Is the high cost of travel preventing you from seeing the world? With some adjustments, the price of traveling abroad can be much cheaper than you can imagine. One common practice among young backpackers and more experienced travelers alike is traveling the world on a small budget. There are so many diverse ways to cut down your spending without compromising your travel experience.
Many people find budget traveling preferable compared to luxury travel because of its way of bringing you closer to the local culture. Unlike hopping on a Mediterranean cruise ship or staying at a fancy resort, traveling cheaply and independently can put you in contact with the day-to-day activities of millions of people around the globe.
Below are some of the biggest ways to travel for less than you think and still having an amazing experience.
Location Matters
The simplest way to travel longer or more comfortably for very little cost is to travel some place where your money stretches further. In Western Europe, Five thousand dollars might allow you to backpack for few weeks but that is not enough to survive for months in Vietnam or Thailand.
Be aware of the parts of the world that offers the most for your money as you plan your trip. Think South East Asia instead of Australia, Central America instead of South America and Eastern Europe instead of Western Europe. The pricing in some parts of the world can differ by season, and then traveling during the off-season period can make an unaffordable site more obtainable.
Overnight Buses, Planes, and Trains
No matter where you are travelling to, one of your biggest costs implications would be transportation. There are a number of things you can try to do to keep these costs minimal. The first thing to do is to cut flight costs by booking when there is low-demand and making use of a search aggregator like Kayak to discover diverse websites that offer the best airfare. You can also look at overland means of transportation like buses, boats, and trains, which unlike flying are less costly.
Since transportation costs consumes not just money, but also eats up time, plan an itinerary where you spend more time in each destination and move less. If you are always on the move, your costs implication will be higher and your trip more tedious than if you spend quality time in each place you go. Why not consider making a major city your focus and taking day trips from there.
Sleeping Cheap
Hostels are not terrifying murder dens forget the scary movies you may have watched. They’re actually superb, less expensive place to lay your head. Think of it as not just a place to stay, but as an instant social environment where you have direct access into new cultures. Other cheap options to expensive hotels include couch-surfing, renting a short-term apartment and house sitting.
If you’re traveling a country like Asia or Mexico with great street food you’re in serious luck, as you can surely have an amazing food for less than a couple of dollars. If you are the type that street food is not an option, look for local fast food bakeries, chains, and small family owned restaurants. Another option is to pay a visit to the grocery store and select a picnic of local foods for your taste.
Cheap Entertainment
Some major tourist sites can cost a lot to enter (though some are worth it), there are also free and inexpensive ways to tour a new city. Talk to people, Wander aimlessly, try new foods and make new friends. Make time to explore local neighborhoods, relax in public parks, or you can poke around smaller churches and museum. Who knows what you might discover.
To learn more about inexpensive travel tips, follow our blog at www.hotelsetc.org
Vacations are fun, we all know that, we all want more of them and some of us will almost live for them. But do they make you happier? It might seem like a question with an obvious answer but a group of researchers in the Netherlands set out to answer this precise question while also determine what it is exactly that causes someone to feel this way.
Almost 2,000 adults took part in the research, half of which had taken a vacation during the previous year and the results threw up a very interesting point. Yes, there were no surprises that these people experienced happiness while on the trip, whether they were relaxing next to the pool, swimming at the beach, eating out in a fine restaurant or sipping cocktails as the sun went down but what about afterward or what about before?
“The practical lesson for an individual is that you derive most of your happiness from anticipating the holiday trip,” said Jeroen Nawijn head of the research. “What you can do is try to increase that by taking more trips per year. If you have a two week holiday you can split it up and have two one week holidays. You could try to increase the anticipation effect by talking about it more and maybe discussing it online.”
