>Glad to be of help. Another trick I've learned if you're traveling a lot is Priceline. This trip I tried bidding ridiculous amounts for hotels and cars. Wow. Every time I bid $50 for a 4-star hotel just about anywhere in the US it was accepted, even if the advertised rate is $200-$300. Same for hire cars- On Expedia I was quoted $230 for a rental car for 5 days but on Priceline I bid $17/day and Budget accepted.

I will try that. I got burned once by Priceline, but it was really my fault for not reading the fine print carefully enough.

Where did you even find $230 for 5 days? Everything out of NOLA seems to be in the $400+ range.