Money Saving Tips on Flights, Hotels, and Activities:
Looking to save money on flights, accommodations and more? One thing to keep in mind is that there are many myths surrounding the methods used to find discount airfare or secret discounts on cheap hotels.
Airlines base their pricing on a number of things, including: season, current demand, weather, major events (festivals, concerts, attractions) and much more. This means it’s somewhat easy to predict when airfare prices will soar, as well as when they are likely to be the lowest of the season.
At the same time, there are many misconceptions surrounding how to garner cheaper flights. Don’t let those myths mislead you. It isn’t cheaper to purchase a flight on a Tuesday, nor is there any evidence supporting any specific date or time period in which airfare is guaranteed to be priced lower. The best way to save on airfare is to be flexible with your travel dates and times. If you have room to play with in your schedule, chances are you’ll be able to find cheaper flights. The same goes for whether you are fine with purchasing flights with multiple stops and connections, avoiding the higher priced direct flights. The more flexible you are, the easier it will be to score the best rates. In fact, the difference of changing your date by just one day can often mean saving hundreds of dollars.
Check out the Google Flights tool to explore different dates and you’ll see just how much pricing changes from day to day: https://google.com/flights
Google Flights also makes it easy to see how location really plays a role in the cost of airfare, even when locations are really close to one another. So if you are also flexible with where you want to go, you’ll be able to save hundreds (even thousands) of dollars on airfare just by changing your destination to something similar, yet more affordable. The airlines themselves set their pricing so you can also save money by going with the budget carriers, such as SouthWest, or if you’re in Canada, Porter Airlines. Europe is known for many budget carriers including EasyJet and RyanAir while Australia and New Zealand have Jetstar.
Here are a few final tips to help you save even more money while traveling: Consider Free Activities
Nearly everywhere you visit there will be opportunities to gain access to certain attractions for free. Keep an eye out for free activities in the area by looking at local community websites, travel calendars or local guides.
To save even more money, consider self-guided tours instead of paid guides. Not only will you be able to design your own itinerary, but you’ll be able to spend as much time at each location as you wish instead of being hurried along by a busy tour guide. Choose your Hotel Room Carefully
Reserve a room that has a refrigerator and microwave, or even better, a full kitchenette. This will save you a ton of money by allowing you to shop for groceries locally and store them in your room.
Use Travel Points If you collect travel points, you can put them to good use if you plan carefully. You’ll want to consider the many different travel points available well in advance so you can begin collecting them locally.
Air Miles as well as all major chain hotels like Marriott and Hilton offer a reward system where you can earn free nights stays the more often you visit. Visit https://www.AirMiles.com for details. Buy a Multi-Tourist Pass Cities like New York offer the “New York City Pass”, which includes access to transportation and sightseeing tours all over the city. Just make sure to read through the list of attractions and inclusions before you purchase to ensure you will want to take advantage of enough of them to make it worth the price. You can easily save hundreds of dollars on attractions if you plan your itinerary carefully.
Get an Airbnb Renting an apartment or Airbnb can save you a lot of money in accommodations while also giving you the full local experience since most of these places will be within rural neighborhoods.
Check out sites like: https://www.Airbnb.com, www.HomeAway.com or www.VRBO.com for options. Then, read reviews on TripAdvisor.com to see what feedback others have left.
Play as a Tourist, eat like a Local Avoid restaurants in high-traffic tourist areas as the food will be overpriced. Instead, visit the attractions and places of interest and then get away from the crowds to find lower cost meal options.
And above all else, plan a budget and stick to it! It’s easy to get carried away when you’re traveling and excited about your trip but it’s important to decide on a budget early on and do your best to stay on track.
That way, you’ll avoid regret when you return home but you’ll also be able to travel more with that extra money you saved! To your many adventures,
