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A parents survival guide to Legoland Windsor
I have visited Legoland many times over many years, as well as having made and heard suggestions from many, many families over the years. It has given me a set of “rules” that have become invaluable in attacking and surviving a day out at Legoland...
Bunbury Western Australia - A seaside holiday destination for all
Bunbury is located approximately 172kms south of Perth. Bunbury is a water wonderland visited by day trippers and holiday makers alike all year round. The towns population is approximately 30,000 and continuing to grow.
There is so much to see...
Eliminate Embarrassment this Holiday Season.
Mention flatulence or intestinal gas, and you’re bound to get a chuckle. But for more than 44 million Americans, it is a serious concern. The odor associated with excessive flatulence can be so embarrassing that it prevents people from traveling and...
Going On Holiday? Take A Kayaking Tour
When you go on vacation, you will probably want to try something
new. Sea kayak tours are a great option for adventure that is
safe.
A kayak sea tour is a great activity for a vacation. Such tours
are popular in tropical locations. In fact,...
Super Summer Beach Breaks To Europe from Superbreak
Treat yourself to a short break to a European beach destination this summer! Superbreak http://www.superbreak.com offers special value-for-money weekend hotel packages to all the favourites, including Majorca, Ibiza, Turkey, the Greek island of...
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Why Use Priceline.com?
Why Use Priceline.com?
An Interview with Don Nadeau
Of BidonTravel.com
Rick Archer sat down with Don Nadeau, the president of BidonTravel.com, which provides Priceline bidding advice.
RA: Why would anyone want to use Priceline?
DN: You'll save a lot of money.
RA: Yes, but who wants to get up in time for a 6:00 a.m. flight? You can't pick your departure times or airline or anything like that.
DN: Well, just use Priceline for air tickets when you're going to Australia or traveling at the last minute. You'll save hundreds of dollars. When you can plan your U.S. travel well in advance, Priceline may not be your best bet.
But always bid on Priceline hotels. That's easy and you don't have to get up at 4:00 a.m.
RA: Sure, but I don't want to stay in some crummy place.
DN: No, no, no. Bid for three or four-star hotels. You pick the quality.
You'll end up at a Hyatt, Hilton, Holiday Inn Crown Plaza, Sheraton, Marriott, or Doubletree-someplace like these.
And, over a few days, you'll save hundreds of dollars.
In fact, I predict you'll save on average at least $100 a night over the prices you get on Expedia, Hotels.com, or similar discount hotel sites. Priceline hotel savings average some 40 percent over these sites.
RA: What about location?
DN: You pick that, too.
In the Orlando area, you have a choice of 11 neighborhoods, in or near San Jose, eight.
RA: So you can't pick a specific hotel, just a general neighborhood?
DN: That's right.
That's why hotels use Priceline to sell excess inventory at prices they don't want their regular customers to find out about.
RA: So would it be correct to assume that if there's a big event going on in the area and hotels are heavily booked, rooms won't be available through Priceline?
DN: Actually not.
Groups can book large blocks of rooms at hotels, then find out not as many are traveling, and release some rooms back to hotels. I once got a Priceline discount at the headquarters hotel of a huge medical convention at the last minute.
Priceline tells you if rooms are available before you bid.
RA: How do I know what to bid?
I have an entire site devoted to that!
Go to the Priceline Hotels section of BidOnTravel.com.
RA: Just give me three main tips.
DN: Okay. First, bid on three or four-star hotels. That's where the real savings are.
Second, look up the best prices for the star quality and neighborhood you want on a site like Hotels.com. Knowledge is power, and that way you won't overbid.
Third, find out what Hotwire.com charges.
Hotwire is Priceline's main competitor in the 'you don't find out the name of your hotel until you pay category,' and it's prices are usually a bit higher than Priceline's.
Therefore, bid 10 - 20 percent below Hotwire's price.
See BidonTravel.com, though, if you want to refine this process to maximize your savings.
RA: What if I still overpay?
DN: Priceline has a best price guarantee.
If you book a room on Priceline, and then find a lower price on another website for the same type of room at the same hotel or resort on the same dates, Priceline will refund you the difference. There's some small print, such as "this rate has to be available to the general public and you have to make your claim within 24 hours of booking," but you really can't lose.
RA: There must be some drawbacks to using Priceline for hotels.
DN: There are.
Most importantly, you'll get no refund if you cancel. You won't be able to change dates.
Also, you'll usually end up with a standard room. At some hotels, these may not be large enough for more than two people.
RA: What about smoking or nonsmoking?
DN: This is never absolutely guaranteed regardless of where you book.
