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Perhaps you have also noticed this.
Gas stations closest to the interstate exit ramps have the most expensive gas.
Of course this is for our convenience. Easy on, easy off.
Sometimes there is only one gas station at an exit. Or it is not reasonable to drive another 7 miles to the next station.
Often, though, there will be one or a few gas stations very close to an interstate exit while a short distance away (less than 2 miles) there is a small town or suburbia.
On one road trip, gas prices were 40 cents higher close to the interstate. I drove half a mile to save 40 cents a gallon.
I am definitely not the type of person to drive around town looking to save 3 cents a gallon whenever I fill up. When my car needs gas, I combine a fill up trip with some other task.
Same with road trips.
I will drive an extra half mile to five miles (each way) to get cheaper gas because I am also stocking up on groceries, eating at a fantastic diner I read about, or visiting a fascinating roadside attraction.
Of course I try to stay off the interstates as much as possible but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. But I do try to stick with smaller roads when I can.
To preplan the least costly fuel stops for a set itinerary, use Cost2Drive. Finding nearby fuel prices is made easier with mobile apps like Gas Buddy. Tip: Costcos often has the lowest fuel prices.
How about you? What other places have you noticed inflated prices?
Previous McCool Travel post ====> 14 Years of How-To Travel Tips, Advice, and Information
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool). You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Klout, and StumbleUpon.
© 2013, Charles McCool
Some travel deals predictably occur around the same time each year.
One is Cunard’s transatlantic crossing starting at $999 (per person). I remember this deal being offered since the early 1990s. McCool Travel Tip: Interestingly, even though Cunard advertises rates starting at $999, they are currently selling cabins for $849 (per person).
My favorite annual travel deal is the rental car exodus from Florida. It is one of my stealthy rental car maneuvers.
Every winter, rental car companies need extra cars in Florida. In fact, National Car Rental currently is renting cars from NYC to Florida for $40 a day ($50 for mini vans).
Subsequently, every spring, rental car companies disperse the cars from Florida to East coast destinations. While I have seen rates as low as $1 a day, I usually pay $5 a day to $100 a week.
For that low rate, I pick up a rental car from a Florida location (usually Ft. Lauderdale or Orlando) and return it to a location near my house in Northern Virginia. McCool Travel power user tip: I have even returned a one-way rental to a local (non-airport) location.
To get to Florida, I buy an inexpensive one-way flight.
I have participated in this program a few times and look forward to doing it each spring. The one-way deals are usually valid from late March through mid June.
Although the rental car companies have not yet announced their Florida one-way drive-out programs, news should be arriving soon.
Here are places to look for their specials: Avis, Hertz, National.
Bonus: I am even able to use other discount programs with these great deals. For instance, with Hertz, I get a 15% discount with my AAA membership. With National, I can select any available car from their inventory.
Previous McCool Travel post ====> 8 Great Ways to Find Free Lodging for Travel
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool). You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Klout, and StumbleUpon.
© 2013, Charles McCool
I just returned from a long weekend trip and wanted to share the process I used to lower my car rental rate by almost 40%.
First, I made the initial car rental reservation a few weeks before the trip. Right after booking the airfare. Using my standard and stealthy methods, I found a rate of $142 for a 3 day car rental from Hertz at Boston airport. It was a decent rate, based on my previous rentals. The $142 rate used my AAA code (20% off). The $142 rate, which included all taxes and fees, was already a discounted rate which I did not expect to reduce further.
However, second, I checked my reservation seven days before the rental car pickup date. This step is second nature to me (and highly recommended if you want to SAVE MONEY). I usually confirm my travel reservations a few days before the trip starts. The main purpose is to make sure that everything is OK; it is much easier to fix an issue from home than at the car rental counter or hotel front desk. A secondary purpose is to verify rates and perhaps find lower rates. In this case, a new PC code under the AAA Offers tab reduced my rate by $15. These codes typically expire at the end of the current month so it was not valid for my initial reservation. My new rate was now $127.
Third, I checked the Hertz website again, for the heck of it, three days before the trip. I found a new offer under the Featured Offers tab. It gave me a new daily rate of $16 (compared to the $30 AAA rate). My car rental rate dropped to $90. I tried to apply the $15 discount code but that did not work. No matter, I would rather save another $37 than use a certain discount.
I checked the following day but this fantastic rate was no longer available. The best rate I found was $127. Fortunate timing for me.
So, I essentially saved 37% from my excellent original baseline rate by spending an extra few minutes confirming reservations and rechecking rates.
Worth it? You bet!
Previous McCool Travel post ====> 12/12/12: Free Download of Winning the Airfare Game by Charles McCool
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool). You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Klout, and StumbleUpon.