You see, much of the findings for this research pointed to the fact that most adults felt relaxed returning from their vacation, they felt energized and rejuvenated but what they did not expect, was to learn how extremely happy these same people felt when planning a vacation. That’s right, the research showed that the longest, most prolonged and enjoyable part of their trip was the actual part of planning a vacation. Marveling at wanderlust inducing photographs online, imagining how relaxing it would be on the beach, checking the best places to stay in the Caribbean and then of course, looking for the best hotel discounts, vacation deals and general value. People felt good about being able to find the best online travel deals, joining travel membership clubs for cruise discounts and knowing that they had found the best place to stay at the best price.
So there you have it in black and white, planning a vacation is just as good for your health and will make you just as happy, as being on the vacation itself. We can’t say we are surprised as for more than 25 years now we taken great pleasure from finding the best hotel discounts for our members here at Hotels Etc. We know that people will always appreciate a good deal when we find one and keep coming back so long as we keep offering the best value vacations. So what are you waiting for? It might be a few weeks, a month or even a year until your next time off but why should that stop you from feeling happy, start planning your vacation and get signed up for a travel membership with Hotels Etc.
The world of budget travel can be filled with excitement and appeal, and in our expensive world today traveling on a budget is becoming more necessary if you want to travel at all. It is important to keep costs low when traveling, whether you are traveling solo seeing a foreign country for the first time or a family with your car filled with kids and luggage heading for the beach or an amusement park.
If you want to go the lower cost route while traveling, it is definitely a good plan to generate a travel budget. Determine the approximate costs and prioritize the different portions of your trip, such as hotel, airfare, car rental, visiting attractions and sights, food, and gasoline. Once you have a good idea of what you want to spend on each part of your trip, then you need to begin shopping around for the best deals.
When it comes time for you to formulate a budget for travel, you should first prioritize by deciding what is most important to you and what you can cut back on. For example, while some travelers would rather spend a more on a higher class of accommodations, others would rather save money by staying at lower priced hotels or motels splurge on sightseeing or their food budget for the family.
Once you have prioritized the elements of your trip, begin researching what the best deals are. Often, discounted admission rates on area attractions are the most common and easiest to find, since many theme parks, museums and other attractions run specials to draw tourists.
To get big discounts on local attractions, the best place to start is the Internet, specifically the web site of whatever attraction you want to visit. Often you will find great deals online, such as two-for-one deals, free admission for children, special reduced admission days, even discounts on food and lodging.
There are other ways to get great discounts. If you are in the military, a senior citizen or a member of an organization such as AAA, you will find that there are many discounts available to you. Most AAA offices sell discounted tickets for theme parks, museums and other attractions within driving distance, and most AAA offices sell discounted tickets to popular destinations like the Walt Disney World Resort, too. The secret to making the most of your travel budget is to research and take advantage of any discounts available.
If you plan to drive your car on your trip, make sure you get it services so that it is in good condition before you leave. Something small like under-inflated tires or worn spark plugs or brake pads can affect your gas mileage and increase your fuel budget.
A good tip for keeping your fuel spending under control is to invest in a map of your destination. It will keep you from getting lost and therefore wasting gas. Being able to find your way to and from the hotel or other destinations without trouble will make your vacation less stressful and less costly.
No matter how work to save money on your next vacation, planning a budget and adhering to it will let you enjoy your vacation more, and worry about the costs less.
Travel Discounts Are Now Impossible Without This Crucial Insider Secret
Loganville, Georgia – October 6, 2016 — As of earlier this year, the only way to obtain discounts on hotels and other travel amenities is through what is known as a “Closed Loop Programs” also known as membership clubs. History repeats itself once again and travel clubs are now back because of the change of laws.
Due to recent legislation, the playing field has been leveled between all of the big name online travel agencies (OTAs). The ability of one OTA to undercut the hotel rates of another has been crippled by a series of rulings that affect international rate parity laws. As these laws are being enforced across the travel industry, the only discounts on hotels and other travel amenities that can be legally sold are through “closed loop” membership clubs like Hotels Etc.
