Key Ways for Saving on Accommodation

post from TravelPerch on 26 April 2012 10:24:09 PM. © TravelPerch

Accommodation can eat up a big part of your travel budget so here are some ways to keep lodging costs down:

Vacation Rentals

In travel tips classes I’ve taught, there are always a few attendees that mentioned how they had saved big by staying at a vacation rental. These rentals can be apartments or houses or rooms in houses that owners rent out. The best known website is Vacation Rental By Owner. The advantage is that you often have more space (a bonus when travelling with a family or group), can cook your own meals, can have access to pools or other amenities, not have to pay extra taxes and tips, and you can feel what it?s like to live as a local. The main disadvantage is that the owner may be located off-site and can?t quickly manage problems that arise such as noisy neighbors or dealing with an electric fireplace that won?t shut off (a problem we had with one rental ? we left voicemails for the owner and she never called but we were eventually able to resolve the problem.) Parking and arranging a time to meet with the owner to get the key can also be inconvenient. Two people who attended my classes mentioned problems they had but both situations were quickly dealt with once they asked VRBO to get involved. Do a Google search of the owner to see if guests posted any negative experiences.

Priceline

If a vacation rental doesn?t suit you, one of the best ways to lower accommodation costs is through the website Priceline.com. Naturally, hotels aren?t eager to let it out of the bag that they need rooms filled so this website fills a great need for hotels to discount their rooms while giving travellers a price cut. In a nutshell, you submit a bid for a hotel room of your selected star rating, area of a city and dates along with your credit card details and Priceline lets you know if your bid was accepted or not. If it is accepted, Priceline then charges your credit card and tells you what hotel you?re staying at. It?s a bit complicated, can be time-consuming but is kinda exciting! Go to the ?Need Help?? section of their home page and then, head to the ?Name your own price? section of the home page. Check out BetterBidding.com or BiddingforTravel.com to assist you in figuring out how much to bid. It?s widely believed that hotels give the poorer quality rooms to guests who have booked through Priceline and other third party websites. At one hotel I stayed at, I found that this was the case but not at another one. Keep in mind that there are service fees and once your bid is accepted, you can?t get a refund.

Hotwire

Hotwire.com is easier to navigate than Priceline as it basically tells you, ?We have a 4* hotel in the downtown area of Vancouver and the rate is $99 for the dates you?ve selected.? Then, all you need to do is decide if you want it or not. I?ve read that Hotwire?s prices are usually about 15% higher than Priceline?s. Again, there are service fees and once you book it, you can?t get a refund. BetterBidding.com and BiddingforTravel.com provide excellent tips.

Other Helpful Websites

The go-to website for many frequent fliers is Kayak.com which tells where the best on-line deals are for your preferred hotel. One hotel I was at mentioned that TravelZoo.ca (TravelZoo.com in the US) offers great bargains. Expedia.ca (Expedia.com in the U.S.) can sometimes offer great deals. Visiting a hotel?s website can often net you big savings because they may have special promotions tucked away somewhere.

Give Them a Ring

Calling a hotel directly, rather than their 1-800 number (if it?s a hotel chain) is another wise option because the hotel itself knows better if they need to fill rooms and therefore are more open to discounting the rate. Inquire about any special rates if you?re a CAA (AAA) member, attending a convention, are/were a member of the military, etc.

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Tips for Saving on Accommodation

post from TravelPerch on 26 April 2012 09:25:01 PM. © TravelPerch

Accommodation can eat up a big part of your travel budget so here are some ways to keep lodging costs down:

Vacation Rentals

In travel tips classes I’ve taught, there were always a few attendees that mentioned how they had saved big by going with a vacation rental. These rentals can be apartments or houses or rooms in houses that owners rent out. The best known website is Vacation Rental By Owner. The advantage is that you often have more space (a bonus when travelling with a family or group), can cook your own meals, can have access to pools or other amenities, not have to pay extra taxes and tips, and you can feel what it?s like to live as a local. The main disadvantage is that the owner may be located off-site and can?t quickly manage problems that arise such as noisy neighbors or dealing with an electric fireplace that won?t shut off (a problem we had with one rental ? we left voicemails for the owner and she never called but we were eventually able to resolve the problem.) Parking and arranging a time to meet with the owner to get the key can also be a hassle. Two people who attended my classes mentioned problems they but both were quickly dealt with once they asked VRBO to get involved. Do a Google search of the owner to see if guests had any negative experiences.

