Traveling has undergone some big changes in recent years. Now travel journalist Rudy Maxa provides tips to save money, maximize pleasure, and minimize hassles. He offers suggestions about where you should go right now, how to save money on hotels, why you should stop hoarding those frequent flyer miles, and why you should never ride a camel named Katherine in Khiva, Uzbekistan.
Known as public radio’s “Savvy Traveler,” Maxa is host and executive producer of Rudy Maxa’s World, an Emmy Award-winning public television travel series.
Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Kansas City Public Library.
Rudy Maxa recommended several websites, travel organizations, and apps during his presentation. Here is his list of suggested resources:
Please note that inclusion on this list does not constitute endorsement by the Kansas City Public Library.
- MileValue.com [3], ThePointsGuy.com [4], and LoyaltyLobby.com [5] all specialize in ways to accrue frequent flyer miles & hotel points.
- Fortnighter.com [6] provides trip planning to specific destinations using travel journalists who live in those destinations.
- ITASoftware.com [7] is a great reference to check airfares, though you cannot buy tickets directly via this site. Google.com/flights [8] uses ITA Software.
- To bid on rental cars or hotel rooms, choose the bid option on Priceline.com [9]. Remember to deduct the taxes and fees that will be added to your final total before making your bid (25%-30% under retail).
- For vacation rentals HomeAway.com [10] allows you to register for properties in the US and Europe, VRBO.com [11] is a good, worldwide site for home and condo rentals, RoomORama.com [12] is especially good for properties in Europe and Asia, and FlipKey.com [13] (and its UK partner HolidayLettings.co.uk [14]) allows you to compare the cost of rentals against local hotel prices.
- AirBnB.com [15] is for apartment, condo, and vacation home rentals offered by owners. With AirBnB, your money is not released to the landlord until 24 hours after your arrival, and about 40% of rentals involve being a “housemate” with the owner.
- Want cruise lines to bid for your business? Check out CruiseCompete.com [16]. Two recommended companies for river cruising in Europe and Asia are Viking River Cruises and AMA Waterways.
- Use the Hotel Tonight [17] app for same-day, discounted hotel reservations.
