Travel Advice For the Holidays

So we're nearing the major holidays and that means flying for a lot of us. As most of you know, I've done me some traveling. So, I'm offering up some advice on how to make both flying and hotel stays easier!

Flying:

- The sooner you book, the cheaper the flight:
If you know now where you're going for Christmas, book the flight. Airlines raise their seat prices the closer the flight date arrives, and the more full the plane gets. Procrastination can cost you hundreds of dollars.

- You can score awesome gifts by taking a later flight:
Airlines over book on almost all flights to guarantee a full plane. Once it's getting close to boarding time, start paying more attention to the announcements, airlines will offer free gifts to anyone willing to leave on a later flight. These range from $300 off your next flight, to upgrades to first class.

- Know going in that you are looking for the mentioned gifts:
Hesitation by asking the people you are flying with if they want to take the later flight, and debating over the pros and cons will cost you. You will need to rush the counter to take advantage of the offer.

- Explore the airport:
So you showed up 2 hours early, your luggage is checked and now what?
More airports are giving their guests something to do. These range from massages to high end shopping stores. Depending on the airport and airline, you can even use frequent flier miles as money. Look around instead of claiming a seat and not moving. Why not get a massage with those left over points?

- Research, research, research:
Don't want to be one of those people running through DWF because you have no idea where your gate is? Research the layout of the airport online, print out or write down some basic directions on where to go once you arrive. It will make huge airports seem less over whelming and you won't have to deal with rude airport staff.

- Be a frequent flier:
Even if you only fly a couple times a year, pick one airline and stay faithful. Frequent Fliers are offered sooner boarding, and first class treatment even if you're in coach.

Hotels:

- There is a huge difference between a corporate hotel and independently owned:
Say you're looking for a nice pleasant stay at Country Inn. You surfed their site, the hotel looked amazing. You get there and it's nothing like the site said. The staff is rude, the room is dirty and the vending machines don't work. What do you do? You call the customer service line, but they tell you to take your complaint else where. Why? Because while a chain, each hotel has it's own owner.
While some independently owned hotels pride themselves on being well maintained, others know they can get away with pretty low standards. While you can't control the quality of the hotel, know where to place your complaints so you don't feel like you are wasting your time.

- Don't assume a hotel will have rooms:
Sometimes, even the cheapest of hotels will be full. There is no need to put off booking a room when you know you're going to need one. Procrastinating could cost you extra money and time by having to book a more expensive room than you planned, and also being further away from your destination than you wanted to be.

- Book in advance, call twice to confirm you have a room:
Once you book your room, call the hotel a week before to confirm it's still there. Some bookings never make it to the hotel, others get over looked or over written. Two days before your arrival, call again. It might sound like you are bothering the staff, but it's better to be sure you'll have a place to sleep than trying to get comfortable on your Grandmother's couch that's as old as she is.

- Research the area yourself, do not count on the desk girl to tell you a good place to get food:
The staff is not your travel guide. They might know very little about the area, or have tastes that are far different from yours. Just because they work a hotel counter does not turn them into a personal travel guide. Do some research to seek out food and places of interest to you.

- Be faithful to a chain:
Much like Frequent Fliers get special treatment, so do VIP hotel members. From free laundry service, to free room upgrades a VIP members card can get you a lot of stuff and save you money in the long run

- Take advantage of the hotel staff:
If the hotel offers a free service, take it. You're on vacation, why hassle yourself with trying to find a taxi when the hotel will call one for you? Learn what the hotel offers, and take full advantage of their services.

- Don't leave your room looking like a crime scene:
Think no one will ever know it was you who tore the curtains, left that nasty stain in the sink, or stole the towels? Think again. Hotels can and do keep records of ruined items and trashed hotel rooms. While you might not always see a charge for towels on your credit card, you might be denied staying in the hotel again, or charged a higher rate than last time.