http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/travel/8-ways-to-save-on-travel-in-2015.html 2015-01-01 17:59:09 8 Ways to Save on Travel in 2015 Tips on how to save money by better using tools you already know. === Interested in 37 newfangled apps that will save you 0.01 percent on travel for the coming year? I didn’t think so. At some point, you have to stop trying to find every new tool for and shortcut to bargains as they appear and just wait to see which ones stick. By now, you surely know some basics: You probably use meta-search sites to compare airfare and hotel prices; you’ve either tried or consciously avoided “sharing economy” services like Uber; you know that most domestic car rental reservations can be canceled with no penalty should you find a better rate even on the day of the trip. So instead of offering wacky tricks, here are eight ways to take strategies you already know and do them better — with, O.K., a few new appealing tools thrown in. Uncomfortable with strangers living with you? Equally unexcited to bunk with strangers? Or simply hesitant about Airbnb’s If even cars are a bit much for you, how about renting someone’s bike? Nothing on Airbnb says you can negotiate a better price when you book rooms or apartments or houses or yurts, but nothing says you can’t, either. Write the host a note that goes something like this: “Your place looks great but it’s a bit outside my price range. Would you consider $60 a night?” (It’s not as likely to work if the property is managed by a third party rather than directly by the owner.) You’ve also probably noticed Airbnb’s service fees of 6 to 12 percent when they ambush you before you finalize your reservation. A new start-up with a cute name, Flying through an airline’s hub rather than going nonstop is the oldest savings trick in the book. But a stopover in Kiev? That’s new. Ukrainian International Airlines began flying out of New York in late April — tragically bad timing. Less than three months later, a Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down near the Ukraine-Russia border amid unrest in the southern and eastern parts of the country itself (far from Kiev). But the airline staged a comeback with almost absurd promotional rates from New York (Dubai for $453?), and although tickets are going fast, as of this writing you can still get from New York to Istanbul or Athens for $479 in February, for example; to Bangkok for $953 in May. All have very reasonable layovers. I couldn’t resist, and booked a flight from New York to Tbilisi, Georgia, and back from Yerevan, Armenia, for $493, with two checked bags (great!) and Ukrainian airplane food (hmmmm). To state the obvious, some countries are just more expensive than others. I found that out on a trip You spend a lot of time searching online travel agencies, but have you ever clicked the “Packages” tab? It’s not a match for every trip, but Probably the most common question I get is where to sleep cheaply in New York. I used to hem and haw and mumble something about Priceline bidding, but now I have a new answer: Stay in Long Island ­City, Queens, just across the East River. When I checked what a week’s stay would cost in March at hotels one or two subway stops from Midtown, I was shocked to find that 18 of 20 hotels were $151 a night or less. (With taxes it’s $180 or less.) Do you know what Manhattan hotels cost? For that matter, do you know what Manhattan rents are? Even some city residents could save cash (and gain housekeeping service) just by moving in. The same idea can apply to other cities that have secondary clusters outside the main business district but near public transportation. Use Hipmunk’s great maps to scout out the city you’re visiting. If you’re like me, you still like guidebooks, but have to admit it’s tempting just to search online for what to do wherever you’re headed. But if you search “Rome attractions” or “Paris tourism,” for example, you’ll get an avalanche of messy results. Making it through Budget travelers are quick to assume their credit card will make the collision damage waiver sold by car rental companies unnecessary, and that their health insurance will cover them fully while abroad. Those can be costly assumptions; credit cards normally don’t cover liability and may not cover collision in all countries, for example. Between now and your next trip, make a cup of coffee, take a deep breath, and plow through the small print of your favorite credit card’s benefit package and your health insurance’s international coverage. Everything’s online, of course, so “small print” is just a figure of speech. You might even find some benefits you didn’t know you had, like reimbursement for toiletries if your luggage is lost or for your camera lens if you drop it within 90 days of purchase — as I’ve done multiple times.