Book Hotels Cheaper

A Family Friendly Option to Hawaii - Or Is It?

I am not a fan of 'special packages' where a figure that looks very, very good is dangled in front of you in an advertisement but by the time you get through the fine print, the REAL cost is nowhere near the suggested cost. A good example of that is this notice that recently came out from NorthWest Airlines. Travel to Hawaii from March 29th through Sept. 30th, stay in a participating Aston Hotel and kids stay AND fly free! Supposed fares were listed this way:

Sample Sale Prices

air + 7 nights Aston Hawaii hotel from*
Seattle	Big Island	Aston Kona by the Sea Includes: 1 free night; Aloha free deals; kids 12 and younger stay/play/eat free	$654
San Francisco	Maui	Aston at the Maui Banyan Kids 12 and younger stay/play/eat free	$690
Los Angeles	Maui	Aston at Papakea Resort Includes: 1 free night; Aloha free deals; kids 12 and younger stay/play/eat free	$836
Atlanta	Kauai	Aston Kauai Beach at Makaiwa Includes: 1 free night; $50 food and beverage credit; Aloha free deals; kids 12 and younger stay/play/eat free	$853
Portland	Maui	Aston Mahana at Kaanapali Includes: 1 free night; Aloha free deals; kids 12 and younger stay/play/eat free	$901
Minneapolis/St. Paul	Oahu	Aston Waikiki Sunset Includes: 1 free night; Aloha free deals; airport transfers; kids 12 and younger stay/play/eat free	$912
Salt Lake City	Oahu	Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel Includes: 1 free night; Aloha free deals, daily breakfast on beach; airport transfers; kids 12 and younger stay/play/eat free	$1,010

The biggest problems are these: taxes and fees are not included and that only one child per adult is allowed free. Just ONE. So if two adults are traveling and you'd think 2 kids could then travel free, you'd be wrong. I suppose you could book separate tickets but I am guessing in the fine, fine print, there will be a clause that restricts you from doing this. The maximum benefit of that free ticket is $900 and anything over that, you pay. Since some of the above fares are over $900 WITHOUT taxes and fees, it may still cost you hundreds to have one child fly FREE. Lastly, the fares shown are not necessarily available when you want to go. And of course tickets are limited too so if you think about booking this for more than a couple of days, I'm guessing that your dates will be sold out or only available at a higher price. Now for regular airfares.

Hotel Wireless Internet Service - The Good and the Bad

I recently came across a blog 'article' decrying the state of many hotels wireless internet service. The advice offered was good - that you need to learn by trial and error which hotels offer 'good' service (meaning lots of bandwidth). I know very well it is frustrating for guests who get 'kicked off' the internet - I hear it all the time. What they don't realize is perhaps the very crux of the matter.

Hotels (excepting those who CHARGE for wireless connections or those that have "Business Centers") are there to provide rooms and sometimes food. They are not Internet cafes and should not be expected to have state of the art bandwidth and IP protocols that allow people to use a room like their business office. Whenever we have had complaints about getting 'kicked off', we usually discover the guests were trying to download huge files, or access their intra net service through their work servers. Some guests try to upload PDF files that IBM's home office would have trouble processing. And they wonder why the service was slow or knocked them off suddenly.

The reason is similar to watching a snake consume a fairly large meal - the meal tends to SLOWLY pass through the snakes stomach and you can lityerally see the bulge pass through until the digestive juices have dissolved dinner. It is just the same with internet bandwidth. Free internet in rooms is generally more than sufficient for guests to research the net, check e-mails, print out boarding passes. Try to downlaod e-books or upload work files and you are asking for trouble. It slows the system for everyone and when more than one guests tries to download work files or upload major reports, everyone suffers.

Small hotels (like ours) offering FREE wireless cannot be expected to install $100,000 broadband service (unless they are charging for the connections or for the service or advertise 'Business Centers'.) In my view, people need to remember that most hotels and motels do not even offer wireless service and when it is free, it was not intended to replace your office system.

After the Economic Collapse - What to Expect When Recovery Starts

My second part to the recent economic post I just put out. In it, the Gaussian copula formula was offered as the model that brought our economy to near collapse. So what is in store hereafter? When will the economy recover and how will we know?

Both are not possible to answer. One could guess but everyone can do that. What we know from experience is that we probably won't know until we are well within a recovery. (One sign of a bottoming out will no doubt be no more job losses. If we keep seeing higher unemployment and keep hearing from our friends and relatives about friends and relatives who have lost their jobs, we are not at the bottom!)

One interesting fact though is undeniable. What lengthened the collapse of Wall St. was the banks unwillingness to loan out the bail out money they were handed. It was (and still is) a lack of credit that has caused both small and large businesses' cash flows to dry up like a Texas stream in summer. The article I am linking to describes what to expect however AFTER credit starts flowing. It starts with the money supply and even if you absolutely HATE economics or money and banking or statistics, read this article anyway. Because if inflation DOES follow any credit resurgence, it is bound to devalue what money we hold and prices will be set to skyrocket again.

