Making Travel Costs Affordable
You’d think that I spend over twenty thousand a year in travel costs. But, that’s not true. In fact, with a well worked out travel plan, you can save that much in a year if you travel as much as I do.
You know you are going to be traveling and you know when. That’s the perfect time to get great deals. But, you don’t always know do you? So, there’s a solution for that as well.
- Deals on Flights and Hotels
- Deals on Restaurants and other Amenities
- Know When to Pass the Buck
Deals on Flights and Hotels
I’m sure you know about getting cheaper flights and hotels by making plans far in the future. Well, that’s not the only way even though it works rather well. Both hotels and airlines love it when people make plans in the future so that they can make plans themselves.
But, hotels and airlines also don’t like when they have empty rooms or empty seats. Calling at the last minute and taking advantage of an opening can save you big on travel costs. Plus, pay for all your travel arrangements with your travel credit card to build up miles. I’ve literally flown for free at times because I’ve had enough miles to cover the trip.
Deals on Restaurants and Other Amenities
Most major cities have some great deals worked out with travel agents. Make sure you ask before you fly. Any quality agent should know about what is commonly known as a “pass.”
You purchase the card for the city and you get head of the line privileges at some of the best restaurants in town. Plus, you get free or reduced entrances to the city’s top museums and other landmarks. It doesn’t hurt to ask. And even if a city doesn’t have a “pass,” they might have some great deals anyway that you might want to know before you go.
Know When to Pass the Buck
Your travel arrangements shouldn’t always be on you. A client calls me and asks me for an unscheduled meeting, I expect them to pay for the trip. I don’t care what kind of arrangements they make. If they put me up in their home, that’s fine with me. I’ll eat the left over spaghetti. But, I’m not afraid to ask. You should see how reasonable clients are when they know they are putting you on the spot.
If you actually spend thousands of dollars in travel a year, it’s not a bad idea to learn a few tricks and save yourself some money. “A penny saved is a penny earned.” That’s true. A dollar here and a dollar there really adds up over the course of a year.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 6:13 pm and is filed under plan, flights, travel costs, travel arrangements, deals, flghts, credit card, fine dining, hotel, cafe, business trip, miles, travel.
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