Travel Tips - Check here before asking!

Good stuff, Moosh.

Mamoosh,

Great collection of tips. Here's my add-on suggestion: with the way air travel is becoming increasingly hectic and crowded, when I am booking flights (such as when I made reservations last weekend for this year's CoasterCon at CP), I also go to http://seatguru.com/ to help me figure out which airplane seat to reserve. Yes, it sounds trivial, but for over two hours I'm going to once again be wedged into one of those uncomfortable Canadair Regional Jets both directions for my Colorado Springs - Chicago O'Hare leg, and having a good seat can make a significant difference.

--Kevin Knapp

kknapp.NOSPAM@aceonline.org (remove NOSPAM to reply)

Thanks, Kevin! I'll add it to the list.

I'll second the vote for SeatGuru. I don't get on a plane without checking it.

One other really useful tool is the Amusement Park Guide by Tim O'Brien. It is invalueble for park information, including rides, crowd paterns, and costs. It is also a great way to discover the little gem parks that you may not have otherwise known about.

Could someone please post suggestions for people under 18 making a trip to some place like CP (requiring a hotel stay). I believe there are some options, but I have no clue what they are (if any).

To get some good advice and help in how to bid on priceline or tips about hotwire I use http://www.Betterbidding.com and http://biddingfortravel.com

I have gotten some really good deals using priceline and hotwire. as an example the Wyndham hotel near USF for 35.00 a night IAAPA week.

For the last year ive been using Pricline and Hotwire and have not spent more than 30-40 on three star hotels, Wyndhams, Hiltons, Doubletrees, Fourpoints and Courtyards.

I have something to add:

Whenever you see a hotel you like on the discount travel sites, check the hotel's website before booking.

I just found a room at a Days Inn that went for 69.99 a night go on a Daylight Savings special for 39.99, but only if you make the reservation before Saturday (4/3)

Dave - I had biddingfortravel.com on the list but I didn't know about betterbidding.com. I'll add it.

FlyInBlack - each hotel has its own policy on under-age guests. You'd be better off checking hotel's websites or calling them directly.

BrianW - good point. According to the buzz I hear at the office sites like Hotels.com, Orbitz, etc., are on the "outs" with hotel chain, which are taking back their inventory so they can control their own rooms. It's a good idea to always doublecheck the hotel's website, too.

mOOSH

travelaxe is a decent tool for checking the discounting sites all at once. I've used it in Anaheim fruitfully.

Thanks, Brian!

I know the point about double checking a hotel's website has already been made, but just as further evidence of how this can payoff...

I found an Amerihost Inn for Spring Fling weekend on Expedia for $42/night, and when I double checked the hotel's site, the rate was much higher, BUT, they offered a price matching promise, and I submitted the expedia rate and they gave me the room at $38/night. :)

You might want to also check with the hotel by internet AND by phone. I booked a room in Orlando across the road from Universal for $49.00 a night via the internet. I had called the hotel directly a few minutes earlier and they quoted me the price per night as $109.00. I mentioned the internet rate to them when I called back and I was told to reserve it over the internet in order to get that rate. It pays to check the same hotels rates using different means.

*** Edited 4/2/2004 10:06:47 PM UTC by Rampage***

Agreed about the phone. Calling them, you'd be surprised at how often you can negotiate a lower rate, especially as you get closer to your stay time and they aren't that booked up. You wouldn't get that scenario near PKI in July of course, but you better believe you would in Orlando in the winter.

For the lazy -- www.qixo.com is a simple way of searching many airlines at once for airfares.

Thanks, Maddy. I'll add that to the list as well.

Moosh... one weather site that I use that I didn't see mentioned is www.weatherunderground.com . Pretty much the same as the other sites, but it has a lot of really cool maps and graphs if you are into that sort of thing.

-Escher

Thanks, Esch...I'll add that, too ;)

I'm well aware of issues regarding car rental for under-25s, but I can't say I've ever heard of a hotel having a restriction of the kind, with the obvious caveat of those under 18 wishing to check in alone

Can someone point me to a few example hotels that have a no-under-25s policy?

Richard Bannister, as far as I have seen, most hotels have a under 21 policy, not 25. This is just my personal observation though. Most hotels around Cedar Point do require someone on the room to be over 21 years of age.

A few years back my friend and I were under 21 (she was 20 and I was 19) and we couldn't get a room. We had planned on just driving back home but we were dead tired after a full day at the park and wanted to stay up there. We drove a couple of miles (probably 15) from the park and still couldn't get a room. We ended up driving the whole way home, but it was dangerous because we were both so tired.