Many people spend their lives planning their next trip. Quite often, the only thing holding them back is cost. Flights, hotel rooms, transfers, insurance… the expenses can soon rack up and, faced with a hefty price tag, many people simply put off the vacation of their dreams to a later date. Quite often, that date never arrives.
You may be surprised to hear that it doesn’t need to be this way. The trip you hope to one day make could be well within your financial grasp now. Following these simple tips for scoring the best travel deals, and you may be packing your suitcase much sooner than you had hoped!
Maintain anonymity
When searching for flights, hotels, or transfers, make sure you do so incognito. The reason for this is simple. Every time you visit a website, the browser adds small cookies to your computer. These harmless bits of data are designed to improve your browsing experience and help webpages load faster. However, hotel booking websites and airlines use them for an additional purpose—to tag you as a repeat visitor. Savvy Internet shoppers have observed how marketeers may now make use of your browsing history to determine what price to show you when you try to book a flight or hotel. To have peace of mind that you are being offered the lowest prices, make sure you clear your browsing history and then visit the sites you are interested in incognito.
Don’t travel in the peak season
This is hardly rocket science—obviously, prices will be higher during the peak season when there is more demand for travel. So, why are we claiming to be sharing some gold nugget here? Well, what you need to understand is that not every region of the world shares the same peak season. For example, many areas in Central and South America are ultra popular and, therefore, ultra-expensive during Holy Week. However, this is off-peak season in Taiwan… so you’ll find some great deals there. If you have a location in mind that you want to visit, start by researching the national holidays and festivals and try and find a local off-peak time that corresponds with your availability to take a trip. Sometimes, a matter of days can make all the difference.
Get the booking time right
You may not be aware, but the time at which you book your flights and hotels can also directly impact the prices that are offered to you. It is often cheaper to book flights and hotels at the weekend. What’s more, depending on what time of year you’re hoping to travel, the amount of time you book in advance of the travel date can also make a difference to the prices on offer.
If you’re planning on taking a trip in the spring, you’re advised to book your flight around 90 days before the day you want to fly. If you’re planning on traveling in summer, this reduces to 50 days, while winter flights should be booked 60 days in advance and Fall flights should be booked 70 days in advance.
Don’t pay for tours
Sometimes, there is such thing as a free dinner… or, in this case, a free tour. In some areas of the world, the local people may be offering tours free of charge. All they expect at the end is a tip. As they deliver the tours in the hope of a tip, they go to extra lengths to show you around in an engaging and informative manner. Perform a little research up front and you’ll probably encounter a wealth of recommendations from people who have benefited from these services.
So, what are you waiting for? Stop dreaming about the trip of your dreams and start booking!
