Posing for pics is part of every trip. Credit: pixajen/Flickr
As an addendum to my recent posts on cheap holiday vacations and cheap holiday travel tips, I just discovered a very cool map on the travel site FareCompare.com.
Plug in your starting location, your budget, the month you want to travel, and the map shows you exactly where you can afford to go across the globe.
You can narrow your search by choosing activities (ski, beach, golf), specific airlines, or price per mile. It’s easy – and fun – to think about all the trips you can take across the world. Chile! New Zealand! Turkey!
The map pulls fares published in the past four hours, so prices are accurate. Prices include taxes and fees, but not checked baggage costs, which vary greatly by airline. Flight prices may not be available on all days of the week. The map is for departure points in the U.S. only.
Thanks, Dan!
My tip was a lot bigger than this! Credit: Dauella manera/Flickr
It’s amazing what two twenties will do. When I arrived at LAX last week, I had no intention of lugging seven heavy boxes through the airport by myself to the regular check-in counter. Instead, I stuffed my fist with cash and walked up to the Sky Cap counter, which had a line 40-some people deep.
Two nights before a reader named Eileen had shared a valuable but expensive lesson on luggage. “My Mother taught me this,” Eileen said. “If you ever need help at the airport, put a fifty dollar bill in your raised hand and ask if anyone can help. Someone will find you.”
Eileen was right. With $40 in my left hand, I approached the Sky Cap counter.
“I have seven boxes to check. Is it okay if I put them right here while I wait in line?”
Two junior Sky Caps conferred and decided it would be okay to tuck my bags off to the side so I wouldn’t have to inch them forward as I waited in line. I think they saw my twenties.
I put my cash back in my pocket and began unloading boxes from my friend’s car. A senior Sky Cap came over while I was dropped off box No. 3 and I double checked that it was okay to stockpile my boxes while waiting in line. It was.
When I dropped off the last box he was waiting for me. Had he seen my twenties? I’m pretty sure.
“How many are you flying with?”
“Just me.”
“We’re going to have to charge you for those extra bags, unfortunately.”
“That’s fine. I did the math and Southwest is the cheapest.”
The senior Sky Cap asked for my full name and suggested I step down two counters so he could check me in. What? No line?
He DEFINITELY saw my twenties. Because he offered to let me cut, I didn’t protest.
I checked in and was free of my burdensome bags within 10 minutes. I paid $250 for my seven pieces of luggage (the first two bags are free on Southwest and each bag after that up to 10 bags is $50). Not a single bag was weighed – at least that I saw. Bags over 50 pounds are $100 and one of my pieces was awfully heavy. Did my big tip save me an overweight baggage fee? I’ll never know.
I jumped into the security line and wondered if big spenders regularly experienced the ease and comfort I had. My $40 saved me time, reduced my stress, and got me out of the mid-day heat.
I rarely sympathize with big spenders – I have been known to scoff at overt displays of wealth – but after my $40 worked wonders at the airport I have a new perspective. Spending money, and not just saving it, can bring peace of mind. So if a Sky Cap at my destination airport happens to notice my fresh twenties and offers to lug my seven boxes across baggage claim? Well, I’m going to smile and say thank you.
What was your most worthwhile splurge?
Thanks for the tip, Eileen!
mdanys/Flickr
I recently talked to Diana Castilla at News Net TV about travel deals for cheap hotel rooms and cheap flights. The segment is running Tuesday March 9, 2010 at 6 a.m. on KVMD (cable news channel 31 on Dish and Direct TV) or you can watch it online starting at noon.
If you are a student or educator, you can get a lot of cheap travel deals at StudentUniverse. Anyone can save money on a trip by renting a home or condo. Sometimes you can even arrange swaps!
If you are really pinching pennies, check out this post on 17 ways to save money in Vegas.
Reader Bob left four great travel tips as a comment:
I travel a lot and over the years I’ve learned a few trick… Hope these are helpful..
1. Everybody knows about flying into alternate airports (e.g. OAK instead of SFO) but increasingly it’s cheaper to book a multi-destination flight to lower the fare. Last year I saved $300 on a RT from SFO to AMS by booking the outbound from SFO to TGL and walking away at AMS. Note that you can’t do that on the inbound since airlines will now cancel your entire ticket if you miss your flight at the origin. So inbound was booked from AMS to SFO.
2. In Europe, take advantage of the rail system. It is almost always cheaper to fly to LHR and train to Paris than it is to fly direct to CDG. Same is true for many other popular destinations.
3. If you can take it or leave it, haggle!! I’ve got amazing deals from airlines by calling them the day of the flight, pointing out that they were flying almost empty and offered them what I thought the trip was worth it.
4. Add a ’stop’ – a lot of times you can add a layover for little or no money. Just last month I added a Paris stop to my Istanbul trip for only $80 more by booking an open-jaw flight.
Happy traveling!
