Traveling On A Budget

Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff to summer traveling. Whether you have been planning for months or want to be spontaneous, it is never too late to save money on traveling. If you’ve always wanted to travel, but you aren’t quite sure where to start or how much money to save, here are my tips for finding the best travel deals.

1. Flights are cheapest on Wednesdays.

This includes the day you book and the day you depart. More people search for flights on weekends and Mondays. Airlines notice this pattern and raise the prices of flights for that time period. Flights that depart on Wednesdays are cheaper than any other days of the week.

2. Pay attention to hidden fees.

Some airlines appear to be very inexpensive, because they charge for everything separately. Spirit Airlines charges people extra if they check you in at the airport and if you bring a carry-on luggage. Frontier and Spirit Airlines both rise prices for bags and assigned seating after you book. So, if you know you are bringing bags, you can save $20 round trip if you pay for them during booking. So, it is important when booking to do a little more research on airlines. Compare bag fees with other airlines, because an airline’s fare fee may be cheaper but the cost of checking in a luggage can be high.

3. Use Google Flights and Groupon.

On Google Flights, you can compare prices on a calendar, so it shows when it is the cheapest without manually putting in specific dates. It compares prices of various airlines and shows which sites are the cheapest to book flights on. You can use Groupon to book a hotel for your destination. More than likely, you can fine great deals in most cities. If you don’t have a specific location in mind, Groupon has great getaway deals. Some even include the price of the flight and an all inclusive resort.

4. Budget wisely.

Save more money than you are planning to spend on your trip. It is better to have more than you need, so you don’t have to constantly worry about overspending. Set a reasonable budget on food, attractions and shopping. Try to save a small portion of your paycheck in advance until your trip, so your wallet isn’t completely empty all at once.