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."

Hotwire's New Trip Watcher Tracks Flight, Car and Hotel Prices

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:00:44 PDT

As much fun as planning a trip can be, there's always so much stress and worry when it comes to prices. Am I getting a deal? Will flight prices go down? Should I book last minute? Another reason why I absolutely love technology - enough with the travel booking stress! Farecast and Kayak are great for getting price alerts on flights, but what if you want an alert service that basically acts as your own travel agent, you've got to check out Hotwire's latest feature (it just launched yesterday!) Trip Watcher.

With Trip Watcher you can watch specific travel itineraries and get email alerts about price drops for hotel rooms, car rentals and airfares. Just input dates (can be up to a sixty day range), destination, possible airports and Trip Watcher will compare them with all of their Hotwire itineraries. Once your Trip Watcher page is set up (you can include up to 25 trips), there will be a running history of your requested dates and destinations, plus the prices changes for each!

Find Out Which Hotel You're Booking on Hotwire With BidGoggles

Emily Co — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:15:40 PDT

Booking blind can be a little frustrating, especially when you don't get the hotel you're hoping for. But the savings might just be worth it. You might be happy to know that you can arm yourself with BidGoggles, a free web tool that will lower the risk of booking an unwanted hotel by doing its best to reveal the mystery hotel you're looking at on Hotwire.

All you need to do is plug in the hotel's amenities, star rating, and neighborhood, and BidGoggles will run through information compiled from people who have made recent Hotwire purchases to make an educated guess on the unknown hotel.

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.

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.

The Best Student Discounts and Other Savvy Hits of the Week!

Emily Co — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:15:11 PDT

I wish I were back in college! Check out the best student discounts.
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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.

25 Ways to Waste Your Money

Kiplinger — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:15:53 PST

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

Has your budget sprung a leak?

Nearly everyone has spending holes. And as with other kinds of leaks, you may have hardly noticed them. But those small drips can quickly add up to big bucks. The trick is to find the holes and plug them so you can keep more money in your pocket. That extra cash could be the ticket to finally being able to save, invest, or break your cycle of living from paycheck to paycheck.

Here are 25 common ways people waste money. See if any of these sound familiar, then look for ways to plug your own leaks:

1. Carrying a balance. Debt is a shackle that holds you back. For instance, if you have a $1,000 balance on a credit card that charges an 18% rate, you blow $180 every year on interest. Get in the habit of paying off your balance in full each month.

2. Overspending on gas and oil for your car. There’s no need to spring for premium fuel if the manufacturer says regular is just fine. You should also check to make sure your tires are optimally inflated to get the best gas mileage. And are you still paying for an oil change every 3,000 miles? Many models nowadays can last 5,000 to 7,000 miles between changes, and some even have built-in sensors to tell you when it’s time to change the oil. Check your manual to find the best time for your car’s routine maintenance.

3. Keeping unhealthy habits. Smoking costs a lot more than just what you pay for a pack of cigarettes. It significantly increases the cost of life and health insurance. And you'll pay more for homeowners and auto insurance. Add in various other expenses, and the true cost of smoking adds up dramatically over a lifetime - $86,000 for a 24-year-old woman over a lifetime and $183,000 for a 24-year-old man over a lifetime, according to The Price of Smoking (The MIT Press).

Another habit to quit: indoor tanning. There is now a 10% tax on indoor tanning services. As with cigarettes, the true cost of tanning - which the World Health Organization lists among the worst-known carcinogens - is higher than just the price you pay each time you go to the salon.

Read on to find out what other budget leaks you should avoid.