Dollar Saving Tips on your Next Car Rental

Author: David Chandler


One of the biggest vacation expenses is a rental car. Below are
a few suggestions on how you can save money on your next rental
car.

If you are flying to your vacation destination and have booked
the flight either online or through a travel agency, you can
more than likely get a discount on your rental car if you book
it as part of the package. The majority of car rental companies
collaborate with at least one airline to provide frequent flyer
miles or other types of rewards when you rent a car. In
addition, many airlines offer incentive and bonus programs where
you get extra miles or extra credit, so be sure to inquire about
these programs when making your reservation.

When choosing your rental car, a compact or subcompact economy
car is usually less expensive than a full size sedan or minivan.
Therefore, selecting an economy will not only be less expensive,
but you will also get better gas mileage thus saving on gas
expenses.

If you need a large sedan, SUV or minivan for the comfort of
your family, it is well worth your time to shop around. There is
usually a high demand for these types of vehicles and therefore
a larger price tag. Travel related web sites are a good place to
start your research to familiarize yourself with the average
price in your vacation area.

The duration of the rental will have an influence on the cost as
well. Weekly rentals are usually far less costly than a daily
rate spread over a week. Therefore, if your vacation plans are
for a week or more, be sure to inquire about special rates. If
you are taking a weekend vacation, many companies offer weekend
specials on certain makes and models of their cars.

In addition, a number of national car companies and local
smaller companies rent their used cars for much less than a new
car from a rental agency. In most instances, these cars are only
a few years old and provide the same protection as a new car.

For the business traveler, joining a frequent renter club, or
using the same rental car company each time, is a great way to
get some special coupons and some very good deals that you could
use for the family vacation.

Most people purchase car insurance from the rental agency.
Usually, this is not necessary. If you have purchased your
rental car on your credit car, you may already have coverage as
part of your credit card plan. In addition, as an automobile
owner, you car insurance may provide coverage for rental cars.
Therefore, it is necessary for you to check your credit card
plan and automobile insurance, if you are covered, then
purchasing insurance from the rental car agency is not
necessary.

About the author:
For more information about saving money on your next car rental,
visit target="_blank" > Car Rental

The Growing Lost Luggage Problem

Author: Aaron Kirley


Have you ever wondered why airlines leave luggage behind, how
they lose bags, or what happens to your baggage on the conveyor
system? Unfortunately, every airport has points of failure in
their luggage conveyor system. These points of failure cause
luggage loss and delays. In 2005 the airline industry saw a
staggering 23% increase in lost luggage. That equates to nearly
10,000 lost bags each day!

When you relinquish your luggage to the airline agent at the
check-in counter, the luggage begins a complicated journey to
the belly of your plan. The conveyor system is owned and
operated by the airport. Airlines pay terminal fees to cover the
cost of baggage handling and the TSA regulates the baggage
handling process. Although the airlines are responsible for your
luggage, they have little control over the TSA's baggage
handling process and therein lies one major point of failure.

Every piece of luggage goes through a screening process
involving x-ray scanners, chemical sensing puffers, metal
detectors and other sensitive security equipment. If anything of
concern is found, the luggage is pulled off the conveyor system
and manually checked by a TSA agent. Manually checking bags
takes time and the airlines operate on a tight schedule.

You can think of the luggage tag as a FedEx tracking number that
the airline uses to monitor your bag throughout the baggage
handling hubs within the airport. The bags are moved using
complicated systems of conveyors and shoots. Many airports have
aging conveyor systems with mechanical problems. Bags get lodged
in shoots, straps get caught in pulleys, conveyor belts break,
luggage tags fall off and bags are incorrectly routed. Even a
small glitch in the system can delay hundreds of bags in minutes.

Airlines aren't totally off the hook either; they have those
FedEx-like tracking numbers which allow them to watch your
luggage move throughout the baggage handling system (unless the
tag falls off). Airlines are forced to decide between delaying a
flight and leaving luggage behind. Of course tight budgets and
backed-up flight schedules make the problem worse.

When you take a step back the answer is very clear, it just
doesn't make sense to delay 200 passengers for a few bags.
On-time flights are a key operating metric for airlines and
their employees are under pressure to maintain good on-time
flight statistics. As a result, of TSA regulations, aging
airport conveyor systems, and airline schedules; luggage
inevitably gets left behind.

About the author:
Aaron Kirley is a founder of href="http://www.luggageforward.com/">Luggage Forward and a
travel services
specialist that focuses on href="http://www.luggageforward.com/">excess baggage
solutions and luggage
shipping. Visit http://www.luggageforward.com for total
travel convenience.

Currency Conversion Tips for Travelers

Author: Jim Lotter




Are you planning on traveling overseas in the near future?
Many people are unprepared when they land in a foreign country,
because they don't have the proper currency. While many European
nations have converted to the Euro, there are still plenty of
different currencies used overseas and in Europe. Here are
some tips on saving when you exchange your money in foreign
countries.

Currency exchange is big business in Europe. Many currency
exchange businesses make a commission when they either buy or
sell currency to you. You can save lots of money if you
need to buy or sell currency. First of all, ATM machines
are one of the most convenient ways to get the foreign currency
that you need. ATM's usually have great exchange rates and
can work with many American banks. Plus using a debit, or
back-card is often the best way to go, because many do not
charge conversion fees.

If you are in vacationing in a large city, shop
around. You will find astronomical fees and commissions as
well as long lines at the airports and hotels. You usually
can find better deals at legitimate currency
businesses. Never trade currency openly on the
street. Many street traders will give you counterfeit
dollars or a lousy exchange rate.

