When it comes to airlines, loyalty is key, especially in a recession. George Clooney’s character in the film “Up In The Air” said, “I don’t spend a nickel if I can help it unless it somehow profits my mileage account.”
If upgrades and free airline tickets are your essential 2010 travel tools, then look no further than Citibank and American Airlines. The two have teamed up to offer both MasterCard and American Express travel-award credit cards. In addition to earning a free flight by spending just $750, you can get many other benefits. Open a Citibank checking account with a Citibank/AAvantage debit card and you earn AAdvantage miles for every dollar you spend. And you can earn 29,000 miles on American Airlines just for opening a few new accounts. All you have to do is go to aa.com/rainbow and sign up for a free AAdvantage account. Other airlines, including Southwest and US Airways, offer similar programs. Your best bet is to stick to one program and let the mileage rack up. Last year, I earned more than 100,000 miles by playing by their rules!
Shop around
Hotel deals are plentiful. Start by first determining what you value most. Do you prefer lots of extras for one great price (sometimes the better deal) or the least expensive room no matter what? My rule is to shop around by checking out the hotel’s Web site, the destination’s official tourism Web site and then one of the online travel Web sites.
The best hotel package deal, at the best price, is usually found on the hotel’s own Web site. If Baltimore is on your list, choose from the Harbor Magic Hotels gay hotel packages. Pick from three hotels — Pier 5 Hotel, the Admiral Fell Inn at Fell’s Point or the Brookshire Suites at the Inner Harbor — all come with breakfast, passes to The Hippo Bar and Nightclub and more, at www.harbormagic.com/staygaybaltimore. Find the most up-to-date hotel deals in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., at Sunny.org and, if you book your hotel package on this site, you will receive a “Beach Starter Kit,” including a beach towel, beach ball and flip-flops. It’s fun and free. To find some of the best hotel rates at a great price, check out Travelocity.com (explore the gay vacations tab) or www.orbitz.com/gaytravel. Day trips
There is nothing like a change of scenery on the weekend, especially when you live in a beautiful region. Travel doesn’t always mean an entire weekend away. A visit to Atlantic City to one of the casinos can be fun, even if you don’t gamble. With the recession and competition from Pennsylvania’s new casinos, smart travelers will find that reward programs can be, well, rewarding. It is easy to sign up at hotels such as the Borgata Hotel, Casino and Spa. (It takes less than a minute at www.myborgata.com.) You can redeem comps for food, rooms and other perks. Sign up for the casino loyalty programs: They are usually free and most can be used at sister properties.
You can also plan a great weekend right here in Pennsylvania. Sign up at Twitter and follow Visit PA. You can find great ideas for day and overnight trips and deals only on Twitter, as well as plenty of low-cost road-trip itineraries at www.visitpa.com. n
Jeff Guaracino, vice president of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and author of “Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide for Marketing,” has learned to find the best deals and travel resources for the LGBT community. Traveling locally? Check out visitphilly.com!