Flights and accommodation usually take a pretty big chunk out of any budget but have no fear- I have learnt a few tricks and tips over the years to help you save a few $$$. So what are they I hear you asking?! Here are 8 easy travel hacks to save money on flights and accommodation.
Travel Hack 1: Always Book Incognito
Ever looked at a potential flight only to go back the next day to see it has gone up by £50? Then you need to start using incognito mode (or private mode for phones). Instead of regular mode when those sneaky websites put the price up because they’ve seen you looking before, the computer doesn’t store any of your history and the cost should remain the same. This goes for accommodation too.
Travel Hack 2: Book Flights for a Tuesday
You should find that flying on a Tuesday is usually cheaper than any other day (sometimes Wednesday) and I have found travel hack to be true many times. If you’re flexible with time then waiting an extra day or 2 to catch a cheaper flight means you can stay longer at your destination for potentially the same price #winning!
More Things to do BEFORE you Fly
Travel Hack 3: Booking Last Minute or Far in Advance?
Both! This is destination specific. Usually for longer haul flights it’s cheaper to book a year in advance and for shorter flights around 60 days. Countries vary so play around with skyscanner.net and see if there is a pattern for cheaper deals.
Travel Hack 4: Travel in Shoulder Season
I’ve travelled to a lot of countries in between the peak seasons and found the weather to still be very good, plus it can save you money. In Peru I travelled in Autumn with sunny weather and in South East Asia I travelled in monsoon season which turned out to be great as the scenery was so lush and green. Also accommodation will be less expensive and there will be fewer tourists around.
Travel Hack 5: Search Around for a Good Hostel
Sometimes a hostel will be sold out on one site but free on another site. Each third party website has an allocated amount of beds for each night so it can be worth booking directly with the hostel if it’s sold out online. I love using booking.com as it’s easy to use, they have accommodation for like, every country and you don’t have to pay a deposit. I will however check hostelworld.com and a few others as they sometimes have a bigger selection of hostels and it can sometimes be cheaper.
Travel Hack 6: Book an Overnight Train/Bus
If there is an option for overnight transport and there’s not much to see along route then this can be a great time saver as well as saving you money on a nights accommodation.
Travel Hack 7: Check Flight Connection Times
When booking a long haul flight with a connection make you will have enough time to catch the next flight. I say 3 hours is a good connection time so you don’t have to worry about missing your next flight, if the first one is delayed and you wont be rushing from plane to plane.
It also depends on the airport so do a bit of research beforehand, some will get you through in under 2 hours and others (like LAX) will need at least 3 hours to make sure you make it in time. If both flights are with the same airline then having a shorter connection time can be less of a problem.
Travel Hack 8: Use Skyscanners ‘Whole Month’ Tool
When booking a flight on skyscanner.net instead of picking a specific date, search for the whole month. It will show the days where it is cheaper and could even save you £100 just booking the day before so it’s worth looking. They also have an ‘everywhere’ tool where you choose a starting destination, press ok and it will show you deals to anywhere and everywhere! Can be fun if deciding on a next county to visit and you can find some cheap deals this way!
So have fun trying these money saving travel hacks and see if they work for you! Do you have any tips not mentioned here? I would love to hear them below.
For more tips check out: How To Plan For A Trip