5 Quick And Easy Money-Saving Travel Hacks
So you’ve resisted for what seems like an eternity now; you’ve not splurged on the latest trends, you’ve stayed in while all your friends have gone out - but as you’ve sat in your sweats at home, opening their snaps on the sofa, you know that every penny you’ve saved will be better spent on your holiday.
As your adventure approaches, don’t let your determination falter, as there are savvy ways to save right up until you board your flight… the more money you save before you depart, the more you’ll be able to splurge during your vacation. Below are my five top tips to save you hundreds (but if five isn’t enough, then here's some more travel hacks).
1. Fly On A Tuesday Or Wednesday
It doesn’t take a genius to know that airfare prices peak over the weekend and trickle over to Monday morning. Unless you’re the kind of girl who packs her suitcase a week prior, you’ve probably caught yourself in the Saturday evening traffic before, contemplating if it’d be faster to sprint to the departure while towing your luggage behind you rather than wait it out in the back of your barely moving Uber. Booking your flight midweek will not only save you a couple of dollars, but also a couple of premature grey hairs. Generally speaking, early morning flights, lunch time flights or late night flights are the cheapest.
2 . Avoid Excess Surcharges
When paying for flight fares online, check which payment method charges the least amount in fees. Often paying via POLi or PayPal will prove to be the cheapest methods, whereas credit payments could cost double your entertainment package.
3. Pack Yourself A Lunchbox (no matter your age)
If you had those parents that packed a couple of treats into a lunchbox to keep you quiet and content for a couple of hours during the family road trip, you’ll remember how exciting it was lifting the lid to reveal what goodies were the beginning of the holidays.
Continue the tradition and save yourself a fortune at the airport. Make sure you pack an empty water bottle as terminals typically have refill stations that’ll allow you to keep hydrated and feeling fresh during your travels. Pack a couple of healthy muesli bars to keep your energy levels up and before you get too excited and pack throw in the rest of your cupboard contents, Google what is and isn’t allowed aboard your flight. The last thing you want is to be detained at customs.
4. Clear your search history and cookies
Most websites use cookies to identify you as your virtual preferences as surf the internet, enabling things like advertises to reach their target audiences more effectively and to track items you’ve placed into a shopping cart without requiring a login.
Some airlines and booking agencies can use cookies to show higher airfares on routes you’ve searched often -- essentially the site ‘knows’ the fares you’re after and assumes you’re willing to pay a little bit more for them. Clearing your cookies should reset the sites ‘knowledge’ of your preference. For an increased saving opportunity, consider searching from a device you haven’t before, such as your mobile phone or an alternate desktop.
5. 17 Weeks is the Sweet Spot
As the saying goes, first in best dressed. But how far in advance should you book? Research shows booking 17 weeks prior for international departures will save travellers money. However it also shows it differs for the length of the flight. For short haul flights, it’s better to book roughly 5 to 11 weeks in advance.
