How to travel cheaply: 8 tips and tricks
If you are passionate about traveling, surely visiting new countries and cities is one of your resolutions for this 2019. We live in the best possible time to explore the world, because nowadays you don't need to be rich to travel frequently.
We have at our disposal more resources than ever: flight prices are getting lower and lower and we have access to a wealth of information and tools to organize our trips according to our interests, our budget and preferences.
As travel experts, from Freetour.com we have compiled a series of tips and tricks that will help you save money and travel cheaper, including the most obvious and also the less known.
have you ever wondered how companies use 'cookies'?cookies'? Well, airlines and travel websites track your visits by installing cookies in your browser, which can cause the price of the flight that appears in the search results to be higher (even if a cheaper one is available). The website may show a more expensive price based on your geographic location or your history, simply because you have searched for that flight or itinerary before. This trickery serves to encourage impulse buying, making you pay more and buy the flight before the price supposedly goes up.
To find better deals and fly cheap, switch to "Incognito browsing" (Ctrl + Shift + N) or private browsing every time you want to book a flight.
Low cost airlines low cost airlines have multiplied in the last decade. Nowadays you can travel from one country to another for fares ranging from 5 to 100 euros, but it is important to be aware of the baggage requirements. Most of these airlines only allow one carry-on bag or small backpack of 10 kilos maximum (included in the price). Among the best low-cost airlines are Norwegian, WizzAir, Ryanair, Easyjet, Eurowings, Vueling Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, AirBaltic and Wow Air.
Some tricks that work are to carry a bag or backpack instead of a suitcase, roll your clothes in a tube shape when placing them inside in order to have more space and take only basic items that can be combined with each other. Also, when checking in you can take a vest with several pockets to put your electronic devices or take advantage of the bag of the duty free (which is not considered baggage or luggage) to store accessories.
To guarantee an economical trip, always make sure to make sure to do the check-in in advance and print your boarding pass before going to the airport in order to avoid additional charges.
If you are on a tight budget, but have some flexibility in terms of travel dates and time, be sure to explore as many options as possible. Prices for the same route can vary greatly depending on when you book: use flight comparators or search engines to filter your search, compare hundreds of offers and see the days when flights are cheapest.
The most recommended search engines are Skyscanner, Kiwi.com, Kayak, Momondo, Mobissimo, Lastminute.com, Vuelosbaratos.es and Google Flights. Normally these are pages that locate the offer and redirect you to the corresponding company's page, although in cases such as Kiwi.com the reservation is made directly on the platform.
To find cheap flights, keep in mind the following trends:
Traveling on a budget doesn't mean you can't get to know the most interesting corners of each city in depth. Although it may sound obvious, walking is always the cheapest option, and the free tours are a great way to enjoy authentic experiences and enrich your view of the world while traveling.
Most European cities, as well as major tourist destinations around the world, already have free walking tours free tours organized by knowledgeable local guides who offer visitors excursions and sightseeing tours on topics as diverse as history, culture, gastronomy or cinema at no cost. Plus, there's nothing better than talking to a person who knows the place inside out and can give you the best tips on places to visit or places to eat without having to pay.
These free guided tours are an excellent option when you only have a day or two to get to know a city, especially when you are on a long layover and have the possibility of leaving the airport and leaving your suitcase there.
Here's how it works: you book online the tour you are interested in to guarantee your place (free) and, at the end of the tour, if you liked the experience you can simply leave a symbolic tip. In other words, you pay "the will".
For long trips, an infallible trick is to travel overnight by train or bus. This way, you get a two-for-one: you make the trip and at the same time save a night's accommodation.
In Eastern Europe, for example, traveling by train or bus is much cheaper than by plane, and is much more affordable compared to overland travel in Western Europe. There are often very cheap transport connections between cities. To book, use the websites of the rail or bus companies in each country to get the best bargains.
If you save on hotel costs, your trips will always be at least 50% cheaper. For this you can use Couchsurfing.com, a website that connects travelers with local residents who offer free accommodation in their home for one or several nights. It can be a sofa (couch in English), a bed in a shared room or a private room. The point is that the platform does not allow in any case to charge for the stay.
The most interesting thing is that this community is formed by people who want to meet people from other cultures and practice languages, and often are willing to provide first-hand information to explore their city and even accompany you.
Couchsurfing sometimes involves sacrificing things like comfort or privacy, so it may not be an option for everyone. However, it is a form of travel that has become very popular, based on public reviews from both guests and hosts to ensure a dynamic of trust, safety and transparency.
If you are one of those who prefer the comfort of your own bed or room, the cheapest and most comfortable accommodation are hostels or hostels. You can find them for prices as low as 10 euros a night. Moreover, nowadays they are no longer what they used to be: they are becoming more and more complete and cleaner establishments, and many offer a different tourist model in which the most important thing is not the category, but feeling at home away from home. To get the best price in hostels, it is recommended to book between 1 and 2 months in advance.
Another option is to rent an apartment or room through Airbnb. Some of the advantages of this service are that the apartments usually include free Wi-Fi, they are usually located in good areas or near the center, and you can also stay with a local who knows the city well and use their kitchen to save more money on food.
