Wondering how to make the most of your vacations keeping your costs low. Follow the tips suggested by travel enthusiasts and avoid going to a travel agent.
1. Flights: Book flight tickets on a Tuesday or a Wednesday. You may not have noticed this but airlines usually reduce their prices on these two days. If possible, try to fly on Wednesdays because historically they have been the cheapest day to fly. If you are a spontaneous traveler then don’t forget to look for last-minute tickets which most of the time offer almost 20% off.
Check flight tickets on multiple travel search engines like Kayak, Cheapoair, Expedia, Google Flights, etc. Don’t forget to look for prices directly with airlines. It’s rare but sometimes they may be running a deal that’s not available on travel search engines. If you are getting the same prices then prefer to book with the airline directly as it’s easier to make reservation changes if you booked with them directly.
Try using ‘Multi-city’ option instead of one-way or return if you are flying to 3 or more cities.
2. Hotels: Hotels.com is my favorite website as the prices are usually low for signed members and they offer a free night after 10 reservations. AAA Travel and Tickets At Work and Last Minute Travel are three great websites that offer huge discounts. If you are looking for a last-minute deal then Hotel Tonight is an amazing option, although options are limited on this website.
Prefer to reserve hotels with free cancelation before 2-3 days of stays. You may set up an alert in your email for a price drop so in that case you can cancel the original reservation and re-book at a lower price.
If you are getting the same rate then prefer to book directly with the hotels website like marriott.com, hilton.com or hyatt.com.
3. Rental Car: Avis, Budget and Enterprise can offer good discounts if you have a corporate discount or a registered member. They usually send promo emails with weekend discounts or free upgrades. Don’t forget to check Hertz rate on AAA Travel account.
4. Itinerary: Visit a City is a great website to plan your trip. RickSteves has amazing free audio tours that can make your travel experience amazing. It’s good to plan your trip but remember if you are traveling for fun then be flexible to make impromptu plans too.
Bonus: If you own a Chase credit card then you can receive up to 25% discount on your travel reservations using Ultimate Rewards.
Don’t forget to read this all-inclusive travel packing list.
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