How To Get A Luxury Discount When Travelling
- on 06.19.10
- Filed Under Business
- 11 Comments
The majority of people are not financially well off, but would like to be. Sometimes you can temporarily live like the “rich and famous” and enjoy the excitement of luxury travel.
So, as the saying goes, if you have champagne taste on a beer budget, let’s get going.
We’ll explore a few techniques on how you can enjoy luxury travel on a budget.
A laid out plan will be the most important aspect of obtaining luxury deals and accommodations without spending any more money than a lower rated resort. Travel in style with the following strategies.
Technique #1. Find Affinity And Loyalty Programs.
Capitalize on the flexibility and leverage you have in the competitive travel industry. Many companies want your business and offer lots of incentives to compete for your travel funds and to keep you as a customer.
For example, if you provide a service, you typically look out for your best customers and give extra perks to keep them coming back. These companies reward travelers who remain loyal to them with unadvertised specials and extras. This is the general idea behind frequent traveler programs and such.
Technique #2. Select The Right Travel Specialists To Work With.
As you’re researching destinations and comparing pricing online, note that all online travel companies aren’t equal. Lots of agencies have preferred status with suppliers who can in turn pass on these deals to you.
Again, this is just like we talked about earlier, only this time, the companies and suppliers are getting the great deals to pass on to you.
Technique #3. Turn Problems Into Opportunities.
Choose a few top-notch companies that you would like to use over and over again so that you can obtain loyalty bonuses and discounts. If they make an error, take advantage of the situation in a professional manner, but don’t take advantage of the situation.
These companies desire to maintain consistent levels of quality and rely on their customers to provide constructive feedback and satisfaction/dissatisfaction. If a representative is not willing to work with you, ask around to find someone who will.
Technique #4. Just Ask.
One of the easiest and simplest techniques you can do is to just ask. All they can say is no. Sometimes a special occasion may be enough to get you an unexpected surprise. Simply do it and don’t be afraid to ask.
You can simply ask for an upgraded vehicle, accommodation, or airline seat. It doesn’t hurt and you’re no worse off than you were before you asked. In other words, you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Technique #5. Timing Is Everything.
Keep this in mind that travel is at it’s most expensive during holidays and other peak times of the year. However, if the time of year to travel is important to you, such as a special event you’ll be attending, traveling during major holidays or school vacations, and if you desire to get luxury travel for the best value you want, try to book as far in advance as possible.
Don’t forget the power of the internet. It can be one of your most effective tools in researching destinations, while getting luxury travel at bargain prices.
Have fun and happy travels!
I am 50 and female, and have been both an employee and employer – one drawback to travel now: if you are over 27 and have never held a job at one firm for any length of time, people will be reluctant to hire you. If you do get work, you will be years behind the other people your age. You might consider for a future career self-employment of some kind which will allow you greater freedom to roam and and doesn't require references from past employers.
Personally, I think exposing yourself to other cultures is a far more valuable education than any college can offer. Yes, do it while you are young and healthy and free of responsibility, there are other measures of success than how much money you make.
Another thought from an old lady: waiting until you are 30 something to have kids is a real drag when you are 60 and still have kids in high school!
You might be surprised if you've never had a credit card, your credit score is probably terrible or non-existant. It doesn't make you a bad person, it's just a requirement that you need to be in debt and make on-time payments to get a good FICO score.
Since you're young and have never had any sizeable debt let me give you some advice. Credit card companies and other lenders do not like "occassional payments". They like regular payments. They will go ballistic if you start missing on them. Please consider that before you start borrowing money.
Good luck, I truly hope you can live your dream to travel. I think it's noble, and I really believe that. I hope you can travel some, get a short-term job, and move on once you have a little more money. Try to do the whole thing on cash because as soon as you get behind on debt, your dream can become a nightmare.
good man, i
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wow, well done !!! may God reward you . if this was a darwinian atheist human, the selfish gene would’ve kept the money and driven off to vegas to buy prostitutes and gamble.
i ran into the same problem a cpl years ago.. i too lived in tacoma,wa. for 16 yrs ..my mom became ill & i moved home to help out… i'd say either move her close to you..or move close to her. i dont regret moving home, ive met a wonderful woman that has stood by me & helps/ supports me like weve always been married..
