I have friends who actually brag about how expensive some of their trips are and we believe that they are paying the highest prices for all of their travel plans. We just do not understand why someone would not ask for a discount or actively seek out travel discounts. Some people think that you only get what you pay for and this can be true in many situations, however when it comes to travel, you need to be very careful how much you are paying and what you are receiving in return even if you are paying for a trip that is really expensive.<\/p>\n
Our motto is that if you do not ask, you will never get a discount. The worst that can happen is that they say no we will not discount your trip, your hotel reservation etc any further. But many times they will offer 10% or even more off the cost and 10% is far better in my pocket than someone else\u2019s! \u00a0Always ask and if they will not offer you anything further then you can decide to accept their initial offer or move on and try another location.<\/p>\n
Recently a friend of ours followed this approach on a cruise they had recently booked. They had reserved the cruise about 3 months ago and noticed that prices for the same cruise, room etc had declined. They called and asked their travel agent to follow up. Unfortunately they had to be a little bit pushy with the agent. She did not want to waste her time. Besides the commission would be smaller as well, plus she has to do more paperwork for nothing.<\/p>\n
My friend saved $1500 on a two week week trip on a cruise from fort Lauder-dale to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal, Talk about discounts and savings!<\/p>\n
We stay in hotels a great deal and they are by far the best at offering discounts. If you do not get a seniors discount, AAA discounts, group discounts, \u00a0a corporate discount etc, then you are paying too much for your hotel room. Always ask for these discounts, the worst they can say is we do not offer any discounts. Compare prices and know what your market should be charging for the travel service that you are receiving. A good example is as follows.<\/p>\n
We were checking into a hotel one night with no reservation and were quoted a price $50 higher than what we had previously paid at this hotel and this new price was at least $50 higher than this chain usually charges. Turns out that there was a festival going on and they felt they could charge more due to the increased business. This is perfectly legitimate, but we did not want to pay this higher fee, so we asked if we could use their phone. I called the central reservations number of this chain with the idea of finding another hotel in the same area at a better price.<\/p>\n
Imagine my surprise when they quoted me the regular price for the hotel I was standing in at the lower price less discounts for senior rate and triple A. I immediately asked for a reservation and went back to the front desk and checked in. The manager was a little upset, but there was nothing he could do.<\/p>\n
Always ask for travel discounts and be prepared to shop around. You will be amazed at how much money you will be able to save!<\/p>\n