As of summer 2015, all rates offered by OTAs are the same from one company to another in accordance with a recently passed Economic Reform Law. There are no longer “deals” available known as “rack rates” and “bar rates” — meaning, literally, if you’ve looked at one OTA website — you’ve looked at them all. That is why OTAs are hustling to purchase other OTAs before it becomes publicly known.
Economic Paradigm Shift
The tide has turned in favor of private brokers like Hotels Etc, as alleged price fixing between powerful OTAs became apparent as more and more class action lawsuits were leveled in the United States and Europe. These powerhouse brokers can no longer set rates as they see fit according to market demand, placing the power back into the hands of hoteliers and the few private membership clubs they choose to work with such as Hotels Etc.
An Industry Leader Set on Quality and Innovation
Hotels Etc CEO Shawn Pigg is a travel industry insider with 11 years at the helm of his company. Mr.Pigg and his team work relentlessly to develop and maintain relationships with businesses in nearly every sector of the travel industry. The “closed loop” system provided by Hotels Etc. allows members to take advantage of tight alliances between the company and providers of overnight accommodations, car rentals, ski packages, group travel, and vacation deals — to the tune of up to 80% in savings.
Hotels Etc. was started in 1996 with the mission of helping families save on travel and enjoy more of what life has to offer. Mr. Pigg was appointed CEO of Hotels Etc. in 2005, and then bought out the entire company and molded it into what it is today — a top tier service provider with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Shawn explains that his objective is to deliver discounts to his members that are not available to the general public through strategic alliances he maintains with his industry partners.
Essentially, Hotels Etc. suppliers pre-purchase inventory on hotel accommodations and other amenities by negotiating wholesale net rates. They then pass those discounts on to their members who simply pay a one-time yearly fee of $99.00. In addition to hotels, participants in this closed loop system enjoy discounts of up to 80% at theme parks, restaurants, golf courses, concerts, movie theaters, fishing destinations, sporting events, and regional tourist attractions.
An Evolving Marketplace
Before the internet, travel clubs were considered cutting edge way to get the inside scoop on huge discounts. They fell out of favor as travel agencies took over then exploded with the Internet as OTAs. The constant demand for better deals, however, has frozen the leverage of OTAs and shifted favor back to the travel club business model with the added bonus of online convenience.
Power in Numbers
Hotels Etc boasts a worldwide customer base of millions of members. In order maintain an A+ BBB rating with a membership of this size the company is dedicated to providing superior customer service to match their product. CEO Shawn Pigg is known to personally handle customer concerns to assure that every last member is 100% satisfied.
Contact:
Media Relations
media@hotelsetc.com
7712 Hampton Place Bld 11C
Loganville, Georgia 30052
Originally published September 21, 2016 | Updated August 2026
One of the smartest ways to save on holiday travel is to compare more than just the first public hotel rate you find. Travelers should compare public rates, eligible private member offers, nearby travel dates, room types, taxes, fees, cancellation policies and the complete booking value before making a reservation.
Holiday travelers can make better booking decisions by comparing public pricing, eligible private member offers and the complete terms of each reservation.
How Can You Save Money on Holiday Travel?
Holiday travel periods can create high demand for hotels, flights, rental cars and other travel services.
The best approach is not to assume that one website, one booking date or one type of rate will always provide the best value.
Instead, travelers should compare several factors:
Public hotel rates
Eligible private member offers
Different travel dates
Nearby destinations or neighborhoods
Equivalent room types
Taxes and fees
Cancellation terms
Refundability
Included amenities
Final checkout price
A little flexibility and a more complete comparison can make a significant difference in the overall cost of a holiday trip.
Start Planning Holiday Travel Early
Popular holiday travel periods can create heavy demand for hotels and other travel services.
Planning early gives travelers more time to compare destinations, travel dates, room types and booking terms before inventory becomes more limited.
Early planning does not guarantee the lowest price. Hotel pricing changes based on demand, occupancy, inventory, destination, events and many other factors.
The advantage of starting early is having more options to evaluate.
