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The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status (Travelers' Tales)
 
 
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The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status (Travelers' Tales) [Paperback]

Joel L. Widzer (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Who says loyalty isn't appreciated? Follow the advice laid out in The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel and you may find yourself wallowing in the pleasures of luxury without breaking the bank--especially if you travel often and stick like glue to one company. Grateful airlines and hotels often respond to such brand loyalty with free seat or room upgrades, the first steps towards living the life of Riley at the same cost as those Joes cramped behind in coach. Widzer--with a business degree from Pepperdine, a career in marketing, and a million-mile award from his chosen airline--knows all the ropes when it comes to the business side of traveling in comfort, and explains how to ask the appropriate questions to get the desired results. If you're paying full price because you booked last minute, for example, asking for perks often gets you luxury extras. Widzer shares strategies for saving money depending on if the dollar is strong or weak; regularly obtaining airline seat, hotel room, and car rental upgrades; effectively voicing (and being compensated for) complaints, as well as knowing whom to tip when. With an appendix of travel resources, this is the book for those willing to do their homework to win the prize. --Stephanie Gold --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Widzer believes in traveling in style but without paying luxury rates. He manages to achieve this using his travel experience (he flies at least 100,000 air miles each year) and his knowledge of the travel industry. By carefully maintaining customer loyalty and by knowing exactly who, how, and when to ask, Widzer manages to get much more than he pays for. Here he explains how. Arranged topically in ten chapters, clear explanations with examples detail how to leverage customer loyalty and travel mishaps. Examples and strategies attempt to cover all types of travelers, from very frequent to infrequent, but are more effective for frequent travelers. Customer service providers may find this interesting as an analysis of what quality really means to a customer. Purchase for larger public libraries.AAlison Hopkins, Queens Borough P.L., Briarwood, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Travelers' Tales; 2nd edition (May 24, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1932361049
  • ISBN-13: 978-1932361049
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,097,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

Joel L. Widzer
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
My enduring love for luxury travel began the first time I saw Paris. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ancillary miles, contrarian traveler, quality travel companies, lead gate agent, coupon brokers, front desk representatives, upgrade certificates, base miles, travel providers, travel fraud, preferential service, chosen airline, airline cards, monetary tips, coach prices, luxury traveler, base mileage, upgraded room, upgrade opportunities, bell staff, airline programs, contrarian strategy, bonus miles, oceanfront suite, blackout dates
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
American Express, Diners Club, American Airlines, Four Seasons, New York, Los Angeles, Orange County, Prince de Galles, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hotel George, Hotel de Paris, Hawaiian Airlines, Monte Carlo, Continental Airlines, San Diego, Department of Transportation, Hotel Negresco, The Leading Hotels of the World, Disney World, Hotel Bristol, Puerto Rico, Southwest Airlines, United States
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Customer Reviews

61 Reviews
5 star:
 (39)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (61 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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75 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Five Pages of Information and Endless Egotism, October 3, 2005
This review is from: The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status (Travelers' Tales) (Paperback)

All of the useful information in this book could have been condensed into a travel magazine article. The remainder of the book is comprised of the author bragging about his free upgrades.

The author has the annoying habit of constantly stating that he's about to divulge a secret to discount luxury travel; then, the author (a) fails to provide any tips on the topic, (b) provides general common sense advice (make friends with the gate agents) or (c) provides anecdotes too specific to his situation to be applicable to most readers.

This is a revised edition of a previous book. Yet the author will occassionally imply that the earlier edition contains additional luxury travel secrets -- so you should run out and buy that book, too.

I was not at all surprised to find on this web page a series of content-less yet five-star reviews which read suspiciously like the book itself.

Avoid. Your time is better invested learning the details of actual frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs on the various web pages devoted to the topics.


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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars an ok book, July 6, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status (Travelers' Tales) (Paperback)
I found the book ok; not brilliant, not terrible. I notice a curious consistency in the other reviews. All five stars, yet strangely generic for people who supposedly liked the book so much. All about the same length, and written in what appears to be the same voice. My guess is they're all written by the same person. So consider this a review of another of the author's works too...
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Real Advice - Real Results, January 1, 2001
By John White (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel (Travelers' Tales Guides) (Paperback)
Being a luxury travel newbie, this book was very helpful in presenting information which I'm guessing must come to seasoned frequent travelers over time. On the first day after I achieved Premiere status for the first time on my airline, I called the reservation desk to change the details of my return flight. After finalizing the changes (which took over 15 minutes of discussion), the customer service representative told me he couldn't believe I had just achieved Premiere -for-the-first-time-. "You asked all the Pemiere questions," he stated. That was due to the strong start I got from Joel Widzer's book.

