Don't let high gasoline prices and airfares keep you at home this summer
The headlines look grim for summer travel. Gasoline prices are near record highs. Airlines are cutting back and raising fares.
Don't stow your luggage just yet. This is a good time to find bargains.
Some of the best ways of locating travel deals are unconventional. You may have to track down a rare beast: a travel agent who answers the phone. Another route is to bypass the Internet and go directly to hotels to get the cheapest packages.
If you are diligent, you can probably get a better summer or fall travel bargain than last year's. Airlines and hotels are feeling the pinch. You may even be able to find a great deal through the art of negotiation.
The first rule of summer travel is a bit counterintuitive: Go where most northern tourists don't want to go: the tropics; countries that are hot; or US cities such as Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas.
My wife and I booked an anniversary trip to Spain in August last year. We got a great package, traveled in comfort on the excellent national rail system, and did what the Spanish do to avoid the daytime swelter: We dined late in the evening. We even got bumped up to business class on the flight back, without asking.
Part of nailing down a travel deal is the willingness to take some risk. I have used the online service Hotwire several times to book hotels on short notice. Here's the drill: You choose a city, a specific area and class of hotel, and provide your credit card number. The venue remains unnamed until you get a confirmation. I've had good luck. The last two times I used Hotwire, I was rewarded with four-star, big city hotels - priced at least 50 percent off the published rate.
Also try travelzoo.com, shermanstravel.com, or priceline.com for similar bargains.
Another useful method is to contact your lodging choice directly and ask for specials. Never pay the "rack rate," the published price before discounts are applied.
One of the best ways to dodge exorbitant gas prices is to take the train. Most museum-rich cities have subway and commuter rail lines that offer student and family discounts.
Then there's Amtrak, the national railroad. While it can't hold a candle to the superb networks in Japan and Europe, Amtrak offers numerous discounts and destinations. Children ages 2 through 15 ride half-price every day. Veterans and students get 15 percent off. Active military personnel, their spouses, and dependents get 10 percent discounts on most fares.
The kind of deal you get depends upon how much time you spend looking for it. All of the major travel websites - Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz - have deal sections. Most are off-peak bargains and probably won't include top seasonal venues.
And as airlines slash their schedules and raise fares, keep in mind you may pay top dollar for routes out of hub airports for direct flights.
John F. Wasik is a Bloomberg News columnist. He can be reached at jwasik@bloomberg.net.