So in the end, when you see produce and gasoline and goods and services (hotel rates, airfares, etc) rising inexplicably, it just might be that the recovery is near at hand. But that means inflation is too and that is not a good thing either.

One Cause of the Economic Collapse

I know I am a travel blogger. I know I am supposed to keep other topics OUT of my range of vision and off these pages - things like discussing religion or politics. Not because I don't follow them closely but because they are not what you came to read.

But sometimes things are complicated and connected in some ways. This describes the economy - as the economy goes, so will people's ability, willingness or desire to travel. Due to shrinking home values, declining retirement accounts and not to forget the specter of a job loss hanging over everyone's head, the travel industry has taken a beating right along with every other industry.

This causes prices to rise and fall and since that is what I report on most of the time, it is legitimate to pass along some insight about the economy, particularly how we get here. Eventually, I will be able to report how we are going to get OUT of it, but for now, simply passing along the facts is as good as I can due.

Portfolio.com has their finger on the pulse of the economy and their recent article regarding the mathematical formula Wall Street was using when it collapsed is a good read if you like to understand behind the scenes action. Which I love. I love to know "what REALLY happened." And what happened was the Gaussian Copula function, a mathematical model shared by all of Wall Street (though probably many had no idea what it was or how to use it) and when this formula broke down, so did the Street and subsequently the economy. Because remember, it wasn't unemployment, George Bush, overpaid executives or international economic collapses that caused our meltdown - it was WALL STREET. When Bear Stearns and then Lehman Bros went under - that is what started the house of cards tumbling.

Read the article and you'll soon see how it all came about.

Airfare Discounts - Check Spirit Air Specials

Normally, airfare sales are announced, the airlines say you must buy within a week and travel within a specified time frame. This is only valuable if suddenly you are taking a last minute trip or had put off making a reservation and now needed to fly.

Spirit Air is one of those newcomer, discount airlines which will probably be out of business before too long. One reason I believe that is because they offer HUGE savings and they can't make money that way. What they perhaps are doing is simply filling up planes where reservations are so low, they HAVE to slash the fares, (though some of the fares are good 90 days out). Plus the fact that they are not a legend carrier and people have never heard of them, so they have to do something to be noticed.

But check them out on their site. On Google, type in Spirit air, where they have a menu option that says Flight Deals. Click it and when you get to the SpiritAir page, scroll down FIRST to Spirit's Top Picks and see if any of the 25 choices match your needs. If not, go back up to near the top where it says "Click here to see what the sale is all about."

You will then see a HUGE menu offering discount flights for the dates they are available. Some ridiculous prices are available also (all one way but based upon your booking it round trip) - such as Detroit to LA for $109,to N.Y. for $59 or to Ft. Lauderdale for $79, taxes and fees extra. The REALLY good sales are to out of the country too - Ft. Lauderdale to Cancun ($59), Guatemala City ($69), Bogota ($69), Puerto Rico ($69) and Lima Peru ($159). The lowest prices shown are Ft. Lauderdale to the Bahamas ($19), Atlantic City to Boston ($29) and intra Florida routes (Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando) - all $19.

Look into their $9 Club also for special fares and also look into the $48 off coupon for eligible travel into Nov. 09. Both or either could save you even more.

Be Careful of the New Non-Cancelable Hotel Reservations

The latest rage in the Hotel business is to offer PrePaid, non-cancelable and non-changeable reservations. Though it requires a hotel or motel to reduce rates even lower than their previous lowest "Best" rate, many hoteliers are more than glad to make this deal. Here is why.

Hotels usually have an internet price or a 'Best Rate' which is somewhere around 10% off the regular posted rate. With a public that has refused to book any advance reservations in this economic downturn unless they see a 'great' deal, hotels started offering multi night purchases at usually 15% off. Now, they even offer a 20% off advance rate (usually 14 days in advance required) but with the caution that this reservation is neither changeable nor cancelable. I can tell you that people are lapping it up - instead of getting a couple per week, we are getting several a DAY sometimes. Seems like a fair deal for all - with an added 5% discount, the hotel gets to charge your credit card immediately and not only use your money for whatever duration until arrival but it lessens the odds of people not showing up or canceling.

But that is not what is happening. Even though it is clearly stated that this is a non changeable reservation, people seem to think if weather makes it impossible to travel, hotels will relent and allow them to cancel, even on the night of arrival. Or they call up to change the dates 2 months in advance. They are furious when told they can't change the date even by one day. I know - I've gotten a couple of those calls.

Here is what people need to realize. In an ordinary hotel with a rack (published) rate of say $85, you can almost always book a room at $76.50 and change the date or cancel it within the allowed cancel period. If you are staying 2 or more nights on the 15% off,14 day advance booking rate, the room rate would be $72.25 per night. With the 20% non cancelable rate, it comes down to $68.00.

