While there are many types of travelers out there, with different interests, budgets and travel intensity and frequency, it seems obvious that the vast majority of us would rather pay way less for air travel, if given the option.
The good news is that there are ways to improve the chances of saving a few hundred dollars for each ticket purchase. Here are four tips to help you through the process of saving you some money on your next adventure!
Top Tips for Travel on a Budget
1. You have to be flexible
If you are able to find some flexibility in terms of when to travel, or for how long, then you have very high chances of scoring some airline tickets at great prices.
You’re also way more likely to find cheaper air tickets when you avoid the busiest seasons to travel. Before you book your flight find out about low and peak seasons, as these may be different in your destination. Local celebrations, the weather, religion and the official holiday calendar often conspire to cause increases or drops in demand. Traveling during a low peak season may be just perfect for someone looking to enjoy the city at a more peaceful pace.
2. Define your destination goals and price range
Do you have a bucket list? Would you go anywhere and everywhere or are you a picky traveler? It really helps to be aware of where exactly your travel instincts and desires want to take you. Once there is a great deal, it might be gone within hours.
Once you have a nice long list ready, ask yourself some key questions to help you categorize and group your destinations for a similar experience (i.e. island trips, urban, nature, desert, rainforest, mountain, adventure, etc…) Some areas like Europe and South East Asia come with an abundance of low-cost airlines or affordable and convenient ground travel options. This means you don’t necessarily need a flight to Berlin if you want to get there, but consider a great deal for Amsterdam or Prague, which are relatively close.
Once you’ve made some decision-making on your future destinations to discover, do your research and learn what the average price per ticket is to take you there. This is a key indicator to compare any potential deal to, and help you decide. Going to Paradise Island A or Paradise Island B for $300 roundtrip might always sound like a sweet deal, but if you’ve discovered that getting yourself to a beach on Island A normally costs around $450 RT, versus the usual $1,300 to get to the much more remote Paradise Island B, you already know which deal offers the greater air ticket savings and/or a more rare opportunity.
3. Stay realistic… travel can get expensive
Although many people may talk about how cheap they always fly from Continent A to Continent B, the reality is that international travel can be very expensive. A week’s worth of AirBnb in Sydney may afford you several weeks of comfortable stay in South East Asia (unless you’ve chosen Singapore). There are also some potentially expensive things to consider, such as airport transfers, visas and park permits, food and sightseeing attractions.
Being mindful of your potential expenses and knowing how you need to budget will pay dividends in the form of peace of mind. When you budget properly, you don’t have to worry about money. Having money matters go smoothly is an important factor in enjoying your travels.
4. Get the most out of the internet and your mobile experience
Here are a few 5 awesome apps that are great for either finding cheap flights and/or helping you success at planning your trip.
– Skyscanner – for booking flights (as well as cars and hotels). You can search everywhere, play with dates, and set price alerts which are very helpful for tracking ticket pricing.
– Rome2Rio.com – helps you figure out your options getting from A to B, including air travel, bus, train, ferry, even car share.
– Hopper – You can set price alerts for flights to a specific place or just a region. The app notifies you when flight prices are low and also forecasts when the best time to book is. They also include flexible dates and sometimes even have hotel deals!
– Hitlist – Good for last-minute or super-flexible trip planning. Add cities to your “Hitlist” and the app will watch for good deals to get you there. They have super fun lists of suggested places to travel, and also include curated travel lists for festivals, fashion weeks, beer fests, Comic Con, James Bond film locations, etc. One of our staff’s favorite features is their rating system for how good of a deal you are getting on a flight: They factor in the time of year to show you what’s an Average, Good, Great, or Spectacular deal for whichever flight you are looking at.
-Wanderu – This cheap bus and train tickets app is great for searching the best way to get from one place to another without flying. They search bus companies like Greyhound and Megabus, as well as Amtrak. Sort the results by speed, price, time of departure, etc.
