When you are living on a budget; every penny counts, which is why you want to do your homework before jetting off on a family vacation. These days travel-related expenses can add up very quickly. To avoid going broke when traveling this holiday season, consider the following:
Online Booking: Online booking is convenient, but you don’t always know if you are snagging the best deal. Often, travelers are left wondering if they should buy now or wait for a fare sale. One way to answer this is to check the flight’s occupancy. If there are only a few seats left, reserve your flight quickly, as prices will likely rise as seat numbers dwindle.
Make Friends with a Travel Agent: An experienced travel agent can save you valuable time and money. Most travel agents are privy to deals that are not advertised to the public. What’s more, travel agents are free to use, and once you establish a relationship with one, you will often be automatically alerted to fabulous deals.
Ride the Rails: Don’t rule out traveling by train. In many cases, riding the rails is cheaper than driving or flying, especially in high-speed corridors, such as the Northeast. In addition, you can save even more if you are traveling with children. Kids ages 2-15 ride for 50% off and infants always ride free. Also, members of AAA and AARP get a 15% discount on Amtrak.
Check the Web: Do research before booking rental car. The Internet is teeming with travel aggregate sites that provide deep discounts on vehicle rentals. One of the best is Autoslash.com, which compares offers listed by various big rental car companies. The best part about this particular site is that it continues to search for rock-bottom rates and if it finds a better one it cancels your initial reservation and rebooks you at the lower rate.
Related Articles:
Do CityPasses Really Save Money?
Saving Money on Your Vacation–The CityPass