13. Discover the Most Flight Choices – ITASoftware.com provides the most comprehensive and least biased fare / route options. If your schedule is flexible, punch in a month-long travel window and the length of the trip and the search engine will tell you when to fly!
14. Sign Up for Airfare Alerts – Sites like AirfareWatchdog.com find unadvertised low fares and FareCompare.com alerts you when a fare drops by a certain amount.
15. Get Seat Alerts – Sites like ExpertFlyer.com allow you to punch in the flight you’re on and the seat type or rows you want, and you’ll be alerted by email if any seats become available for just $5 a month.
16. Relax in a Better Seat – Don’t select a seat without typing the airline and flight number into SeatGuru.com / SeatExpert.com and checking the stats on the best seat location.
17. Connect with a Hotel’s GM – Often the General Manager will reply to critiques of his property on TripAdvisor. Send a note that you are looking forward to staying at the hotel on X date –hopefully he / she will do something extra for you during your stay.
18. Keep Your Miles from Expiring – Take the hassle out of monitoring each loyalty program you belong to and use a site like AwardWallet.com to make sure you don’t let your miles expire. Award Wallet shows you each of your mileage accounts at a glance, including expiration dates.
19. Find the Best Room for Your Buck – At luxury properties, rates vary substantially according to occupancy. Call and ask the manager when, during your travel window, the hotel will be emptiest and thus have the lowest rate.
20. Score a Better Room – Ask and you shall receive… and if you don’t ask for a great room, you’ll get what’s left over after everybody else’s requests have been filled.
21. Befriend the Concierge – Most concierges at top hotels benefit from the extra business (even when you’re not staying at the hotel!!) and can arrange for cars and drivers, procure hard-to-get tickets, provide names of specialty stores, or recommend English-speaking doctors. They can also write down names and addresses of the places you want to visit.
22. Book Through “Top Producers” – Travel agents who sends the most travelers to a leading hotel or cruise line will be able to get you the most perks.
23. Hire an English-Speaking Guide – The right guide can serve as your expediter and fixer, getting you past lines, showing you secret places you’d never find on your own, introducing you to locals and helping you to bargain.
24. Get the Mileage -Award Seats You Need with No Effort – BookYourAward.com has saved many travelers by showing them how they can use their miles to get where they want, when they want, for fewer miles than they thought possible.
25. Be Rescued When You’re Stranded by an Airline – Ever been stuck at an airport during a snowstorm? Check out CrankyConcierge.com - a service that will do everything possible to get you to a functioning airport and onto a flight.
Reference: Perrin, Wendy. “The Perrin Report: Secrets Every Marketer Should Know.” The Informer, November 2011.
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