Luxury travel on a shoestring budget

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Reading about Pedro Quezada’s massive lottery win last week got me thinking about traveling in the lap of luxury—it’s something that many hope to experience, but few believe is financially possible unless you get a windfall like Pedro’s. 

The recent recession hasn’t helped; in fact it’s scared some travelers into believing they still have to scale back their vacation plans, downgrade their hotel choice or put trips on hold completely. If there’s one thing I’d like to tell travelers in response, it’s to stop all that negative thinking! 

Travel providers know that today’s globetrotter is more budget conscious, and they’re discounting heavily through sites like Hotwire to attract them. These days, travelers can have the ultimate luxury getaway at a fraction of retail cost—they just need to know when to travel, how to book their travel and where to stay.

In order to help you book your next “luxury for less” getaway, I’ve put together the following tips. They are sure to help you travel like a celebrity, even on an average Joe’s (or Jane’s) paycheck.

When to book your stay – timing is everything

When it comes to finding a trip that feels like it’s “beyond your means,” the best tip I can give you is to be flexible. I’ve mentioned having a flexible travel schedule in the past when referring to cruise bookings but the same holds true for folks looking for a luxurious, budget-friendly getaway. It may seem a bit counterintuitive, but you can score great deals by waiting until the last-minute to book your hotel. 

This is especially true in larger cities, and some of the biggest discounts are actually found on the day of arrival. Hotels with mid-level pricing naturally tend to get more bookings early-on. This leaves the upscale hotels with larger retail price tags with extra rooms left to fill, and they cut rates at the last-minute to attract customers.

Additionally, try to plan your visits over the weekends. Business travel is primarily during the weekdays so these properties often keep rates up Monday thru Friday. However, once the business travelers head back home at the end of the week, many 4- and 5-star rooms become highly discounted to attract leisure travelers.

Finally, keep track of a destination’s different travel seasons as prices may vary throughout the year. Traveling during the off-season or shoulder season instead of peak months is a great way to get a 4-star room for a 2-star price. 

People who are unfamiliar with a city’s travel seasons can use sites like AOL Travel to find average temperatures and when travelers are most likely to visit (e.g. see the New York travel seasons here). But traveling during the off-season means more than just great deals—it also means there will be fewer people visiting these destinations, allowing travelers to enjoy shorter lines and lighter traffic.

How to book your stay – utilize online tools and mobile apps

So now that you know when to book your luxurious trip, let’s talk about how you go about getting the best deals. During a down economy or a destination’s off-season, travel providers look for various channels to maximize their reach to consumers. The travel industry has ramped up using sites like Facebook and Twitter to offer exclusive promotional discounts and host contest giveaways. 

Folks can follow travel experts and providers, keep a sharp eye on popular travel hashtags (like #TravelTuesday) and conduct their own travel searches on social sites to find the best deals. Discount-hunters can also download the mobile app for their favorite travel sites, many of which now offer more mobile exclusive deals. Plus, apps like the one from Hotwire let you easily book on the go – even as last-minute as the day of check in – which, as mentioned before, can result in some incredible savings.  

Folks can also find deep discounts through more well-known means like online travel sites and newsletters. At any moment, airlines, hotels and car rental agencies will turn to online travel sites to sell extra inventory at discounted prices. As a newsletter subscriber, you will often be notified immediately about the great deals being offered in a destination you had shown interest in. There are even online tools like TripStarter, where you can quickly and easily find the best time to travel to your destination by tracking pricing trends—something that usually only those inside the travel industry get to see.  

Where to book your stay – new investments = lower prices

Cities are always changing and many of them make major investments to develop new hotels in anticipation of more travel demand. It’s best to keep an eye out for areas hosting events such as the Olympics, which will almost always prompt an increase in new hotels. These hotels typically offer promotions and deals with complementary add-ons as part of the opening. But discounted prices aren’t exclusive to the opening of new hotels. 

Established hotels now have to compete with the low prices of aggressive new competitors. A great example of an investment area would be the luxury hotel-heavy Las Vegas strip, where there always seems to be construction. Vancouver and London, both of which built new hotels to host the Olympics, are also great destinations to keep in mind as they have an abundance of 4-star-and-up hotel deals.

Not to be overlooked, up-and-coming destinations also allow folks to secure discounted, luxury getaways. I’ve mentioned several of these previously as “sleeper cities.” These cities, like Palm Springs and Scottsdale, have fantastic, higher-star hotels that are trying to attract visitors from larger cities by offering better prices. And truth is, you can have amazing experiences equal to those offered by some more top-of-mind destinations at a fraction of the cost.

