There are very few people in the world who are satisfied with standing still. Most of us experience the wanderlust bug at least once in our lives and why not indulge? Traveling is wonderful for expanding your horizons, learning about new cultures and breaking you out of the shell you’ve made for yourself. That being said, it’s anything but cheap. Traveling, especially internationally, comes with a hefty price tag. But if you’re willing to do some planning and be open to new options, you might be able to plan your adventure for less than you expected.
Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind that may save you a few bucks.
- Beware of hidden fees. The biggest fees you’re going to want to watch out for are your phone, bank and airline fees. If your current phone charges outrageous fees for roaming, consider switching to a service like mobi-data.co.uk that’s built for frequent travelers. And if you’re going by plane, check to see if there are fees associated with checking your luggage or bringing a carry-on. A lot of companies charge for you to check bags now, even if it’s only one, so packing light may save you some money.
- Airline points, airline points, airline points. If you don’t already have a credit card that gives you miles for money that you spend, get on it now. The easiest way to fly for cheap is to get a card that will help you get to your goal. Look specifically for cards with miles that work on airlines you frequently use and make sure you put all of your big purchases on it, even if you pay them back right away. If you get the right promotion, you may even get bonus points for just signing up for the card so keep your eyes peeled.
- Be flexible with dates. If you have the time, being flexible about dates will surely save you money. If you’re able to travel during the week and not during the weekends you are more likely to find discount tickets. In addition, many airlines will offer reimbursements or free flights when they overbook a flight and customers are willing to wait to hop on the next one. It’s never a guarantee but it’s certainly worth the wait. Buying tickets in advance will also help you save money, although there are times when discount tickets pop up on the market when an airline or train isn’t able to sell all of its tickets.
Being open to other travel options will certainly help you when trying to save money traveling. While proper planning can eliminate a lot of the stress and can save you from paying lots of last minute fees, many times when it comes down to the line plans will have to change. Even the best-laid plans have to have a bit of wiggle room. The most important part of your adventure, however, is to have fun. So don’t let the stress of money get you bogged down.
Those are some great tips. Thanks for sharing.
Great tips, I will remember these when I start travelling; I have so many countries I would like to visit!
I’m not a avid traveler so I’m sure I would get hooked with all the hidden fees!! These are great suggestions to remember in the future!
Great tips!!! Thanks for sharing!!
I will definitely remember these when i travel
It’s so true about flexible dates. Sometimes two following days can have hundreds of dollars of difference in travel expenses. It’s also very savvy to compare prices online and sometimes going the long road is cheaper than the straight flight.
These are great tips. I will have to try this next time i go on vacation
Thanks for the great tips on saving money while traveling! Using flexible dates when booking airfare is one of my favorite ways to save money!
I like the using of flexible dates really. Sadly I haven’t managed to travel in far too many years! I really want to take the kids on a vacation sometime!
I love traveling, but I wish I could fly biz class (so expensive). It was make 10 plus hours in the air so much easier.
I travel a lot and your tips are awesome and thanks for that discount link for tickets. I love discounts! Signing up for newsletters on some companies help, they send out discounts, promos, etc.
This is just what I need for my trip to Atlanta with my aunt. Hopefully we can score a deal on our tickets using the link you provided. Thank you so much for sharing!
This is great information. I will be traveling some this year and I definitely needed to read this! Thanks for sharing!
I usually put a Kayak alert on my air travel dates and it lets me know the price every day. When I finally see a price that I’m comfortable with or I can tell it’s not going to come down anymore, I go ahead and buy it.
Avoid exchanging currencies at airport exchange places. Get some local currency cash from your bank before leaving the country; often the rates will be better. Love your post and airline points are one of my favorites for emergency trips.
Elizabeth
I always look at the add-on fees on flights. The base rate is cheap, but the add-on makes the flight expensive. Sigh.
Good tips! I don’t use airline points because we don’t fly that much, but we use a reward program for the hotel chain we always stay at and that has saved us a lot of money.
This is helpful…traveling is always expensive. For the last big trip we took, we used a reward program for one of the tickets. We need to pay more attention to hidden fees though.