1) Know when to book airfare
How far in advance?
Start by researching when high and low seasons are, and if possible, try to go during low season for the cheapest flights and hotels.
For domestic flights:
“There’s such a thing as booking too early,” says Rick Seaney, CEO and cofounder of online research tool FareCompare. “Airlines don’t really begin managing their domestic flights until about three months in advance—that’s when they start releasing the more affordable seats.” The sweet spot, he says, lies between three months and six weeks in advance.
For International flights:
According to Kayak, on average it’s best to book nine to ten months in advance for flights to Asia, about six months before a trip to South America, and three months to five weeks before departure for flights to Africa.
Note that this advice isn’t always completely accurate and it really depends on your exact destination. Check out this article from CheapAir for more information on when to ignore booking advice.
Which day is cheapest?
We’ve all heard that buying your tickets on a Tuesday, or Wednesday at 1am is your best bet for a cheap fare, but the Airlines Reporting Commission recently discovered that on average, the cheapest day to book is a Sunday (using data compiled from January 2013 – July 2014).
Keep in mind, however, that Tuesdays might still be a good bet because airline companies generally decide on Mondays whether or not they want to boost sales via increased discounts for Tuesday. Also remember that a flight actually departing on a Tuesday will probably be your cheapest option, because fewer people fly on that day.
How to compare
Use flight comparison tools such as the Google Flight Matrix (also try using different currencies to yield a cheaper flight), or Skyscanner’s full-month search option.
If you’re booking very last-minute and you don’t mind flying at strange times or having a long layover, check out these tips to hack Priceline’s bidding option.
If you don’t have much time on your hands to the research yourself, try hiring an expert to find the cheapest possible flight. You’ll pay a fee, but they’re guaranteed to find the cheapest option available.
2) Use social media to research your destination
With so many online resources available these days, researching and planning your trip can be exhausting.
While sites like Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor are a great place to start, you can often discover hidden gems and less-touristic opportunities if you’re willing to scour thousands of travel blogs – but who has time for that?!
I recommend searching Twitter, Instagram and even Facebook using hashtags for the city or country you’re going to visit. Twitter is my favorite for this because a quick hashtag search produces a perfect mixture of photos, blog posts, and journalistic articles from large, reputable travel and news sources.
3) Practice packing
This might seem silly, but trust me, after years of waiting until the absolute last minute to pack my suitcases, I can attest that this is a total game changer!
If you’re an over-packer like me, buying some packing cubes
This video with 12 Travel Packing Hacks is phenomenal, and after a few years of constant travel I can honestly say I abide by almost all of these tips. I only wish I had found a video like this when I first started traveling – I’ve definitely learned the hard way!
4) Book travel insurance
In my personal opinion, it’s always a good idea to book travel insurance, because frankly you never know when an unforeseen event could affect your travel plans.
After having been hit by a car in Brooklyn (I was living there, but it easily could have happened to a tourist,) and seeing the final total of medical bills related to the accident ($100,000 had I not had insurance – yes, you read that right!!!), I’m a firm believer in finding reasonably priced travel insurance with extensive medical coverage, as well as flight delay/cancellation coverage. If you’re from the UK, take a look at the AA for some inexpensive travel insurance plans.
5) Know the visa rules and regulations
For certain countries, navigating the visa requirements and immunization suggestions can be a complicated nightmare (i.e., getting a visa for Brazil can be quite convoluted and expensive), so it’s nice to be able to bookmark one specific resource to refer to throughout the process.
I recently discovered VisaHQ, which provides you with all of the visa and immunization requirements for every possible type of visa for every country in the world. Since it’s a private visa agency, you’ll pay an additional fee to process your visas through their company, so to avoid paying extra I recommend simply using the information from their site and then booking an appointment at the local consulate if a specialized visa is required.
Do you have any additional hacks or tips that you swear by?
If so, I’d love to hear them below in the comments, or share them with me via Facebook or Twitter. 🙂
