8 Travel Tips to Help You Plan Your Dream Trip
We, at Vacationer, always keep our ear to the ground for ways to inspire the LGBTQ+ community to travel and aspire to provide the best advice and travel tips to help make planning your dream vacation a little easier.
At the Travel & Adventure Show, Paula Frommer, co-president of FrommerMedia and editorial director of Frommer’s Guidebooks, and veteran travel journalist Peter Greenberg offered some great travel advice we thought we’d pass along to you. Hopefully, these will help you guide you to travel smarter and better.
We strongly recommend supporting LGBTQ+-owned and operated travel agencies and companies, and if you’re looking for some guidance on the right places to go and things to do, you can check out our website and the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) for great travel recommendations as well as dozens of travel partners who support and/or cater to queer travelers.
1. Use the internet for research only. Don’t make reservations or book travel online. Why? Because oftentimes, online information is not always accurate, and it does not offer consumers the best deals. For example, if you book your hotel through an aggregate travel website such as Kayak.com, Expedia.com, or CheapHotels.com, you’ll notice that it sometimes tells you the number of rooms life, such as, “Only 3 rooms left.” That number only represents the online inventory available. So, you should call the hotel directly to book a room, and in some cases, you may receive a better room rate, possibly negotiate not paying the dreaded “resort fee,” and or receive better packages or deals not offered online. Remember when calling directly, being nice and polite to the front desk clerk or customer service rep goes a long way.
2. Avoid purchasing travel insurance through the travel provider. For example, if you’re buying an airplane ticket and there’s an option to buy travel insurance, you should opt out and buy insurance directly from a travel insurance company. Travel experts recommend searching for a company that offers Cancel For Any Reason Coverage (CFAR) via websites such as SquareMouth.com, InsureMyTrip.com, and TravelInsurance.com. Always look for insurance that includes medical evacuation and repatriation. With any insurance policy, you should always read the fine print to ensure that you secure the insurance that suits you and your travel needs.
3. Choosing the right day to purchase your tickets can save you money, according to Pauline Frommer. Booking your airfare on a Sunday, may save you up to 10% on domestic flights and 5% on international flights. Plan ahead! You can also save money if you book 28 to 35 days in advance for domestic travel and 3 to 4 months ahead for international travel. When are the best days to fly? Fly on Fridays for domestic travel, which can save you up to 15%, or save up to 5% on international trips if you fly on Thursdays.
4. The top three websites to find the best airfare:
Again, websites should be used for research, but a direct call to the carrier is recommended.
5. The top three websites to find the best hotel rates:
Websites should be used for research, but a direct call to the hotel is recommended.
6. Book your car rental as soon as possible. Because of a chip shortage, rental companies sold cars during the pandemic, leaving consumers to scramble to plan ahead when renting a car for a road trip. In addition to booking early, check out other local alternatives such as Turo, ZipCar, Lyft Rentals, Mocean Carshare, and yes, even U-Haul.
7. Finding the right tour for the perfect immersive local experience can be a hassle, but travel experts, like Pauline Frommer, say several travel companies provide a variety of tours depending on your travel style, including GetYourGuide, Viator, TourScanner, Tiqets, Airbnb.com/experiences, and for foodies, Traveling Spoon and Eat With. And if you’re looking for multi-day tours, consider checking out TravelStride.com or TourRadar.com.
8. Consult a travel advisor. Traveling now is different from traveling pre-pandemic. So, when in doubt, we suggest seeking out LGBTQ+ travel advisors, curators, and agencies such as Keith Wein at 127 Travel, Carlos Melia, and Olivia Travel. LGBTQ+ travel advisors can cater to our needs as queer travelers, including making sure our safety is a priority before, during, and after a trip. Travel advisors also have direct connections with hotels, airlines, tour operators, and destinations to customize your trip and manage your expectations depending on how much you’re willing to spend for that dream vacation.
Don’t forget to check out our article that lays out the best tips for plus-size travelers and IGLTA’s tips for transgender, genderqueer, and nonbinary travelers.
