budget travel

I'm sure there has been a time when you lost money because of a canceled reservation. Business Insider gives sneaky tips on how to avoid some of the fees.
When you think about it, the travel industry is basically a booby trap just waiting for unwitting customers to screw up. From hidden insurance fees on rental cars to the unexpected housecleaning tip added to your hotel bill, the costs can quickly escalate.

But none are quite as annoying as reservation cancellations. Hotels, car rental agencies and even restaurants sometimes have certain cancellation windows, and once you've missed the deadline, you're basically stuck — unless you pay up. SmarterTravel's Dana Continenza has a trick up her sleeve for travelers sly enough to try it out.

RELATED: 10 Places You Never Thought You Could Afford to Travel to

"This is a no-brainer, but it's something that many travelers don't think to do. If you missed the cancellation window for your hotel, restaurant, or car booking but can still change the reservation date free of charge, move your reservation back by several weeks or months," she writes. "Then call back to cancel with a different representative. Sneaky? Sure. But it works, and you'll never get stuck with a lousy cancellation fee again."

Unless the customer service agent digs through your reservation history to check whether you've changed before (OpenTable is notorious for this), you'll be in the clear.

Canceling flights without getting slapped by a fee is much trickier. Your best bet is to either purchase trip insurance (covers death, illness, or cancellations due to weather), or pay with a credit card that comes with built-in trip protection. Be sure to review your policy.

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If you've always thought that Tuesday and Wednesday were the best days to book flights, read what Business Insider has to say about it. You might change your mind.

Every frequent flier has their bag of tips and tricks for sniffing out the best airfare deals.

And if you count yourselves among the faithfuls of the "Tuesday/Wednesday booking rule," prepare to have your minds blown.

Related: 23 Secrets to Booking Cheap Airfare

A Texas A&M University study found airlines are more likely to post discounted airfares on Saturday and Sunday. In fact, rates were about 5 percent cheaper than those booked during the week.

Say what?

According to the study authors, there's a reason for the discretion: Airlines have figured out that people who browse fares on weekends are more likely traveling for pleasure than business. This is a group that's harder to woo because they have all the time in the world to find the best rate, and airlines post lower fares to reel them in.

Read on for more.

How many times have we said that we'd take more trips if we only had the money? Though you may think a vacation is a money sucker, we found plenty of ways to travel on a budget in 2012. This year, budget travel got even easier, thanks to new apps, new ways to use frequent flier miles, and more. We've gathered some of the best tips from this year (including practical ones for before, during, and after your trip) to serve as a starting point for all of the trips you will take in 2013!

Thirty-Nine Travel Tips That'll Save You Hundreds	Free Travel Apps to Download	How to Use Your Frequent Flier Miles Smartly
Five Low-Budget Vacations	How to Avoid Pesky Travel Fees	The Best Travel Reward Credit Cards
Eight Ways Frugal Travelers Save	How to Book Hotels For Cheap	Budget Traps to Keep an Eye Out For
Items to Make a Long Flight Bearable	How Flexibility Can Cut Travel Costs	Budget-Friendly Local Tour Experiences

If you want to go somewhere for the holidays but are hesitant because of the prices during this high-traffic travel season, there is still one option that may be affordable. We talked to travel expert Chris McGinnis, a spokesperson for Chase Sapphire Preferred, who shared this nugget of information about a bargain holiday travel destination:

"If you are looking for a fun and inexpensive way to spend the Christmas holiday, consider a trip to Las Vegas. The last two weeks of December are typically the slowest weeks of the year in Las Vegas, and prices drop dramatically for both flights and hotels. For example, rooms at the four-star Mirage or Mandalay Bay resorts are as low as $65 per night during Christmas week—but if you plan to go over the popular New Year’s weekend, rates soar to almost $300 per night."

Editor’s note: The following guest post was written by Robert Reid, the US travel editor for Lonely Planet.

The question Lonely Planet gets the most often — other than “How can I be a travel writer?” — is “Where can I go that’s new and interesting but won’t drain my bank account?” Luckily, each year we put out the book Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel, which includes a "Best Value Destinations" list for the year ahead. We define value as getting the most out of your dollar. We don’t necessarily suggest the cheapest destinations, but rather great value options for travelers who want rich experiences without a rich price.

Safari travelers have long booked trips to Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa, with Botswana’s Okavango Delta being the more offtrack place for unparalleled access to wildlife. Safari price tags are counted by thousands, but it’s possible to do a DIY safari for a few hundred dollars in Namibia.

Read on for more.

The travel industry is constantly evolving with ways to book trips, earn miles, and unfortunately, pay fees. Business Insider shares how travel agents are facing more and more competition when it comes to booking trips.

Airlines are testing out a new ticket initiative to compete with websites that could go in effect by 2016.

Under the plan, airlines will solicit info to create a personalized ticket that folds in traditionally a la carte items like bag-check and meals. This could bode well for members of frequent flier clubs, but other consumers might be upset that it heralds the demise of travel agents.

Related: Going the Old-Fashioned Route is the Best Way to Save on International Travel

According to The Flight Deal, a blog that tracks fares, "consumers do not need travel agents for the traditional tonnage business of booking simple itineraries as airline websites and online travel agencies have filled that need."

Read on for more.

If you haven't booked a trip for Thanksgiving, you might be kicking yourself as you scour through ticket prices online. Many of the flights have doubled in price, and it's making staying at home sound like a better idea. For those who are still hoping to leave town, we turned to George Hobica, founder of low airfare alert website Airfare Watchdog, to give us some expert tips on how to save on your Thanksgiving flight this year.

• Don't expect the same rates. Hobica says that because of airline consolidation and capacity cuts, the peak holiday airfares will likely be more expensive this year in comparison to the previous year. To those who are waiting for airfares to drop to last year's rate, keep in mind that they may not drop to that level.
• Airfare alerts. Be sure to keep yourself up to speed by signing up for airfare alerts, which you can do at Airfare Watchdog, so you'll be the first to know when prices drop.
• Wait to book for early-morning and red-eye flights. In the last few years, Hobica has seen prices slashed right before the holidays on flights during unpopular times like red-eye and early-morning flights. People who booked these flights ahead of time ended up overpaying.
• Book now if you're picky with flights. If you want to choose a seat or certain flight time, it's best to book now before the supply dwindles. You might pay more, but you'll have more options to pick from.
• Fly on the day of. If you fly on the actual holiday and not the days before or after, you may be able to score cheaper prices.
• Be smart about connecting flights. Avoid nonstop flights unless you think the weather will mess up connecting flights. If there is a high risk of that happening, you may be better off buying nonstop flights.
• Use your mileage. Airfares are extremely high during the holidays, so it may be better for you to purchase your flight with mileage points.
• Get a refund. If you're flying with Southwest, Alaska Air, or JetBlue, Hobica reminds us to "get your refund if the airfare drops between the time you book and the time you fly."

Have you booked your Thanksgiving trips?