Save Money on Summer Hotel Cost and Enjoy Post Vacation Days

The best part of vacation is the planning and anticipation, the good part is the actual vacation and the worst part is the post-travel spending calculation. Well, you can enjoy post-vacation as well, if you cut cost on travel and hotel. Enjoy this excellent guest post from Laura.

Summer is the height of travel season. Whether you’re leaving town to visit family or explore a new city, you’re probably super excited for your next vacation. As fun as it is, traveling is also very expensive. Besides gas or airfare, one of your biggest expenses is probably going to be your lodging.

It certainly doesn’t help that every hotel seems to hike their prices during travel season. However, if you plan ahead, you can save quite a bit of money. You don’t even need to make big sacrifices or spend a lot of extra time to find the best deals. You just need to know where to look and what to look for. Here are a few tips to save you money before you book your next hotel room.

1. Book your room early

Already know where you want to stay? Don’t wait too long to book your room. Just like airline tickets, hotel rooms become more expensive when they’re in demand. As you might expect, the later you book, the more expensive they are, and weeknights are cheaper than weekends. If you have to book last-minute, try looking for last-minute deals on travel search sites like Expedia or Hotels.com. You can also find last-minute deals on your smart phone with apps like Hotel Tonight.

2. Stay off the beaten path

Hold on, isn’t the beaten path where all the action is? Yes, but if saving money is your primary prerogative, take our advice. The closer you are to tourist attractions and major cities, the higher the hotel prices will be. Stay farther away for cheaper room rates. Of course, you’re going to have to weigh price against convenience. If the extra transportation costs outweigh the savings on your room, it’s not worth it. However, you may also be able to save money on transportation by taking the bus, the subway, or even a taxi, instead of renting a car.

3. Use your membership card

If you belong to a national organization, you may be eligible for an extra discount and not even know it. For example, your AAA membership is great if you need a tow, but it can also get you an extra discount on many hotels in the United States. Just make sure you show your membership card to folks at the front desk when you check in. Some hotels also give discounts to AARP members and military personnel. If you don’t see a discount listed on a hotel’s website, call them and ask anyway before you book. It never hurts to ask!

4. Buy a daily deal

Daily deal websites like Groupon and Living Social are best known for their discounted gym memberships and oil change services, but they also offer deals on travel packages that usually include a few days at a hotel or resort. This can be a great option if you know where you want to go and have some flexibility with the dates. You may have to travel off the beaten path or stay somewhere in the off-season, but you can also save 50% or more on the list price.

5. Book your room directly

Don’t get us wrong; travel search websites can be a great way to compare prices. If you use a travel search engine aggregator like Kayak, you can actually compare hotel prices from multiple search sites at once. However, even if you find a great price, you’re still going to have to pay a third-party convenience fee if you book through one of these sites. Instead, call the hotel directly once you find the deal you want. They may even be able to quote you a cheaper price. Even if they don’t, you’ll still be able to score the online deal and skip the extra fee.

6. Stay outside the box

Hotels may be the old standby, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay in one. If you’re young, or just eager to meet other travelers, consider staying in a hostel. You’ll probably have to share your room and bathroom with strangers, but you’ll spend next to nothing on your stay and meet interesting people from all over the world. If you’ve got more than four people in your travel party, and you’re traveling domestically, it may be economical to rent an RV.

If neither of those options sound like a good fit for you, consider renting a house or apartment at a weekly rate. Often, this can be less expensive than a hotel’s weekly rate, and you’ll get a much better sense of the local community than you might otherwise.

7. Use your credit card

Everyone hears about airline miles, but travel credit cards can save you quite a bit of money on your hotel expenses, too. The Capital One Venture offers 2% back on all your purchases in the form of No Hassle Miles that can be redeemed for any travel-related purchase, lodging included.

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you’ll earn 2 points per dollar spent on travel purchases and save an extra 20% on your hotel when you book it through Chase’s website. If you’re fiercely loyal to one hotel chain, you may also want to consider a hotel rewards card. The Starwood Amex offers the best points-per-dollar reward value of any hotel card we know of. Of course, be sure to use your card wisely. No rewards program is a good deal if you have credit card debt.

8. Try a travel agent

In the age of the Internet, an increasing number of people view travel agents as old-fashioned and outdated. There’s also a rumor going around that travel agents are “too expensive”. We’re not sure who started that one! The truth is travel agents are usually free, or at least extremely cheap, since they make most of their money from travel service providers.

They also have a deep knowledge of the travel industry, so they can give you insider tips and advice that travel sites just can’t provide. For this reason, travel agents are also a great resource when you’re planning a complete vacation or organizing a trip for a large group.

We hope you find these tips helpful as you navigate the wide world of hotel deals. On behalf of everyone at NerdWallet, happy travels!

ey on travel.