Weigh your bags on your bathroom scale BEFORE you go to the airport to see if they are under the 50 pound weight limit that most airlines consider their maximum weight for a standard priced piece of luggage.
Check as few bags as possible. So, for example, if you have several bags that combined are under 50 pounds, placing everything in a single bag will allow you to pay a single bag fee.
Consider flying on an airline that doesn’t charge a baggage fee for the first one or two bags. As of the writing of this article, we found Southwest Airlines to be the best bet.
Check what the cost would be to ship your bag ahead using UPS, FedEx, etc. Depending on the weight and size, you may find it to be cheaper and less of a hassle to simply ship your bag to your final destination.
Consider traveling light with just carry on luggage. Remember, many business friendly hotels now provide washing machines and dryers. Seasoned travelers plan on just hand washing the wrinkle free clothing that they pack in their hotel room tub and just air dry items on a hanger.
Remember, its all about choices. When you consider the cost of checking a single bag round trip is on average about $50, it may actually be cheaper to purchase some of the items that you usually pack at your destination instead.
Let’s start out by seeing if we can all agree on the following:
1) Tickets to Disney World are not exactly cheap.
2) The more days that you add to your ticket, the more you’ll pay (total cost, that is)
3) There are only so many park hours to see what your family wants to see (per day).
4) The more time that you spend waiting in line for each attraction the fewer attractions that you will be able to visit each day.
Assuming that we can all agree on the four points (above), let’s take a look at some ways get more for each dollar that you spend for Disney World tickets.
e. Write High Demand” next to each attraction that you identified (above). These are the attractions that are most likely to have long lines.
6) Ok, now that reality is starting to set in, now is a good time to map out attractions that are close to each other. Take a look at the Disney World maps page http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/maps/
7) Now figure out where and when you are going to eat at the park. Of course fast food options will not only save you money, but they will save you precious time as well.
While on vacation
1) Plan to try to arrive at the park gate at least 20 minutes before they open.
2) If you have an internet capable mobile phone, check the wait time for each attraction using this web site http://m.disneyworld.go.com/ to get an idea of which of the attractions within each park are “High Demand”, “Moderate” and high demand.
3) Be flexible and ready to reprioritize which attractions to visit.
4) Make use of Disney FASTPASSwhich allows guests to make ‘reservations’ for a popular ride to avoid
waiting in long lines.
If you’re a down hill maniac (ski or snowboarder you might want to consider purchasing a season pass (if you plan on skiing at least 20 times at the same location during a season).
Buying books of lift tickets early in the season (before you hit the resort) may save you 50%?
Check out the ski packages being offered by the resorts where you plan to ski or snow board. If you plan on renting equipment, taking lessons and/or staying at their lodge, it might be cheaper to purchase a package deal. Just like at Disney World, multi-day tickets can save you money if you plan ahead.
Always inquire ahead of time to see if the resort offers discount tickets for seniors, students and/or kids.
Checkout the continuously updated ski and snowboarding deals on http://www.Snowbomb.com discount coupons.
Keep an eye out for lift ticket discounts at gas stations (e.g. Shell)
It is not uncommon to find lift ticket discount deals at participating Mc Donald’s restaurants.
Grocery and drug stores can also be great sources of cheap lift tickets.
Give the resorts in the area that you want to visit a call ahead of time and ask them if they are offering any ski or snow boarding deals online and/or through business or restaurant establishments.
Ask your fellow snow craving friends as well as local sporting goods stores if they know of any good deals.
As with most of the savings tips we provide on our web site, you should several of the ideas that we list to ensure that you are receiving the rock bottom lowest price on your ski vacation.
>> To find more FREE and Cheap Stuff check out categories to the right of your page or just use our search box at the upper part of the screen.
Disney theme Parks can be really expensive since discounts are few and far between.
However we’ve come up with a few tips that can help you save some money on your trip.
Plan to visit Disney theme Parks on off peak dates. You will save both time and money. The parks are less crowded and hotel prices and are cheaper during off peak times (avoid holidays, spring break and the summer months).