Travelers checks are a convenient way to carry and spend your
money overseas, but be aware that most businesses will still
charge a conversion fee for payment with travelers checks, the
same as if you were paying with U.S. currency.

If you are planning on using your credit card extensively
during your trip, you should note that some credit cards charge
a currency-conversion fee and some do not. Credit cards are
usually a good choice when traveling because of the extra theft
and charge-back protection they provide.

In summary, doing a little investigation beforehand can save
big money on your travels overseas.

About the author:
Find more Financial Tips at href="http://www.pftown.com">Pftown Personal Finance

RV Loan Mistakes That You Must Avoid

Author: Jim Johnson


Deciding which motorhome or RV to buy often is only part of the
buying process at hand. Actually, more money can be lost on
making the financing arrangements than almost anywhere else in
the deal. If you have the money to pay cash for a motorhome,
then financing isn't even an issue, but with the rising cost of
new and even used RVs, motorhome loans are a necessary part of
the sale for many.

There are some mistakes that are commonly made that can cost you
dearly if you don't take steps to avoid them and here they are:

1. Don't focus on the monthly payment figure alone to determine
if you can afford a particular motorhome model. This is often
done by car buyers too, but the monthly payment is only part of
the whole loan picture. You need to take that monthly payment
figure and multiply it by the number of months that the loan
contract is in force. Once you have that figure, then compare
the final cost of the loan contract with the cost of just buying
the rig itself. Usually this will be an eye-opening exercise and
can help you see if exhorbitant interest is being charged on
this loan. If you find that you are paying almost as much in
interest as you are for the motorhome itself, you may be better
served to either look at something much less expensive, or make
different financing arrangements.

2. Avoid any financing that is not a simple interest loan.
Lenders have all kinds of tricks up their sleeve to get more
money from lending to you and one of the ways that has been most
detrimental to consumers is by writing a contract that doesn't
allow you to start paying down the principal amount of the loan
in any meaningful way until the loan is in it's final stages.
It's called frontloading the interest and what it means is that
most, if not all, of the money that you pay for the first half
or so of the loan only goes toward the interest, not the
principal. So when you decide to sell, you will still owe them a
huge chuck of money and they make a lot more profit with this
kind of loan.

It's best to avoid any loan that is not based on a simple
interest process. In other words, the interest is a set part of
the monthly payment from the very first payment all the way
through to the end of the loan period. If a lender tells you
that you can't qualify for a loan like that, never take their
word about that. Always shop around and get other loan quotes on
your own. Most often you can come up with a better financing
arrangement by doing that anyway.

Getting a motorhome loan doesn't have to be costly or mysterious
if you just watch what is going on and keep your eye on the
bottom line.

About the author:
Find out more about href="http://www.motorhomes.consumerreviewsonline.com/motorhome-l
oans.html">motorhome loans and href="http://www.motorhomes.consumerreviewsonline.com/index.html"
>motorhome financing by visiting our Motorhomes Review
website.

How to get a Free Airline Upgrade on your Flight - Fly First

Author: D Smith


Everyone wants to buy the cheapest economy ticket and then turn
up at the airport hoping get bumped up and upgraded to business
class or even first class. Let's face it, who doesn't want more
comfort and legroom, luxurious service and full lounge access
which come as standard for first and business class passengers.
The current generation of flat seats in premium cabins of major
carriers make flying long-haul much more comfortable than ever
before.

Here are a few basic tips for maximising your likelihood of
getting that elusive upgrade and rubbing shoulder with the first
class jet-set.

1. Join the Elite. Become a member of your airline's
frequent flyer program. If you can reach 'elite status' then you
will greatly improve your chances of getting upgraded if there
is any availability on the day you fly. Please note, business
class is sometimes full and there will be no free upgrades
available at these times.

2.Don't Hub. Avoid flying from your carrier's main hub.
You will be competing against masses of frequent flyer members
so your chance of a free upgrade is minimal. In other words it
is more difficult to get upgraded with British Airways if flying
out of London Heathrow.

3.Think Small. Choose one of the smaller frequent flyer
programs with fewer members to reduce competition. The biggest
programs in Europe are those of Lufthansa, AirFrance-KLM and
British Airways with literally millions of members. US programs
are massive - the top 3, United, American and Delta probably
have well over 100 million members between them! A good option
is to join a quality Asian based carrier like Thai Airlines or
Cathay Pacific who have far fewer members.

4.Watch the Load. Book a flight that is likely to have a
full economy section. A few days before your flight, check the
availability of business and first class seats by doing a
pretend booking on your airline's website or use one of the
class availability tools on the web.

5.Choose your Aircraft and Destination Carefully. Choose
a destination that doesn't carry heavy business traffic. Also
try to fly on wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 777 with plenty
of available first class and business class seats.

6.Dress Smart. This is a cliché, but you should try to
dress well in 'smart casual' or business attire and carry decent
looking luggage. If you don't fit in with the flying elite the
airline may not upgrade you. Turn up with an economy ticket and
a backpack and you'll probably be sitting at the back!

7.Invest in your Travel Knowledge. If you are serious
about flying in business class but only have an economy budget
then you should invest in the Ultimate Airfares & Upgrades
Guide. This includes a simple and highly effective strategy to
gain immediate upgrade priority, shows you hidden criteria the
airlines use in selecting people for upgrades and gives you many
more insider tips and tricks in getting that elusive upgrade and
finding the very lowest possible airfares in any class.

About the author:
DS is a freelance aviation consultant. This is part 1 of a 2
part series on how to get a free airline upgrade on your flight.
Part 2 is only available in the free articles section of
http://www.airtravelgenius.com.

The best-selling Ultimate Airfares & Upgrades Guide is now
available at http://www.airtravelgenius.com.