Negotiating Travel... The Travel Broad Way.

While traveling, I've learned a few things. Probably one of the easiest and best lessons I've learned is that almost everything is negotiable. It might seem unfair to take advantage of our economy's current state, but it's the smartest way to travel on a budget.

Hotels: To book the perfect hotel in your location, I do tons of research. I can’t even give you a specific site because I look at EVERYTHING.

• Look at ALL reviews of hotels you’re thinking about staying in. Also, don’t forget to leave a review once you’ve stayed somewhere. Not just bad reviews either, we need mediocre AND amazing reviews as well.
• After I’ve read lots of reviews, I’ll go to a site like hotels.com and look up hotels that have passed the “Leigh Test” (basically just means they look pretty, clean and a great location - in that order). What I’ll also do is go to the left side and click on all the amenities I need in a hotel (gym, free breakfast, pool, etc). If only we could pick out men this way.
• Find "the one" and then call the hotel and talk to them on the phone. You can almost always get them to give you a lower rate and possibly an upgrade! The hospitality industry is hurting, people aren't traveling as much as they used to and they'd rather have you staying here for a cheaper rate than staying at their competitor. If they don't bite, make sure you mention their competitor. That always seems to work for me. :)

Rental Cars: Find a rental car company that you love and stay with it. Sign up for their "VIP" program at the beginning and you're like royalty. You get the best cars and hassle free service. Never pay the online price. Call them and talk them down. If they won't budge, fine, call the next rental car company. Your persistence will pay off, promise!

Flights: While I haven't negotiated the actual cost of flights (yet) I have managed to change my seat around! When I've booked online, the only seats that were left were inside seats. Talk to the person at the counter at the airport and see if they can change you to a coveted window seat. It's worked for me every time so give it a shot!

That's all I've got today, party people. Hope this helps you on your adventures. :)