I’m not a spontaneous traveler.  Because I’m pretty particular about where I stay and what airline I fly, I have to plan my trips and start looking for deals at least 3 months ahead of time. For this reason, I don’t use discount sites like Priceline or Hotwire where you can book great discounts, but you don’t know what hotel you’ve booked until after it’s too late.  Which is too bad for me, because you can get some screaming deals there.  Those of you who are more spontaneous can often travel on the cheap by taking advantage of some great last-minute deals.

If you have access to the Internet prior to departure, be sure to check out those sites as well as the last-minute savings at sites like Travelzoo and Travelocity.  They offer both hotel and airfare discounts. If you don’t have access to the Internet (say you’ve already gotten behind the wheel of your car and you’re wondering where you’re going to stay for the night), you still have the opportunity for savings.  In New England and other east-coast states, you can stop at a rest area and pick up free copies of the magazines New England Travel Coupons and Room$aver.com, which provide discount coupons for hotels in the area.  For instance, Room$aver offers savings on over 925 hotels from Maine to Virginia.  Many of these hotels are budget chains, such as Comfort Inn, Best Western, etc. so you know what to expect. You’ll have to call ahead to see if the hotel has any rooms left at the coupon price.

If you have AAA, you can also often get a discount (usually 10%) right when you check into a hotel.  Just ask.  Same goes for dining out.  Ask if they have any discounts for AAA members.  Or if you’re a senior, ask about senior or AARP discounts.  If you have frequent flier miles, maybe you can turn them in for a free flight to boot.

My motto is “never pay full price if you don’t have to.”  The more flexible and spontaneous you can be, the more you can save.  Have fun on the road!