When using Priceline or other online sites, I usually call the hotel directly to make sure it has me on its nonsmoking list. I also try not to show up too late, when the hotel may have run out of certain types of rooms.
RA: Thanks. I'll try bidding next time after reading the tips on your site.
About the Author
An extensive world traveler, Don Nadeau, president of BidonTravel.com, taught world geography for many years in both Canada and the United States, and developed the first high school level Urban Studies program in the U.S.
Don loves helping people travel "on the cheap," and frequently uses the advice found in BidonTravel to make his own trips more affordable.
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| Holidays on the Net - Welcome |
| Includes music, graphics, historical information, suggested activities, kids pages, links, and other features for most holidays. |
| www.holidays.net |
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| Kids Domain - Holidays |
| HOLIDAY FUN with crafts, recipes, printables, games and activity suggestions for your family to enjoy. |
| www.kidsdomain.com |
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| Earth Calendar |
| Every day is a celebration! The Earth Calendar is an online calendar of holidays and observances around the world. |
| www.earthcalendar.net |
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| Federal Holidays Calendars from 1997 to 2010 |
| Offers a list of federally-recognized holidays celebrated in the United States. |
| www.opm.gov |
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| TELETEXT HOLIDAYS : Cheap Flights, Last Minute Deals, Ski Holidays ... |
| Search for package holidays from over 250 tour operators, find last minute charter flights, ski holidays, snow reports, cruises, destination guides and ... |
| www.teletextholidays.co.uk |
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| Thomson.co.uk - Great Value Holidays from the UK's no.1 Tour Operator |
| Thomson Holidays Online offer cheap package holidays, flights, sun holidays, faraway holidays to exotic destinations, late deals, city breaks, hotel booking ... |
| www.thomson.co.uk |
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| Holiday - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| 4.1 Holidays traditionally in the winter holiday season ... Public holidays can be either religious, in which case they reflect the dominant religion in a ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Bargain holidays and cheap flights from Bargainholidays.com |
| Choose from 2 million+ late availability cheap flights and last minute bargain holiday packages departing from the UK. Order online from an ABTA bonded and ... |
| www.bargainholidays.com |
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| First Choice - Book your dream holiday online - Great value ... |
| Find great value package holidays online with First Choice. Book last-minute holidays, all inclusive holidays, family holidays and villa holidays. |
| www.firstchoice.co.uk |
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| Holidays Around the World for K-12 |
| Holiday Internet links for US and international holidays, religious holidays, and a holiday calendar for K-12. |
| falcon.jmu.edu |
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| Holidays - cheap holidays, bargain holidays and bank holiday deals ... |
| Book your cheap holidays and bargain bank holidays at lastminute.com. |
| www.lastminute.com |
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| Cheap holidays and package holiday discounts - Holiday.co.uk |
| Cheap Holidays and package deals from all the major UK tour operators including Airtours, Argo, Avro, Balkan, Club 18-30, Cosmos, Crystal, First Choice, ... |
| www.holiday.co.uk |
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| Virgin Holidays |
| Tour operator offering holidays to mainland USA, the Caribbean, the Far East, South Africa and Mauritius as well as a ski programme in California and New ... |
| www.virginholidays.co.uk |
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| Saga Holidays, Travel Insurance, Short Breaks, Vacations, cruises |
| Specialists in providing travel services to people over 50. Details of river and sea cruises, resort holidays, tours, short breaks, special interest and ... |
| holidays.saga.co.uk |
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| Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Holiday Information |
| A categorized, annotated list of over 2500 sites to help educators, teachers, and parents enhance instruction and support the curriculum. |
| school.discovery.com |
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| Queensland Holidays - Queensland Holidays |
| Queensland Tourism & Travel Advice - Find accommodation, events & activities as well as special packages & deals - Queensland Holidays. |
| www.queenslandholidays.com.au |
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| BBC - Holiday |
| Information on worldwide destinations as covered in the series, plus advice and travel information, presenters, message boards and postcards. |
| www.bbc.co.uk |
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| COSMOS - Package Holidays, All Inclusive Holidays, Self Catering ... |
| Looking for cheap holidays online? COSMOS offer great value deals on package holidays, all inclusive holidays self catering holidays, villa holidays ... |
| www.cosmos.co.uk |
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| Late Holiday Deals and Discount Holidays at DirectHolidays.co.uk |
| Book late holiday deals online at Direct Holidays - discount breaks to destinations around the world. |
| www.directholidays.co.uk |
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| Contiki Holidays - Holiday packages for 18 to 35 Year Olds |
| Contiki Holidays offers holiday packages and budget travel tours for 18 - 35 year olds including destinations to Europe and the UK, Asia, Latin America, ... |
| www.contiki.com |
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