You don’t have to max out your credit cards or empty your bank account in order to book a luxurious getaway. Simply follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to traveling like royalty, and still be well within your budget. Then you can use what’s left on activities, upgrades or maybe even a car to take you to/from the airport, which is a relatively small perk that gives you the luxury feeling from the moment you leave your door.

Clem Bason is the president of the Hotwire Group. Every month he provides FoxNews.com readers travel information, tips and advice to help them plan a fun, affordable trip.

Clem Bason

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Luxury for less: 10 ways to save on a splurge hotel

At the plush Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Southern California, families rave about the Ambassadors of the Environment program, whose adventures include whale-watching and botanist-led nature hikes.

Are your kids happiest in the water? The tony boutique resort of Little Dix Bay, in the British Virgin Islands, offers lessons in SCUBA, snorkeling, sailing, and deep-sea fishing—as well as a private crescent beach that’s drop-dead-gorgeous.

The sluggish economy hasn’t dampened our love affair with luxury resorts, but it has certainly shifted our priorities. It’s no longer just about what we pay; it’s what we get to do. And these days, the best luxury resorts are offering increasingly exceptional experiences that help create vivid vacation memories.

Luxury resorts are pricey, to be sure. But not all of their guests belong to the money-is-no-object set. Savvy parents know the difference between reckless spending and reasoned splurging, and have learned to make trade-offs that keep costs down while racking up memorable vacation experiences.

Love to live large but hate overspending? Here are 10 ways to trim costs at a luxury resort:

Be flexible with dates. If you’ve got your heart set on staying at a particular resort, realize that hotel rates are volatile and largely based upon occupancy rates. It’s not unusual to see price fluctuations of hundreds of dollars, depending on whether you visit in low or high season. Always check a variety of dates to get a handle on when prices dip—is it midweek? Winter? Following a holiday? You may get a significantly better rate by shifting your arrival date by a few days or weeks, or postponing your stay by six months.

Focus on quality time. We’ve all checked into a beautiful hotel after a long day of traveling, too exhausted to do anything but flop into bed. Nobody wants to drop $400 on a throwaway night, so take a look at your travel schedule. If you’ll be arriving late, consider spending your first night in a nearby chain hotel and moving into your plush resort the next morning. It’s likely your room won’t be ready until afternoon, but your family can use the resort’s pool and other facilities right from go.

At the tail end of your trip, consider the departure time of your flight home. If it’s before 10am, think about spending your last night at a more affordably priced hotel near the airport. When you check out of the luxury resort, stow your luggage with the baggage clerk—but by all means, feel free to hang out at the pool or beach all day before heading to your airport digs.

Sightsee somewhere else. To get your money’s worth at a plush property, you need a chunk of time to lap up the amazing pool, manicured grounds, fabulous spa, and myriad other marvelous enticements. Want to explore the environs? No sense paying for resort amenities you can’t use while you’re out and about. Instead, book a less expensive hotel for two or three nights and get in all your sightseeing. Once you transfer to your luxury digs, stay put and enjoy the pampered life.

Settle for an okay view. Admittedly, it’s beyond fabulous to watch the sun set over the ocean from your balcony—but you’ll pay dearly for it. A room with a killer view at a marquee destination resort can cost 25 to 30 percent more per night than an identical room with a so-so vista. As you explore the property, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to enjoy the surroundings and take in a few of those gorgeous sunsets without paying extra for the privilege.

Embrace what’s included. Take time to familiarize yourself with the resort’s list of inclusive amenities and recreational pursuits. Then commit to taking advantage of everything that’s remotely appealing before you start shelling out for non-inclusive options.

Schedule your splurges. Putting your money into truly outstanding offerings—swimming with dolphins, snorkeling with stingrays, zip-lining over a forest canopy, learning to surf—is never money wasted. Those experiences will likely be the highlight of your trip, and fondly recounted by your kids years from now. If your budget allows for a premium experience or two, decide in advance what you will purchase and, for goodness sake, enjoy looking forward to it.

Enjoy a local breakfast. It’s beyond rare to find a luxury resort that offers a free or cheap breakfast. Very often, a family of four can pay $100 for a perfectly prepared, beautifully presented, but basic breakfast. Instead, scout around for a local coffee shop or diner that can be your go-to morning eatery. Or, if your room has a fridge, find a nearby grocery and pick up some pastries, fruit, yogurt, milk, and juice the night before. Then start your day with an in-room picnic.