© 2012, Charles McCool
This is a repost of a recent post. The information is important enough to repeat. Strongly consider buying Entertainment books for your upcoming travels during the next year. Entertainment books are now on sale online and in stores.
Every year about this time (early to mid October), I want to hurry up and use a bunch of my Entertainment book coupons.
Entertainment.com Promo – 9 October 2012
Most Entertainment book discounts expire on November 1–after which the next year’s edition is active.
You see, Entertainment books have SO MANY discounts that it is impossible to use them all.
On the other hand, the value of an Entertainment book is recouped after using two discounts–every additional use is truly saving money! You decide how much money you want to save.
That is why the Entertainment book is better than Groupon, Living Social, and other discount programs.
With Groupon, Living Social, etc., you buy one certificate at a 50% discount (usually) for one use. For instance, pay $15 for a $30 dining certificate.
With an Entertainment book, you pay about $30 for hundreds of 2-for-1 discounts.
The other night, I used the Entertainment card to get $15 off an entree at Supper Club of India in Herndon.
PLUS, there are hundreds of coupons for local restaurants and activities (including movies, dry cleaning, grocery, other shopping).
PLUS, each Entertainment book offers opportunities for discounts at national, mail order, and order by telephone vendors (flowers, dining, shopping, and more).
PLUS, and the BEST reason for me, each Entertainment books offers fantastic lodging and car rental discounts. They also offer other travel discounts (air, cruise, tours, package vacations), of which I have not used.
So, YES, Entertainment books ARE still worth buying. Entertainment books are better deals than online services such as Groupon.
There are several ways to get discounts on Entertainment books:
- Through Entertainment.com, sign up for auto delivery of next year’s book to get a discount on current edition.
- Through Entertainment.com, they offer discounted rates throughout the year (holiday specials, for instance).
- Buy your book when you need it. For instance, wait until June to buy a book for your vacation to San Diego in July. The book will be about half price then, through Entertainment.com.
- Buy the book at Costco. Last year, my book was $10 less than retail.
- Apply a store discount. When I shop at CVS, I usually get a coupon for $5 off $25 purchase.
- Share books with a neighbor, friend, or coworker. You can split the initial cost and coupons.
For more information about Entertainment discount books visit Entertainment.com and read my previous posts: Travel Tip: Better Than Groupon, 50% Lower Hotel Rate in 5 Easy Steps, Restaurant Discounts – Dining Deals,
Previous McCool Travel post ====> Scenic and Historic Loudoun County Virginia (Waterford)
To read previous posts in the Road Trip Diet series click here.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool). You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Klout, and StumbleUpon.
© 2012, Charles McCool
I hope my previous post convinced you that Entertainment coupon books are still worth buying.
Entertainment coupon books allow you to save hundreds or thousands of dollars (it is up to you!).
My previous post showed you six ways to save money off the retail cost of a new Entertainment book.
Well, I just purchased my new 2013 local edition book.
And saved 43%.
How?
Well, the retail price is $35. The books are being sold for $19.99 at my local Costco.
I saved $15, almost 50% off the retail price.
McCool Travel: 2013 Entertainment Coupon Book at 43% Discount
BONUS: at Costco, the Entertainment books are on open tables so that you can browse through them and determine whether you want one. Believe me, you want it! However, you can look at the index to see which local restaurants participate, for instance. At Barnes & Noble, CVS, and other stores, Entertainment books are usually behind the counter and/or shrink wrapped.
Happy Discounting!
For more information about Entertainment discount books visit Entertainment.com and read my previous posts: Travel Tip: Better Than Groupon, 50% Lower Hotel Rate in 5 Easy Steps, Restaurant Discounts – Dining Deals,
Previous McCool Travel post ====> Are Entertainment Books Still Worth Buying?
To read previous posts in the Road Trip Diet series click here.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool). You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Klout, and StumbleUpon.
© 2012, Charles McCool
Every year about this time (early to mid October), I want to hurry up and use a bunch of my Entertainment book coupons.
Entertainment.com Promo – 9 October 2012
Most Entertainment book discounts expire on November 1–after which the next year’s edition is active.
You see, Entertainment books have SO MANY discounts that it is impossible to use them all.
On the other hand, the value of an Entertainment book is recouped after using two discounts–every additional use is truly saving money! You decide how much money you want to save.
That is why the Entertainment book is better than Groupon, Living Social, and other discount programs.
With Groupon, Living Social, etc., you buy one certificate at a 50% discount (usually) for one use. For instance, pay $15 for a $30 dining certificate.
With an Entertainment book, you pay about $30 for hundreds of 2-for-1 discounts.
