You can never get enough wanderlust inspiration. The monthly feature Fearless Wanderlust will include recent travel news, articles and inspiration to encourage you to put more travel adventure in your life! Check out this month’s version.
Why Book Directly with a Hotel
I was third-party reliant before I started working in a hotel. Snagging $60-80 room nights for 4-star hotels on Priceline or Expedia felt like big wins. Then I learned these online travel agencies (OTAs) didn’t always have the best pricing and came with many restrictions, like not being able to cancel or adjust your reservation without a fee or not earning points for your stay. Sometimes OTAs may have the lowest price but if you do a quick check on the hotel’s website, you may find the same price with more personalized perks. Here’s an article explaining why you should book hotels directly.
More OTA News: Why Comparison Shopping for Flights is Getting Harder
Airlines are making it harder for their fares to show up on OTAs so that they can book customers directly, as Southwest Airlines has always done. In addition to describing what airlines are doing, this article also gives a look at how OTAs work – by charging airlines (and hotels, etc.) big fees to get customers indirectly.
Enter and win a trip! Six Contest Opportunities.
-Win a 20-day tour for two in Europe, Asia or the Americas.
-Airfare, 4-night stay, and activities in Hawaii? Crossing my fingers!
-Take me to St. Barths! Win a hotel stay and spa treatments.
-A 9-day tour for two in Colombia sounds fun!
-Win airfare and a 4-night stay in St. Croix.
-Enter to win two round-trip flights to South Africa.
New App: AirGrub
A new app called AirGrub is currently being tested at San Francisco International Airport. Plug in your flight information and it will tell show you menus of restaurant options in the airport and allow you to order food. This could come in handy if you’re in a rush!
Cruising to Cuba
No more travel restrictions means Cuba is quickly becoming a hot travel spot. Carnival Cruises announced it is adding the country to their destinations beginning next year.
Could U.S. bag fees be reduced to $4.50?
A bill requiring airlines to charge no more than $4.50 for a checked bag is currently being discussed in the House of Representatives. This is a big decrease from the average $25! Airlines argue that bag fees have provided for many airport improvements.
Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2015
Ready to oooh and aaah over the World’s Best winners in travel? Travel + Leisure released the big list – created by readers’ votes – of the best hotels, cities, cruise lines, airports, and more.
On what sites do you usually book a hotel?
What’s your favorite story in this month’s Fearless Wanderlust?
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