Spring for a fancy lunch. Dying to try the chef’s world-famous bouillabaisse? It’s likely that the restaurant’s lunch and dinner menus are fairly similar, but prices are considerably lower at lunch. The ambience is undoubtedly less formal and more kid-friendly then, too.

Bring your own beach gear. Luxury oceanfront resorts offer ample ways to have fun in the sun, but guests can end up paying through the nose. Before renting snorkel equipment or boogie boards from the resort—sometimes at an hourly rate—find a local store and buy your own gear. Your kids get unlimited time with their beach toys, and you’ll spend less in the long run. Don’t want to lug the stuff home? On your last day, offer your toys to another family and ask them to pay it forward when they leave.

Stay out of the gift shop. Those souvenirs in the hotel store come with a big markup. Look for local dollar stores or groceries for t-shirts, hats and other we-were-here purchases.

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When vacations go bad: surviving a fiery ride on South Africa's luxury Blue Train

Despite the best laid plans, a perfectly pleasant vacation can suddenly turn disastrous--just ask the more than 3,100 passengers on the Carnival Triumph cruise line. 

Although disasters like the Triumph are rare, living through a vacation gone bad can be a scary thing, especially when there are lives and property are lost.  

But, as I experienced myself, a travel mishap, while upsetting can evolve into moments of surreal humor and fodder for a pretty great travel story.

I recently was on a trip when the luxury Blue Train caught fire in the middle of the South African desert.  In my case, rather than "hell-like" unsanitary conditions and long food lines like on the Triumph, the biggest concern, as the 53 passengers were evacuated, was dwindling champagne reserves and whether we’d still have to wear suits and dresses to dinner. Welcome to travel disaster, first-class-style.

While watching coverage of the Carnival Triumph disaster, I thanked my lucky stars that our own trip hadn’t taken such a turn for the worse.

Palace on Wheels

The five-star Blue Train—named Africa’s Leading Luxury Train at the 2012 World Travel Awards—has been called a "can’t-miss travel experience" with an unblemished record for more than five decades. Known as a “palace on wheels,” the Blue Train runs once a week from Cape Town to Pretoria, just outside Johannesburg, South Africa. The 27-hour all-first-class journey features butler service, soundproofed sleeping compartments, en suite bathrooms (all with showers, many with tubs!), and two nightly dinner seatings requiring passengers to dress up in their finest: dresses for the ladies, jacket and tie for the gentlemen.

The waiters wear white gloves and blue and gold uniforms, there’s an afternoon tea, and the wood-paneled corridors tinkle with classical music. It’s a Downton Abbey-esque fairy tale, lulling you into such cozy bliss as the train snakes through the stunning South African countryside that the real world seems but a distant memory.

Never underestimate the importance of luck while traveling, however.  What could have unraveled into tragedy as our train caught fire became a mild comedy of errors. 

Rolling Out the Blue Carpet

Our journey began without incident in Cape Town, where we were escorted to a private waiting room at the train station, the proverbial red carpet literally rolled out for us. (Actually, ours was blue.) We received our tickets, porters took our bags, and then we boarded, ready for the adventure to begin. Once on the train, we oohed and aahed at our luxuriously appointed Deluxe Cabin, with two twin beds, a private bathroom, and large picture windows allowing you to see the countryside zooming past. Lunch was similarly spectacular: a highly elaborate affair involving cloth napkins, silver cutlery, fine china, salmon tartar, kingklipfish, and delicious South African wine from Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.

After lunch, it was back to our cabin where our butler Andre seemed to have read our minds: our beds were unfolded, made-up, and endlessly inviting. We crawled under the covers, sank into the pillows, and had a two-hour nap as the train chugged and swayed over the tracks. Pure bliss.

Post-nap, we stopped for a half-hour excursion in a miniscule Victorian-meets-Wild-West town called Matjiesfontein, where the passengers and crew had a glass of sherry in a commemorative Blue Train glass. By the time we’d walked the town street and peeked inside the gorgeous Lord Milner hotel, it was time to re-board the train and continue our journey through the heart of South Africa.

Disaster in the Desert

About two hours outside the Victorian town Matjiesfontein, the train slowed, then ground to a halt. As my friend and I sat in the plush club car, drinking champagne and munching on cucumber sandwiches, another passenger pointed out the Blue Train staffers running outside the picture window, pointing in the direction of the first car as they sprinted. Suddenly, we noticed a plume of billowing smoke: the train was on fire.

Everybody seemed uncertain, tentative: surely this would be fixed immediately and we’d be on our merry way? More champagne was poured. The watercress sandwiches were considered. The smoke plumes became darker. But soon, passengers were wandering through the club car, saying they heard we might need to disembark. About 15 minutes later, a staffer confirmed it, rushing into the club car and instructing us to get off the train with our luggage—and quickly.

