestfare, or have sites like Kayak.com compare results from several of these sites for you. You can search for discounted first-class seats at FareCompare.com or for slashed prices on coach seats (albeit undesirably located ones) at AirlineConsolidator.com and usaca.com. Search engines such as Excite, AOL, and Yahoo are also helpful. They provide excellent prices most of the time. I have successfully obtained a cheaper price for a hotel in the San Francisco Wharf area using the above resources for cheaper prices. Always compare the prices to what the hotels, airlines, and car rental companies are providing.

I always book my own travel arrangements versus using a travel agent because sometimes travel agents are very busy and won’t take time to search for the best deals by doing things like searching the Internet or calling the hotel directly. Their pay is often commission-based, so the more customers they provide service to, the higher their commission. However, some individuals establish close relationships with their travel agents so the agents know exactly what they want. This is an individual preference. The following are some suggestions on how to enjoy your travel while saving money too.

Hotels - Hotels are accessible through their chain's 800 number, online, or directly through the hotel. Most hotel chains have an Internet web page and advertise specials on that site. You can go to www.google.com and type in your hotel chain’s name under the search feature to find the hotel’s web page. Search the web page, contact the hotel’s 800 number, and call the hotel directly to find the best deal. For example, when I visited my son who attends college in another town, the hotel I stayed in had a reduced university rate that was unadvertised. As time nears your departure date, the number of deals on the web will generally increase since they are trying to fill their accommodations. However, be sure to book your room early, even at a higher price. You can always cancel later and substitute a better deal if you have found one. Many folks attending our seminars wait until the last minute only to find that all rooms closeby are taken! Also, if you are attending conferences, try to stay at the hotel where the conference is being held. It is nice to be able to run up to your hotel room to freshen up, drop off extra materials, and check your messages in peace. Also, in large cities such as New York, you may find a cheaper room a mile away, but it may take you an hour to drive that one mile! Even if you obtain a cheaper price than the group rate being advertised for your conference, be sure to ask to be listed with the group sponsoring the conference. Training organizations that use a significant number of sleeping rooms at a hotel can ask for extra treats and refreshments for the participants and can command extra attention from the staff.

When contacting the 800 number, remember that most receptionists are instructed to initially provide the higher price. Therefore, it is best to inquire about AARP, AAA, government, corporate, or any other discounts. School districts are considered government agencies. Ask them about special deals that the individual hotel may be offering at the time, such as free breakfast. Check different hotels from the same chain in the area since rates can be significantly different according to demand and the hotel’s location near tourist attractions. However, be aware that sometimes it is better to pay the higher rate and not have to pay for expensive parking (i.e., the Times Square Hilton in New York City charges about $40 per day for parking with additional fees if you take your car out during the day!).

Another surprising item I have learned is that if you call the 800 numbers at times, the same hotel chain receptionists will give out different rates. You have to continue working the 800 number until you get the best rates. I have found that the key is to call on different days and shifts (often, first shift is 7 am-3pm, second shift is 3 pm-11 pm, and third shift is 11 am-7 am). The less friendly, less customer satisfaction-oriented staff usually work the third shift and the most professional staff tend to work the first shift.

Make sure to join several hotel chain frequent customer clubs. Becoming a member of the club generally costs little to nothing and they often cater to you with extra perks such as free local calls, free breakfast, late check-outs, concierge club, preference in hotel rooms and floors, free morning paper, floor or room upgrades, no cost faxes, etc. Also, you will be provided frequent user points which can be traded in for free stays. Joining these clubs can be done very easily through the 800 number or the Internet. You may also want to purchase a telephone long distance card you can use while staying at hotels since hotels charge hefty long distance charges when their services are used, or just use your cell phone. The AT&T 1,000 minute card for $40 found at Sam’s Club is a great deal at 4 cents per minute.

Confirmations & Billing - When making your reservation, be sure to obtain a confirmation number and ask the receptionist to fax or mail you a written confirmation. Hotels frequently overbook their rooms and can sometimes lose your reservation. Check in as early as possible (near 3:00 p.m. preferred) since hotel rooms will disappear as nighttime nears and they may be overbooked. A written confirmation ensures that your reservation exists. However, it is also recommended that you call the day before you travel to ensure your reservation still stands. One of my reservations for a New York stay was accidentally canceled by an 800 reservationist when I was making other reservations. Needless to say, I wish I had checked the reservation the day before I flew to New York--only to find that I had no hotel room!

When checking in at the front desk, always be cheerful because the front desk clerk has control over the room they place you in. Always ask politely for “the best room available at the price I paid.” I have been bumped into suites and nicer rooms just by being nice and treating the front desk clerk with a cheerful attitude. Always check the location of your room on the floor. You want to be somewhat close to an elevator and vending, but far enough away to avoid hearing the ice machines and the elevator bell ringing during the night. Typically, the cheap rooms (about 10 miles from the elevator ☺) are given to people who pay the least. Also, always ask for an extra key because Murphy’s Law will help you lose them.

