If you really want to save money on domestic and international flights look for promo deals. I know that one is quite obvious, but you would be amazed on some of the price reductions you get from promo deals. The next tip is from my wife who owns a travel agency. If you really want to save money on flights, buy tickets from the direct company, (Jet Blue, Southwest, etc.) instead of using Orbitz, or another online booking site. Those sites have a large mark up. The only problem is you will have to deal with additional or upgrade baggage costs, cancellations, and re-bookings. But the money you could save just may be worth the effort. Any other tips from seasoned travelers???
Travel lightly, have insurance (even for photo gear) and also don't be afraid to be trying the frugal places. I'm not gonna go on a vacation to feel like a five star superstar, but rather peek into their culture and enjoy the genuine experience. Avoid common tourist areas if you really want to experience a proper area effect and the so called souvenirs are overpriced junk. Thanks for the tips on the booking companies, I did not know that xD !
A couple of the more obvious ones are to book well in advance and, if you can, avoid school holidays. It's amazing how much you can save been simply being able to travel on less popular days or times of the year. If I can, I'll try to book my return for a Tuesday to Thursday, as most people prefer to arrive at a place around a weekend, or fly into a place for business meetings on Mondays.
This thread is perfect because I intend to by taking a flight out to California from the UK soon. I'm a little nervous because I have never flied before, and I will be going alone. I have no idea how anything works. Also, stupid question: But will I need to arrange car hire to take me to the required destination in California?? Also, does anyone know the cheapest flight websites?
Scouting around for competitive prices can save a fortune, particularly if you avoid peak travel times. Further, planning your travel ahead of time can save you a lot of money as hotels and flights are generally cheaper a long way in advance. Doing some research into the available options can also save money especially for planned activities. For example, many museums in Europe offer free entry for students and not knowing about this as a student can force you to pay the adult prices. Lastly, decide what you want to do on your holiday, as someone who wishes to only explore may be able to go for the cheaper hostels.
I have to disagree with your point about ordering directly from the airline's website. If you're trying to find the cheapest tickets available on a route, it's much simpler and easier to go on a single website like ebookers.com, where they show you the cheapest prices. I feel like this is much easier than individually going on 4 or 5 different airline sites and putting in the dates and stuff over and over again. Plus I don't think they have that much of a markup as you make it seem. Also, on some of these comparison sites, like ebookers, you can often save money by booking holiday packages, or booking flights and hotels with them. So I think that is a much better system. Another tip I can give is when you're booking hotels, try out 2-3 different comparison websites to see which ones can give you the best deal, sometimes other have better deals than others, and promo deals can definitely help you out too.
I'm new to travelling, as I mentioned above, so thank you for the tip about ebookers. I am definitely going to check that website out The person that I am going to visit in California told me that it would be fine if I were to stay with her. But I think that it would be a lot safer for me to book a nearby hotel instead, to avoid getting murdered lol. I'd just like to know how much it is going to cost overall, so that I can go about getting the needed money together.
Just remember, every online booking site HAS to make money to stay in business, so of course there will be a mark up from the prices you pay directly from the airline. But like you said, it can be more of a hassle. The original intent of this topic was to save money on traveling, and unfortunately saving money and paying companies to do the work for you usually don't go hand and hand. Another tip, if you plan to stay in another country of an extended period of time and are planning to only book a one way ticket, and then book your ticket back when you decide to return, most countries won't allow you to enter if you don't have a return ticket. It happened to me where I was going to the Philippines on a one way ticket, and was planning to buy my ticket back while I was already there. I was told I had to buy another ticket showing that I was leaving the country, before I could enter it. This will probably only apply to a select few, but it's still worth noting.
Couldn't you have avoided this issue by applying for a visa? If someone is planning an extended stay and doesn't want to buy a ticket until they decide when they will return, in order to follow your advice they would need to spend more money on a more expensive ticket that could later be changed to the date of their choice.