I grumbled as we returned to our cabin, taking our luggage down off the shelves above our Murphy beds and stuffing the toiletries spread on the bathroom counter back into our carry-ons. “This is all so silly,” I huffed, still not realizing the magnitude of the fire. Before I left the bathroom, I reapplied my eyeliner.

Once outside the train, however, I finally got a glimpse of the situation firsthand, where the locomotive was burning—and realized that, far from being a minor inconvenience, it had the potential to turn into something horrible were the wind to shift: the entire train could easily have been engulfed, along with the dry countryside bush surrounding us. Suddenly, I felt like one of the pompous first-class jerks in Titanic, commanding for my evening tea to be kept warm in my suite while I temporarily indulged the silly people begging me to go on deck.

American winter is South African summer so, as you can imagine, it wasn’t exactly chilly outside. Aided by staffers, the passengers lugged our bags as far away from the fire as possible, then gratefully accepted the bottles of water being passed out by  the Blue Train staff. As we all watched helplessly while staff simultaneously tried to put out the fire and unhook the burning locomotive engine from the rest of the train, a group of British tourists took the initiative, raiding the club car, producing champagne bottles and popping corks as we surveyed the locomotive car quietly burning. Keep calm and carry on, eh?

After an hour, while the staff still worked to free us, I desperately needed to use the bathroom. I climbed back on board, where I crossed my fingers that my toddler-sized bladder wouldn’t result in my fiery demise. On the way to the bathroom, I stumbled across a group of American and Canadian tourists in the lounge, laughing and swapping stories as they drank vodka tonics and beers. I asked them if they knew that it wasn’t safe to be on board, and they cited the air conditioning, refusing to disembark in the blazing heat and insisting that everybody was overreacting.

Two hours later and 6600 gallons of water later, the fire was raging larger than ever, but we were finally unhooked. We cheered and sighed in relief as another train arrived to haul us to safety, just as the sun began to dip beneath the horizon.

The Show Must Go On

While cocktail attire is typically required at each of the evening’s two dinner seatings, the management made an announcement reliving us of the duty. However, my friend and I decided that, disaster-averted, it would be nice to honor the train’s original spirit, so: on went the dresses, the pearls and the perfume. As we walked down the hall toward the dining car, passengers popped their heads out of their open compartments—the experience massively bonded us all—applauding our decision to dress up. Though my friend and I were the only dressed up duo in the first seating, as the second seating sauntered in two hours later, everybody was showered, scrubbed, and dressed to the nines—as if nothing had ever happened.

The water reserves were severely diminished—to say nothing of the alcohol—and we would ultimately be stranded overnight in the desert, waiting for the signal points in the rail network, which were harmed by the fire, to repair. However, back on board in the comfort and safety of the Blue Train, the passengers were mostly happy to sit and simply enjoy the train itself as the luxury machine whirred back to life.

The classical music resumed in the hallways; the white-gloved waiters returned to their posts. Andre came to our cabin to check on us after dinner, and gave us turndown service and another glass of sherry, which we sipped as we stared out the picture window at the gaping black desert, the Southern Cross twinkling overhead while we gave thanks for a trip ultimately saved.

For a five-star “palace on wheels,” disaster or no disaster, the show must go on.

The Blue Train’s Response

Kudos must be given to the swift and successful response of the Blue Train’s management, who handled the crisis while honoring the train’s deservedly luxurious reputation.  All passengers were given full refunds, offered vouchers for future travel, and immediately booked onto direct flights from Cape Town to our final destination Johannesburg.

The next morning, once the signal points were fixed, another train arrived to haul us back to Matjiesfontein, where two luxury coaches drove us three hours to Cape Town for our flights. We were given a packet with our tickets and a written statement from the Blue Train’s executive manager Hanlie Kotze, which explained what had happened (one of the locomotives overheated and caught fire, which then affected the signal points throughout the rail network, causing our overnight delay) and offered apologies.

The statement read in part: “The Blue Train is synonymous with luxury hospitality, tourism and leisure. One of our value propositions is to offer personalized excellent service at all times…One disappointing incident is one too many…It would have been our greatest honour to treat you to the full Blue Train experience you so truly deserve, and we know that this (refund) gesture will not make up for the disappointing experience, but hope that this incident will not discourage you from visiting us again in the not so distant future.”

Despite the mishap, I was impressed with the Blue Train’s response—to say nothing of the splendor of the train itself—and would indeed return. I await my next journey on the “palace on wheels” eagerly.

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