Luxury Travel Deals

Imagine paying $390 a night for a 3,000 sq ft vacation home with a hot tub and fireplace at the Resort at Paws Up outside of Missoula, Montana in May. This is a perfect high-class getaway at prices that make it easier to travel in style without designer costs.

Jetsetter.com is a private online community that provides members with insider access, expert knowledge, and exclusive deals on the world's greatest vacations. Sales last five to seven days and offered on a first come, first served basis.

The weak economy has played into creating more savings opportunities for customers since occupancy is not what they used to be. One of the reasons they are able to offer such low rates is because the rates aren’t public for anyone to see on the internet.

To become a member on Jetsetter, you must either be invited by another member or submit your name to be placed on a waiting list. Sign up here.

Consider Gansevoort Miami, one of the beautiful-people hotels that Miami is famous for and features a celebrated rooftop bar and pool. On Jetsetter, the Deluxe City View room, which houses four, costs $135 a night. A recent search for the same property and dates on Expedia and Hotels.com yielded a rate of $215.

Perhaps it is time to take that vacation of your dreams.

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Airport Travel Tips

“Never get behind old people. Their bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left. Bingo, Asians. They pack light, travel efficiently, and they have a thing for slip on shoes. Gotta love 'em.” - Ryan Bingham from Up In The Air on getting through airport security

The more you travel, the more time you want to save from door to gate. Getting through security is only one of the factors. Most travelers today avoid baggage fees and bring rolling luggage onboard. Ideally you want to arrive at the gate 30 minutes prior to departure for priority boarding.

Before getting to the airport, check-in online and print your boarding passes. If you are parking at the airport, always park in the same area or note the parking spot in your phone. I can’t tell you how many times I have taken the shuttle back to my car and someone does not remember where they parked.

Getting through airport security, I recommend selecting a line that does not share a scanner with another line. Also if you place your items through the conveyor belt in specific order, then you can pick up your belongings faster on the other side and move away from the chaos. I put my roller bag first, laptop bag second, laptop third, and everything else last. Try it.

For business travelers working multiple weeks or months in the same city, avoid the hassle of traveling with liquids by leaving it at the hotel bag check. Most hotels are willing to accommodate your needs.

Early bird travelers, follow these tips and spend more time sleeping.

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Top 5 Free Travel Mobile Apps and Sites

1. Google Maps. The best mobile app features GPS navigation and directions by car, public transit, or walking. Google maps tells you the nearest locations of what you are searching for and how to get there. I got around Boston just fine with my phone and no map. Available on any smartphone and m.google.com/maps

2. Yelp. Looking for places to eat? Yelp offers user reviews and recommendations of top restaurants, shopping, nightlight, and entertainment in all major cities. Available on iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Palm Pre, and m.yelp.com

3. TripCase. Travel management apps are becoming popular to frequent flyers tracking air, hotel, and car confirmations. TripCase gives you updated flight status, gate changes, and alternate flights if delayed or you miss your flight. Available on iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and Android

4. WeatherBug. Knowing the weather is important wherever you are, day and night. WeatherBug provides a solid mobile app featuring 7-day and hourly forecasts. Available on any smartphone and m.weatherbug.com

5. Airport Maps Mobile. Before you get on the plane or while you are still in the air, you can find your connecting gate. Airport Maps gives you what you need to quickly find how far your gate is, a place to eat, and your favority airline lounge. Available on iPhone and Android.

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Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO)

Tens of thousands of vacation home owners rent their properties each year to family, friends, and vacation travelers. This is ideal for groups looking to stay in cabins or condos during ski season and beach houses during summer. Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO) is the largest vacation rental website specializing in private homes and by owner vacation rentals.

Vacation rentals can accommodate guests from 2 to 30 plus and save you up to 40% compared to hotel rooms. Most come with a fully equipped kitchen to help save money on dining. Some amenities may include free Wi-Fi, private hot tub, outdoor grill, and washer and dryer. The calendar of available dates is fairly up to date and you are able to contact and work directly with the owner.

I booked a condo in Whistler, B.C. using VRBO for $225 per night. The 3 bedroom/2 bath ski-in and ski-out condo is located in Creekside and accommodates 8-10 people. For 4 nights, the average is $110 per person.

