Summer vacation, road trips, spring break, weekend getaways. It seems like more and more people are making the decision to leave their jobs and travel for an extended time (or at least their sharing everything they can about their desire to travel on social media for all to see!). So, how do these people plan these trips? Where do they even begin? More importantly, HOW DO THEY AFFORD IT?! We all know how expensive traveling can be with flights, gas, food, lodging, fun attractions etc etc. Well after doing some research, it seems there are two general ideas most “travel gurus” use to save that $.
Research, Research, Research!
Yes, this seems a little daunting and time-consuming to some, but guess what? There are ALWAYS better deals out there! We all know about the usual search engine tools like Kayak and Expedia, but there are a ton more available right at the palm of our hands! Pages you can just “like” on Facebook for error fares and deals (Secret Flying or The Flight Deal are great!), free apps for your phone to keep an eye on flights, find cheap gas and even a GPS that doesn’t need a data connection (Navmii). That can be a life-saver! Not settling for the first (or even second or third) price you find is really key in sticking to your budget.
Be Flexible
Occasionally when people travel they have everything set in their mind about exactly how they want the trip to go, when they want to leave/come back, where they want to stay – basically every detail planned down to the “t”. Having a plan is great, and actually highly recommended, but always remember to be open to all possible options. This is where you can save! Traveling during off seasons or having flexibility with what day you want to leave can help you save HUGE. Wanting to go on a trip over a holiday? Be open to camping instead of staying at a hotel where rooms rates will be skyrocketed! Or skip that time all together and push your trip back a week – especially if you’re flying, you will see tickets go way down.
Although these seem like simple hacks and even common sense to some, these items can help save hundreds (even thousands!) on your trip. That’s more money to extend your stay and learn some of your own trips to share!