Traveling is one of the best experiences in life. It is said to be good for the soul and it broadens your horizons. However, every time you check airline tickets and hotel bookings, it discourages you because it’s just way too pricey. You should wonder, though, how your colleague, who earns as much as you do, could afford to travel each year. Most travel experts will tell you that the secret to traveling cheap is by planning months or even a year ahead of time.
Here are some great tips on how you can save money when traveling:
- Make plans to travel during the “off” season. The off-season is that time of the year when there are fewer tourists going to a particular country. For example, Japan is known for its picturesque view of their temples, especially during the spring when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. If you want to experience the culture, see the sights, go to Mount Fuji, and eat delicious Japanese food, you could do all these in other seasons as well when there are fewer tourists.
When tourism is in full swing, you should expect that prices will also skyrocket. Traveling during the off-season will give you better deals and the streets won’t be too crowded. - Look for discounts. When you’ve decided which month to travel, you should start looking for an Orbitz coupon code. If you check out these coupon codes, you will see that they offer discounts on airfares, hotels, activities, and even car rentals. There are codes that offer as much as 25% discount on airfare and hotel rooms.
Make sure that you take advantage of these coupons as early as you can because they could change. Sometimes there are better deals, but at times, you won’t get that same sweet deal that you’ve just seen.
- Be strategic with your flights. Nowadays, people have become more impatient and want to arrive at their destination as soon as possible when they’re traveling. This means that many would, most likely, take a direct flight. Direct flights are expensive, especially when you have to travel halfway or more across the world.
The good news is that there are cheaper flights going to the same destinations. The catch is that you will have long layovers. This is why planning a longer vacation is more ideal because you can be flexible with your flight schedule.
Long layovers are not fun, but if you truly look on the bright side, you can make it work for you. You can go out of the airport and explore the city of your layover or bring a book you’ve always wanted to read. Doing this can save you a few hundred dollars in airfare and you can use that money to pay for hotel rooms instead.
- Book a room with a refrigerator and microwave or do AirBnB. When traveling, sometimes you’re not aware that you have spent so much money on food. While it’s nice to eat in a good restaurant once in a while, you don’t have to do it every day, especially for breakfast.
Booking a hotel room with a refrigerator and microwave means you can buy food from the local market such as cold cuts that you can put in your bread. You can then heat it in a microwave.
Airbnb would be the best choice because the rooms normally come with a small kitchen. This means you can cook breakfast and dinner every day while you can eat lunch somewhere else as you are exploring the town. - Look for free attractions and activities. Not all attractions in a city or town need payment. There are those that are free, but you have to do your research. Museums normally sell tickets, but there are smaller ones that are either free of admission or the ticket is very cheap. You’ll find that if you walk around the city in order to familiarize yourself with the attractions, you will learn more and know where you can go for free.
Also, talk to the locals if the language is not such a big barrier. They can give you a lot of tips on the best places to go and how to get there. Perhaps they could also share where you can eat authentic cuisine.
Planning your travels is exciting. If you plan way ahead of time, you will have the luxury of choosing and waiting for the best deals. When done right, you could save hundreds of dollars.
Travelling can be costly only because some people don’t plan ahead so they have little time to look for great deals.