The other night, I used the Entertainment card to get $15 off an entree at Supper Club of India in Herndon.
PLUS, there are hundreds of coupons for local restaurants and activities (including movies, dry cleaning, grocery, other shopping).
PLUS, each Entertainment book offers opportunities for discounts at national, mail order, and order by telephone vendors (flowers, dining, shopping, and more).
PLUS, and the BEST reason for me, each Entertainment books offers fantastic lodging and car rental discounts. They also offer other travel discounts (air, cruise, tours, package vacations), of which I have not used.
So, YES, Entertainment books ARE still worth buying. Entertainment books are better deals than online services such as Groupon.
There are several ways to get discounts on Entertainment books:
- Through Entertainment.com, sign up for auto delivery of next year’s book to get a discount on current edition.
- Through Entertainment.com, they offer discounted rates throughout the year (holiday specials, for instance).
- Buy your book when you need it. For instance, wait until June to buy a book for your vacation to San Diego in July. The book will be about half price then, through Entertainment.com.
- Buy the book at Costco. Last year, my book was $10 less than retail.
- Apply a store discount. When I shop at CVS, I usually get a coupon for $5 off $25 purchase.
- Share books with a neighbor, friend, or coworker. You can split the initial cost and coupons.
For more information about Entertainment discount books visit Entertainment.com and read my previous posts: Travel Tip: Better Than Groupon, 50% Lower Hotel Rate in 5 Easy Steps, Restaurant Discounts – Dining Deals,
Previous McCool Travel post ====> Scenic and Historic Loudoun County Virginia (Waterford)
To read previous posts in the Road Trip Diet series click here.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool). You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Klout, and StumbleUpon.
© 2012, Charles McCool
For a recent rental car search, I did my typical search with discount various codes.
Here is the results list:
Cheaper Rental Car Rates: McCool Travel
Usually I find a satisfactory rate on a midsize (intermediate) car and reserve it. These rates are higher than I expected so I did a little more looking around.
At the bottom of the screen there is a Display All link.
Cheaper Rental Car Rates: McCool Travel
Clicking Display All showed all available vehicles instead of the subset in the first results list.
Cheaper Rental Car Rates: McCool Travel
On this complete results list, note that many of the vehicles do not show the rate. Instead, the user has to click the Select for Quote button.
I did this for a couple of the vehicles and found a substantially lower rate.
Of course I started with the convertible but that daily rate was over $100. The economy and compact cars were much less expensive than the intermediate rate.
I reserved the economy car for a total of $260 versus the intermediate rate of $380.
With my Hertz Gold membership, the likelihood is that I will show up and probably get an intermediate class car anyway.
No matter which car I get, I will have saved $120. That will likely pay for the gas and a couple of lobster rolls!
For more information on how I get cheaper rental car rates, please see the following posts: #1 Tip for Saving Money on Rental Cars, Cheaper Rental Cars in Emerald Aisle, Slash Rental Car Rates With AutoSlash.com, Stealthy Rental Car Maneuvers, and Creative Rental Car Uses.
NOTE: these screen shots and this scenario was from Hertz.com. Features vary depending on the rental car company’s website. Your results WILL vary but this is a great feature to use to potentially get cheaper rental car rates.
Previous McCool Travel post ====> Matching Lower Prices
To read previous posts in the Road Trip Diet series click here.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool). You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Klout, and StumbleUpon.
© 2012, Charles McCool
Have you ever asked a travel company to match an advertised price from a competitor?
Most airlines are copycats anyway. When one carrier drops the price on a route, the other carriers flying that route will match the lower price. When the sale is over and fares goes back up, they magically go up from all carriers.
In the pre-Internet days, every once in awhile I was able to convince an airline to match a deal from another airline. Not always, but sometimes.
Today, airlines offer a take it or leave it menu of airfares. They would no sooner offer a customer an unadvertised price than they would let you fly the plane.
Rental cars are the same.
I usually stick with a basic formula of checking Hertz and National, using my discount codes. That usually gets me the best deal–greatest convenience at close to the lowest price.
Often I will find a tremendous deal with another car rental firm. So, I will use the phone and talk to a representative. They are almost always friendly, professional, and competent. Sometimes they even find a little bit lower rate than I find myself. However, they never match the fantastic deals of other firms. They just don’t.
Lodging is another story.
I find that hotels, especially independently owned motels, are more likely to match competitor’s rates.
On road trips, I will pick up hotel coupon books from welcome centers and rest stops (or use the associated mobile app). Surrounding properties often match a competitor’s rate even if they do not have one of the listed coupons. Thus, I will drive by a line of hotels and motels, pick the nicest one, and ask if they will match the lowest rate coupon. Often Yes but sometimes No.
