Jay Conrad Levinson | Theo Brandt-Sarif
1 This Book Aspires To Be The Bible For Cost Conscious Travel
If there is one lesson I have discovered over my umpteen years of travelling is that you need to be very creative when coordinating your jaunts in order to glean the most advantageous deals.
Regrettably, up to recently, I did not have at my disposal the Internet or travel guides such as Guerrilla Travel Tactics authored by Jay Conrad Levinson and Theo Brandt-Sarif.
This book aspires to be the bible for the cost conscious business or leisure traveler, and it definitely has reached its objectives. Particularly, when you take into consideration that within the pages of one book you have practical replies to the how's, when's, where's, and why's of the travel industry pertaining to travel costs and more.
The authors advocate, "that guerrilla travelers achieve conventional goals using unconventional means," or as I mentioned earlier, creativity.
No matter if it be airline reservations, hotel accommodations, car rentals, frequent flyer points, or anything else related to travel, it is you alone that has to seek out the bargains and not a travel agent, who for the most part does not have your interest at heart.
A good portion of Guerrilla Travel Tactics is allotted to airlines such as: airfare savings, lounge membership, alliances, navigating the Internet to weed out great deals, getting the most out of frequent flyer points, and seating.
Are you cognizant that when it comes to flying, not all air miles are created equal? Some airlines may give fewer miles when flying at discounted rate.
Would you give up a first class seat that you may have been upgraded to for an aisle coach seat next to a vacant seat and how do you go about securing this seat?
These and many more are some of the "treats" that are delivered to the reader.
The remaining sections are devoted to hotels, car rentals, affinity cards, and even how to effectively lodge a complaint.
Of special interest are the informative sidebars of tips and alerts, as well as the appendixes.
Are you mindful that booking a deeply discounted hotel room online many sometimes be non-refundable; be sure to check over the fine print. If you are concerned about your hotel room, it is a good idea to tip the bellman before checking in and inquiring which rooms he would choose for himself, if he were with his spouse.
Here is one tip I found quite interesting- one of the biggest cons around in travel is paying $495 to become a travel agent without IATA certification. Hotels and airlines are not stupid and they will not provide discounted rooms or airfare for these "so-called" travel agents.
A helpful appendix lists the major airlines, hotels chains, car rentals companies, and hotel consolidators, indicating their web sites and telephone numbers. You also have information pertaining to the frequent flyer plans of each U.S. and International airline, as well as the credit card information pertaining to them.
The authors' breezy and enlightening style of writing make this frequently dry topic as appealing as it can ever hope to get, while at the same time imparting some super useful information.
Norm Goldman
2 The first truly valuable book for all travellers
As someone who has been travelling for business for the last 15 years (cost constraints but a low level of tolerance for poor quality or service) and someone who has been travelling more often for fun (5 star taste but on a 2 or 3 star budget), I have found that most "travel tips" books are either too'dumbed down" with obvious tips that make little difference, or are so arcane with regard to specific locales that they are not realistic for me, as to be useless. This is the first book that is comprised entirely of real and useful information for travellers of all types and budgets. Kudos to Theo Brandt-Sarif who did the research and to the publisher that ventured to bring yet another travel book onto the scene. I have used the information in this book on my last few trips and it has really made a difference. Skeptical friends of mine who borrowed this book and used it have since purchased it and recommend it to their friends.
3 Nothing New
The title of this book grab my attention...but that is about it. I did not find anything new in this book and much of the information is hype and not relevant to real travel. For example the back cover of the book says that you can upgrade to first class every time. Anyone who was traveled before knows this is not the case. (...)
4 Good tips
The author has given some great tips on how to save money while traveling, even helpful things that would not have ever crossed my mind. The book is informative and fun to read -- a must for the new world traveler or the seasoned traveler.
5 Fantastic!!
This book has really changed the way I view traveling! My profession has me traveling quite a bit--to be honest, more often than I'd like. Suffice it to say, being on the road is not something particularly enjoy. When making arrangements, I used to go for the easiest and best looking deal, trusting that what I saw was what I got, just to simplify my already hectic life. Well, not anymore! Reading this book, I discovered countless ways that I could save money AND get better service and value at the same time. I had no idea that travel could be this easy... and painless. I can't believe I've gone this long with out it!!
6 Jam-packed with useful tips
Start thumbing through this incredible book and the simple, practical, money-saving ideas just fly off the page. Lower airline fares ... easy upgrades ... the best hotel deals ... car rentals at a fraction of the usual cost ... how to use the Internet as your personal, economical travel agent. This is usable everyday advice you can apply immediately, not off-the-wall stuff you can never use in the real world. I read through it, cover to cover, and highlighted information of particular interest, while I was traveling to Houston on a flight for which I had overpaid to stay in a hotel where I could have almost halved my bill and gotten a better room, with better service, better meals -- well, you get the idea. I missed out on that trip, but I'll never miss out again. Guerrilla Travel Tactics now has a permanent spot in my travel bag.
