Cheap travel, be it cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, or cheap auto rentals, can turn out not to be so cheap unless you are careful.
The following are steps you can take to avoid common travel mistakes:
Make certain that your legal name (the one showing on your drivers license) is the name used to make an airline reservation. Airlines do not allow name changes and airline security may not even allow you to proceed to the gate if there is a variation in the spelling of your name.
Be certain that the ticket you are purchasing is for the time of day you want to fly. To change from an a.m. to a p.m. flight you will be charged a change fee that can be as much as $250, plus whatever difference in price purchasing a last minute ticket costs.
Do not assume that by staying at a hotel that awards airline miles for visits that you will then be able to retain your ready to expire airline miles. Sometimes you need a certain number of hotel points prior to them being able to be converted into airline points. The solution is to call the airline in advance.
Before visiting a major city, call the hotel you will be staying at in advance to see if a car is needed. The additional expense of parking a car, often $30 or more per day, makes staying at a hotel that much more expensive.
Do not leave without a printout of your car rental rate. Leave yourself enough time when you drop off your car rental to speak to a supervisor if they try to charge you more than expected.
When making reserving a car rental overseas always check with the car rental company to determine if there are any additional requirements, such as required car insurance.
Pack your carry-on bag in anticipation of your checked luggage being delayed.
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