11 Ways to Save on Travel

Simple tips for getting the most bang for your buck on your vacation

AARP Bulletin, July 3, 2018

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1. Save on car rentals

Show your AARP card when you rent a car and get significant discounts. AARP members will save as much as 30 percent with Avis. That would get you $90 off a $300 rental.
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2. Get Amtrak’s senior discount

Folks 65-plus can get a 10 percent discount on most Amtrak train travel. You could save $22 on a round trip ticket between New York and Chicago. Caveat: The senior discount can’t be combined with other discounts.
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3. Skip rental car insurance

Most of the time you already have adequate coverage through your personal insurance. Check and save up to $40 a day.
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4. Get an America the Beautiful Senior Pass

If you’re 62 or older, $20 a year will get you and a carload of people admission to more than 2,000 national parks and recreation sites. That’s a savings of $60 over a regular annual pass.
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5. Check different travel dates

Shifting an arrival or departure date by a single day can save you a surprisingly large amount of cash. Flight search engines such as Matrix.itasoftware.com show lower-priced options. A recent round-trip ticket from New York to Los Angeles was $81 cheaper if you flew a day earlier.
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6. Check airline consolidators

They buy tickets in bulk and sell them at a discount. A round trip flight from Boston to London was $419 through AirlineConsolidator.com versus $546 on Aer Lingus, saving $127.
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7. Blind-book a hotel

Tell Hotwire.com the neighborhood, star rating and amenities you want and you’ll save up to 60 percent if you book before knowing the name of the hotel. That’s $120 saved on a $200 room.
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8. Vacation in a dorm

Colleges overseas rent dorm rooms in the summer. In Perugia, Italy, a week at Casa Monteripido costs $260 versus $430 for the Primavera Mini Hotel. Save $170. Go to UniversityRooms.com.
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9. Ski for cheap

Multi-mountain passes from websites such as EpicPass.com or MountainCollective.com can save you big. IkonPass.com charges an adult $699 for eight days of skiing at any of 26 destinations. That’s $175 less than eight tickets at the window.
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10. Take a farming vacation

Learn about organic farming and enjoy a trip overseas by volunteering to work with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. A room and food are free. You could easily save $1,500 over a week at hotels and restaurants.
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11. Drive, don’t fly

That is, if your family vacation is less than 500 miles away. Four tickets from Washington, D.C., to Cincinnati over a recent week cost about $315 each. Gas for driving would have been under $70. That would save you $1,190 — and you’d have your car and gear with you.