Readers’ thrifty vacation advice
Time to crack open that piggy bank and start planning your summer vacation. But wait. You’re going to pay more to get away this summer? How is that fair? ¶ Welcome to the world of dynamic pricing, which means that the price of travel products can be as volatile as gasoline prices. ¶ The reasons the prices of hotel rooms, airline tickets and rental cars vary are far different from gasoline prices, of course, but sometimes they can feel just as unpredictable. That means the only thing you can rely on for keeping down your costs is your own good sense. ¶ Fortunately, we have readers who know how to stretch a dollar, and they’ve been sharing their tips. In the May 14 On the Spot, we learned about deals for veterans and about travel packages that can take the sting out of a last-minute booking. ¶ This week, readers offer more ideas. Thank you for contributing, and to the rest of you, use what works and discard what does not. Remember, there is no shame in being thrifty, only in being cheap.
Make dining count
Eating alone can be awkward. Restaurant dining can be expensive. David Doran of Los Angeles has suggestions that address both.
Before a trip, he said in an email, he peruses Google Maps and finds a nearby grocery store or market, then makes a foray there. He feels confident doing that because he’s verified his room has a fridge and a microwave.
“The day I arrive, usually right after I check in, I’ll head over to that local store,” he wrote.
“I get a nice, short walking-tour intro to the area, a simple way to reduce jet lag and a reasonably priced bag of eats: a quart of milk, a few bottled waters, some fruit, a bag of nuts, a small loaf of artisan bread, some good chocolate, a few veggies and, my personal quirk, something very unusual or locally made/ grown. …
“These goodies can serve as either an easy, often portable breakfast or even a light dinner. This really reduces my budget, since dinner entrees typically cost much more than at lunchtime.”
You can eliminate the stigma of solo dining by eating at the bar, he said. Bonuses: You won’t have to wait for a table, and you can quiz the bartender about his or her favorite spots for eating and for sightseeing.
Finally, Doran said, for more tips ask a group of teenagers, who may be eager to show off their knowledge by one-upping the first person to respond, setting off an information chain reaction.
How do you know you won’t get dissed? You don’t, but teenagers usually are surprised to be asked for an opinion, Doran said, and thus may jump right in.
The perks of B&Bs
Kyle Kimbrell of Playa del Rey likes bed and breakfasts for a variety of reasons. One is price:
“Bed and breakfast inns often are better priced than local chain hotels,” Kimbrell said. Plus, “the meal is usually lavish.”
You’re saving on the most important meal of the day, and meeting others who can inform your travels.
“Meeting other guests is easier in this setting. Also, asking about their local travel experience while dining can provide valuable tips. Time is money when on the road.”
Discount hunting
When you’re booking your hotel, don’t forget to ask about a locals rate, an AARP rate, an Auto Club rate and on and on.
Kimbrell thinks calling the hotel yields the best rate results — not everyone agrees with that but it doesn’t hurt to check — and suggests calling it after the check-in rush is over. (This usually works best with non-chain or individually owned hotels that don’t rely on a sales department.)
Want on-the-ground discounts? “Hotel brochure racks are hidden treasures,” he said. “They often contain significant discount coupons as well as more up-to-date information, parking and maps.”
Here’s what travel agent Sonia Robledo of Traveling With Sonia in Riverside suggested for those fighting the airfare monster: “When I need a good fare, one of the first places I check, if I am finding nothing good from LAX, is Las Vegas.
“People can drive to Vegas from here to get a good fare, if necessary. It’s also worth checking San Diego and Phoenix.
“If it’s an emergency to get somewhere and there are better fares from those cities — and many times there are — it’s a road trip and then a flight.”
Of course, nothing beats free, Kimbrell reminded me. This tip may be easier for a leisure traveler who’s not on a schedule: “Getting ‘bumped,’ recent drama notwithstanding, is the best money-saver of all,” Kimbrell wrote. “A free ticket is gold.”
