Taking some risk could lead to best vacation travel deals

There’s still time to book that summer vacation, but to get the best deals, you might have to get creative.

According to Consumers’ Checkbook executive editor Kevin Brasler, there aren’t too many ways to save and shopping around may be a waste of time.

“You can shop until you drop but overall you’re going to see mostly the same prices from place to place,” Brasler said.

To find real bargains, Brasler said be flexible and patient. The earlier you can plan, the more time you have to identify deals.

“We found that in many major vacation destinations, just leaving yourself flexibility in terms of what hotel chain you book at or which property or even changing dates could save you hundreds a night.”

There are also other ways, according to Brasler, that require a little bit of a gamble, such as booking a nonrefundable stay.

“There’s some risks here,” he said. “If you can’t make the trip, you’re going to lose that money. The good thing is we found that most hotel stays, they won’t refund you your money, but they will rebook you for another time period.”

The easiest way to save on a hotel is by using a “mystery deal,” but there is some risk. You won’t know the name of the hotel until after you’ve paid, but, according to Consumers’ Checkbook, you get information such as the neighborhood and rating, and you can control certain criteria through filters. On average, these type of deals knocked off 28% of the cost of the stay.

For more Consumer Checkbook deals, click here.