Money saving ways to still go on vacation
— -- It's not too late to sneak in a little summer vacation or plan a post-Labor Day getaway — despite the jittery economy and higher travel costs that may have kept you home.
Domestic airfares are 5% higher on average than last August, Travelocity's booking data show. International fares are about 10% higher. As of June, hotel room rates were 3.5% higher than a year ago as business travelers hit the road again the past year, data from Smith Travel Research say. And airlines plan to keep fares up by cutting back on the number of seats they fly in the fall, a traditionally slow travel period.
However, the travel industry still struggles to recover from the recession-driven downturn in travel. As a result, it's offering plenty of deals for would-be vacationers if they're savvy to dollar-stretching tricks that veteran travelers have learned and know how to navigate new online tools and smartphone apps.
Industry experts and USA TODAY's travel reporters and Road Warriors, a panel of frequent travelers, provide some money-saving tips, insight and advice to make a vacation more affordable.
Airfares
Which days to fly; when to buy
•If possible, fly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, when fares are cheapest, says Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com, which monitors fares. Conversely, Monday, Friday and Sunday are the most expensive, as business travelers, who are less price-sensitive than vacationers, frequently leave or return home.
•The cheapest time to shop for domestic fares is 3 p.m. ET on Tuesdays, he says. Airlines release sale fares frequently on Tuesdays. For international tickets, the cheapest days to fly are Monday through Thursday.
•If you're traveling as a group, Seaney recommends getting a quote for all travelers in your party and one for an extra person. If the single-person quote is cheaper, that means there are a few cheaper seats. You may consider two separate purchases: one for the number of cheaper seats and then one at the higher amount. This "occurs because airline reservation systems have a quirk that everyone must be at the same price, even if there are a few cheaper seats available," Seaney says.
•If your airline charges for seat assignments at the time of purchase, wait until online check-in begins — usually 24 hours before your flight — and get one for free, says Matt Daimler of Seatguru.com, a website that charts aircraft seating.
For example, AirTran charges $6 for each leg of a flight for a coach seat. "I set my calendar to remind me at exactly 24 hours before the flight, and I haven't had a problem getting an aisle or window of my choice," Daimler says.
