The Handy Reference Guide to Travel Sites and Resources

I gave a talk to a handful of people recently and gave them these as sites to be aware of.

Organizing sites:

Trip It: Organizes your flight, hotel, and transportation into single trip itineraries. An App is also available. This is probably the current industry leader for organization.  

Mileage Manager: This site does charge a nominal fee to keep track of all the mileage and discount programs.  But worth it for those who travel a lot, particularly if you book your own.

Travel news and blogs

http://elliott.org/: This is a GREAT site. If you run into a customer service issue/scam, this guy will go to bat for you and help you fight. There is an e-newsletter you can sign up for too. 

http://www.travelindustrywire.com/: Subscribe to their free weekly e-letter to keep up on travel industry news. 

Budget Travel: Though mainly designed for vacationers, they have an e-letter that has really useful information. 

http://www.johnnyjet.com/: I like this site because it has fun things and helpful tips. 

The Air Travel Rights You Aren't Aware of (and How to Get Them): An article to bookmark with helpful links, particularly if you need to file a complaint.

Airports

Travelnerd.com:  Terminal maps, fee calculator, parking and ground transportation info, rates, and coupons, 

Smart Layover: http://smartlayover.com/  If you get stuck, this site (and app) tell you where to find a spot to nap, gate info, layover details, and day-use hotels. 

Gate Guru: http://gateguruapp.com/  This app has detailed info on more than 200 airports and will tell you where to go and what is near your gate, help with layovers, etc.

Air Booking

Yapta.com:  Connected to Kayak, this site lets you search flights and track the ones you like before or after you book. You get an email when a fare drops. Some airlines refund fare drops in the form of credits; I collect money easily because of this site.  If you use a travel booking software, you can use Fare IQ. 

Kayak: Basically Yapta with a fare predictor and a few other features Yapta doesn’t have.  

Bing.com/travel:  I’m not a huge fan but I will often check their fare predictor.

Hipmunk: I don’t LOVE this site but it is a favorite with many.

Hotels

Tingo.com: Hotel-booking site that automatically refunds price drops. 

The Suitest: One to keep an eye, it still has a way to go in usability but a great way to find if you are getting a good deal on a room and particularly helpful when you are looking for a particular type of room, i.e. suites.

Google.com/hotelfinder: Works so nicely with Google maps, though I often just plug a meeting address into Google.com/maps and then do a search nearby. 

Car Rental

AutoSlash.com: Finds the best discount code and applies it

Avis Business:  The best  business program I work with. Works with all size companies, in most situations other employees can drive without signing on or paying fees, and always an upgrade coupon for any length of rental. And you can book with a preferred driver number for others (unlike Hertz which requires you to have their password).

Food and Beverage Guidelines

Per diem rates: The US General Services Administration sets guidelines for food and beverage allowances by region/city. Very helpful if you are operating on a per diem basis for travelers or simply want to set a ceiling for allowable expenses.

Travel Coordinator Education programs

The Travel Institute: Low cost certification with online education. A caveat: a friend who has traveled for years and started her own travel agency says she hasn't been impressed with the knowledge of those who seek certification from online programs.

Social Conscience

ECPAT-USA: I’m a huge fan of ECPAT (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking) and have spoken with Carol Smolenski, President. Support those in the travel industry who have established protocols for dealing with the travesty of child prostitution and trafficking. Marriott and Disney have refused to sign this code. Hilton, Delta, Carlson and Wyndham are huge supporters.

Best Car Rental Service: Book Once, Get the Best Deal with AutoSlash

I just discovered Autoslash.com. I tried it a couple of weeks ago, booking a car rental for an upcoming trip. Two days after booking the best deal I found there, I received an email that Autoslash had found a better rate with the same company and had canceled and rebooked my car at the better rate. No work for me, just $34 savings.

Recession Blues: Rental Cars

A few years ago, I made many of my clients very happy because I was usually able to get them a bigger rental vehicle for cheaper than a compact or midsize. I reaped the benefit of their gratefulness simply by taking advantage of the times. In the early days of the recession, travel slowed down but rental car companies had lots of cars on the lot. Gas prices were extremely high and so travelers were opting for smaller cars. The result was a cheap rental on a SUV.

Unfortunately, while the economy still hasn't rebounded, the price of a rental car has changed significantly. Car rental agencies simply quit buying as many cars, particularly larger vehicles that cost more in upkeep and require more fuel.  Car rental prices are steep. And no longer am I barraged with an assortment of special offers and coupons to cut costs. Finding any coupon is hard and usually they make little difference. $5 off a day is significant when your rate is $24.95/day. When it is $68/day, it barely matters.

If you need to rent a vehicle here are a few ways to help keep costs lower:

1) Avoid renting at the airport whenever possible. Rent at the airport and you will tack on an airport concession fee, facility fee, energy surcharge and additional taxes that add up to as much as 40% more than the base rate of the rental. If you need it for more than a day or two on the end of a flight, check out nearby locations and compare the final cost. Is it worth it to take a bus, subway, or cab? (Hertz and Enterprise typically have a lot of off-airport rental facilities.)

2) Don't pay for more than you have to. Be sure you know if you need any extra insurance; if you do, different companies charge differently for what you need. There are differences between additional driver fees too. As well as for car seat rental. If you belong to AAA, you can often have additional driver fees waived, and Hertz provides AAA members with one free car seat. And unless you know exactly how much gas you will be using, never prepay a tank.

3) Shop for the best price. A great place to compare prices among companies is: CarRentals.com. If your plans are set, and you are certain your needs won't change, check Hotwire. You can do this from the CarRentals.com web page as well. If you see a good deal on Hotwire and are prepared to prepay, this is a great way to go.  Priceline is similar but I prefer Hotwire for these reasons: they are very clear about what companies they use and they are all ones with solid reputations and the descriptions include whether you will have to take a shuttle to the rental company or if it is onsite at the airport. Car rental charges fluctuate so if you haven't prepaid consider checking back a few times to make sure you have the best deal. Canceling and rebooking is easy.  And if you are looking at a car rental company directly, always look for the specials on their web site.

And you might decide on that compact car after all.