When checking out of the hotel, ensure that your bill is accurate. At one recent conference, a hotel charged $700 to my conference bill in error. Be sure to save your written bills to verify the amount is correct on your credit card. Paying by credit card is always preferred because you have legal rights if your stay was less than satisfactory. Always cross check your bill with the credit card bill. Another chain once accidentally charged a $650 hotel bill twice on my American Express! If there is dissatisfaction (i.e., problems with the phone, a movie you did not like, etc.), they always will give you credit if you ask for it cheerfully.

Airlines - Negotiating with airlines is more difficult. Because of the reduction in travel agent fees, agents make very little on the flights. Airlines such as Delta now generally provide you with the lowest fare on the Internet. All airlines have their own websites where special deals and discounts are offered. Sometimes, you may have to travel to a major airline hub or purchase multiple tickets to obtain the best price. For example, for a flight to Honolulu, Hawaii, the cost of coach was $1,675 round trip. However, my staff found that by driving to Atlanta, Georgia (a major airline hub), they were able to secure a round trip flight for $450. We also recommend that our customers look for multiple discounted flights to combine for a final lower cost. For example, we looked on Delta’s web page and found a round trip flight from Baltimore to Los Angles for $286 and another flight from Los Angeles (the major hub for Hawaiian travel) to Honolulu for $639. The cost of purchasing two Delta tickets versus one was $925 for a total savings of $750. I prefer to fly Delta because of their safety and customer satisfaction levels. However, sometimes mixing airlines will further increase the discounts. One should also check one-way ticket prices and try using special deal combinations to save money. I also recently learned that calling the airline's 800 number will sometimes result in a lower price than using the Internet!

Travel Club Membership Benefits - I also recommend that you join the airline frequent flier clubs. They cost nothing and miles can add up for free tickets, upgrades, special care, access to special 800 numbers, and priority for upgrades. Also look for special credit card deals that provide you with frequent flier miles in return for purchases. I charge all of my personal expenses such as groceries and my companies’ supplies, travel, and equipment on my American Express card and as a result, my family flies first class to great resorts every year.

It is often difficult to use your frequent flier miles to redeem free airline tickets. Airlines limit the number of free seats which are reserved for the paying customers and frequent fliers. The key is to reserve your tickets far in advance and keep working the airline’s 800 number until you obtain the desired seats and travel times. I keep calling  and checking the websites at different times on different days and during different shifts to obtain what I want. Agents vary; some will take the time to work with you, whereas some will check quickly and tell you nothing is available. Some airlines, like Delta, have special customer care telephone lines. These are staffed by trained, experienced agents who will take more time with you.

Always pay with credit cards that provide life and travel insurance such as American Express. Consider booking your flight on the Internet since you are often awarded additional frequent flier miles for doing so. You can explore the different deals by talking with the airline agent and then going to the web to make your purchase. .

Automobiles - Renting automobiles is like renting hotel rooms--prices are all over the board. You should follow the same guidelines. We have found that AARP and AAA command the best discounts and we typically rent from Avis or Hertz since they are partners with Delta Airlines. Look for car, hotel, and airline partners that work together since you can obtain additional points for using certain partners. Government prices are the highest because of the billing problems the companies have to go through. One should also join the car clubs at no or minimal costs since you receive priority service when arriving at the rental car lot. Always pay by a credit card that provides insurance coverage beyond that of your insurance company. While this is a personal preference, I decline the expensive extra insurance coverage provided by the auto rental companies, but this varies according to your circumstances and insurance coverage. Compare the prices for unlimited miles versus limited daily miles. Sometimes, if you do not require extended travel, the cheaper daily rate with limited miles may be preferable. Compare weekly rates with daily rates. Recently, I found the weekly rate cheaper than a five-day rate. Consequently, I kept the car a couple extra days even though I didn’t need it. Sometimes, you can buy hotel/car/air packages through companies such as AAA that are cheaper than negotiating separate car, airline, and hotel reservations. Also, don’t forget those travel coupons that airlines often offer. They can provide you with an upgrade. And always top off your gas tank prior to returning to avoid paying high fees to have the company fill up the tank after you return the car.

Also, be sure to take a cell phone that has national coverage with you when traveling. They are great for conducting business, arranging new flights if yours gets cancelled, and for obtaining emergency help. Prices for phones with national coverage (i.e., no roaming or long distance charges) have dropped in price. Many new cell phones also have Internet access.

Hope you have a great trip!

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Mike DuBose is a field instructor with USC’s graduate school and has been in business since 1981. He is the servant leader and owner of six debt-free corporations, including Columbia Conference Center, Research Associates and The Evaluation Group.

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