How to get the best travel deals

After the global lockdown, nothing sounds better than jetting off to an exotic new location or exploring a new country. The pandemic meant that for millions of people all over the world, home was the only place to spend months on end.

However, now that vaccinations are being rolled out all around the world, and some sense of normalcy may soon be returning to all of us, one of the first things that many of us are planning on doing is travelling. While the idea of traveling is an exciting one, it can also be very expensive. Let’s take a look at some of the most reliable methods of securing the best travel deals around.

Be a little bit flexible

When planning your travel, be prepared to be a bit flexible with your dates. By being flexible, you open yourself up to cheaper airfare. Shop around a little bit on platforms that trawl the internet to find the best deals from various different sites.

Many of them can predict, with a certain degree of accuracy, whether or not the airfare will drop or increase on a certain date. This will help you establish which date is best to book on, giving you the best possible ticket price. Where possible, be flexible by a few days with your departure and return dates, as this could end up saving you quite a bit of money.

Be open to different forms of accommodation

One of the biggest contributors to the high costs associated with travelling is accommodation. Of course, we would all like to stay in the best hotels whenever we travel – they often are the most luxurious and convenient options. However, they can work out to be unbelievably pricey. As a result, in recent years, a number of different options have emerged when it comes to accommodation.

For one, there are a number of different websites that offer up homes for rental. There are also plenty of couch surfing options, as well as several upgraded hostel options. For example, many hostels now offer private rooms for travellers to stay in. Be open to staying in different forms of accommodation and be on the lookout for self-catering options, as you can also save a great deal on the cost of food this way.

Use your loyalty points

Loyalty points go a long way in reducing the costs of your travel, as they often provide you with perks such as generous discounts. If you are part of an airline or hospitality group loyalty program, chances are you have already saved up quite a bit of points. Be sure to keep an eye on your points and make sure that they have not yet expired.

Oftentimes, there are also credit card companies and banks that have arrangements with airlines for complimentary or discounted access to airport lounges, which is convenient and money-saving for trips that involve long layovers. Before booking anything, look at all of your loyalty points for airlines and hospitality and see how you can use them to achieve the highest discounts for your trips.

Consider signing up for a package deal

When it comes to travelling, there is a big difference between paying the least amount of money for your trip and getting value for money for your trip. Oftentimes, travel agents offer packages that include flights, accommodation, transfers, tours and meals. This might be the best option for you, depending on where you are going and what you want from your trip. Consider signing up for a package deal so that you can make the most of your money and enjoy the best value for it, without missing out on any exciting sites and activities.

Shop around

If, like millions of travellers out there, you prefer to use a travel agent when planning a trip, then be sure to shop around and find the agent with the best deals on offer.

Getting a quote from one agent doesn’t mean that you have to put all of your eggs in one basket and immediately pay them for what they offered you. Instead, shop around and go from agent to agent. This will go a long way in helping you to find all of the best deals.

However, it is important to remember that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. So, do as much research as possible about the travel agents that you approach and then consider which deal best suits you and your travel needs.

Look at last-minute travel deals

Many of us don’t necessarily have the luxury of being able to plan far in advance when it comes to the trips that we take. The good news is that not all of the best online travel deals require all that much planning ahead, some of them simply require efficiency.

If you are not planning on going anywhere in particular, but you are in need of a holiday, look at last-minute travel deals. “Last-minute” could mean anything from one week to one day before your departure date, but if you have the time off of work and can make it happen, take a look at the deals available online. Oftentimes, you can find something all-inclusive of flights, accommodation, food, activities and transfers, all for a very reasonable price.

Travel off-season

This is one of the oldest tricks in the book: travel off-season to make the most of your travelling experiences, just like you’d register to play now for a better chance of winning big when the Bingo rooms are quiet. Avoid planning trips that coincide with big holidays like Christmas and new year, as well as long weekends. Make a point of travelling off-season. During these times, flights and accommodation, perhaps the most expensive aspects of any trip, are likely to be significantly less expensive than during peak travelling periods.

Travel off-season wherever possible and you are likely to find that a lot of tourist attractions and iconic sites, like museums and hiking trails, are significantly cheaper as well, as many of them are trying to attract as many people as possible to visit the sites during off-peak periods.