I once made a mistake on a reservation and went to the wrong chain hotel. I drove to the wrong hotel (which was much, much nicer than where I made the reservation) and of course they could not find my reservation. I insisted and even showed my reservation number. The agent said that was not their reservation code and they had no rates matching that.
However, they would extend me a courtesy rate assigned to industry personnel (flight crews). After checking into my room, I dug out my paperwork and saw that my reservation was at a different hotel. Oops. Good thing that it was a reservation that I could cancel without penalty.
Even though I made a mistake by going to the wrong hotel, I felt travel karma helped me out because I was patient and friendly.
Your results may vary. Mine certainly have. There were many other situations where a property did not match a competitor’s rate.
What are your experiences asking for matching rates?
Previous McCool Travel post ====> Co-Terminals
To read previous posts in the Road Trip Diet series click here.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool). You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Klout, and StumbleUpon.
© 2012, Charles McCool
In previous McCool Travel blog and Facebook posts, I showed that for rental cars I typically use discounts from AAA, Entertainment books, and Costco, get great value renting from Emerald Aisle (National Car Rental) and Hertz (but sometimes use Avis or other brands), and how to use Auto Slash to further lower your rental car rate. And I showed you some creative and stealthy rental car maneuvers.
I have shown more complex examples of how to save money with one-way airfares and car rentals, how to swap rental cars, and even how to get a FREE rental car.
Most of the time, I rent vehicles from airport locations. After all, it is the most convenient process after flying to another destination. Get off the plane, pick up a car, and be on my way.
However, there have been trips where I rented a car but did not pick it up at the airport.
Car Rental, Road Trip
Sometimes renting a car from a non-airport location can save big money.
One time, I flew into Frankfurt, Germany, took a train to Trier, spent a few hours touring Trier and researching their archives, and picked up a car at their Hertz office just before their 6pm closing time.
Another trip, I flew into Long Beach, rode a city bus to downtown, and walked a short distance to rent a car from the downtown location.
Still another trip, I flew into Seattle, spent a few days downtown, picked up a car at a downtown location, used that car for two days to visit Portland and Mt. St. Helens, returned it to a Tacoma location, and then rented an RV. Whew!
There were more instances but these are just three examples. The primary reason for me to rent a car from an alternate location and not the airport was and is to save money.
A sort-of brilliant side effect to the first two scenarios was that I was able to return the cars to the airport location for the same rate as the rental location. That was much more convenient that I did not have to take a cab ride, shuttle, or bus.
OK, that is some background info…
Recently, I was doing some rental car rate searches.
I discovered that the weekly rates for renting a car from South Florida airports ran about $500.
$500? That is crazy! The rates were about the same at Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Palm Beach airports.
A quick search, though, at nearby off-airport locations near Ft. Lauderdale airport presented rates around $200.
Yes, $200 for the same car, from the same company, just a few miles away.
Do you want to save $300?
I sure do.
But how to get to the alternate location, you might justifiably wonder.
Depending on the circumstances, I have taken taxis, city buses, shuttle buses, trains, hitched rides, or walked.
It is possible that the rental car company will come pick you up, although it is unlawful for them to do so at some airports.
For the current Ft. Lauderdale example, I estimate a taxi would cost $35 (including tip) each way. I use Taxi Fare Finder to do so.
OK, so the actual savings is $230 if a taxi is used in both directions. Not too shabby!
It is possible that a passenger doing this will actually save time renting away from the airport than at the airport.
Allow me to explain. To rent a car at Ft. Lauderdale, everyone must take a shuttle bus to a central rental car facility; all car firms are there. When I have a Hertz Gold or Emerald Aisle reservation and can bypass the line, it still often takes 20-30 minutes to get to a car after I exit the terminal.
If, instead, I exit the terminal and immediately get in a taxi, I will likely be in my car at the off-airport location within the same 20-30 minutes. However, I am now 10-15 minutes closer to my intended destination. Brilliant! Of course it takes a minor bit of planning to select a location in the same direction as where you intend to go.
Remember that the rate is often the same if the car is returned to the airport. If so, then only one taxi would be needed.
Taking public transportation often costs less and usually (but not always) takes more time. Depends on the traffic. For instance, the light rail in Seattle is super convenient, clean, speedy, and inexpensive. It can get you from the airport to downtown in less time than driving, during rush hour.
With great planning and luck, you can rent a car at a hotel with a complimentary shuttle. Or take a shuttle as close as you can and walk to the rental location.
There are various modes of transportation that will support your decision to rent cars away from airports to save loads of cash.