Here are some specific things which I do now which I didn't do before:

1) Concentrate my travel with one airline. It seems common sense in retrospect, but it wasn't something I did. I shopped price and was proud to do so. I flew the no frills airline which everyone in the southwest should know without realizing that other carriers could do more for me.

2) When speaking with any customer service representative, I ask for my current Premiere status. After emphasizing my loyalty by doing that, I then make whatever request I'm making. Even when I hadn't achieved Priemere the first time, this helped.

3) I use my miles to upgrade, not for free tickets. The common sense approach was to get things for free. Widzer points out that you don't get additional miles towards Elite status for award travel. Buy a cheap-as-possible restricted ticket and use your loyalty, leverage, and if necessary, ff miles to upgrade yourself. You fly the route without worrying about blackouts, fly first class, and get closer to Elite status.

Some things which Widzer doesn't mention:

1) At least on my airline, United, it seems pretty difficult to get a compimentary gate upgrade, though I have done it. That seems to be the exception. You usually have to use miles or upgrade coupons, especially when competing for upgrades.

2) You've got to study the planes flying the routes you're interested in. My LAX to Seattle flight was on an Airbus A320(?) which had something like 4 First class seats. That's damn tough to upgrade into.

3) As a million miler, Widzer probably didn't run into many other travelers with similar seniority when it came to upgrade priority. Persistant asking probably can get you confirmed on the upgrade list when you consistantly fly 100K miles a year. For those of us at the 25K level, getting confirmed into Economy Plus is usually guaranteed. Just asking a lot isnt' going to get us in first class.

4) The E-Fares which United advertises on their web site are billed as "non-upgradeable." True for Elite flyers? I haven't had the opportunity to try.

5) "After calling the marketing department..." is a phrase Widzer uses more than once. This isn't something a non-travel writer can do, so shouldn't be mentioned in the book.

To be clear, the book opened my eyes to the frequent traveling world. In Nov/Dec 2000, I found $500 fairs to London and Paris on my airline, and made my first trips to Europe, racking up 20K from Los Angeles in two trips. One round trip coast to coast later, and I'm an Elite flyer. I've flown a <500 mile segment with a comp gate upgrade, and a 2500 mile segment with a comp gate upgrade. I've changed details on restricted tickets, and had fees waived for me when using coupon upgrades. I didn't even know that such a thing as a concierge level at a hotel existed. I've stayed in them twice on special deals after reading the book, though I have yet to have Hilton volunteer an upgrade or agree to comp me an upgrade there.

I wouldn't have thought to do any of the above without the book.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Reap the Rewards of Customer Loyalty
I have been a frequent flyer with a major airline for many years and found Joel's advice and strategies
to be uncommonly simple and effective. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Babu

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight forward no-holds-barred travel book
Actually, contrary to preceding review I have read on this site, this book is one of the most straight forward, no-holds-barred travel books that doesn't spend an unnecessary... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Traveler's Aide

3.0 out of 5 stars Penny Pinchers Passport
Good book but took one theme and expanded on it. Not sure I could do what author suggests.
Published 15 months ago by L. Miller

1.0 out of 5 stars Garbage
Can't really add to those who said that this book is full of general anecdotes and no real specific information. Read more
Published 18 months ago by NC Reader

3.0 out of 5 stars So-so
This book would be great if you are a business traveler and are allowed to keep frequent flyer miles. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Reader PJ

4.0 out of 5 stars Upgrades Are Possible... If You Upgrade Your Imagination
I came on this site looking for books similar to this one. I recently finished reading this book and I must say that I'm glad I invested the 10 or 11 bucks. Read more
Published on September 6, 2008 by Juanita F. Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars This Passport has a Valid Visa
I think Joel Widzer hit another home-run with the third edition of his Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel. Read more
Published on July 11, 2008 by Global Traveler

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich in Great Travel Advice
If you're gonna travel why not learn to travel First Class? Thanks to Joel's book, I wish no longer. Read more
Published on June 22, 2008 by C. Clark

2.0 out of 5 stars Common Sense in bloated form
Instead of any "secrets" to luxury travel the author simply repeats the same common sense "if you just spend enormous amounts of money with travel providers and are nice to them,... Read more
Published on June 8, 2008 by Don B.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent lessons for anyone who travels
After reading this latest version of "The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel" I find that those who use the lessons within wisely will find that traveling in style is not... Read more
Published on May 8, 2008 by Clelia Carcases

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