In Peter Pan, the classic tale by J.M. Barrie, the narrator explains the title character’s supernatural ability by saying, “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” And it’s the same for us grown-ups and our ability to travel via flying. If we doubt we can afford it, chances are we’ll probably never take the opportunity to try it. Flying is not only a convenient way to travel, but with a little online searching it can also be an inexpensive way to travel as well.
An Expert Traveler Shares Priceless Tips
James and Arlene Martell are hosts of the affiliate marketing podcast called Coffee Talk. In one episode Arlene shared tips on how she gets the best deals for her family when traveling, whether it’s taking everyone halfway across the world on a European cruise or reserving a weekend away at a local bed and breakfast. Their family’s adventures have taken them zip lining, golfing, antiquing, on train and ferry boat rides, camping, and much, much more.
One of the places where she saves the most is on airfare; but it wasn’t always so easy to get the lowest prices on premium flights. Her first tip is to research travel sites and pick the top three that work best for your travel needs. However, keep an eye on the others as different websites have different deals; for instance, Priceline.com and Hotels.com usually don’t have the same deals running at the same time, primarily because one offers featured discounts while the other is more of an auction site. Here are some other tips she shared during the podcast.
- Set Travel Goals – James Martell once had a goal of going on a cruise sometime within his lifetime. Since working as an affiliate marketer, he’s been on several cruises to destinations like Spain and the Bahamas. Once your goals are set, then it’s time to start taking them from idle daydream to realistic possibility
- Commit to Your Travel Dates – Once you pencil the travel dates into your calendar or schedule, book your travel and lodging. There are times when you’ll find a better deal for last-minute travel but that leaves too much possibility to back out of taking the trip altogether. Another reason to go ahead and reserve early is because less people are inclined to pay the cancellation fee associated with backing out of the trip.
- Book Flights on Tuesday Night – Arlene shared that the best time to book a flight is between 10pm Tuesday and 1am Wednesday which is when the airlines update their inventory. Prices go up as the weekend nears. She also uses sites like itasoftware.com which reveals not only the most economical weekend to book a flight but also which destination is cheapest that weekend, too.
- Use a Charter Airline – Charter flights like Virgin Airlines and Jet Blue are up against big names like United, so of course they’re going to offer more competitive rates. They sometimes offer special deals that the other airlines won’t offer, primarily to family-friendly destinations like Florida. One fellow blogger told me that a charter airline out of a small town airport near her home was offering flights to Florida last year for $19 each way – but only if patrons flew on Thursday, which was the day when most of their flights sat empty.
- Use Ground Customs Whenever Possible – This is something I’ve learned as well. Like me, James and Arlene are Canadians and know that going through U.S. Customs can be a daunting experience. However, airports are more rigorous. Whenever possible, drive across the border and then fly out of an airport in the same country as your destination. For instance, those in Maine can drive to Halifax and fly to Vancouver easier than flying out of Boston or New York City. And those of us in Vancouver find it easier to drive to Seattle and fly anywhere in the United States than it is to fly out of our native city.
Whether you’re looking for ways to save on airfare within the same country where you live or plan to go halfway around the globe to stay in a Phuket, Thailand hotel there are so many tips and tricks you can use to make your vacation less stressful. When you pay lower prices, then you spend less time worrying about money and more time enjoying yourself. Regardless if you’re on a two-week family adventure or just a weekend breakation from work, isn’t less worrying something we look forward to when spending leisure time? I know I do!
When successful internet entrepreneur Kimberly Juchnowski decided to take traveling more seriously, she set lofty goals. One of those goals was to visit as many foreign cultures as possible, and so far 17 different countries have put a stamp in her passport. Another was to set up the website http://tikikiki.com where she shares both adventures and travel tips with others. Some of her most recent trips included visits to two different continents, where she enjoyed riding elephants through the jungles of Thailand, climbing glaciers found in the mountains of New Zealand, walking the Great Wall of China, and soaking up sun on tropical beaches. Each time she returns from an adventure her only question is, “Where should I visit next?”