Plan to arrive early and leave late so that you can get in as many exhibits as possible.
Food is expensive in the parks and since you are permitted to bring your own food and drinks inside, you may want a pack a backpack ahead of time with sandwiches snacks and a few bottles of water. We’ve been told that Disney will provide guest with a cup of ice and water free of charge whenever you ask for it at one of the fast food restaurants counters (but you may want to verify this before your trip). The cheapest food option in the parks are probably the fruit carts located around the park. Not only will the fruit cost you less than fast food it’s healthier too.
If you plan to stay several days at Disney World you might save money by booking a Disney vacation package where you stay at one of the resort hotels located within the park. Resort guests also enjoy extended park hours. On the flip side, your dining choices will be limited to the pricey dining establishments that Disney provides. These options can be expensive and could tally up to a sizeable portion of your total vacation costs. One way to get around this is to purchase a Disney meal plan. But be sure you use care when selecting the plan so that you use all of the benefits that you paid for (since unused meal services will not be refunded to you).
Written on February 27th, 2010 by l2cadminno shouts
cheap hotels
When selecting a hotel there are three things you need to focus on to ensure that you end up with the best value for your hotel stay.
1. The hotel is clean
2. The hotel is in a convenient location
3. The hotel provides the amenities you need.
Here are a few things that can ensure that your hotel stay will be our only a good value on a great experience as well.
Using kayak.com search for hotels in this city that you wish to stay in.
Review the search results from each source to determine which hotels have the best guest reviews and prices.
First, determine which hotels provide the best prices where the hotel’s that you are considering staying in.
Next, from that list determine which hotels have the best guest ratings.
Once you have created a short list of the hotels with the best guest ratings and price is your last step will be to check the actual hotels web site to see if they offer a better price. To locate the hotel’s web page, google the hotel’s name (e.g. ” holiday inn orlando airport”).
And finally, a word to the wise, always check for restrictions and extra fees and taxes that maybe not be clearly stated. One gotcha that many folks end up paying for occurs when they book hotels on web sites that offer low prices but don’t allow for cancellations of any kind.
Written on November 14th, 2009 by l2cadminno shouts
List out potential rental car companies
Make a list of at least seven rent a car companies that offer competitive prices in the city that you want to rent in. For example Avis, Alamo, Hertz, Thrifty, Dollar, Budget, National, Enterprise rent-a-car, etc.
Look for discounts on rental cars
If you are a costco member, check out the costco web site under their travel section. They offer really great discounts from most rental car companies. Discounts will vary by care hire company.
Are you a AAA member? If so, you may be entitled to discounts.
Have you purchased an Entertainment Book? If so, look for coupons inside your book.
Are you an airline frequent flier member? If so, you may qualify for discounts. It’s also possible that can redeem your airline mileage points for free car rentals.
Compare car rental car value (questions to ask).
Will the car rental company waive the additional driver fee?
Will the car rental company allow you to personally select the car you want at pick up time? Some companies will check you in, send you to the garage and let you choose the vehicle that you want to drive. The keys are left in the car, so you just hop in and give the guy at the gate the paper work and off you go.
Are the vehicles that that the company rents safe, fuel efficient, clean and in good overall repair?
Will the car rental company provide you with a free car seat? If not, this could add on a significant cost to your daily rental charges. So, you may want to bring your own car seat with you.
Can you earn frequent flyer bonus points for the airline program(s) that you are a member of?
Insurance costs.
Contact your auto insurance company ahead of time and ask them if they will fully cover you in your rental car. If so, you may choose to waive the coverage that the rent a car company offers. Remember, make sure that you confirmed that you are already covered by your auto insurance carrier (be sure to get it in writing).
Fuel costs.
Consider the mileage of the vehicle that you are renting and how that will impact your overall rental car expenses.
Figure out if the pre-paid fuel option makes good “Cents”. To do this you need to know the average cost of the gas in the city that you will be driving the car in. Also, consider if you will be able set aside enough time to re-fuel the car on the day that you will return the car. Finding out if there is a well priced gas station on the airport grounds may help you to make up your mind.
