How to Save a “Bundle” on Airfare Packages

Travel to most people includes round trip airfare, a hotel room for a specific duration and a rental car to get around their destination area. Often, each aspect of the trip is booked separately; perhaps because a supposed airfare deal was offered, or maybe a particular hotel or resort was recommended by a friend. However, those who are booking travel that includes airfare, a hotel room and a rental car might be surprised to learn that it could be much cheaper to book a package deal instead of booking each segment separately.

The concept of “bundling” products came about years ago, and became an extremely popular option among consumers for computers and technology services. It seemed natural, then, for the successful marketing tool to progress to the travel industry. After all, people who fly usually book rental cars and hotels after flying to their point of destination. Web travel sites, such as Travelocity and Orbitz among others, began to “bundle” these aspects together for the convenience of their customers; a type of one stop shopping for travel. Many of these web travel sites claim that travelers can benefit from advertised savings of up to $300 realized when booking the flight and hotel room together. Currently, throughout the summer of 2009, a trip to Honolulu can be booked along with a hotel/resort with savings of 33%. With such great deals, why isn’t everyone booking these deals?

The bundled vacations are one of the best kept secrets in the travel industry. It is almost always cheaper to book a bundled vacation as opposed to paying separately for each segment of the trip, yet many people continue to spend hours browsing through travel sites or calling around to different agencies seeking the best prices for hotels and rental cars. Some prefer to utilize a particular car rental agency simply because they have successfully used them in the past, or because it came recommended by a friend. Hotels also enjoy a faithful following of people who have used their services in the past and simply return to them without checking around for other options that are likely more affordable.

To find these bundled deals, use any web travel site that you prefer. Choose the option for “airfare, hotel and rental car” and simply enter in your departure city, arrival city and dates for your trip.

[smartads]Purchasing air, hotel and rental car in one convenient package is a great way to save a bundle of money. A flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco can cost around $150 round trip after taxes and fees; a seemingly inexpensive venture for a 3 night getaway. Now begin a search of over 200 hotels in San Francisco to find the best price. Or, simply look for a bundled package deal; available at a cost of around $253 for airfare along with 3 nights at a hotel. The savings are obvious, and similar deals with similar savings are available at almost every destination.

When airfare, hotel room and rental car are all needed to complete the trip, choosing a bundled vacation package can result in big savings for the savvy traveler.