Generate Key Takeaways
With Memorial Day just days away, that means the official start of the summer travel season is rapidly approaching. While everyone loves a good deal, consumer advocate Clark Howard is sharing his strategy for saving money on hotels and rental cars.
Howard says the first thing he does when looking for a hotel is go to Priceline and put in the city and what kind of accommodation he’s interested in. Then, he’ll go to TripAdvisor to look up reviews on the hotel that he’s looking at.
RELATED: Are you doing these tricks to find cheaper flights?
Howard also only books at a refundable room rate on Priceline, or he’ll book on the hotel’s own website. That can allow you to reshop your rate, and Howard finds he almost always gets a better deal about two weeks before the trip.
You’ll also want to reshop your car rental. Howard had one recently that was booked in advance for $475 a week, but it dropped to $254 a week before the trip. It takes just a moment to double-check.
Another tip for your car rental is to not rent at the airport. That usually involves extra fees and taxes — if you can rent away from the airport, you can save as much as 20%.
(VIDEO: Fare or unfair? When it come to fare enforcement in Charlotte, it depends what you ride)