Our family was planning a special vacation for our child’s 7th birthday. So, we thought that this would make a great story for our LeapToCheap.com site. To us cheap actually means “smart savings”. The smart part should imply that you don’t need to pitch a tent to save on a hotel room
This chart shows how much money we saved on our 4-day 3-night San Diego family vacation (2 adults and 1 child). Check out how much we saved.
Average price
Our Price
Our Savings
Flight
$387
$147
$240
Hotel
(2 room suite)
$420
$282
$138
Breakfast
$90
0 (free breakfast @ hotel)
$90
Car Rental
$115
$90 (Costco discount)
$25
Legoland
$65 x 2 Adults
$55 x 1 Child
= $185
1 Full Price Adult $65
1 free child with 1 full price adult ticket **
1 discount ticket from hotel
= $46
$74
Zoo
$31/adult
$26/per person (child free ***)
Claim Jumpers Kids meal
$8 – free kids mea. Coupon from claimjumpers.com
0
8
Total Savings
$601
Other good stuff…….
Southwest Rapid Reward Credits
United Mileage Plus point from using Chase UAL credit card & renting from Alamo Car Rental.
Welcome Reward Points for using Hotels.com
** Check with your child’s school as well as your local public library about summer reading programs that may offer discounts to attractions such as Legoland California.
*** San Diego Zoo – Kids (ages 3-11) enjoy FREE admission to the San Diego Zoo ! Through October 31, 2009
Here’s how we plotted our little savings adventure………
When to go?
Considerations
We don’t like crowds very much. If for no other reason than waiting in long lines eats away at your vacation time with your family.
We prefer cooler weather.
Of course we never want to pay more than we need to.
Conclusion:
Flight, hotel and attraction prices proved to be lower off season. So, since our child had a Thursday and Friday off from school, we opted for late September / early October travel dates.
Airline tickets – Flying high on lower prices
Considerations:
We started checking out airfare prices about one month ahead of time (and monitored fares daily). We wanted to stay over on a Saturday night which has saved us money in the past. However, this was not the case this time around. So, we switched to a Wednesday evening departure and a Saturday night return. That little day of week switch saved us over 50% off each roundtrip ticket.
Conclusion:
Airfare savings assumptions don’t always apply.
Airlines are constantly changing the way that they price tickets. So, start early and try different departure and return days to see if they will can save money.
Remember, Southwest Airlines ticket prices can ONLY be found on Southwest.com. They’re not included in results on Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc. Since Southwest sort of started the whole flying cheap thing, its always a good idea to check them first. Also, be sure to factor in the baggage fees when comparing airline ticket prices.
Hotel costs
Considerations:
We were looking for a hotel with highly rated visitor reviews.
A smoke free room was a must.
Accommodations for two adults and one child were needed (at least two full beds).
We wanted a microwave and refrigerator in the room.
We wanted a really good free breakfast for the family.
We wanted a hotel in a safe area and close to either Legoland or the San Diego Zoo.
We always insist on a really clean room in good repair.
It would be nice to find a hotel that matched up with our frequent stay programs.
Conclusion:
Hotels.com is one of the best sources of hotel reviews. We checked there and found a 4.5 of 5 user rated suite hotel near Legoland for less than $100 a night (taxes included). The hotel had the best breakfast buffet that we had ever seen. The hotel was nothing fancy, but it was in excellent repair, super clean, great customer service and a pool. On top of all that, they offered Legoland and San Diego Zoo tickets at the awesome prices. We ended up booking through Hotels.com so that we could snag their welcome rewards points. If you’re curious, the hotel was the Ramada in Carlsbad, CA.
What lessons did we learned on this trip?
Planning paid off big.
The food and drink at both Legoland and the San Diego are anything but cheap.
Packing your own soda, water and snacks in your backpack saved us quite a bit of money.
How to avoid expensive airline luggage fees
10 Quick Tips to finding Cheap Lift Tickets
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