If you’re not tied to a schedule, why not?
Travel agent Mark Anderson of La Jolla’s Adventure Travel makes a compelling case for using a travel agent (he’s in favor, as you might expect):
“As travel professionals, we work with tour operators who offer flights, hotels and tours at wholesale rates that are usually substantially less than are available to the … public.
“For independent travelers the only restrictions are that they book at least two nights hotel with the flight as they must be sold as a package.
“In addition, packages can usually be reserved with a very low deposit in the $100 to $200 range.
“This really comes in handy when planning your trip sometimes up to a year in advance and you don’t want to tie up all your cash so far ahead.”
Little things add up
If you are renting a car, make sure you have your receipt for your gasoline fill-up with you when you return it, Kimbrell said.
“Offer to give it to them to ensure no surprise charges,” he said. (To which I would add: Only after you have taken a picture of your original receipt with your smartphone.)
Kimbrell asks a cab driver for a flat rate when going to the airport. That means idling in traffic doesn’t run up the fare.
Ruth Kramer Ziony of Los Feliz scopes out public transportation before she leaves home and uses that. Cheaper than ride-sharing services, she said in an email.
She also doesn’t need to send stuff to the laundry if she packs carefully, she said.
“If you place plastic that comes from the cleaners when packing between garments, this prevents creasing so you don’t have to spend money to have them professionally ironed.
“You can also hang your garments in the bathroom, and the steam from the shower will radiate and magically remove unsightly wrinkles.”
She saves magazine perfume inserts and packs them with her personal garments so they have a light, lovely fragrance. Absent that, a dryer sheet works for me, and it’s imperative for athletic shoes.
Leave the aromatic card or dryer sheet in your suitcase to keep it fresh.
Tips done right
Tipping is often a hot-button topic, but if it’s not something you do, skip this part. If it is, Ziony offers this idea on classier tipping:
“I find the following to be an absolute ambassador of goodwill: At Christmas or around the time of the Chinese New Year, I visit my local bank and ask for new, crisp $1 bills. I put them in an envelope and store them in my refrigerator for safekeeping (and because I can easily remember where I have placed them).
“Then when I travel, I use these for tips for everyone from airport baggage helpers to housekeeping personnel in the places I stay.
“It does not matter if it is a hostel or fancy boutique hotel, using crisp bills is an elegant way of saying ‘Thank you.’ ”
It also keeps you from stiffing someone or tipping too much because you don’t have change.
Gift locally
Two ideas for those who feel compelled to bring a bit of their vacation to people at home.
“Try to purchase original items at local shops rather than waiting until the last minute,” Kimbrell said.
“A schlocky T-shirt bought at the airport gift shop is much more expensive, anyway.”
Where else might you find such treasures? Kimbrell enjoys street fairs, which generally are free and can be a source of little treasures (not to mention oftentimes local, inexpensive food).
Ziony has a different idea, perhaps a bit old-fashioned, which makes it even more charming: “If you are abroad, I find that stamps from the local post office are often wonderful ‘souvenirs’ or gifts for those who have not left home.”
I would attach mine to a postcard and take a bit of time to hunt down something that doesn’t look quite like a chamber of commerce brochure shot. They’re out there — they just might be a bit harder to find.
Or if you are lured into an antiques shop — not that this would ever happen to me — check out the vintage postcards and slip them into the envelope you have packed in the bottom of your suitcase. You’re going to need those envelopes for something anyway so you might as well take some and stamp them.
Drop the envelope in the mail if you’re in the U.S. (because, as Ziony suggested, you’ve brought stamps from home) or go to a foreign post office and mail it home.
I’d suggest adding yourself to the list of recipients. You’ve worked hard for your trip; you deserve a reminder that your genius and thriftiness have paid off.
Virtue may be its own reward, but it doesn’t hurt to have a reminder of your adventure — even if it is a chamber of commerce picture.