The Travel Thread

[motion]

Thought it would be a cool idea to post tips, ideas, sales, etc. in one thread. I get a a lot of PMs with travel questions and have come up with kind of a generic response that I send out. Sort of the meat of my approach to flights and hotels. There's A LOT of great experience amongst this group. So, without further ado...


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For flight research, my go-to is https://www.google.com/flights

A lot of pro flyers also use Kayak.com

For great last minute airfare deals, keep an eye on this site: Secret Flying | Cheap Flight Deals

For hotels, I use tripadvisor.com. It shows rates from several sites. Express Deals on Priceline are often the best way to get low rates, but you really have to know what you're doing or you can get the wrong hotel for your needs. That said, I usually use Priceline Express Deals when traveling nearly anywhere in the world and I don't have a hotel for the night. Great for last minute if you're flexible.

I use Uber instead of taxis. Usually around 1/2 the rate and better service. Taxi drivers throughout the world are thieves.

For building stopovers on your flights, I use https://matrix.itasoftware.com
This is very tricky, and you have to learn the tool, but lets say you're traveling from PDX-Saigon and you have a change of planes in Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, etc. Maybe the layover is only 2 hours. You can use Google ITA Matrix to find a 23-24 hour layover for the same price, which gives you a free stop in a new place. 24 hours is enough to explore the city and grab 5 hours of sleep at a cheap hotel. You usually need to call the airline directly to book tickets like this, and it may take some convincing to get the phone agent to book the trip. If he/she is uncooperative, hang up and call back.

I use this site to check Visa requirements: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_United_States_citizens

I use Tripadvisor's "Near Me" tool to find Cheap Eats nearly anywhere in the world. Its fairly reliable.

T-Mobile has a $50 per month plan that gives you free phone data in most countries in the world. I don't travel without it. Its the 2GB post-paid Simple Choice plan. I start/stop it as needed depending on my travel schedule. Its easy to swap sims in your phone between your regular service and the T-Mobile service.
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[imcarthur]

While Motion travels fast, I travel much slower so while our booking methods overlap, they also differ.

Hotels: I book balconies & bathrooms – not hotel rooms. Since I & my spouse are fussy, I research hotels – location/price/style via TripAdvisor for reviews, Google maps for precise location, etc. For booking, I check hotels.com, TripAdvisor & the property directly via an inquiry on their own booking site. The lowest price for my room style wins.

Flights: Long hauls are usually via Aeroplan miles – although the concept of ‘free’ has evaporated as the programs all get diluted. One ticket free is the new reality with all of the surcharges that are levied. Local hops are cheap & I typically book with the airline – after checking Kayak etc.

Restaurants: I research ahead of my trip & always carry a ‘best of’ list that I print & take with me. Filtering TripAdvisor reviews has led to most of my successes. In some cases, I even book before I leave home.

Car rental: I will scan Kayak, AutoEurope & Avis for the best rate. I typically rent midsize everywhere. AutoEurope will match any quote from a legitimate competitor. I have used this once for a car in Sicily.

Cash: If possible take a very small amount of local currency. ATMs are the best local source but the airport locations often have big line ups when you arrive. Always call your bank & get a larger daily & weekly limit on cards & tell them what countries you will visit.

Cell Phone: While some people mess with local SIMs, most providers have roaming deals that you can pre-buy so you can keep your own number & get enough cell + data to suffice as long as you don’t overdo the data. Wifi in your hotel is your savior. 2 years ago, it cost me $25 for 10 minutes of Google maps in Paris . . .

Drugs: If you are traveling to a place where the food might be a bit sketchy, a visit to your doc for Dukoral (prescription in the US, behind the counter in Canada) might be a good idea.

Ian

[kanadary]

This may be only applicable to folks that live close to a big city in canada but from Seattle to Europe vs Vancouver to Europe you tend to save about 400 a ticket most of the time. Going to Italy this summer and for a fam of 4 we save about 2k. Now it does mean a 2.5 hour commute up and down so for some it may not be worth it

[motion]

This thread is rollin!

If you use your ATM overseas, you'll likely get hit with big forex fees, and double ATM fees. That really stings when you just need $20 out of the ATM to get you through your last day in a country. That $20 can cost you $30 total with fees.

Get a Charles Schwab debit card (no monthly fee). It has no forex fees and no ATM fees. No minimum balance required, too.

[Jandrews]

Originally Posted by motion

This thread is rollin!

Shame, really...as insights from the Pelican "pro" travelers could be really useful to us amateurs. We just spent a week in St. Croix, and it was painfully apparent how unprepared and inept we were. We really just got lucky on the hotel (Renaissance Carambola), and we rented a Jeep from Budget. My wife does TONS of research on Trip Advisor for flight and hotels, so she always gets great results.

Much more difficult was finding good restaurants. We used Yelp, but it is very hit and miss.

Let's keep this thread alive!

JA

[Seahawk]

All my heavy duty international travel was over eight years ago, so my advice is limited to the type of domestic travel I do now.

