If you’re curious to know how to travel affordably, then keep reading! While I realize “affordable” is relative, I can share with you my favorite ways of reducing travel costs.
TRAVEL TOUR COMPANIES
Using a travel tour company for your vacations is a fantastic way to significantly cut costs when compared to what you would pay if you booked the entire package on your own. I was recently on a week-long vacation in Ireland that I booked through Globus Journeys. Not only was the trip itself fantastic, but the price was also. The total price I paid would not have even covered the hotels we stayed in had I booked it entirely on my own.
These trip packages typically include 100% hotel, transportation during the entire trip, daily breakfast, usually several lunches and/or dinners, tips, and daily activities.
They also offer more excursion options you can purchase at a discounted rate compared to booking them on your own. In addition, you can opt to have your airfare included in the package. I prefer to book my own flights because I use skymiles. But having them include your flight in the package is always an option.
Another great thing about traveling this way is the itinerary is already mapped out for you. While you are always free to venture off on your own, the group plans have yet to disappoint this girl! They always include activities that I would have likely done even if I had booked it all on my own.
I have now taken three vacations that were booked with a travel tour company, and I have another one booked for England and Wales coming up.
There are a lot of these companies out there. Visit their websites and see what strikes your fancy and fits your budget. I have personally used Globus Journeys and Portugal Getaways. I have met several people who have also booked through Gate 1 and give them good ratings, though I do not have personal experience with them. You can sign up with Travelzoo and get email notifications of good travel deal packages. And vacationstogo.com has excellent deals on cruises, which often also offer even deeper discounts to military veterans.
I am sure there are many more out there, but these are the ones I am most familiar with. I follow EF Go Ahead Tours on Facebook as well. I have not used them but have a feeling I will at some point. Their motto is “Travel solo, not alone”, which I really like. It reminds me of the article I wrote about my first (and only-for now at least) solo trip that I titled Solo Not Solo.
Take advantage of these great travel deals and let someone else do all the work for you! Not all of them are group trips either! You can select the independent travel style, or small group style (if you and a group of friends are going together), etc. YOU decide!!
Also, a tip when booking through Globus Journeys to keep in mind, the trips they offer that have the word “escape” in the title are the best deals. Those are the off-season trips with the best prices. You can find the exact same trip during peak season for a lot more $$. So far, I have only booked escapes with them.
HOTELS
While I highly recommend the tour company travel style, I do still take stateside trips that I book on my own. Through trial and error, I have discovered that if you go into a hotel and request a room with the staff at the front desk, the service and prices are much better than going through their reservations phone line.
In recent months, my cousin and I had an unexpected change in travel plans due to extreme weather and we needed a hotel room at the last minute. We called the reservations line for the hotel we had stayed at just a few days before and got the run around. We were told there were no rooms available, then we were told the only available room was one of the superior suites (expensive!). We ended up driving many hours hoping on a wing and a prayer that we would be able to find a room when we got there. We went back to the same hotel and asked for a room at the front desk. Not only were there many options available, but we were also able to get a water view room for much less than their reservations representative quoted us on the phone.
Another trick I recently learned was to ask for an upgraded room in person. On my recent trip to Ireland, we stayed at the very fancy Europa hotel in Belfast for two of the nights. The Europa hotel has housed many celebrities during their stays in Belfast. My room was included in the overall trip package cost, but when I got to my room, there was only a shower. I am a bath girl and was really hoping to be able to soak in a nice, hot bubble bath while I was there. I went downstairs and asked one of the ladies at the front desk if there was any way I could get moved to a room with a tub, and let her know I was willing to pay if the cost was more than the room I was already in. Not only did she upgrade me to the executive suite with a huge, deep tub, she waived the menial charge of fifty Pounds Sterling per night because there was a computer glitch that caused a delay in her being able to enter the new information. By delay, I am talking maybe twenty minutes. AND, not only did I get moved to an upgraded room, but my cousin also then asked for one as well, and she got the room right next door to me for free! So, simply ask, because the worst that can happen is they say no.
AIRFARE
Skymiles! Skymiles! Skymiles! This is my most used means of saving when it comes to airfare. Pick your favorite airline, sign up for skymiles, and just let them accumulate. For me, it’s Delta. While I do sometimes have to use a different airline for various reasons, most of my flights are booked with Delta. I’ve been able to fly for free round trip from the southeast US to New York and different parts of New England three or four times in the last two or so years using skymiles.
While I do not wish to encourage debt, I will tell you I also have a Delta skymiles American Express card that I use like a debit card. Anything that would normally go on my debit card goes on my American Express card, and as soon as the charge posts to my account, I pay it off. I do not recommend a skymiles credit card if you don’t have the self control to only use it this way. I earn two miles for every dollar I spend in the grocery store and restaurants, and I earn one mile for every dollar spent on anything else. The miles truly add up quickly this way.
If you are not into skymiles, another way to save on airfare is the Hopper app. You plug in your dates and destinations and the app shows you prices for all available airlines with your flight requirements. It will even watch them for you and notify you of price drops.
The prices of airline tickets can fluctuate daily. I’ve been told unofficially that Tuesdays are the days you will typically find the lowest prices. By that, I do not mean you have to fly on a Tuesday, I mean prices reflected when you look them up on Tuesday are often less than the prices reflected on other days of the week that you look them up.
BOOK THAT TRIP!
These are my biggest money saving tips, and the ones I consistently use. I’m pretty sure I would not have been able to vacation in five different countries just in the last thirteen months any other way! Get out there, explore the possibilities, and enjoy your vacation!
P.S. I have been known to sell some s#!t when needed to get the funds for a trip I really wanted to go on. You’d be amazed at what’s lying around your house that you don’t use, and other people would love to buy from you! Garage fridge, iPad, jewelry, furniture…you name it, I’ve listed it on Facebook Marketplace and sold it!