The best tip I can probably give is to plan your itinerary. Yes, it's an adventure if you have an unplanned and completely spontaneous trip, but not if you're on a budget. It's best to do budgeting and to plan where you'll be staying, where you'll be eating, and where you'll be touring because it takes money to do all of those things. Also, try to have a friend tour you around instead of a tour guide. It's best to see a city in a local's eyes.
Do you know if America will allow return tickets??? You mentioned the Philippines, but I am not going anywhere quite so exotic, so I am just wondering. This is one of my fears about travelling period. Much less travelling alone - that I will not have researched in enough detail, not know something and be stranded without a way to get back or something.
If you want to travel on a shoestring budget, then I suggest you take the following into consideration: 1. Bring only the items you need. Don't overpack. Limit your baggage to two hand-carry items. It's unnecessary to pay for extra luggage. 2. Bring some snacks with you such as cup noodles, chips and biscuits. They don't weight much either. This will help you especially when you go to tourists spots that are far removed from a town or city if not situated on mountains. 3. Try not to join group tours. You won't enjoy these. It's better to visit places at your own pace. That's why you have to do your research prior to reaching your destination. Take advantage of discount coupons and the like.
Plan ahead of time and get your reservations and avail coupons really ahead of time. Don't rush everything because that's really gonna cost you a lot of money. When you don't have plans, it's really going to be luxury - your travel. It's not smart. But in some cases, you might be lucky and that you might find something a lucky coupon that you'd have to get it away with right away.
In order to save money while traveling, try to booked your ticket early. Bring some snacks with you so you don't have to buy somewhere else. This happened to me. I had a 4 hours lay over and I got hungry while waiting for my next flight. Good thing, I had some snacks in my bags enough to fill my hungry stomach.
Log In...! Thanks for sharing such useful tips here with us. I am a traveler and had a dream to explore all wonderful places around the world. Mostly i selected my tours along with travel agencies because i don't like traveling alone. And i found some new friends and good company too.....
When I leave for New York/California, I would like to take my laptop with me, and I was reading up about the size of carry-on luggage versus luggage that is checked, and it doesn't seem like a laptop would be permitted as carry-on luggage, which sucks because I do not want it lost or damaged during my travels. My laptop is how I make my money, and if I lose it - well, that just cannot happen. So would I have to pay to have my laptop in checked luggage?? I am confused.
Unless you have some sort of gigantic laptop, you should be able to take it as a carry on, provided you are keeping it in some sort of backpack or something of the sort. I have never heard of an airline that won't allow you to take a carry-on the size of a laptop. I agree that you shouldn't check in the bag with your laptop as it is possibly it could get handled roughly and get damaged. I always take my laptop with me so I don't think you should have any problems. But I suppose it wouldn't harm to contact the airline and make sure, just so there aren't any last minute surprises.
I like to use Hipmunk, as you can see all the dates close to your dates and the change in price. I love that! I used to feel like if booked a day sooner/later that I would save a few bucks, and now I know it all, as well they graph by flight agony (layovers, connections, etc). Sometimes that stuff is more important than price. I just saw a promo for a flight to Dublin from here (Vancouver, BC) for 600 tax included, but the flight was 2 layovers totalling 13 hours! for a 5.5 hour flight? no thanks.
Hey. Thank you for answering. I am just nervous and a little apprehensive because I know that carry-on policies can vary from airport to airport. They really don't make traveling all that simple, especially for first timers lol. I suppose I will have to contact the airline, and perhaps measure my laptop first to give them some type of idea of how big it is. The carry-on bag sizes that I saw on their website didn't seem like they would fit my laptop in it though, so I am a bit baffled.
Yeah..! I do agreed with you zenfive...!! Traveling with laptop is not a big deal. I also keep my laptop along with me while i am traveling. Specially while i travel to my favourite spots from far away to my homeland. I used to wrote and to share my experiences with my friends and never face any hurdles or difficulties yet.