Get the good iPhone/iPad rechargers you can carry in your luggage. I poo-poo'ed them but can't live without them now.

I check baggage if I am in a later seating selection. I just hate the overhead bin shuffle. I always take one bag with me that has all the essentials if my luggage is lost or delayed or I decide to check.

A friend of mine always boards last so he can get his carry-on baggage checked for free on full flights. Works like a charm.

Before a long trip, join the airlines credit card that gives you mileage and two free passes to their lounge. Cancel the card after the trip. I have used at least six United lounge passes when I was traveling internationally a lot off credit card offers I never used.

For domestic travel, pick a hotel chain, join their club and stay with it. The Marriott chain covers all the smaller markets I travel in and I have had at least two weekends with Mrs. Seahawk in DC at a major Marriott downtown gratis.

My hotel needs are few in small town America.

[Bill Douglas]

Thanks for sharing the tips you have learnt along the way Richard.

[motion]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Thanks for sharing the tips you have learnt along the way Richard.

Hopefully it will help someone!

[motion]

Hong Kong is on sale with Delta today. Fly from many USA cities to Hong Kong for less than $500. We just booked Sept 5-16. Hong Kong is an amazing city! We've already been, so will spend a few days in the city, then fly to a beach town in Malaysia or Indonesia, maybe both.

This will be gone in a matter of hours, so jump on it if you're interested. You can cancel by midnight tomorrow night and get a 100% refund from Delta.

Use flights.google.com to search cities and dates. Let me know if any questions.

[1990C4S]

NEVER trust a picture of a hotel room. Find out how big the room really is, YOUR room....trust me, I was in a closet for three days.

And always keep your shaving kit packed and ready to go, complete with a good collection of (over the counter) drugs . And do not assume the drugs you can buy at 'home' are available in other countries. Even between Canada and the USA there are big differences.

[motion]

Update: Prices have dropped to only $445 round trip! Gonna be gone soon...

[motion]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

NEVER trust a picture of a hotel room. Find out how big they really are....trust me, I was in a closet for three day.

When I travel alone, I book closets With the wife, it has to be at least 4 star. My reasoning is: the worse the hotel room, the more you'll WANT to be out and about exploring.

[Holger]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

NEVER trust a picture of a hotel room. Find out how big the room really is, YOUR room....trust me, I was in a closet for three days.

^This
Most pictures are from when the room was new.

And I never trust reviews. I dont read them anymore.
Approx 30-50% are faked, always.
Friend of mine worked as marketing director at TUI Luxury Travels, they have a big problem with this!

[cairns]

Use seatguru.com

Peruse FlyerTalk forums and check the trip reports section of airliners.net et. al.

Always check the airline's website directly before you latch onto one of those Orbitz superdeals. And consider paying a little more. If there's a problem guess who's going to get better treatment.

Know the airport layout before you go. Don't book with out knowing real world transfer times. You do not want to be transferring in only 30 minutes from Delta to United in ORD on a Summer afternoon.

If you live near a hub use the predominate airline and get their credit card- miles aren't totally worthless yet. But not always. Sometimes it's better to use the destiantion's predominate airline. For instance my home airport is IAD and I usually fly United. But if I'm going to Miami or Dallas I'll take American or if I'm going to St. Louis I'll use Southwest. And if you're going to Atlanta...well there's a joke about going to Hell means you're on Delta and have to go through Atlanta.

If you're going to a foreign country for the first time read about it-as much as you can- and learn at least ten phrases that will help you get around as well as the answers to them. Learn to apologize for your lack of skill (I'm sorry but my Italian/French etc. is terrible). they'll appreciate your trying. And learn the food/menu names and the eating culture too. Don't expect bacon and eggs for breakfast in Sicily. Learning their culture and adapting to it is what it's all about.

Use AmEX to charge foreign purchases they don't charge an exchange fee.

Check business and first fares- they can be surprisingly cheap and sitting up front for a little more can be well worth it. (UAL RT to Naples last Summer in first and business- $2,200 RT for two)

Call the car rental desk directly and reserve the car you actually want. Use Europcar or others to experience a Peugeot, Alfa, Audi or Renault instead of a Vauxhall/Opel/Holden (Chevy) or the Ford Avis and Hertz will give you.

Learn to drive on the left. It's easy. And there a lot of countries you can't fully experience unless you do. Also learn their road signs and never pass on the right (in a left hooker country). If you're in the left lane and someone flashes you pull over- NOW. You shouldn't be in the left lane unless you're passing anyway. This isn't America so don't drive like a d-head.

Remember in Italy rules apply to cars and trucks only. Not Vespas, bicycles and motorcycles. Same is true in BangKok and lots of other places. You hit someone on a bike it's YOUR fault. So watch for them.

Rent a house, villa or apartment instead of staying in a hotel. They can be cheaper and you can cook if you want. Not to mention they're much more private.

And don't try to see all of the tourist sites. Many aren't worth it and getting off the beaten path can be much more rewarding.