GeekSugar

How to Be Smart About Bidding For Hotels

Emily Co — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:31:56 PDT

If you know how to play the Priceline game, you might be saving a ton of money on your travel digs. But there is a technique, and there are plenty of forums, like BiddingforTravel, that share tricks to gaming the bidding system. CNN recently spoke to the founder of BiddingForTravel, Sheryl Mexic, who shared some tips to winning hotel bids.

Priceline is the best choice for US hotels. Sheryl says Priceline is a better deal than Hotwire because "Priceline will accept a bid at their cost or higher and their profit comes from overbids," and Hotwire generates profits by building them into their set prices.
Detecting a hotel on Hotwire. One attractive feature of Hotwire is that it lists hotel amenities, which makes it easier for consumers to figure out which hotel it is. Users can use BidGoggles, which is a free tool that will help you figure out which mystery hotel you're looking at on Hotwire. It does this by combing through data submitted by Hotwire users and matching up the hotel with information that you have plugged in.
Figure out if you should go with conventional booking. If where your hotel is located is very important to you, you might want to book it through the conventional means instead of booking blind. Remember that if you're booking through Priceline, you'll only be guaranteed double occupancy, so you might end up with one bed. That's something to consider as well if having two beds is important. Hotwire, on the other hand, allows you to name the number of guests rooming with you.
Rebid smartly. In Priceline, if your bid isn't accepted, you get the option of waiting another 24 hours to bid again or changing some details such as star rating, zones, or dates. CNN advises to "re-bid a higher amount adding zones that only offer hotels at lower star-ratings than you've selected."

5 iPhone Apps That Make Booking Travel Easy

Kristy Korcz — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 02:10:49 PDT

Spring is in the air, which makes me want to get outside and see new places. If you've got a spur of the moment inclination to go somewhere new, these apps can help you book your travel accommodations on the fly. Best part is, they're all free! Don't think, just do.

Online Vacation Planning Advice From Ocpinay

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:00:03 PDT

Reader ocpinay shares her favorite sites for planning last-minute vacations on her OnSugar Blog, Tech Living.

I have learned to Google "Things to do in [type in city name]" to get ideas on what to do in cities I've never been to before. I get weekly Travelzoo, TripWolf and BookingBuddy newsletters that informs me about great travel deals. One of the travel sites I usually go to, especially for last minute trips is Priceline. I scope out their lists of hotels in the area I am interested in, then find a suitable star-rating I'm comfortable with before naming my own price.

For more of ocpinay's tips just,

read more. My husband needs to go to Oxnard on business this weekend and he proposed to make it a little weekend getaway for us. He confirmed the trip with me last night. I researched the average rates of hotels in the area using Hotels.com and I bid on them at Priceline. The most cost efficient location I got was in Camarillo - yes, where the outlet shops are. It's a short drive away from Santa Barbara where we want to spend some time sightseeing, and it's near Oxnard where he has an appointment. I was able to book a hotel, research things to do, and essentially plan our weekend in less than thirty minutes. How cool is that? Spring is almost here and the sun is shining brightly in the California sky. It's time to think of spring getaways and summer vacation trips. Whether you're going on a staycation or traveling far, websites can help you plan it all in the comforts of your home. Do a little research today and you might just save a bundle with deals you find online! For even more online travel-booking and tech tips, follow ocpinay's blog, and check out my naming your own price tips to make the most of your vacation!

Get Cheap Rooms With These "Name Your Own Price" Tips

GeekSugar — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:15:19 PDT

Travel season is upon us, and I'll be the first to say I have champagne taste, but am confined to a beer-sized budget. Finding deals on hotels and flights has never been so important, especially with gas prices and travel costs through the roof! So lately, Priceline's "Name Your Price" feature (you know the commercials - William Shatner is the "Priceline Negotiator"?) has been looking more and more attractive, but I've heard a story or two about users who have been less than thrilled with their rooms once they've arrived.

My girl Petsugar has been there and told me about a site she found that deconstructs the rules and ways of Priceline's hotel selection process. Dubbed BiddingForTravel, this site schools you on some sweet tips and tricks to using Priceline, and now Petsugar can even guess (correctly!) which hotel she is bidding on!