Many see the $68 rate and ASSUME nothing will change their plans, so they plow ahead and book at the lowest rate they can find. Some aren't reading the disclaimers and are not even aware the reservation is non cancelable. Shock turns to anger when they call up the day before and say they aren't coming and they find out they can't cancel ANY of the nights.

Panama - It's NOT So Expensive After All

In my efforts to find great honeymoon locations for our new book, I investigated and or wrote about Belize, Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico. Though I already knew that Panama is not a Third World country by any means, it does have the ring of a laid back, island paradise to it because it has so much beach front property on BOTH oceans. What I didn't know was how cheap a trip to there really is.

Did you know you can fly there from Detroit (I know, its DETROIT) or Chicago for only $234 round trip per person? That's practically cheaper than Hawaii! I explored airfares from many points in the U.S. in fact and is still should never cost over $500 per person no matter where you reside. (OK, Nome is not in the cards on this one! In fact, NOWHERE in Alaska is on the radar for a trip to Central or South America)

What I found however was astounding once you get there. Quick trips by air for $50 or less within Panama. Boat trips or water taxis for under $5. And a plethora of islands to visit - too many to identify or explore in depth for our book. But I'll share with you the itinerary I offered for our newlyweds.

All Rail, All Europe, All the Time

With airfares as low as they currently are to ANYWHERE, the biggest bang for your buck (given the current economic 'depression', a buck may only be a doe now!) will be found on the longer trips. I have reported airfares on Lufthansa to Europe for as low as $234 each way. And every day, another airline slashes fares to somewhere overseas. Therefore, it is probable that some people may be headed to Europe to take advantage of that and the SLOWLY strengthening dollar.

So what better way is there to see the most you can? Look into a Europe Rail Pass.

An earlier post I did cautioned readers that just because you had a Euro-Rail or EuroPass did not mean you could just jump on at any stop. Or even get OFF anywhere you wanted to. When I uncovered this Rail Europe article detailing the ins and outs of Rail passes, I suspected it would be nice to pass it along.

The main advantage of this link is that EVERY country is represented. There are also Sightseeing and Tour options in some countries. Let's take Norway as an example. This site shows a Eurail Norway Pass, a Eurail Global Pass, a Scandanavian Pass, a Select Pass n' Drive, a Norway-Sweden Pass, a Eurail Select Pass, Scandanavian Rail n' Drive Pass and finally a Eurail Drive Pass. Plus 2 sightseeing links. Click on any and you will see a map, description, prices and discounts.

On the Main Page are FAQ's, quick time, reservation and price guides, plus sections to learn about Rail Passes in general. If you are one of those who loves to relax with a beer or glass of wine and not hassle with driving, Rail Passes are the way to go.

The Hidden Fees at Hotels

By now, almost every traveler has found out that hotels (even airport hotels) are now charging fees for things like wireless access, parking, movies and safes. Some of the charges can be quite substantial - a recent walk in to our hotel walked out when told the price because he could 'get it cheaper' at the nearby Embassy Suites. Within 30 minutes he was back and when I asked what happened to the better deal, he said the room rate he had was correct but they wanted $16 to park his car. There went the savings.

This article outlines how a rate that seems to be too good to be true, especially when using a Priceline or Hotwire, can backfire on you. In our own hotel, we charge a miniscule $1.50 for the in room safe but will cheerfully take the charge off if you simply say you don't need or didn't use the safe. The article points out that this won't work for advanced bookings however when it comes to resort charges or internet fees because once you book it, you HAVE to abide by the small print. Which no one ever reads.

Therefore, I pass along this information almost as a public service and because I want the public as informed as they can be when traveling. Since the wave of the future seems to be to charge for ANY amenity on an airline (like soft drinks, pillows, coffee, etc) it is not beyond belief to assume hotels will soon join the club also. And then, when you check in, the clerk might wink and say "Wanna buy a pillow for your bed too?". Don't say I didn't warn you.

Why Consolidators Can Save You $ and the Perils of Not Being Prepared

This is a true story. Sad on more than one level, educational overall. It concerns the functions and advantages of using Consolidators for airfares and is also a warning for those who aren't prepared to move quickly when time is of the essence.

I was recently approached by a relative to help some friends get last minute tickets to a certain Pacific Island destination, due to a family death. I got all the details I thought I needed and started my search. I was aware through the relative that they had already seen prices of over $2100 per ticket on Expedia. I also knew that anywhere from 10 to 12 of them were desiring tickets. My superficial scans showed several things: Only one carrier serviced these islands and there were only 2 flights a week. I was able however to find fares as low as $1800 out of SFO for the date they desired to leave, so I relayed that info on.

I also continued checking with a consolidator out of LA and by the time the next afternoon had arrived, SFO flights were sold out and only business class was available out of Oakland, with prices approaching $3100 round trip. However (and this is the beauty of using a consolidator), they could SEE there were 5 coach tickets left out of San Jose at $1866 per ticket. I put the two parties in touch with each other (after finding out only 5-6 could afford the air fare with the other 5-6 staying home) and assumed the best.