Whether you’rebrtraveling solo, with friends, or with the entire family, there are ways to getbrwhere you’re going and enjoy your time there without spending your lifebrsavings. One of the easiest ways to save on summer travel is to take advantagebrof free websites and mobile apps that do the deal finding for you.
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Booking Airfare
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Get fare alerts. Take the worry out of finding the bestbrprice by signing up for fare alerts to get email notifications when the cost ofbryour flight itinerary changes. Travel websites like Hipmunk offer thebrservice for free.
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Pull the trigger. If you see a great fare, book it. All airlinesbrselling airfare in the U.S. allow you to cancel within 24 hours without anybrpenalties as long as you purchased a ticket at least seven days before thebrflight. Many airlines also let you hold a fare for a short time for a smallbrfee.
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Try metasearch sites. Search for airfare on websites likebrHipmunk, BookingBuddy, and SmarterTravel.com, which compare top travel sites tobrshow the best flight or hotel at the cheapest price.
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Finding the Perfect Place to Stay
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Book hotels last-minute. Hotels often offer special mobile-onlybrrates for last-minute bookers. For example, Hipmunk’s Tonight Deals saves appbrusers up to 60 percent on hotel rates.
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Try a vacation rental. Rates can be cheaper than hotels andbrcooking your own meals saves on eating out. Airbnb and HomeAway are popularbrvacation rental websites and you can see their listings alongside traditionalbrhotels when you search through Hipmunk.
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Look atbrreviews. Sentiment-based reviews like Hipmunk’s make it faster andbreasier to see a hotel’s strengths and weaknesses without having to read pagesbrof individual reviews. At a glance you’re able to see whether past hotel guestsbrwere happy with the price of breakfast or thought the hotel was a value.
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brbrActivities and Diningbrbr
Pre-purchase activities. Browse activities or dining deals onbrsites like Groupon or LivingSocial and pre-purchase the ones you like at a significantbrdiscount. Make reservations well in advance for the dates you’ll be in town.
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Find last-minute dining deals. Use the Yelp app to identify localbrrestaurants offering a deal. Just search nearby restaurants and filter bybr“offering a deal” to taste local flavors at a discount.
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Getting Around
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Walk it off. Use a site like Walk Score to identifybrand stay in areas that are walkable to avoid cab fares and publicbrtransportation costs.
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Try short-term car rental. If you’ll need a car on and off, trybrservices like Zipcar or Getaround. You can borrow a car for as little as anbrhour so you don’t pay for it when you’re not using it.
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Rideshare. Uber or Lyft rates are often cheaperbrthan cab fares and the apps are free. In addition, you pay through the apps sobryou never have to pull out your wallet in an unfamiliar neighborhood.
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For more travelbrtips or to explore flights and accommodations for your summer vacation, visit www.hipmunk.com. Downloadbrthe Hipmunk Hotel and Flight App for free from the AppbrStore and Google Play.
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