For many of us, traveling the world is at the top of our bucket lists. From mood boards of beaches in the Caribbean to time off saved for vacation, it’s no secret that many of us love to travel.
This is why so many travelers spend time researching destinations, surfing through consumer reviews on websites like PissedConsumer.com, and endlessly planning for our big travel adventures.
At the same time, many of us are aware that traveling is not cheap and the high cost of it sometimes stops us from achieving our travel goals. The good news is that saving money on travel is very much possible and practical.
It might require a bit of pre-journey planning and some flexibility on your part, so always check guides like things to do in Groton, CT. The following money-saving tips can help you a lot while traveling.
Book Ahead
For most people, getting ready for vacation starts well before the holiday itself, usually weeks or months. However, if you’re looking to save money, you might want to begin preparing even up to a year in advance, especially during non-peak travel times.
Travel-associated costs like flight tickets and hotel stays are much cheaper when booked far in advance. It is the same way Christmas decorations are cheaper in March than in November. Even with this, getting the best price might also take some research on your part.
To do this, visit airline, hotel, and booking websites and check out the prices for your vacation. A good idea would be to set up a price alert for those sites and book as soon as your desired price range is available.
Keep in mind, though, that doing this will require you to decide on your vacation date and place well in advance as well. Make sure your personal and professional schedule will accommodate your desired data and confirm with your travel companions as well.
Book as a Group
One of the biggest money-saving tips for buying anything is to buy in bulk, and traveling is no exception. Hotels, airlines, and attractions are known to give discounts and bonuses if a booking is made for a large number of people at once.
That’s why you should consider making a bulk booking and maybe travel with a group. This group could be your family, friends, co-workers, and so on. There are even apps designed to help travelers meet other travelers.
If you are able to connect and coordinate with these people, you can all make a bulk booking and save money. This might be tricky as you’ll have to coordinate across multiple schedules, but if there is consistent communication, e.g., a group chat, it can be managed and executed properly.
Be Flexible with Flights
When you are traveling, your flight is usually one of your biggest expenses, and if you can find a way to cut down flight costs, you can reduce your overall budget significantly. Thankfully, there are several ways to do so.
First, consider breaking up your flight with layovers if possible. A direct flight to your destination might be more convenient, but breaking your journey into several flights will likely save you money.
If you decide to do this, try to make your layover fairly long. A short layover (less than 2 hours, for example) will have you scrambling to get from one gate to the other to avoid missing your connecting flight.
If you opt for longer layaway, you have the opportunity to explore your connecting airport, do some shopping and even sleep.
If you have a layover longer than a certain number of hours, the airline might be obligated to put you in a hotel for that time, making your stop even more convenient.
Visit Multiple Places in One Trip
If you’re paying a good amount of money for a tip, you best get your money’s worth, and perhaps the best way to do this is to visit multiple places on a single trip.
Many destinations are connected to other, sometimes less popular, destinations. Before deciding where you will be going, read travel reviews to find out where other visitors go during their trip.
For example, Dubrovnik in Croatia is a popular tourist destination, but other destinations like Lokrum Island are often less than an hour from Dubrovnik by boat or car. If you were to visit several of them, you could get multiple trips for the price of one.
When planning your trip, decide what other destinations you will go to and maybe contact a local travel company regarding potential tour opportunities. This might save you both planning time and money in the long run.
Take Advantage of Budget Options
Traveling doesn’t automatically have to mean five-star hotels and first-class flights. An entire industry exists to cater to the budget traveler, and you should take advantage of this.
When it comes to flights, opt for budget airlines like Spirit Airlines or EasyJet, which are sometimes a fraction of the cost of other airlines. For hotels, there are options from Ibis and Travelodge that offer comfort on a budget.
While considering budget options, however, make sure that you are not entirely sacrificing quality for the price and consider online reviews. Practically all businesses, be they hotels or airlines, have customer reviews across the internet. Make sure to read all of these to ensure they are suitable options for your trip.
Loyalty Programs
If you plan to travel frequently, you can save a lot of money in the long term by signing up for loyalty programs. In the same way, you can earn points for shopping at a particular supermarket, eating at a chain restaurant, using a specific airline or hotel chain, etc.
Find out whether the airline, hotel, or entertainment company you want to use for your trip has a loyalty program and if so, sign up for it. Over time, you can rack up points for engaging in activities you would have done anyway, and eventually, you can earn free gifts, discounted flights, and even free hotel stays.
Get The Photos Right
You need to toe the line between saving money and immortalizing your trip. You might not want to pay for an expensive camera, but you will also want to capture photos in high detail, maybe higher detail than your smartphone can achieve. However, it’s not just about what you take the picture on…it’s also about how you view them afterward.
If you showcase your photos in high-quality photo albums, you can get away with taking them on a smartphone or a smaller camera because the print quality is so good. Remember, an expensive camera isn’t just pricey, but it’s something extra you need to carry around with you and worry about. Think about how you will display the photos when you get home, and ensuring you use the best photo albums just makes sense.
Traveling can be one of the most rewarding yet expensive things that we can do, and while it has many benefits, it can also break the bank. That’s where the above tips come in; applying them can mean fulfilling your travel dreams while still saving money.
Whether doing a bit of creative research or leveraging the power in numbers, these tips can save you a fortune while traveling and make the experience all the more enjoyable.
