A few ways to save on international travel:
With the economy in the toilet and the U.S. dollar at an all time low, I figured what better time to travel overseas and take a two week European vacation. Yes, it sounds like a dream trip, but it does not have to be my frugal friend. You see travel is what drives me, it is my passion in life, and I will attempt to venture anywhere I can, but at the same time save as much cash as I can in the process. Traveling is an adventure, I thrive on the interaction with different cultures, tasting different cuisines and snapping photos in front of as many tourist traps as I possibly can. So this past March, my wife and I packed our bags and took off for a European expedition to Switzerland and Italy.
We decided to go in March, which is off season for both countries, and that means cheaper hotels, less tourist, short lines and happier locals. All of these things are important to me when I visit a new place. Do not listen to people that say you need to see Italy in the summer. They are either out of their mind, or they enjoy the opposite of all the things I just listed.
You see, since our economy is in pretty bad shape right now, and with oil on the rise daily, it has become harder for people to travel further. When oil goes up, airline tickets go up as well, and that means most people just stay home for vacation. The term “staycation” is not allowed in my house. It is more offensive than any four letter word in my opinion. Here are some ways to make your next vacation overseas a bit cheaper:
1) Travel off season:
Booking a trip in the peak months of May through August, and the holiday season is just asking to pay top dollar on hotel rooms and deal with long lines at every attraction in the city you visit. So whether it is Rome in April or Dublin in January, you will be grinning from ear to ear when you have less people in your way at the sites, and cheaper rates at better hotels. I personally travel to Europe between January and April, and I have saved hundreds of dollars in hotel rooms. But that savings can be greater if you are into taking a risk with getting your room.
2) Bid on your vacation:
I was once like you, scare to death of price line and other travel sites, that let you bid on your hotel and airfare, amongst other things. The idea of not knowing what you will be booking will frighten most people, and understandably so. But if you want to save money, and you are willing to let a site pick the accommodations, then desperate times call for desperate measures. Ok, maybe it is not that dramatic, but you get my point. When I first tried priceline.com, I pressed that confirm bid button, like I was about to set off a nuclear missile. My finger pressed it oh so lightly, and then within seconds…your bid has been accepted, click here to see your hotel. I will say that 90% of the time, I was happy with what I got with my bid.
Always start with a 4 star hotel, and bid low…don’t worry if you bid too low, like $10 a night for a 4 star in London (come on, you know you would be tempted to try), it will tell you that the bid probably has little or no chance of being accepted. But start with about 50% of what the average room is going for in the city, and you have a pretty good chance of getting a room at an insanely lower price. Trust me, I am proof of that happening, on more than one occasion. Some of my best bids, $40 a night in early March at a 4 star hotel in Toronto. The same room was going for $299 a night on the hotel’s main website. Another great example was $90 a night in Zurich’s Marriott, the same dates were posted on their site for $250 a night.
Now you will not always get discounts that deep, but I promise you, if you are not picky about a specific hotel you want while traveling, and you stick with 3 or 4 stars, you will more than likely walk away with a great room and a smile on your face knowing what the room next to you is paying. I also used priceline.com to book a flight from New York to Chicago and saved $50 compared to the advertised sale. One catch with bidding is that once it has been accepted, you can not cancel the reservation. So be sure you want to book before you bid. Check out priceline.com and hotwire.com to bid your way to savings.
3) Be flexible:
What day you fly, and out of what local airport you choose, can save you big money. On a recent search of flights for a March 2009 trip from New York to Dublin Ireland, we found various prices. For example, if we decided to leave March 13th from Newark to Dublin, it would cost us $590. But if we decided to leave instead on March 14th, the same trip would cost $640. Oh and do not even think of leaving March 16th, because then you are paying $782 with a JFK to Dublin flight. So if you can be flexible, it will save you big cash. A great website to check out for fare comparisons is Kayak.com.
When you use their search engine, it has various ways to find the lowest price, like flexibility options. These include searching various airports in your area, instead of just one, and also using various day options. For example, instead of checking JFK to Heathrow on November 2 to 7, you can search NYC airports (JFK, LaGuardia and Newark) to London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted) on the dates of November 1,2,3 to November 6,7,8. It makes for a great way to save big money when flying international on a budget.
4) Be a smarter traveler:
Sometimes when booking a major trip, like an international vacation, it pays to research and find other ways to save moolah. Maybe you fall into the category of a student or a senior citizen. Pick up the phone and call the airline. Ask for any sales or discounted tickets, sometimes they may give you anywhere from a 10% to 20% discount. Try to book with one airline carrier. Various airlines can mean pricier tickets and major headaches when transferring between flights at terminals.
These are just four examples of how you can try and make your next international journey less pricey. Because even though you will save some cash with all of these tips, there is no way you can avoid one pricey thing about flying overseas, and that is the currency exchange rates…ouch.
Andy H.
andy@travelbyandy.com
No comments:
Post a Comment