Spring break and summer vacation will both be here before you know it: Have you started planning your family’s getaways? With budgets tight this year, many people turn to discount travel booking sites like Orbitz, but you can’t assume what you’re getting is automatically the best deal on the best vacation. Here are UltimateCoupons’ tips for booking your dream vacation at your dream price.
Decide what you want
Does your family live for warm ocean waters and sandy beaches? Go ga-ga over long mountain hikes and kayaking white rapids? Or are they intrepid city explorers who love seeing what hole-in-the-wall restaurants and museums are just around the corner? Before you even start looking for travel deals, it’s best to make a detailed list of what you do – and don’t – want. Finding out your spouse hates big cities after you’ve paid for a New York City vacation isn’t fun.
Be flexible
Orbitz will do everything in their power to get you great deals if you simply must go between dates X and Y, and/or only want direct flights or a specific airline or hotel. But if you select their “flexible dates” option for flights, you might find out that leaving and returning a day or two off schedule could save your family hundreds of dollars. The same applies for flexibility with the number of stops on your departing and returning flights: If you don’t mind getting stuck in the middle seat on the airplane, and taking 3 flights when you could’ve taken one, your flight bill could be lower. Also, pay attention to the “luxury level” of the hotel s you’re looking to stay at: Downgrading from a 5 star hotel to a 3.5 star hotel in the same neighborhood can knock a good chunk off the final price tag of your vacation. After all, how much time do you plan to spend in your hotel room?
Don’t, however, get suckered into staying at a terrible hotel that’s not kid-friendly or renting a sub-compact car when you needed an SUV or minivan, just because it’s “a deal.” Read the fine print and all customer reviews on Orbitz.com before you book anything!
Check the costs of package deals vs. buying portions of your trip individually
People often assume that a flight + hotel vacation package is automatically the cheapest. Not necessarily! For example, during late fall and early winter, there are a lot of flight deals for holiday travelers, since they assume many holiday travelers will be staying with family when they arrive at their destination. Conversely, in late winter and early spring, companies anticipate package deals since many families need a flight and hotel (and sometimes rental cars) for spring break trips. Summer is a great time to book shorter getaways with hotels and rental cars, since many people are able to go only on short vacations.
Depending on the time of year you’re booking a trip, and the various specials for flights, hotels, rental cars etc on Orbitz.com, you may be able to use a coupon for your hotel, then shop a separate Orbitz sale for flights, then another Orbitz coupon for your rental car or tour. Keep multiple tabs open in your internet browser as you’re searching for and booking your vacation, to ensure that you get the correct dates for all parts of your vacations. You wouldn’t want to book a flight and a hotel that start two days apart, would you?
Buy insurance, if it’s available
You’ve finally done it: Found amazing travel deals on a family vacation to Los Angeles or Costa Rica, and paid with your credit card. But then, the phone rings, and there’s been a death in the family or another unavoidable emergency. Suddenly, that vacation is a no-go. What to do? If you bought separate travel insurance, you should be able to reschedule. Even if you don’t have insurance, Orbitz’s customer service department will do everything in their power to help you reschedule and/or get at least a partial refund for your trip. Before you book, however, here are some tips:
- Is the flight a refundable, or a non-refundable one?
- Does the hotel itself have a specific cancellation policy?
- If you’re booking a vacation package, what is the cancellation policy?
Never book travel without first confirming the change and cancellation policies of both the travel booking company and the airline/hotel/car rental company/cruise line.