VRBO is recommended for large groups or extended-stays. Book in the fall before ski season starts.

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Best Seats in the Air

How do you select your seat? The casual flyer likely will not care as long as they get an aisle or window seat. For the frequent flyer, seat selection means everything. From the front of the airplane to the back, Seatguru helps identify the superior and substandard seats besides in first class.

A good seat is a recliner and bulkhead type with extra legroom and power outlets. A poor seat is one with limited recline and reduced width, usually the first row in front of the exit row and the last row of the airplane.

When I travel with elite status, I prefer the first window seat behind first class because I have extra legroom and I am away from aisle traffic. If unavailable, I search for an aisle seat near the front. The closer your seat is to the front, the faster you get off the plane and the farther you are away from engine noise.

If I do not have status and traveling with carry-on luggage, I favor seats near the middle so I am able to board earlier and guarantee myself space in the overhead compartments. Otherwise, you take the risk of the crew checking in your bag.

Short flights are probably not as important as long flights. If traveling coast to coast or international, I highly recommend finding your airplane on Seatguru before you making your seat selection.

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Why Fly Southwest Airlines

The 3 things I love about Southwest: Bags Fly Free, low fares, and cancellation policy. You probably have seen many commercials about Bags Fly Free. SWA is the only carrier that does not charge fees for checking bags. Passengers can save up to $100.

Looking for a summer or winter vacation? SWA offers direct flights to Las Vegas, Denver, and Chicago. They offer lower fares because of access to mid-major airports and having many connecting flight options. Also, you can install and configure a SWA tool on your pc which prompts you about Ding fare notifications, more deals.

When flights are booked in advance, plans change and unexpected events may occur. In January, I tore my MCL a week before my snowboard trip. Southwest allows passengers to cancel flights anytime and receive credit towards a future reservation within the year.

Two tips I would pass on. You should always book one-way fares. Roundtrip fares are the same price but one-way fares allow you to rebook the same flight(s) easier if a better deal comes up later. Also, you should always check-in 24 hours in advance to receive priority seating and not get stuck with middle seats.

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Book Hotels with Priceline and Hotwire using BetterBidding

For travelers that value price, quality, and location over hotel names, Priceline and Hotwire will save you up to 50% or more on hotels. In Downtown-New Orleans during Memorial weekend, I bid $55 per night on Priceline and received a 4* JW Marriott valued at $159. Most recently, I selected a 4* hotel in Union Square-San Francisco on Hotwire for $86 per night and received Parc 55 Hotel valued at $169.

BetterBidding is a discussion forum where users post winning bids from Priceline and Hotwire. Browse by state and you will have a general idea of winning prices, hotels, and locations. The Calendar of Wins feature allows you to search by date and location for winning bids. Normally if you see a winning bid and bid the same star level, price, and location, you will receive the same hotel. The price may fluctuate up or down due to the time of year or number of nights.

Priceline lets you select a star level and location and place a bid. If your bid is accepted, the hotel name is revealed. If you are rejected, you are required to wait 24 hours to place the same exact bid OR you can change zone or minimum star rating.

EXAMPLE: New York City has a Time Square and Coney Island zone. You bid 4* Time Square at $100. You are rejected told you can bid again if you change something. IF Coney Island ONLY offers 2* hotels and BELOW, you can add the Coney Island zone (so you are now bidding on Time Square AND Coney Island) and rebid for 4*. Basically, you are only bidding on Time Square since Coney Island doesn't have any hotels that fit your star level selection.

Hotwire is similar to Priceline but the price is listed. You select the city and date, and Hotwire will show you a variety of hotels (without disclosing names) and list price, area, and star level. When you agree to purchase, the hotel name is revealed.

I recommend starting with Priceline and switching to Hotwire if your bid exceeds Hotwire’s listed price for the same location and star level.

Step 1: BetterBidding Calendar of wins Step 2: BetterBidding Discussion forum Step 3: Priceline - Select zones one at a time and note highest star level. Select star level and zone then bid Step 4: Rebid zones (if necessary) - If rejected, add zone with highest star level BELOW level you requested then raise bid. Repeat. Step 5: Hotwire (if necessary)

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