As avid travelers, most of us spend a good portion of our time looking for ways to save cash on everything from airplane tickets, to hotel stays. While accessories can help you have an easier flight, and comparison sites can give you cheaper prices, the chances are that you forget to factor in the additional hacks you could be using to fill your vacation full of extra money-saving perks.
From making sure that you have a travel plug on hand to charge up your devices after a long flight, to making yourself available for all the potential upgrades hotel owners might want to throw your way, we’ve put together a list of some of the best travel hacks for earning great vacation perks.
1. Don’t Pay for Wi-Fi – Ever
Let’s face it, most of us struggle to go more than four feet away from our phones at any given time – because we want to make sure that we’re constantly up-to-date with whatever might be happening on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and more.
Our reliance on the digital world has meant that hotels absolutely have to have Wi-Fi if they want to get the lion’s share of most people’s business, and it also means that here, in 2016, you should really regard internet access to be a right that you by no means need to pay for. If you can’t connect at your hotel, call the front desk and ask for a password, don’t assume you have to pay huge prices on your mobile data bill.
2. Lounge in First Class
It really is easier than you might think to sneak into a first class lounge. So long as you have at least one first class ticket, the chances are that you’ll be able to print it off multiple times and share it around when you want to get in and out of the lounge. They’ll scan the same ticket a number of times without blinking an eye – which means that your friends get to enjoy the exact same perks as you.
Obviously, this won’t work as a way of upgrading your in-flight seat.
3. Make Sure They Know Who You Are
Call the property you’re planning on staying with at least three days before your arrival and ask to speak to the room’s director. Introduce yourself as someone who will be staying with the hotel for the very first time as a premium member of a competing chain. Remember – this doesn’t have to be true, as the chances are your hotel isn’t going to start phoning competitors to ask for information about you.
Ask casually about room categories, and see whether or not the person you’re talking to is willing to give you a room upgrade. This won’t always work, but most of the time you’ll end up getting something for free – even if it’s just a bottle of wine upon arrival.
4. Know the Jargon
Using the right phrases and terms when you’re talking to the people who can give you upgrades is imperative if you want to show off your perceived “power”. Calling and asking for the “room’s director”, as mentioned above, is a good place to start – as it outlines you as a potential hotel expert – rather than just a standard client.
The more professional you appear to be, the more likely the hotel is to treat you like a VIP. It sounds weird, but saying a couple of the correct phrases can be enough to earn you a whole host of goodies during your stay.
