Budget travel: How to score good deals

This story was originally titled "Budget Travel" in the May 2008 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!

Transportation
Before booking your flight, check airline websites for seat sales and special offers. Air Canada (www.aircanada.com) and WestJet (www.westjet.com) both have a special offers page. Also be sure to visit online travel sites, such as Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.ca), Expedia (www.expedia.ca), Orbitz (www.orbitz.com) and SideStep (www.sidestep.com), which enable you to compare different carriers' fares.

Those willing to travel at off-peak times are also more likely to find better prices. "If you have the flexibility in your schedule, you can volunteer to get bumped off an overcrowded flight in exchange for an airline credit," says Shel Horowitz, editor of Global Travel Review, an online publication at his website (www.frugalfun.com).
 
This summer, kids travel for free between June 1 and Sept. 15 on Via Rail. Via Rail also sometimes runs discounts on certain routes. Check their website (www.viarail.ca) for special offers. During the rest of the year, children aged two to 11 pay half of the adult fare and full-time students with an International Student Identity Card are eligible for 35 per cent off the regular adult fare in economy class.

As for car rentals, you may qualify for a discount if you are a member of an association. For example, Canadian Automobile Association members receive 15 to 20 per cent discounts on standard rates at Hertz. And read the fine print. "Sometimes it's cheaper to rent a car for a week than five days," says Horowitz. You might also consider joining a car-sharing club such as Zipcar if your family is travelling to Vancouver or Toronto and doesn't need a car for the entire duration of the trip. Sign up for a membership online at www.zipcar.com. Rental costs are, on average, $9.75 per hour (in Vancouver) or $10.50 per hour (in Toronto) or $69 a day, along with a $55 annual fee and one-time fee ($25 in Vancouver; $30 in Toronto).

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