Travel cheaply

Airlines, hotel chains, and other travel businesses are slashing prices to attract customers. Here's how to get deals:

Time your flight for savings

Airfares often increase as the week goes along and the weekend nears. Sundays are the costliest days for domestic flights; Saturdays, for international travel. Wednesday mornings tend to be least expensive because that's when airlines try to fill unsold seats on flights for the following week.

The cheapest fares can be found on flights departing late at night or very early in the morning. Flights to warmer destinations tend to be more expensive in the spring because college students are on break.

Start your ticket search online

Major travel search engines such as Kayak or online travel agencies such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity can scour the Internet for rock-bottom prices. But they might overlook special airline-company promotions. In fact, tickets for some low-cost airlines, such as Southwest, aren't even available at travel search sites. Go directly to the airline Web sites to find the best promotional fares. You'll also sidestep the third-party transaction fees, which can range from $5 to $12.

Call hotels directly

Skip the Web sites and the toll-free booking lines and call the hotel directly to book your room. Once you get someone on the phone, haggle for a better room rate. If you get stonewalled, try again at the front desk; haggling face-to-face often yields the best results.

Steer clear of car-rental traps

Rates change often. And fees and taxes can increase your bill by 30 percent or more. To avoid excess costs, start by knowing what you don't need.

First, call your insurer before agreeing to rental insurance. Your rental car might be covered under your existing automobile policy. If so, don't pay for collision-damage waivers, loss-damage waivers, or other products offered.

Avoid rental outfits at the airport. It's often cheaper to rent at an off-site office, and many companies, such as Enterprise, will pick you up and drop you off at no extra charge.

And always gas the car up before returning it. Rental outfits might charge two to three times what the pump does for a gallon of gas.

Make sure you return the car on time—the grace period is often just 30 minutes. Miss that and you might have to pay for an extra day.

And if you are late, you guessed it—haggle.