If you’re ready for a getaway but have to stick to a tight budget, you’ll be frantically searching for the best ways to cut traveling costs. If this sounds familiar, we’ve got you covered with the following money-saving techniques.
Compare Flight Prices
You will likely find a number of different flight operators covering your destination, and seats are often sold through numerous vendors. Just like when shopping for normal products, you’ll notice that the price fluctuates heavily, meaning it’s always a good idea to compare flight prices.
There are many apps that will do this for you, but you can do it straight from Google with a couple of clicks. Take a look at this article to find out how to use Google’s flight finder tool.
Travel During Off-Season
You can save more than $100 on your travel expenses if you’re willing to go during the off-season. It’s not just airlines that will be cheaper; everything from food to hotels will cost less. After all, businesses need to entice customers to visit year-round, which is only achievable through cost-cutting.
Even during the high season, you can save money on your travel by being flexible. Remember, the best time to book your flight is whenever you find a cheap flight. Still, even if the off-season brings a lot of cheap flights, that does not mean you can’t find something incredibly low during the high season. Just be flexible; you can enjoy tremendous savings on all of your flights.
Consider a Cheaper Destination
You most likely have a dream destination in mind because it ticks all your boxes, but that doesn’t mean it’s the cheapest option. Therefore, you should explore alternative destinations that may be a little cheaper, but you can still tick off some of your desires.
There are many ways to find cheaper destinations. For example, you can stay in a smaller town close to your dream city. Let’s take Barcelona as an example; you can stay in beachside towns including Lloret de Mar and Malgrat de Mar, and then you can drive or catch the train into Barcelona.
Book Activities in Advance
If you already know what you want to do while you’re away, you may be better off booking your activities in advance. In most cases, advance digital bookings are cheaper than purchasing while you’re on holiday. The reason for this is that advance bookings guarantee revenue for the business.
The same goes for hotels and flights. Although last-minute deals often pay off, you will find that booking travel and accommodation in advance is often cheaper.
Join Reward Programs
If you travel frequently, you may benefit from joining a loyalty program, which will help cut costs. For example, if you choose to book your accommodation through Booking.com, you can benefit from their Genius deals, which are tiered discounts depending on how many times you’ve booked. If you reach level 3, you can receive up to 20% off select hotels, premium support, and the opportunity to upgrade your room for free (depending on the hotel).
Take Less Baggage
You will be entitled to take 1x hand luggage with you on all flights, and some airlines offer a free checked bag. However, in most cases, you will pay extra money for taking more bags – and the prices can get out of hand if you’re not careful. Therefore, you should practice packing light to avoid being charged more at the airport.
If there’s no way to avoid taking more luggage than your airline allows as standard, you may be better off using a third-party company to take your bags. As an added bonus, you won’t have to take your bags to the airport.
Traveling can be expensive if you don’t take measures to keep costs down. By integrating the strategies above into your holiday planning, you can potentially save hundreds of dollars on your travel.
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