So here are ten tips to save money on your travels...
1. Airfares are generally lower during the shoulder season - the period of time between high and low season. Any season can be a shoulder season, depending on where you go. Europe's high season lasts from May through September, but head to places like Paris, London, or Rome in October and you will find fewer crowds, comfortable temperatures, and cheaper airline ticket prices. Mexico and the Caribbean has great weather in late April and May, but prices for flights drop during these months as they fall after spring break and before summer vacation.
2. Airlines typically post new airfare sales midweek. To save yourself some time, research travel sites, such as Skyscanner, and sign up for e-newsletters that list the best deals (we particularly like The Flight Deal). When booking a flight, arrange your travel for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, if possible, because these days are generally the cheapest times to travel. As an added bonus, airports tend to be less crowded on these days.
2. Airlines typically post new airfare sales midweek. To save yourself some time, research travel sites, such as Skyscanner, and sign up for e-newsletters that list the best deals (we particularly like The Flight Deal). When booking a flight, arrange your travel for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, if possible, because these days are generally the cheapest times to travel. As an added bonus, airports tend to be less crowded on these days.
3. If you will need to check bags on the flight, find out how much you will be charged before purchasing the fare. Most airlines and travel sites offer this information online. To compare rates side by side, visit Airfarewatchdog.com's baggage chart, which lists baggage rates for different airlines, including fees for overweight and oversize bags. It is also a good idea to double check fees on a airline's website since policies do change (damn them...*shakes fist*).
4. If your departure and return dates are flexible as well as airport (perhaps fly out of or into another airport nearby), use airfare search engines, such as Google Flights, to play around with dates and airports. They will search the web for deals, covering hundreds of sites in a matter of seconds and thus saving you the time of clicking through each site on your own.
5. Up for an adventure and do not mind where you go? Check out Skyscanner's Everywhere tool or explore the map option on Google Flights and Kayak to find the cheapest flights from an airport. This is how my family ended up going on a trip to Germany recently...
6. Bring your own food on board! So much cheaper...and better. Just be mindful of how much your food smells. And bring an empty water bottle too - fill up at fountains as you travel!
7. Weigh your luggage before you leave home. I always share one bag with my son, even when we visit family for over a month, and thus I often push the weight limit. One experience shifting items between checked and carry-on bags to get to the right weight (all with same small child needing tending to...) and you learn to always check the weight of your luggage before you go to the airport... Or just be ready to pay for overage charges.
8. Back in the day, two one way tickets were a lot more than a single roundtrip ticket, but not so nowadays. Today, buying a one way ticket can be much more cost effective AND you might find better flight times. Some online sites already mix and match flights, but they frankly do not show you all the available combinations.
9. A non-flight tip: Eat like a local. Not only is tasting new foods part of the adventure, but you will likely eat far better and save money when you eat like a local. Our family always makes the best of our hotel's breakfast, gets lunch and snacks at local markets, and then eats dinner at a well recommended but affordable restaurant (Need one? We often use TripAdvisor).
10. Another non-flight tip: Use ATMs to withdraw cash. You almost always get a better deal, even with the fees, withdrawing money using your debit card from an ATM than exchanging cash at a foreign exchange counter. Also, withdraw enough to last you a few days - the more withdrawals you make, the more fees you pay. But having a lot of cash on hand is worrisome for many, including yours truly, and thus do what makes the most sense to you. Why cash over card? We like using cash on our travels to help us stick to a budget.
What travel $ tips do you have? Please share in comments.
5. Up for an adventure and do not mind where you go? Check out Skyscanner's Everywhere tool or explore the map option on Google Flights and Kayak to find the cheapest flights from an airport. This is how my family ended up going on a trip to Germany recently...
6. Bring your own food on board! So much cheaper...and better. Just be mindful of how much your food smells. And bring an empty water bottle too - fill up at fountains as you travel!
7. Weigh your luggage before you leave home. I always share one bag with my son, even when we visit family for over a month, and thus I often push the weight limit. One experience shifting items between checked and carry-on bags to get to the right weight (all with same small child needing tending to...) and you learn to always check the weight of your luggage before you go to the airport... Or just be ready to pay for overage charges.
8. Back in the day, two one way tickets were a lot more than a single roundtrip ticket, but not so nowadays. Today, buying a one way ticket can be much more cost effective AND you might find better flight times. Some online sites already mix and match flights, but they frankly do not show you all the available combinations.
9. A non-flight tip: Eat like a local. Not only is tasting new foods part of the adventure, but you will likely eat far better and save money when you eat like a local. Our family always makes the best of our hotel's breakfast, gets lunch and snacks at local markets, and then eats dinner at a well recommended but affordable restaurant (Need one? We often use TripAdvisor).
10. Another non-flight tip: Use ATMs to withdraw cash. You almost always get a better deal, even with the fees, withdrawing money using your debit card from an ATM than exchanging cash at a foreign exchange counter. Also, withdraw enough to last you a few days - the more withdrawals you make, the more fees you pay. But having a lot of cash on hand is worrisome for many, including yours truly, and thus do what makes the most sense to you. Why cash over card? We like using cash on our travels to help us stick to a budget.
What travel $ tips do you have? Please share in comments.
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