Use Flexible Travel Dates When Possible
If your schedule allows it, compare several dates around your preferred holiday travel period.
Changing your arrival or departure by even a day can sometimes produce different hotel availability and pricing.
For example, instead of searching only one Friday-to-Sunday stay, compare nearby combinations such as Thursday-to-Saturday, Saturday-to-Monday or Sunday-to-Tuesday when those dates work for your plans.
The goal is not to assume one particular day will always be cheaper. It is to give yourself more options to compare.
Compare Public Hotel Rates and Private Member Offers
A public hotel rate is generally available through an unrestricted booking channel without requiring membership in a particular private program.
Public rates may be displayed on hotel websites, online travel agencies, travel comparison services and other booking platforms.
A private member offer is different. Certain hotel rates or benefits may be available to eligible users through membership programs, loyalty programs or other qualified environments.
Depending on the offer and supplier requirements, users may need to sign in, verify membership or otherwise qualify before accessing the private offer.
Public vs. Private Hotel Offers
Public hotel rate: Generally available through an unrestricted booking channel.
Private member offer: Available to eligible or authenticated members within a qualified or restricted environment.
Best strategy: Compare both when you are eligible, then evaluate the complete booking terms.
Does Hotel Rate Parity Mean Every Website Must Show the Same Price?
No.
Hotel rate parity should not be described as one universal law requiring every hotel price to be identical everywhere.
Rate parity generally refers to contractual provisions, pricing practices or distribution arrangements affecting how certain hotel rates are advertised or distributed across specified sales channels.
The contractual and legal treatment of rate-parity provisions can vary by jurisdiction.
Public rates and eligible private member offers can also operate through different distribution channels.
Older discussions about hotel pricing sometimes described travel strategies as ways to “beat the rate parity law.” That description is too broad and should be avoided.
A better way to think about travel savings is to understand that travelers may have access to different types of offers through different distribution channels.
Those can include:
Public hotel rates
Hotel loyalty programs
Private membership offers
Corporate rates
Package offers
Promotional rates
Qualified customer programs
Other supplier-authorized offers
The goal is not to “beat” a law. The goal is to understand which legitimate offers you qualify for and compare them carefully.
What Is a Closed User Group?
A Closed User Group, often abbreviated as CUG, is a defined group of eligible users who can access certain offers within a restricted environment.
Membership, authentication or another eligibility requirement generally separates the private environment from unrestricted public access.
Hotels Etc. operates as a private membership program. Eligible members can access the Hotels Etc. membership environment and search participating travel offers based on destination, travel dates, inventory, supplier availability and other booking conditions.
For a traveler-focused explanation of the difference between rate parity and private member pricing, read:
Certain travel offers are intended for members or other eligible users rather than unrestricted public distribution.
Authentication can help establish that the traveler qualifies for the private or member environment.
This type of structure is not unique to Hotels Etc.
Google Hotel Center recognizes private hotel rates that can be limited to members of particular groups, including membership and loyalty programs. Depending on the rate rules, some private offers can also be hidden until a traveler clicks through to the partner’s website.
Are Private Member Rates Always Cheaper During the Holidays?
No.
A private membership does not guarantee that every hotel will always be cheaper than every public booking option.
Holiday hotel pricing can change based on:
Destination
Travel dates
Hotel occupancy
Seasonal demand
Local events
Room type
Available inventory
Supplier availability
Promotions
Cancellation terms
Refundability
The value of private membership is having access to eligible private offers and benefits that provide another option to compare.
Compare the Final Price, Not Just the Room Rate
A headline hotel rate does not always tell you the total cost of the reservation.
Before booking, compare:
Base room rate
Applicable taxes
Resort or destination fees
Booking fees, if applicable
Parking costs
Breakfast or other included benefits
Wi-Fi or other amenities
Cancellation policy
Refundability
Final checkout price
Two offers that initially appear to have similar room prices can provide very different overall value.
