A Free Hotel Night
A fourth night free at Lake Tahoe’s Village at Squaw Valley (though April), at Anaheim’s Disneyland-adjacent Annabella Hotel (ongoing), and at nearly any Wyndham (through February). Hotels currently offering a third night free include Tucson’s Westin La Paloma Resort (ongoing; includes $50 food-and-beverage credit and a room upgrade; use promo code Z3R), theFour Seasons New York (through March), and a B&B in Virginia called Caledonia Farm1812.
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-The latter in particular is a bit of a gem ⎯ it lists more than 1,000 inns across the country that offer a “buy one night, get the second night free” deal for the price of a $15 voucher.
Free (and Cheap) Transportation
Free Admission to the National Parks
Help the national parks celebrate their centennial ⎯ without spending a penny. For 16 days in 2016, the National Park Service is waiving admission fees for their 127 sites that normally charge to get in. (The other 282 sites are always free.)
If you’re in the military, though, or a fourth-grader, or a person with disabilities, you can get into the national parks for free any day of the year. Over the age of 62? Get a lifetime pass to the national parks for just $10.
Free Gear Rental
No traveler wants to buy or lug around heavy or expensive equipment, even if it enables more adventure. Devotees of traveling light should instead look for hotels and operators that let them borrow gear, gratis.
The Costa Rica Marriott San Jose, for one, outfits its guests with a waterproof GoPro Hero4 camera during their stay at the resort, which sits in a 1,100-acre rainforest along the Pacific Ocean. Once you’ve got your footage, the Marriott encourages you to share it with the company via social media for a chance to be featured online and on guestroom TVs.
Crystal Cruises’ new Esprit vessel outfits its water-loving passengers to the max: Aboard, and free of cost to use, is snorkel and scuba gear, four eight-passenger Zodiacs, jet skis, water skis, wakeboards, kayaks ⎯ even a two-person submarine.
And in cycling-friendly locales, some hotels provide guests with free bike rentals — a few properties we know of that do so include Portland’s Hotel Rose, Madrid’s First Petit Palace Italia Hotel, Napa’s Hotel Yountville, and Honolulu’s Kahala Resort.
Free Stopovers
Expert travelers know how to spend a day or two in a city that’s far from home — and not have to pay for it. You can do this, too.
Time your layover right and if you’re flying from, say, Los Angeles to Tel Aviv on British Airways, you’ll get to enjoy enough hours in London on each leg of your trip to feed Piccadilly Square’s pigeons, fill yourself on roasted nuts from street vendors, ride a double decker, and wave to Big Ben. When you book your ticket online, the airline gives you the option to break up your trip with stopovers. Click “yes” and a daylong stop gets built into your itinerary at no extra charge. The trick is to make your final destination far enough — from the U.S., that usually means Asia, Africa, or Australia — that it warrants a stopover somewhere good.
But British Airways isn’t the only airline offering this see-a-city-free setup. Other carriers known for excellent stopover options include Hawaiian Airlines, Icelandair, Japan Airlines, and Emirates.
Free Shore Excursions
Call them “included” or call them “free,” but choose your cruise itinerary correctly and extracurricular activities at your destinations won’t cost you a dime extra than kicking around port.
Most notably, Regent Seven Seas Cruises never charges for shore excursions, regardless of destination, date, or how many off-boat adventures you choose to have.
In addition, Norwegian is offering a limited-time deal that allows passengers to choose either free shore excursions, free unlimited drinks, free specialty dining, or free Wi-Fi ⎯ or get all four options for free if you book a Haven or Suite stateroom.
Not to be left behind, Silversea is now offering free shore excursions and Wi-Fi on every voyage in every port of call on all Mediterranean voyages.
Finally, many of Crystal Yacht Cruises’ “Adventures Ashore” are complimentary, including at least one no-cost excursion in every port on every itinerary the company’s new Esprit yacht offers, such as hiking and rafting Greece’s Acheron River, ziplining the forests of the Seychelles, and touring Slovenia’s medieval capital city.
Free Food and Drink
There may not be such a thing as a free lunch, but free breakfasts and happy hours abound. Case in point: If you’ve ever stayed at an Embassy Suites hotel (the brand has more than 200 properties scattered across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America), you know the worth of the brand’s cooked-to-order, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and its afternoon cocktail hour featuring a full bar and hearty snacks — both yours for just flashing your room key. Add sensible nightly rates, a guaranteed two-room suite, and Hilton HHonors points, and it’s hard to compete with this value.
If you need an even more budget-oriented hotel, however, most economy chains ⎯ including Super 8 ⎯ offer all-you-can-eat continental breakfast for free, so get out of bed early enough to get your fill of sticky pastries and steamy coffee.
We’re also seeing free breakfast become a big thing at boutique inns ⎯ recent a.m. offerings we’ve enjoyed were at La Jolla’s Scripps Inn, Saratoga Oaks Lodge, San Francisco’s Inn at the Presidio, and especially Glen Ellen’s Gaige House. (And remember, no B&B is worth its label if it doesn’t present a memorable breakfast spread.)
In California’s wine country, it’s common for hotels to offer a complimentary wine-and-cheese hour ⎯ more hotels in Napa and Sonoma do this than don’t, it seems ⎯ and in Puerto Rico, the W on Vieques Island offers free poolside ice cream ⎯ guests choose from quirky flavors like avocado-lemon, coconut-guava, and corn-and-bean.
Finally, if you find yourself in Tahoe this winter, make your way to Northstar Resort’s East Ridge trail at 2:00 p.m. any day of the week for a toast with a free glass of champagne. (Kids get sparkling apple cider.)
Free Premium Amenities
Granted, the types of people who splurge on the first-class service and accommodations that’ll land you free premium amenities are probably not the same people who read “best travel freebies” stories like this. Still, these upscale freebies are fun to know about and give us something to aspire to.
At Mexico’s five-diamond Grand Velas Resorts, VIPs who book a stay in the properties’ Presidential, Family, or Grand Class suites get a handmade sunhat worth $60 to use during the vacation and then to take home.
Those who book a first- or business-class ticket on Emirates get a Bvlgari amenity kit in a custom-designed case — leather for men, satin for women. They’re filled with exclusive Italian-made products, including Bvlgari’s Red Tea fragrance spray. (Flying coach? Emirates promises new amenity kits for economy-class passengers soon.)