With the advent of travel sites shopping for the best travel deals has certainly taken a different shape in the past 10-15 years. There are plenty of travel sites offering the “best deals” such as Cheap Airfare. But, there are factors that you should know about cheap airfare and other travel deals that might make searching for a great deal even better.
Take Advantage of Repositioning Cruise Trips
Cruise lines keep their ships in a particular region depending on the season. In the summer cruise lines visit places like Alaska, and in the winter they visit warm destinations such as the Caribbean. At the end of each season cruise lines will “reposition” their ships to the next seasonal destination. When cruise lines do this they do not want their ships to travel empty. Have you always wanted to see Alaska? At the end of the winter season be on the lookout for cruise lines that are repositioning to Alaska. The cost of your repositioning trip is comparable to most flights that you’ll find. They take longer but this could be some valuable extra R & R time. The travel site VacationsToGo.com provides lists of repositioning cruises.
Let the Deals Come to You
When looking at different online websites enter in all information short of paying. Give multiple sites your personal information and opt-in to receive email offers. After a few days the travel sites will start sending deals lower than those that were originally offered to you. Companies do not want to lose your business to other travel sites.
Home Swap
Free accommodations are out there if you are willing to allow someone to stay in your home in exchange. If you are thinking of visiting another city or country chances are someone there might be interested in visiting your hometown. This quid pro quo method is a great way to cut out the cost of a hotel on your next trip. Sites like HomeExchange.com pair up homeowners in 152 countries at the cost of $150.00 a year. This sounds like a lot but this is the same price as staying in a hotel for one night. If you travel even once a year this membership fee pays for itself.
If you are uncomfortable with having someone stay in your house but you wouldn’t mind staying in someone else’s home as opposed to a hotel check out sites like VRBO.com (vacation rentals by owner) or Homeaway.com. These sites are free for the traveler but the homeowner must pay a membership fee to post their home on the website.
What Days to Book and Travel
When buying airline tickets try between midnight and 1 a.m. on Wednesdays, or Tuesday after 3 p.m. For airline travel, Wednesday followed by Tuesday and Saturday are generally the least expensive days to fly. And if you don’t mind missing out on certain festivities traveling on a holiday can potentially save you hundreds of dollars according to the travel agency Flight Center USA.
For hotels you can find better rates for the middle of the week. If you feel lucky try booking a hotel room later in the day at the hotel in person. Hotels might be motivated to give you a discount in order to fill a vacant room.
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