Let's be honest, we all love the idea of an inexpensive way to travel. Finding online booking sites that offer cheaper flights and longer stays is like hitting the vacation jackpot; however, most of us are making mistakes that could turn our perfectly planned getaway into a disastrous nightmare.
Lodging Choices
When reserving your ideal vacation spot, consider how many buddies you will be traveling with. Larger families and groups often find renting a villa or townhome less expensive than booking several hotel rooms. Not to mention with a rented house you save money on food by cooking your own meals, you get free parking, and sometimes you can stay up all night watching Netflix without worrying about data usage fees.
Forgetting About Discount Club Memberships
You join retail discount clubs at your favorite stores to gain access to member-only rates, so why not do the same thing when it comes to travel? Many frequent adventurers join a discount travel club to cut vacation costs and find prices that aren't typically advertised. Groups like Last Minute Travel Club give annual memberships with coupon offers for new members. Just don't forget to use you newly found discounts!
Ignoring the Fine Print
All the fine print at the bottom of the page, that we typically never read, actually has a lot of useful and needed information. For example, you may find out that the lowest rate plane ticket you purchased is non-refundable; or that your airline charges extra for checked bags and carry-on items that are not included in purchase price. It's a drag, but try to read it all so there will be no surprises.
Thinking You're Choosing One Competitor Over Another
After searching all the best rates and deals you may notice that a lot of the travel sites have similar prices for lodging and flights. Many of the sites you're researching are controlled by the airline and hotel companies, giving you biased rates and prices. Unfortunately, there is no perfect search engine for online travel booking but searching through as many sites as possible will give you the satisfaction of leaving no stone unturned; and hopefully you'll come out with a great price.
Earning Those Miles
Not everyone likes the idea of having a credit card; however investing in a travel card can pay off in the long run. Say you spend about $3,000 a month on things like Starbucks, rent and nights out; some cards will have your earning 36,000 miles annually just for doing your day-to-day routine. Sounds like there's a trip in your future, my friend.