Compare the complete hotel booking, including rates, taxes, fees, cancellation terms and eligible member benefits.
Look Beyond the Most Popular Holiday Destinations
Popular holiday destinations can experience increased demand during peak travel periods.
If your plans are flexible, compare nearby destinations, neighborhoods or alternative locations that still provide the type of trip you want.
For example, a traveler attending an event in a major city might compare hotels in surrounding areas in addition to properties directly in the city center.
Always factor transportation time and cost into the comparison.
Review Cancellation Policies Carefully
Holiday plans can change because of weather, family schedules, flight disruptions and other unexpected events.
A lower nonrefundable hotel rate may not always be the best choice if your travel plans are uncertain.
Compare the savings against the flexibility provided by the cancellation policy before booking.
Make Sure You’re Comparing the Same Room
When comparing hotel offers, make sure the room types and booking conditions are actually equivalent.
One offer might be for a standard room while another is for a larger room or different bed configuration.
One rate might be refundable while another is nonrefundable.
One might include breakfast or parking while another does not.
An accurate comparison should be as close to apples-to-apples as possible.
How Does Hotels Etc. Help Holiday Travelers?
Hotels Etc. has been serving members since 1996.
Hotels Etc. provides eligible members access to participating travel and lifestyle offers through a private membership environment.
Members can search available travel offers for their specific destination and dates and compare those options with other available booking channels.
Hotels Etc. does not guarantee that every hotel search will always produce the lowest price available anywhere.
The membership provides another qualified travel channel and access to participating private offers and benefits that members can evaluate as part of their travel planning.
Holiday Travel Planning Checklist
Start researching your trip early.
Compare several nearby travel dates when possible.
Compare public hotel rates.
Check eligible private member offers.
Compare equivalent room types.
Review taxes and fees.
Check cancellation and refund policies.
Compare included amenities and benefits.
Consider nearby destinations or neighborhoods.
Review the final checkout price before booking.
The Bottom Line
Holiday travel savings are about smart comparison, not trying to “beat” a rate parity law.
Public hotel rates, private member offers, loyalty programs and other qualified rates can represent different booking opportunities.
Travelers should compare the complete booking, including dates, room type, taxes, fees, cancellation terms and eligible benefits.
Hotels Etc. gives eligible members another private travel channel to include in that comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions About Holiday Travel and Hotel Rates
When should I start planning holiday travel?
Starting early generally gives travelers more inventory, destinations, room types and booking options to compare. There is no single booking date that guarantees the lowest price.
How can I save money on holiday hotel bookings?
Compare multiple travel dates, public rates, eligible private member offers, equivalent room types, taxes, fees, cancellation policies and the final checkout price before booking.
Does rate parity mean every hotel website has the same price?
No. Rate parity generally refers to certain contractual and distribution arrangements and should not be described as a universal rule requiring every hotel price to be identical everywhere.
What is a private member hotel rate?
A private member hotel rate is an offer available to eligible users through a qualified or restricted environment such as a membership or loyalty program.
What is a Closed User Group?
A Closed User Group, or CUG, is a defined group of eligible users who can access certain offers within a restricted environment.
Are private member rates always cheaper?
No. Hotel pricing and availability constantly change. Private membership provides another category of eligible offers and benefits for travelers to compare.
Why should I compare cancellation policies during holiday travel?
Holiday travel plans can be affected by weather, transportation disruptions and changing schedules. A flexible rate may sometimes provide better overall value than a lower nonrefundable offer.
How long has Hotels Etc. been in business?
Hotels Etc. was founded in 1996 and has provided private membership discounts and travel benefits for decades.
Learn More About Hotel Pricing and Private Member Rates
For our complete educational guide to hotel rate parity, public hotel rates, private member rates and Closed User Groups, visit:
Hotels Etc. is a private travel and lifestyle discount membership company founded in 1996. Eligible members can access participating travel and lifestyle offers through the private Hotels Etc. membership platform.
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