You may have heard about travel being a buyer’s market in today’s economy. Sure, the current economic crisis is a game-changer, but as a traveler, do you really know how to play the game?

Let’s start with hotels.

Some properties are so desperate to lock in your business that if you offer to pre-pay your room, you can often score a deeper discount. Just remember it’s generally non-refundable.

Quikbook.com has a pre-pay program that can save you up to 20 percent on hotels.

And the same deal goes for car-rental agencies.

Alamo, takes an additional 10 percent off if you pre-pay your reservation.

On the flip side, hotels and cruises aren’t likely to fill up, so you can often find last-minute deals as they try to dump empty rooms.

In fact, you can find cruising deals up to three days in advance of the sailing!

Bottom line: Not only has the economy changed the travel industry, it’s also changing us as well. If you’re flexible and assertive, you might just find yourself an even better deal.

For more hints, check out our Budget Travel section.

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