Go through BiddingForTravel's helpful FAQs first to learn how Priceline chooses your hotels and flights, then start bidding. If it's all too much and you need further help, request for bid assists from the pros to help you get the room and location you want for your next vacay. That's what I call full service!

Want some more tips on how to bid for rooms on Priceline? Then just

Priceline's Updated App Has a Bit More Boom Boom Pow

GeekSugar — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:30:36 PST

If you've seen one hotel-finding app, you've seen them all. Whether it's Travelocity, Orbitz, or Kayak, you enter in your destination and - boom - you get some detailed search results to help you decide where to rest your head at night. But Priceline's free updated travel app is offering up a cool feature that totally makes me feel like a super-saver spy.

Called Hotel Radar, it uses your iPhone 3GS's compass to locate deals around your current location. Just point your phone in any direction, and the app will sweep the area around you, finding available deals like active land mines. Touch the price, and you'll be provided with prices, ratings, reviews, and availability in no time flat. It's free, and I have to admit - besides being fun to play around with, the opening sequence with William Shatner is kind of awesome.

11 Sure-Fire Ways to Save on Last-Minute Trips

Emily Co — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:10:42 PST

If you haven't booked your Thanksgiving trip, you better get going. Fees are going up and up, and it doesn't seem like they're about to drop. Since there are going to be fewer travelers this year and airlines have cut thousands of seats this holiday season, ticket prices are expected to be six to 12 percent higher than last year. Here are some ways you can still save as a last-minute traveler:

Be realistic: Keep in mind that tickets are going to be more expensive, so don't keep hoping that you'll be able to get tickets for the same price you got last year. Factor in the six to 12 percent increase in costs.
Act fast: Don't hold off on booking and keep telling yourself that it's going to go down. If you see a good deal, just book it before it rises - you're out of time. I've made that mistake before and the prices just kept rising, so I had to change my travel plans. If you're willing to risk it, use the fare predictor on Bing Travel to give you an idea of whether the ticket price is about to rise or fall.
Use your points: When prices are inflated, it's the perfect time to use the reward points you've accumulated. Play around with the points you have in every account to see which one gets you a better deal. You can often combine points and cash to get the flight, hotel, or car you want. Remember that you don't always get a better deal when you're redeeming items in the same category. Sometimes you can get a great rental car deal with mileage points or a flight with hotel reward points. To better organize your points, be sure to sign up for Award Wallet. It's a site that'll help you view all your rewards in one place.
Ask for points: Another idea is to ask a family member or a good pal to donate some points to you to help you out. Depending on the program, the process can be quite lengthy or old school - the donor might have to go directly to a mortar and brick office to book on your behalf or they might also be charged a fee for transferring points. Offer to cover the fee to compensate them for giving you a hand.

Read on for more ways to save.

Your One-Stop Guide For Saving on Holiday Travel

Emily Co — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:00:59 PDT

It's time to start scouting for deals and prepping for holiday travel (props to you if you've already done this!), before the prices start rising. Don't book your trip at the last minute, because the holidays are prime travel season, which means sky-high costs for airlines, car rentals, and hotels. Read on to find out the best ways to save on your upcoming holiday trip.

Picking a destination

Perhaps you're not planning on returning home for the holidays and would like to use the days off to take a trip - you need to start researching some budget destinations. Some countries to look at include places that are seeing a decline in travelers. One in particular would be Japan as many people are still afraid of traveling there because of earthquake and radiation scares. Most parts of the country have not been affected, and cities like Osaka and Kyoto have been left relatively unscathed.

If you're interested in traveling to countries that have seen a drop in travel due to political unrest such as Egypt, it's best to reach out to locals to hear their thoughts on safety. Ask friends and family if they know anyone living in those countries, or post a question on Quora, Facebook and Twitter. For countries that have had civil and religious upheavals, you might want to check important political, historical, and religious dates that may cause conflicts. Check out some of Budget Travel's picks for top budget destinations this year if you're looking for more international travel ideas.

Another alternative is to check out underrated places that people often pass over. Lonely Planet gives a neat list of US cities that are often neglected and passed over for more famous spots such as New York, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.