I have used priceline many times. I put in the price I can afford to pay and tell them where I am going and they find me tickets. I flew my whole family out to Utah from Florida for a wedding using priceline and got the tickets for 1/3 the regular cost. The service was great and we only had one layover each way. I have also used them for hotel rooms and other things too.
Go for it and have a nice trip. You will be glad you did, it is well worth it.
I have several recommendations for you:
First, reassess your expenses. You didn't account for all of what you spend on if you find yourself short at the end of the month. Are you buying coffee at Starbucks? Going clubbing? Buying movie tickets? Where is the money going that isn't accounted for?
Pay off totally those 22% credit card debts. The interest you are paying on these accounts can be put to much better use.
Set up an automatic transaction each month to a savings account that pays high interest. Pay yourself first! The money you make is yours to keep. I suggest you look at emigrantdirect.com and ingdirect.com. These financial institutions pay some of the highest interest in the nation, with no fees or minimum balances. Surely you can put away at least $25 a month, cant you?
Finally, look at marketing the timeshare directly yourself. Depending on where it is, I'd put a free ad to sell it on multiple craigslist cities. If it is in Florida, for example, you might have luck in selling it yourself on a local craigslist site in Michigan or some other cold state.
Hope this helps you.
Technically, the RNC pays for election-related travel. However, if the prez can justify that it's just a presidential speech, rather than electioneering, we wind up paying.
Actually, you're just about there. I was always told that you should keep up to 33% of your income stashed away god forbid the worst happens. What you have left over after all of your expenses is just about that…1/3rd. I'm sure that doesn't account for things like guilty pleasures–bars, smokes, other, etc.
One thing you can try is to hit up credit card companies #2 and 3 (start with the one that has the highest balance) and tell them that you were offered a lower rate with a competitor (keep one of those junk mail ads from the CC companies). Ask them for a lower rate, or let them know that you will be transferring that balance and that they will no longer be collecting money from you. Do it in the nicest tone possible…make small talk even the first time (honey goes further than vinegar). If they say no, ask to speak to their manager. The credit card company would rather give you a lower rate and keep collecting your money than worry about you leaving them.
Eh…just re-read…keep this in mind for the future though means your highest balance has the lowest rate. That will surely change though.
Food is an easy one, although you have to swallow some pride…grab the circulars from the newspapers and clip some coupons. Even if you don't do that, they'll usually adverttise a sale of some sorts, like 5 for $5 or something…whatever the product is. At the very least, it may keep your number closer to the $100 mark. Cook things up in larger quantities too for leftovers. I make a huge pot of sauce that can last a few weeks in the freezer with two $0.89 cent cans of tomatoes (can be cheaper if you're willing to peel and crush yourself), an onion, some garlic and some herbs that just about anyone has already. All told, the whole pot may cost about $5 for at least 5 meals, maybe 10.
As for the timeshare…I have no idea where or what it is, but can you rent it out to friends and family? Not 100% sure about how they operate, but there has to be a way to make some money back on that one.
Transportation…are you taking mass transit? Take advantage of any frequent traveler programs they have, like a metro-pass or something.
Cable…you can usually talk to a provider and fabricate a problem. If you're nice enough, they will give you 6 months free of a premium channel to keep you as a customer. I've done it before and it works, though I can't comment on the legality/ethical concepts of it.
Utility companies almost always offer payment plans that can help lessen your burden.
Buy something like a Wawa gift card. Wawa is a large convenience store chain where I'm from, and I usually pick up a $50 gift card. It's $50 I don't withdraw from an ATM, because I will surely spend it on something assinine. At east with the gift card, your buying is focused and not just on a whim.