Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half! with Stephanie Nelson, The Coupon Mom
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Take advantage of these smart savings tips from our Travel Tips Contest winner, Jessica Beagle:

 

Flying:

 

I recently booked a flight for spring break or, rather, during spring break season.  In the past, I have always had better luck on getting a reduced price by calling the airline directly.  Little did I know that they charge a $10 Call Center Fee now.  As if airline tickets aren't costly enough with all the fees and taxes that they tack on, they add an additional $10 for calling directly.  So if anyone is flying, I would have to say that I did find the best deals online at travelocity.com and other online sources.  The best prices were found, not on the weekend at midnight as I had also previously experienced, but Tuesday afternoon.  Ticket prices had gone down from Saturday and Sunday to Monday by $20 and down another $20 by Tuesday.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Car rentals:

 

Most car rental companies require a credit card.  For those of us that are trying to live debt free, this is a challenge.  So, I did some research because I wasn't about to go out and get myself a credit card just to rent a car.  Alamo Rent A Car accepts Debit cards as long as you have proof of a round trip travel ticket (airline, cruise ship or train) at time of rental.  I was able to reserve my car with just my name and a few other details. 

 

 

 

 

 

Alamo also accepts cash but there are quite a few hoops that you must jump through to verify that you are willing and able to pay, including showing proof of employment. 

 

 

 

 

 

I also found Alamo to be the least expensive car rental company.  I was able to get a full-sized car (not that I needed that, I would perfectly satisfied with economy) for less than the price of an economy car elsewhere.  When I say less, I mean like $100-150 less.

 

 

 

 

 

Things to do:

Every city has a chamber of commerce.  To find fun things to do, check the cities chamber of commerce website that you are visiting. Quite often you will find links for accommodations, attractions, dining, nightlife, shopping, art and culture and local events taking place.   You can also print maps and learn about local transportation.