It doesn’t matter whether you’re planning a round the world trip or short break in the city, we all know that travel can be costly. In fact, it’s the price of it all that holds many travel enthusiasts back from booking their dream getaway. That being said, vacations don’t always have to break the bank. You just need to put a bit more effort into the planning stage. With that in mind, here are six money savings hacks you can use to travel for less in the future.
- Keep Your Plans Flexible
When you have specific dates and times that you want to do things, it makes it trickier to save money. Because of this, you should try to keep your travel plans flexible and make sure that you’re willing to compromise for a better deal. This might mean switching an activity to a different day or flying in the evening rather than the morning. Traveling off-peak is also less expensive.
- Book In The Afternoon
Most already know that booking flights and accommodation earlier can get you a better deal. However, many don’t realize that holding out to book these things until later in the day can save you even more. The cost of travel can fluctuate throughout the day, being the most costly in the morning, when most bookings are made. For this reason, you should book in the afternoon.
- Use A Private Browser
Many airlines watch your behaviour using cookies, which means that, when you return in the afternoon to book your cheaper flight, you may find it to be even more expensive. To avoid this, you should clear your cache and switch to private browsing. To save even more, you can use a VPN and compare costs when booking from different countries all over the world.
- Go For Affordable Accommodation
Although many of us automatically go to book a hotel when we travel, they’re not the most budget-friendly option out there. With that in mind, you should consider alternatives, like hostels and Couchsurfing instead. When I’m staying close to home, I find camping near me to be the most affordable. If you’re traveling with friends, renting a holiday home together also works.
- Look After A Home
Although it may sound too good to be true, it is possible to find free accommodation when you go away. All you need to do is look for home-sitting opportunities. Of course, there will be some rules to follow, and you may need to take care of pets too, but this is a small price to pay to eliminate the cost of housing.
- Pay Using Your Points
If you tend to pay for things using a credit card, make sure that you understand the terms and conditions properly. Many people own rewards credit cards without even realizing, which means wasting money you have earned. Once you’ve collected enough points, you can often put this towards flights, accommodation, and more, cutting down your expenses significantly.
Don’t let money hold you back from seeing the world. Instead, remember the advice above and travel for less.