Priceline

If a vacation rental doesn?t suit you, one of the best ways to lower accommodation costs is through the website Priceline.com. Naturally, hotels aren?t eager to let it out of the bag that they need rooms filled so this website fills a great need for hotels to discount their rooms while giving travellers a price cut. In a nutshell, you submit a bid for a hotel room of your selected star rating, area of a city and dates along with your credit card details and Priceline lets you know if your bid was accepted or not. If it is accepted, Priceline then charges your credit card and tells you what hotel you?re staying at. It?s a bit complicated, can be time-consuming but is kinda exciting! Go to the ?Need Help?? section of their home page and then, head to the ?Name your own price? section of the home page. Check out BetterBidding.com or BiddingforTravel.com to assist you in figuring out how much to bid. It?s widely believed that hotels give the poorer quality rooms to guests who have booked through Priceline and other third party websites. At one hotel I stayed at, I found that this was the case but not at another one. Keep in mind that there are service fees and once your bid is accepted, you can?t get a refund.

Hotwire

Hotwire.com is easier to navigate than Priceline as it basically tells you, ?We have a 4* hotel in the downtown area of Vancouver and the rate is $99 for the dates you?ve selected.? Then, all you need to do is decide if you want it or not. I?ve read that Hotwire?s prices are usually about 15% higher than Priceline?s. Again, there are service fees and once you book it, you can?t get a refund. BetterBidding.com and BiddingforTravel.com provide excellent tips.

Other Helpful Websites

The go-to website for many frequent fliers is Kayak.com which tells where the best on-line deals are for your preferred hotel. One hotel I was at mentioned that TravelZoo.ca (TravelZoo.com in the US) offers great bargains. Expedia.ca (Expedia.com in the U.S.) can sometimes offer great deals. Visiting a hotel?s website can often net you big savings because they may have special promotions tucked away somewhere.

Give Them a Ring

Calling a hotel directly, rather than their 1-800 number (if it?s a hotel chain) is another wise option because the hotel itself knows better if they need to fill rooms. Inquire about any special rates if you?re a CAA (AAA) member, attending a convention, are/were a member of the military, etc.

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Poll: About 40% of Foreign Residents Have Little
Social Interaction With Japanese People

post from Japan Probe on 26 April 2012 08:35:01 PM. © Japan Probe

The Yomiuri Shimbun has reported about the results of a survey conducted among foreign residents of Toyota, a city in Aichi prefecture known for its auto factories, which employ many foreign workers. One thousand foreigners took the survey. The most represented nationalities were Brazilians (117), Chinese (90), and Filipinos (55). The results seem to show [...]

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PHOTO: Palacio de Gobierno (Governors Palace) at
Plaza de Armas in the Historic Center of Lima, Peru

post from Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel on 26 April 2012 05:45:11 PM. © Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel

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Walking the Streets of Cusco

post from Streets of Lima on 26 April 2012 02:25:11 PM. © Streets of Lima

[...]

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Terracotta Warriors, horses arrive in Times
Square

post from NewYorkology on 26 April 2012 01:33:53 PM. © NewYorkology

A small but distinguished group of Terracotta Warriors from China on Friday will go on display at the Discovery Times Square, bringing the 2,000-year old life-sized statues to New York City for the first time.The exhibition includes seven of the original[...]

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racotta_warr_1.php

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R&B Fest at Metrotech features Fishbone, Arturo
OFarrill

post from NewYorkology on 26 April 2012 11:02:17 AM. © NewYorkology

Downtown Brooklyn’s free mid-day concert series will begin June 7 with a performance by Larry Graham and Graham Central Station and continue Thursdays at noon through Aug. 9 with the likes of Fishbone, Blitz the Ambassador and Arturo O?Farrill,[...]

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fest_at_metr.php

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Free summer Thursday concerts at MetroTech R&B
Fest

Downtown Brooklyn’s free mid-day concert series will begin June 7 with a performance by Larry Graham and Graham Central Station and continue Thursdays at noon through Aug. 9 with the likes of Fishbone, Blitz the Ambassador and Arturo O?Farrill,[...]

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fest_at_metr.php

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Anti-Piracy Curtain

Diginfo visits a trade show to get a look at a new invention that is supposed to protect merchant ships from pirates: “Ordinary anti-piracy systems use water cannons to spray high-pressure jets at pirates. But our system deters intruders by sending water downward like a waterfall, and it is also very easy to see from [...]

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