I’m back at it again with another collaborative wanderlust post for you guys!! This one’s full of tips to help you travel this summer and not go broke while doing so!
If you’re looking to save money this summer on your travel plans the best piece of advice is to start planning now, as cheap travel requires planning well in advance. In part, this is because the closer to departure, the less availability on flights, and with regard to the law of supply and demand the price tends to go up on any commodity that is scarce.
The second piece of advice is to be as flexible as you can, with all aspects, but most importantly in respect of the dates you can travel. For instance, if you have fixed dates that you have to fly on – the prices of these dates may be very expensive, whereas the day before or after might be less than half the price.
In saving money on your summer travel plans you therefore need to plan in advance and be as flexible as possible. This article uncovers three ways you can save on the three largest expenses; flights, accommodation, and transport.
- FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS
If you’re looking to travel internationally, flights can make a huge dent in your travel budget. However, if you invest some time searching for cheap flights via comparison engines such as SkyScanner or Momondo which compare hundreds of flights from almost every airline in the world in order present you with the cheapest deals you can save a lot of money; but flexibility is key.
With SkyScanner, one thing to try is searching for the “whole month” or for flights to a country rather than a city (e.g. UK rather than London) as this way you’ll get to see some of the best deals you might not have otherwise considered.
Often, the cheapest flights are the most inconvenient, as they tend to leave the airport at something like 05:40 in the morning. At times like this you’ll want to check into an airport hotel like the Best Western Plus Greensboro Airport Hotel, which might sound counterintuitive in terms of absorbing the cost of an extra night in a hotel but if you’re saving a heap of money on the flight, it balances out – plus it’s a great way to get your vacation off to a good start as you can relax in the hotel and get yourself in the holiday spirit before you technically go on vacation.
In summary, the more flexible you can be in terms of time and location, the cheaper the flights you will be able to find.
- WORK FOR YOUR ACCOMMODATION
A further large expense when travelling is accommodation; even in countries known for being super cheap such as South East Asia, hotel stays can quickly mount up.
There is the option to rent a property on a site like AirBnB which is often significantly cheaper than a hotel, and allows for more of an authentic and integrated experience.
The other thing to consider, if you’re on a super tight budget and don’t mind getting your hands dirty are sites such as workaway that are great for long term travellers where you essentially trade four hours of your time each day, five days a week, to volunteer in return for free accomodation and food.
- CAR RENTAL
Transportation is a further hefty expense particularly if you plan on renting a car. The best way to do this is visit a site such as travelsupermarket.com where you can compare car hire prices (and hotel prices) in a similar way to how you can compare flight prices on SkyScanner.
This post was a collaborative effort – please check out my disclosure policy page for more details.
[…] that you’re hating about your life at the moment. It might be your job, your relationship, your financial situation etc. Whatever it may be, you need to get it figured out. You could be on the completely right path […]