Vacation tips to help you travel cheaper to pretty much any destination
Sit back and think about your dream vacation.
Maybe it’s a trip to a world famous beach where you stay at a resort or maybe camping and hiking somewhere out in nature. No matter what the destination is for your dream vacation or any vacation for that matter they all have one thing in common and that is they cost money. However, a smart enough Shopper like those who are visiting this blog right now should already know some of these tips and tricks that we’re going to present below about how to travel for cheaper to pretty much anywhere you want to go.
Book Your Trip far in advance
There are certain times of the year where people vacation more than others and the price of airline tickets and hotel stays can be increased due to high demand. You can avoid paying peak prices for your vacation if you book far enough in advance. For example, thousands of tourists travel to Alaska every year during the summer months and a typical hotel room can cost up to 20% more if they were booking less than 45 days before their stay. Booking far enough in advance should give you a cheaper price since the demand has not been met that early on. You can save on some last minute travel deals but for the most part you should expect to pay more the closer you purchase your tickets and hotel stays to your actual travel dates.
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Fly during non-peak hours
When you book your flight you can save some extra dollars by choosing a ticket that may have a stopover or could be at a random time such as 2:00 in the morning. These tickets tend to have a lower price than their expensive counterparts that might be a direct flight or a flight during peak hours such as the morning or mid-afternoon. The more flexible you can be the greater your chances are to save money.
Reserve hotel stays in the middle of the week
Most people travel on weekends or book hotels from Friday through Sunday and will pay a higher price for the weekend rates. By booking Sunday through Thursday night you should pay a cheaper rate than you would for the weekend and you might even have less people to deal with at the hotel.
Use Loyalty Programs and Reward points
In this competitive marketplace big brand names are looking for ways to earn loyalty from their customers. Many of the largest companies are offering credit cards or memberships where you can earn Reward Points towards free hotel nights, airfare, rental cars and even discounts on activities while you’re out on your vacations. International Hotel brands such as Hyatt have their own credit cards and you can earn points to exchange for hotel stays even when you’re just buying everyday items. You should take full advantage of booking hotels, flights and other items for your vacation by racking up some reward points at your favorite brands.
Use coupons and discounts to the fullest
So you’ve arrived in your favorite place and now you want to do some fun stuff but that means you’ll be spending money, right? Well yes, however, we are saying that you do not need to pay full retail when you’re doing these activities. Do some research in the area on things you think you’d be interested in and then search coupon websites like CouponBum in order to find discounted airline tickets, cheap hotel reservations, rental cars, parking passes, and special offers at local retailers. Bring the savings with you every time you go on vacation and you can’t lose.
Travel when everyone else is home
We all know that the holidays and summer time are peak travel seasons for tourist but if you can travel outside of these times you can save yourself a lot of money and sanity in not dealing with all the crowds. Some of the best times to travel are when everyone has just started back at school and in between holiday travel seasons. Hotels and Airlines still need the business so they will offer discounts or reduced rates than they would during busier travel times.
B.Y.O.D.A.F…Bring Your Own Drinks and Food
When I am traveling places, I always make it a point to have a refrigerator or some type of kitchen in my hotel. This allows me to keep my meal schedule on track and to purchase food at the grocery store for much less than I would have to pay for it at the restaurants around the area. Not only does this trick save me money but it can also help me regulate my calories a little better and eat healthier. I can wake up and have a quick breakfast in the morning and cook some dinner later on in the evening when I return. Simple and it helps save some money for other activities to enjoy on your vacation.
*** Bonus hotel saver tip #1 *** bring a small sandwich grill press or electric stovetop for any hotel room does not have an actual Kitchen in order to make some quick sandwiches or toasted bagels in the morning. Be careful to not burn anything!
*** Bonus hotel saver tip #2 *** Always use the free Hotel coffee and teas that they put in your room and feel free to take some extra for another day. Same goes for the little shampoo bottles.
Talk to the locals
When you first arrive in an area in might be wise to talk to some local folks and get their opinions on restaurants and other activities and areas of interest. They can recommend a place that has a good happy hour or features local food grown by farmers. You can also ask them what they like to do for fun and see what they recommend. Being local they probably don’t want to spend money like that every single day so they will know the cheap or even free things to do and places to visit. During one trip we had someone tell us to ride the city buses everywhere for $0.50 each way instead of taking cabs because the transit system was so good and it would be much less expensive.
There are so many other ways to say when you travel. Our friends at Y Travel Blog have a great post on the top 52 ways to save money on your vacation. Leave us a comment and let us know some other ways that you’ve found you can save money while you’re on your vacations.
Happy travels my friends,
CouponBum
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