Cheap Travel Tips and TricksThe Secrets of Cheap TravelGotcha! Sorry to tell you, but there aren't really any "secrets" to cheap travel. I'd rather use the term tips and tricks. There was a guy a while back (naming no names) that was flogging an ebook on cheap travel "secrets". He's still around today....and probably still making a bit of cash from it too.....although the refunds might negate the profits from sales ;-) The story goes.... that the book was written by an ex travel agent, who was fired after years of loyal service. In retaliation, he wrote a book "exposing" all the insider "secrets" he learned. unfortunately the book was filled with rehashed and out of date information - that doesn't really work or can be found for free....with a bit of surfing on the web. So...although I can't offer you any cheap travel "secrets", I'll instead offer some tips on how to reduce the cost of your world travel. These are compiled from mostly common sense, common knowledge (for some people) and thing's I've picked up over the years from being "on the road". 1. Be flexible The oldie but goodie, taking it's rightful place at number one. When it comes to cheap travel,this applies to everything. But in this case....we're talking about when you book (day and time of departure and what season). Including last minute travel. Flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are generally cheaper, so are flight times between 02:00 - 05:00 am - the good old "red eye" flights. It's not so bad, because you can just crash out on the plane (sleep I mean...) - if there isn't a screaming baby on board (is there ever a time?) Try to book your trip at least 21 days in advance of your proposed date of departure. 2. Break Up The Journey Sometimes it's more cost effective (and pleasurable) to buy separate tickets. A cheaper fare that stops at an adjoining airport / City, and another one from there, to take you to your destination - or you might even be a bus/train journey away. Although, it could be more time consuming, it'll save you cash. If you're no good at long haul, you get a chance to get off and stretch your legs and you might even get a deal where you score a free night in a plush hotel, in a cool City.....and we know what that means....pneumatic shower, cable TV, bit of a walk about and a big dinner/breakfast buffet....oh yeah! 3. Check Multiple Options Mix and match. See if you can find cheaper, smaller airlines and alternative transport etc that service your route. Then fix the pieces of the puzzle with a second cheap ticket, to finish the job. Code Sharing You might find during your travels, that you're flight is being shared with another airline. You'll see two airlines and two different numbers associated with your flight. This is where two airlines have partnered up to sell seats on the same flight - but is operated by one carrier only. The next time this happens, check to see if your seat is on another airlines plane. If it is, check to see what price they're charging....it could be cheaper. 4. Use Internet Search Sites and Email Alerts You can sign up with different airlines via their website, to receive Email notifications of price cuts and promotional offers etc. Ticket search and book sites will also alert you of price drops too. With these sites you can compare hundreds of cheap air tickets in no time, and find the cheapest air fare(see sites below) A Caution On Cookies - And we're not talking Pepperidge Farm (ahhhh....my favourite...) If you don't clear the cookies from the last search, some travel sites may show you the prices of the flights you were looking at, during your last visit....instead of possible cheaper air fares that have occurred since then. Depending on when you last browsed the site, this could be very important. A Caution on Taxes Check that the total price includes all taxes and surcharges. Some sites don’t show this in their booking system, until you've almost submitted your payment. 5. Courier Flight International jet setter and secret agent. This is a great option for cheap travel, if like me, you like to travel light. The courier company gives you a very big discount on a flight, in return for your services. They use your check in baggage allowance and fill it with cargo that you have to drop off at the other end for them. Sometimes you might even get a flight for free! There are pros and cons to this - you have to be very flexible, as you could leave with hardly any notice and you don't always get a return ticket thrown in either. A site I've used before for this is Courier.org Don't Forget To Be Flexible! The mantra of cheap travel. Don't try to get exactly what you want. Compromising for something close to the mark, will save you money....and will get you somewhere, as apposed to nowhere! When it comes to food and accommodation, can you eat and drink cheaper stuff and stay at cheaper places? You could grab food from convenience stores and street vendors....and drink the local brew. You can take cheaper transport around town, dump the travel packages and use the wealth of travel guides and travel information available online. Checking out the free sights and joining local festivities, is also cheaper than paying highly inflated tourist prices (I'm not going to say anything about the Taj Mahal....ooops!). If you're going to be spending a bit of time in one place, it might be cheaper to rent an apartment instead of paying for a hotel. In some Cities around the world, you can pick up quite a nice serviced apartment, very easily and cheaply. If you've chosen to stay in a hotel....it's usually cheaper to book online in advance. If you haven't managed to do this, it's generally better to call the hotel to book a room, rather than show up at reception. If you walk in looking tired, with a mountain of luggage, you look more desperate...and it could affect your chances. You can scope out the hotel first, then call from a phone booth across the street. You might get a cheaper deal this way....it's always worth a try - and it's worked for me a few times! I hope this was helpful to some of you. Here are some of my favourite sites that I use regularly: International Travel and Cheap Airfares Booking Sites: www.kayak.com
Do you have any tips and tricks that you use to get you cheap travel deals? If you'd like to share some of your closely guarded "secrets" and personal cheap travel advice, funny stories and events from your travels....fill in the form below and tell us your story.
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