How about you? Have you ever rented a car from a non-airport location to save money?
Previous McCool Travel post ====> 8 Great Reasons to Stay At Independent Motels
To read previous posts in the Road Trip Diet series click here.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool). You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Klout, and StumbleUpon.
© 2012, Charles McCool
OK, I constantly preach that road trips on smaller roads are more fun than on interstate highways.
Time for me to prove it.
Last week I drove from South Florida to Northern Virginia. Total driving time on the quickest route (according to Cost2Drive) is 18 hours. For one person, that would be a long two days of driving on insidious, boring highways (mostly I-95).
Instead, I spent 4 and a half days mostly on smaller roads. Note, I did some interstate driving, about 150 miles out of 1,700 miles, during bad weather (rain).
8 great reasons to skip the highways and take smaller roads instead:
- Scenery. Interstates were made to shuttle people and goods as quickly as possible between destinations. Interstates are not intended to be beautiful. For scenery, I always opt for smaller roads. For instance, on this road trip I wanted to drive A1A continuously up to Jacksonville. I was next to the ocean nearly the entire drive. Ahhhh. It reminds me of an interview with a world-class marathoner before the San Diego marathon. The organizers were proud of their gorgeous course and asked the runner about it. He said that he cannot be distracted by the scenery and only looks at the road 6 feet in front of him. That reminds me of interstate driving. Mile after mile of traffic, trucks, and mostly straight functional roads. Set the cruise control and wake me in an hour or four.
- Random Discoveries. I tend to roam when I am on road trips. I did not drive straight up A1A but instead explored neighborhoods, found random scenic byways, and checked out historical and interesting sights. Sure, it is possible to do the same from interstates but that would require advance planning (then it is not random!). Along A1A I found many tangent paths leading to intracoastal views, nature preserves, and the beach was always a few feet away.
Old Griffin Road, Hollywood, Florida
Intracoastal, Hallandale Beach
near Hobe Sound, Florida
- Friendly People. One of my favorite road trip drives was between Tifton, Georgia and Memphis, Tennessee (through Eufaula, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa). Oncoming drivers and people sitting on porches or walking or standing, almost everyone waved. Although not as impressionable, countless other country road, farm road, and smaller roads offer the same experience–whether it is the index finger lift from the steering wheel or full on hand waves. Has anyone experienced such friendliness on any interstate highway?
- Better Food. Interstate rest areas offer the typical assortment of fast food options. Exit areas are usually no better. Sometimes you can find local pizza, deli, or other restaurants. Certainly there are plenty of chains even along country roads but it is much easier to find interesting, local places. You will have to work hard to find diners, drive-ins, and dives from the interstate but smaller roads are filled with them. Plus, I love stopping at farm stands, impromptu BBQ (especially at small Southern churches) joints, and local bakeries. You never know what you will find.
Clark's Fish Camp, Jax, FL
- No Trucks. Again, the interstates are a functional way to move goods around the country. The interstate highways are filled with trucks. The smaller roads are not. If I am not in a hurry to get somewhere, I almost always opt to get off the interstate.
- Better Gas mileage. This one sort of surprised me. I figured that driving a constant rate of speed on the interstate highways would result in better gas mileage–compared to the relative change of speed of smaller roads. In addition, car ads state fuel efficiency such as 17 City and 23 Highway. Well, I spent three days on smaller roads and averaged 30.3 MPG (miles per gallon), according to the car’s electronic dash feature. After 150 miles on the interstate, the gauge showed 28.1 MPG. The speed limit for that section was 70 MPH. If it was 55 (and I drove at that speed) then gas mileage would be higher. By the way, the further away from the interstate you go, the cheaper the gas costs. You already knew that, right? Cost2Drive also shows you the cheapest gas stations along your route!
- No Traffic Jams. Since the weather was bad, I was reluctantly prepared to continue my road trip on the interstate. Just north of Richmond, Virginia, BAM, traffic came to a stand still. I recalled taking highway 1, parallel to I-95, on a previous trip. A quick check of my traffic app confirmed that it was a great option. For about 30 miles I took this bypass and I am confident that it was faster (although it is impossible to know for sure).
Major traffic jam start.
This is why I exited. Red means traffic is still.
Most of my detour looked like this.
- Journey versus destination. This is a catch-all bullet point to remind you to slow down and smell the roses. Fill your road trip with serenity and relaxation. Highway drives are stressful. Road rage is rare on smaller roads. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” Yogi Berra said, “We’re lost but making good time.” Robert Plant sang, “There’s still time to change the road you’re on.”
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool). You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Klout, and StumbleUpon.
© 2012, Charles McCool