Read after the jump to find out how to save on your travels.

12 Best Travel Sites to Save You Money

Kiplinger — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:15:08 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

Rising oil prices and increasing travel demand mean higher costs for your next vacation. But you can still find good deals -- if you know where to look online. Here are the best travel sites we’ve found to help you bag the best bargains on airfares, lodging, car rentals and all your other travel needs. Note: All but one of the following sites are free to use.

Airfares

1) Kayak.com scours hundreds of online sources for the cheapest fares available. The more flexible you are on time and destination, the better your chances of finding a great deal. Search for dates up to three days before and after your ideal travel dates, or use the Buzz tool to search for flights that leave within a calendar month, in the six upcoming weekends or just anytime. If you’re flexible on destination, Buzz lets you search a region, such as the Caribbean, Europe or Asia. And with the site’s Explore tool, you can scan a world map for all the destinations you can reach within a specified price range.

2) Bing Travel gives you a recommendation to either buy a ticket now or wait for a fare based on its “price predictor.” The price predictor forecasts whether fares on major domestic routes will go up or down. Enter your desired itinerary and the site will return a list of flight options, along with a recommendation to buy now or wait.

3) AirfareWatchdog works best for travelers ready to take off at the drop of a deal. The site has workers lurking on airline Web sites in anticipation of fare sales. They sign up for rewards programs to snag promotional codes and discount offers that can be passed on to AirfareWatchdog users. Bonus: The site includes fares from Southwest, JetBlue and other small airlines that may not appear on bigger search sites, such as Kayak and Bing.

To see what websites can help you save on flights, lodging, and more, read on.

13 Secrets to Save on Travel

Kiplinger — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:53:38 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

The travel industry is recovering from the recession. And unfortunately, stronger business for it means fewer deals for you. But with our 20 tips, you can still save on airfare, lodging, vacation packages and cruises.

Save on Airfare

1) Use Kayak.com to quickly scan hundreds of travel Web sites for the cheapest airfares. And don't forget to check Southwest.com - Kayak doesn’t include fares for the budget airline.

2) Sign up for airlines’ free e-mails to get sale alerts and coupon codes delivered straight to your in-box. Or visit AirfareWatchdog.com, where the site’s staff shares those promotional codes and special offers.

3) Check Bing Travel to save a fortune using its “price predictor,” which forecasts whether fares on major domestic routes will go up or down. Just enter your itinerary and the site will return a list of fares with a recommendation to either buy now or wait for a fare drop.

4) Try booking and flying at less-trafficked times. Fares tend to sneak up on the weekends, when more people are free to plan their travel, so book your flight on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Flying on those days, as well as on Saturday afternoons, also offer the best rates because fewer people travel at those times.

For more secrets to save on travel, read on.

5 Out of the Ordinary Places to Look For Vacation Lodging

Elka Karl — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:00:17 PDT

For most of us, going on vacation usually means booking a stay at a hotel or resort. These stays are booked directly through the hotel or through a website, such as Priceline or Travelocity, and unless you're willing to pay major money for your stay, you're often stuck with cookie cutter rooms that look much the same regardless of location. For those of us looking for a more unique and authentic form of vacation lodging, but are reluctant to pay major money for your lodging, there are some great options. Take a look at some of my top choices, and then take them into consideration the next time you're booking a stay for a wedding, Summer vacation, or extended weekend trip.

Digsville lists home exchanges in more than 55 countries, while Home Exchange facilitates home exchanges with home owners all over the world. Learn more about home swaps in this post.
VRBO is a directory listing for vacation rentals by owner.
The Hospitality Club focuses on bringing people together from different cultures, and can help you find free accommodation around the world.
Vacation Rentals Directory is a human-edited directory of vacation rentals website indexing 1,152 vacation rentals websites covering 386 destinations.
Airbnb offers full houses, or rooms in homes, in different destination cities across the world, with guests and hosts directly communicating about stay details.

Out of all of these, I've been most fascinated by AirBnB. I've used VRBO on several different occasions with positive results, and have just booked our first international trip through VRBO. However, I think that next on my list of services to try will be Airbnb. Keep reading for a video explaining the service.