“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list” -Susan Sontag
Summer is near and many of us are busy planning vacations and getaways for the year! If you haven’t noticed already, I LOVE to travel! It has become one of my most enjoyable hobbies. Once I started traveling frequently, I quickly began to realize that I would need to find ways to save more in order to travel more. And by that, I mean ways to save money when booking and planning trips. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t always expensive to travel if you have the right resources. Below, I want to share with you some tips and tools that will save you the most money when planning your next vacation getaway. If you’re an avid traveler, this may be a refresher for you and you might even learn a thing or two! If you are new to traveling or planning in general, get your pin and paper ready to take notes!
1. Flight deal alerts
Flight deal alerts are a great way to book the cheapest flights and find glitch fares. One of the top ways to save is booking a cheap flight to your destination of choice. For example, I was able to purchase a non-stop, round trip flight to Dubai for only $342 using some of the resources that I will outline in this post. Yes, this glitch fare was the same cost or cheaper than a domestic flight to a city here in the U.S.! And it was all because I caught a flight deal, which is essentially the majority of the cost when you are traveling. Once you’ve crossed the hurdle of purchasing the best flight, the rest of the planning process is smooth sailing. My go-to sites for flight deals and glitch fares are TheFlightDeal.com, SecretFlying.com, and AirfareWatchdog.com. If you are a Houston resident and want alerts for flights specifically from Houston go to EscapeHouston.com. I highly recommend signing up to receive free email alerts from one of the above sites! I personally signed up for TheFlightDeal.com and EscapeHouston.com and I love seeing those flight deals pop up in my inbox daily!
Other sites to check out for flight deals:
2. Flight point programs
Most airline programs offer free rewards programs for you to accrue sky miles or points when you fly. I normally fly with Southwest or United Airlines and I’ve been able to rack up thousands of points and even booked free flights as a result! Sometimes airline offer deals to earn double or triple points, which is an easy way to score even more points and rack up savings in the end. Start earning miles/points by signing up with your most frequent flight carrier today so you can keep track of your sky miles!
According to U.S. News, the Best Airline Rewards Programs are in order as follows:
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Delta SkyMiles
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Southwest Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- HawaiianMiles
- Frontier EarlyReturns
- FREE SPIRIT
3. Use flight search tools
Sometimes 3rd party sites such as Momondo.com, FlightsBank.com, and SkyScanner.com are best for finding and comparing cheap flights. I personally scored a deal through FlightsBank for a flight to Cancun for at least $100 cheaper than the flights I found directly on the carrier site. This will save you a lot of time and money! Google flights is also an awesome search tool and it provides information on which days have the lowest fares on any given day. Go ahead and start setting up those flight alert searches now!
4. Know the best time to purchase the flight
Tuesday is the cheapest day to book flights. The best time on average to purchase flights are 3 weeks to 4 months in advance according to Forbes.com. I generally recommend booking on Tuesday because I have noticed that flights literally can go up from one day to the next! I’m the type of person to book at least 4 to 6 weeks in advance. Sometimes it may not be the cheapest route to book too far in advance and it is definitely pretty risky to wait until the last minute before your departure to book your flight. My biggest recommendation here is stick to the timing window that I listed above. It usually ends up being the best time cost-wise and it also gives you piece of mind.
5. Stay at a hostel
This concept is pretty simple. If you are traveling solo or even in a group of less than 4 people, you can save a ton by staying at a hostel. They are great alternatives if you are looking for inexpensive lodging for travel purposes. Personally, I have only stayed at a hostel once when I was traveling with a group in college for mission work. It worked well for what we were doing there and we were concerned about cost more than luxury or comfort. Not to say that you will be living in the dumps or anything, but hostels provide you with exactly what you need if you want to save the most money. I would recommend them if you are looking for major savings.
6. Book an Airbnb
I literally use Airbnb ALL OF THE TIME! It is so much cheaper than booking a hotel, which can be very expensive nowadays. Airbnbs not only save you money, but they offer more space and accommodations that you would not otherwise have if staying in a hotel. Not to mention, they are perfect for group travel because you are able to sleep more people comfortably and split the cost! Another similar alternative to consider is HomeAway.
7. Know the best time to travel
Normally Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are the cheapest days to travel for U.S. domestic flights. For flights to Europe, weekdays are cheaper than weekends for the most part. So, if you have flexibility with your work schedule and able to take off, this may work to your advantage! Another very important consideration is booking travel for off season. For example, most people travel during spring and summer, so it may be worth-while to consider trips in fall and winter to avoid peak season and save on cost. Also, travel is usually more expensive during the holidays because most people are traveling to visit family during those times.
8. Travel with a group
This one is pretty self-explanatory. You can save a ton on housing alone just by splitting the cost amongst other travelers in a group. Also group rates and discounts for excursions and activities may be a viable option for saving money.
9. Credit card rewards
Okay, let me preface this first by saying I DO NOT support you going out and getting a credit card to travel more so you can get in debt! lol To make this move, you MUST be disciplined enough to not spend money you don’t have! Otherwise, it will add up and you will be floating in debt from flights and frivolous splurges. Having a travel credit card could actually save you money on flights and hotels due to their rewards program and sign-up bonuses worth thousands of points. They also may offer you a deal to earn double or triple points when you use the card for travel (booking flights, hotels, taxis, etc.) or dining purposes. If you’re able to use the card in this way, you can rack up thousands of points to use towards free flights. I personally chose the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card because of its awesome sign-up bonus, opportunities to easily earn points, and its wide range of affiliate partnerships. Their points are transferrable 1:1 with flight carriers such as Southwest, United, Air France, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and many more. You can also transfer your points to hotel travel partners such as Marriot and Hyatt. If you are considering this step, do your research to find out which travel credit card is best for you.
10. Travel consultant
If you are not up to finding all of the deals yourself, then allow someone else to do it for you! Hiring a travel consultant can help you save tons of money on your next big trip. It also saves you time and the headache of planning. Travel consultants know the ins and outs of traveling already and they have access to unpublished rates, discounts, and more. Personally, I am using two different certified travel consultants to book my next international adventures. I highly recommend Jaunts and Gems and The Cultured Experience, so go check them out and tell them Ashley sent you! Both are ready and willing to assist you in the best way possible to help you with all of your travel needs! Actually, Jaunts and Gems offers pre-planned getaways outlined below, so check the dates if interested and join in on the fun 🙂
- Jaunts and Gems Getaways:
Hope this guide aids you in traveling more while maintaining a budget! I will share with you in a future post exactly how to budget for a trip and ways to plan/save for trips in advance. If you have more suggestions of ways to save on travel, please leave them in the comments below. And if you have any questions or want more information about the topics listed I want to hear from you! As always, share on your social media and with anyone who could use this helpful information 🙂 Now, let’s go on a living spree!
