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Published 1st & 3rd Thursday Of Each Month
Vol. 9, July 3, 2003

Here is the latest issue. Enjoy.
Editor, Rick Doble

TABLE OF CONTENTS

11 UNUSUAL VACATIONS TIPS
AND DISCOUNTS
1. LEAVING YOUR HOME FOR VACATION
   Keep your home safe
2. HOTEL TIPS
   Get the best deals
3. SAVE ON GASOLINE
   Simple savings
4. AIRLINE TIPS
   Unusual ways to save
5. About SAVVY-DISCOUNTS.com
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#1. LEAVING YOUR HOME FOR VACATION
Keep your home safe

A.) Turn off the hot water heater
Don't throw money away. Why pay to heat water while you are gone? If there is no separate switch, you may need to turn it off with the circuit breaker. Doing this also has the advantage of preventing damage to your hot water heater if the water system or your water pump cuts off while you are out of town.

B.) Have a neighbor pick up any trash that lands on the front yard
Odd pits of paper and soda cans left lying on the grass is a sign to thieves that no one is at home.

C.) Leave a 24 hour talk radio station on
Most thieves will not attempt to go into a home if they hear talking. Most will not be able to distinguish talk radio from people in the house having a conversation. If you don't have 24 hour talk radio in your area, tune it to any 24 hour station.

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#2. HOTEL TIPS
Get the best deals

A.) Make reservations at the local hotel where you will be staying
Generally you will get the best deals when you call the local hotel, not the central reservation number for a chain. However, you can save yourself the cost of dialing directory assistance for that number by asking for it at the central 800 number.

B.) Always ask if your hotel or resort is doing any renovations
A significant number will be. If it is, ask for a discount or an upgrade for the hassle of having to cope with the construction work.

C.) Always ask for an extra perk when you check in
Unless the hotel is packed you can often get a free upgrade to your room, a free breakfast, late checkout, or something else just for the asking.

D.) Always ask about phone costs
Be very careful when making phone calls. Some hotels now charge for 800 calls, for example. On a recent vacation a friend called her daughter's cell phone which had free evening minutes, yet the hotel still charged her $1.95 for placing the call.

Generally making a call and charging it to your hotel room is very expensive.

Even charging a call to your regular home long distance carrier also can carry a hefty charge. We recommend using the BigZoo (for 3.9 cents a minute) which is a prepaid service that you can use anywhere by dialing the company's 800 number and then placing your call.

You can use the BigZoo
for regular long distance service
or like a calling card on the road.
Or give one to your children
to call home all for 3.9¢/minute.

#3. SAVE ON GASOLINE
Gas may cost a lot less down the road

If possible fill up at the cheapest spot on your route. For example, way back when, my father always filled up in Providence, Rhode Island when we were driving from Connecticut to Massachusetts because it had much cheaper gas.

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#4. AIRLINE TIPS
Unusual ways to save

A.) Free long term airport parking
Many hotels close to an airport will let you leave your car for the duration of your trip at no cost. A family we know left their car for a month at a motel near the Raleigh-Durham airport. They stayed at the motel one day before the departure and the day they returned. The motel sent a limo to drop them off at the airport and a limo to pick them up. They saved over $100.

B.) Be Flexible when booking airline tickets
You can often save a considerable amount by flying from a different airport or arriving at a different airport. For example, I have found that flying to the Newark airport instead of LaGuardia in New York City can save a lot of money and a regular bus into the city from Newark is fast and cheap.

C.) Get low cost air fares even when booked just a few days in advance
A travel agent gave me this tip. If you book a flight from a weekend to a weekend, you could save as much as 75%. For example, from my area a round trip to New York during the week could be almost $1000 if booked at the last minute. The same trip booked from a Saturday to a Saturday would only have been $250 at the last minute. This was only $50 more than a super-saver flight which can require a 60 day advance purchase.

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