7 Travel Tips That SAVE $$$
Since I travel extensively for my job, I thought I knew everthing about traveling and saving money. Well, I was wrong, and this book helped me save so much more by following some very simple advice by these travel experts. This book is perfect for anyone who travels for business and wants to know insider tips that help save money. Also, I never knew how to use my airline miles effectively, but Theo Brandt-Sarif really explained the best uses for miles and when to use those upgrades. Now I feel like a traveling pro and have recommended this book to my friends and family. In fact, my parents are planning their anniversary trip for next year and I've bought them a copy to help get the most of their trip. Thanks for writing this fabulous book.
8 The Road Warrior's SecretHandbook
My wife and I planned our honeymoon while reading this book and I can't tell you enough how much it helped us save money and make the most out of our traveling. We've read lots of travel books, but the tips in this book were more helpful and useful than anything else out there. We ended up staying at a posh hotel in cancun and received all sorts of upgrades and special services all because we used the tips and advice written in the book ! And, we also found out the best ways to use our airline miles so we can go to hawaii next year. We recommend this book to anyone who wants to travel the most cost effective way ... either for business or in our case, pleasure.
9 The simple things mean SO MUCH!
I travel a lot for business, and am so worn out that the thought of travel for pleasure would have seemed daunting or too much bother. After reading this book though, I am raring to go and have my sights set on using my 90,000 amassed air miles on a trip to Italy. Guerrilla Travel Tactics is great for people who, while they may travel a great deal, are not necessarily up on all the "insider" tips on upgrades, internet booking and airline pricing. Some of his tips were so basic that I completely overlooked them. For instance, I never knew I could buy frequent flyer miles, and I shared Mr. Sarif's & Mr. Levinson's tips with a friend who got a great airline and hotel upgrade for a special trip. I love that it's paperback, because this book will be traveling with me everywhere from now on!
10 Traveler's gold mine!
Thank goodness I bought this book before I planned my summer vacation. I don't travel that much, so I wasn't sure this book was going to be particularly helpful for me. But it's jam-packed with great ideas for anyone to get the most from their money. Thank you Theo and Jay! The money I've already saved on my summer vacation would pay for your book many times over!
11 Saved me money in the first chapter!
Loved this book! It saved me money, time, and hassles in just the first chapter.
We travel a lot in our business and these ideas will really help me minimize the cost, while maximizing our comfort. Plus I learned lots of new, creative ways to make the most of all those frequent flyer/ frequent hotel clubs we belong to. It's a jungle out there!
And I liked the personal stories, tips, and tricks about traveling first-class with a young family. On a reasonable budget! It will be great to offer these same kinds of amazing experiences to my own kids...
Thanks Jay and Theo!
12 Guerilla Travel Tactics is the best
I love this book. It is packed full of wonderful tips and great references. It will be my reference guide for all travel! And thanks to Theo's tips, I already got 4 unpaid nights in Hawaii.
13 Easy to follow, immediately beneficial advice!
I just finished reading my copy of "Guerrilla Travel Tactics" and can't stop quoting it to my business colleagues and friends. This week, on a flight from LA to SJC, a seatmate complained of having so many frequent flyer miles and never being able to use them. I quickly opened the book to p. 148 and showed her the tips on using mileage programs. My new friend read about the low risk for booking 330 days in advance with mileage awards, even if you're not sure of your plans. She seemed really excited to have a plan on using her points and was really reluctant to give me my book back!!
The book will help you gain more affordable travel experiences, and show you how to get a luxury level of travel for the lowest possible price! I'd certainly rather stay at the Ritz Carlton than at a Hilton if the price were the same.
Additional ideas include which seats on a plane are most likely to have an empty seat next to them, and when having a coach seat trumps an available business class seat. Or when having access to an airport lounge makes sense and when you could have spent those dollars in a better way.
Each chapter is organized with an initial real-life story, clear objectives and examples, travel tips and alerts and summed up at the end with the top advice on that particular topic. This helps to scan the material for review or when you are focusing on a single area of travel; such as airfare pricing, best seats, hotel pricing, timing your travel for lowest prices, etc.
I now have so many ideas for maximizing the speed of acquiring airline frequent flyer miles and determining which mileage deals are worth it and which are a waste of my time. Dr. Brandt-Sarif's tips will become part of my standard vacation planning repertoire!! I wish I'd known all this stuff years ago.
14 Will quickly pay for itself many times over
Guerrilla Travel Tactics is one of the strongest Guerrilla book, filled with detailed, actionable tips. Jay and Theo demystify researching the web and show you how to, quite literally, travel the world for free by making slight changes in your buying habits. As Jay and Theo state, "there's more to frequent flyer models than upgrades!"
You'll learn how to get the inside dope on hotel accommodations, why it's not the end of the world when you're bumped, and a startlingly simple way you and your companion can double the chances of an empty middle seat.
You'll also learn the best time to order your tickets and when to check bzck if your first choice wasn't available. You'll also know how to voice a complaint in a way that just about guarantees a favorable response.