To travel more times a year, try to shorten the length of your stays and choose your travel destinations based on specific offers. There are many destinations that are ideal for a short trip and cities that can be explored in three or four days. Sometimes you don't need more than a week to get the most out of a vacation. In fact, trends show that people are increasingly opting for short getaways to coincide with days off, weekends and long weekends.
As you can see, even if you are on a budget, traveling alone or accompanied, the world is at your fingertips, you just have to go out and discover it!
If you have any other trick or tip that you think can help you travel cheaper, leave us a comment. If you liked the article, don't forget to share it ;)
By Kristina Kinson
We have at our disposal more resources than ever: flight prices are getting lower and lower and we have access to a wealth of information and tools to organize our trips according to our interests, our budget and preferences.
As travel experts, from Freetour.com we have compiled a series of tips and tricks that will help you save money and travel cheaper, including the most obvious and also the less known.
1. Search for flight deals in incognito mode
have you ever wondered how companies use 'cookies'?cookies'? Well, airlines and travel websites track your visits by installing cookies in your browser, which can cause the price of the flight that appears in the search results to be higher (even if a cheaper one is available). The website may show a more expensive price based on your geographic location or your history, simply because you have searched for that flight or itinerary before. This trickery serves to encourage impulse buying, making you pay more and buy the flight before the price supposedly goes up.
To find better deals and fly cheap, switch to "Incognito browsing" (Ctrl + Shift + N) or private browsing every time you want to book a flight.
2. Fly with carry-on baggage with low cost low cost
Low cost airlines low cost airlines have multiplied in the last decade. Nowadays you can travel from one country to another for fares ranging from 5 to 100 euros, but it is important to be aware of the baggage requirements. Most of these airlines only allow one carry-on bag or small backpack of 10 kilos maximum (included in the price). Among the best low-cost airlines are Norwegian, WizzAir, Ryanair, Easyjet, Eurowings, Vueling Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, AirBaltic and Wow Air.
Some tricks that work are to carry a bag or backpack instead of a suitcase, roll your clothes in a tube shape when placing them inside in order to have more space and take only basic items that can be combined with each other. Also, when checking in you can take a vest with several pockets to put your electronic devices or take advantage of the bag of the duty free (which is not considered baggage or luggage) to store accessories.
To guarantee an economical trip, always make sure to make sure to do the check-in in advance and print your boarding pass before going to the airport in order to avoid additional charges.
3. Use flight comparators and book at the right time
If you are on a tight budget, but have some flexibility in terms of travel dates and time, be sure to explore as many options as possible. Prices for the same route can vary greatly depending on when you book: use flight comparators or search engines to filter your search, compare hundreds of offers and see the days when flights are cheapest.
The most recommended search engines are Skyscanner, Kiwi.com, Kayak, Momondo, Mobissimo, Lastminute.com, Vuelosbaratos.es and Google Flights. Normally these are pages that locate the offer and redirect you to the corresponding company's page, although in cases such as Kiwi.com the reservation is made directly on the platform.
To find cheap flights, keep in mind the following trends:
- Flights with stopovers are usually cheaper. In addition, you can save up to half the cost if you travel out of season and with a stopover.
- It is cheaper to travel from Tuesday to Thursday.
- Buying round-trip tickets on the same airline is not always cheaper. Consider buying tickets separately.
- For short-haul flights, data shows that prices are much lower when you book an average of 54 days in advance. For long-haul destinations, it is better to book 4 to 9 months in advance.
- Airlines lower prices when the departure or arrival time of the flight is very early in the morning, in the early morning or at night.
- In typically touristy and highly demanded destinations, avoid traveling on holidays, special dates such as Christmas or during the months of July and August.
4. Join free walking tours
Traveling on a budget doesn't mean you can't get to know the most interesting corners of each city in depth. Although it may sound obvious, walking is always the cheapest option, and the free tours are a great way to enjoy authentic experiences and enrich your view of the world while traveling.
Most European cities, as well as major tourist destinations around the world, already have free walking tours free tours organized by knowledgeable local guides who offer visitors excursions and sightseeing tours on topics as diverse as history, culture, gastronomy or cinema at no cost. Plus, there's nothing better than talking to a person who knows the place inside out and can give you the best tips on places to visit or places to eat without having to pay.
These free guided tours are an excellent option when you only have a day or two to get to know a city, especially when you are on a long layover and have the possibility of leaving the airport and leaving your suitcase there.
Here's how it works: you book online the tour you are interested in to guarantee your place (free) and, at the end of the tour, if you liked the experience you can simply leave a symbolic tip. In other words, you pay "the will".
5. Travel at night by bus or train
For long trips, an infallible trick is to travel overnight by train or bus. This way, you get a two-for-one: you make the trip and at the same time save a night's accommodation.
In Eastern Europe, for example, traveling by train or bus is much cheaper than by plane, and is much more affordable compared to overland travel in Western Europe. There are often very cheap transport connections between cities. To book, use the websites of the rail or bus companies in each country to get the best bargains.
6. Couchsurfing: free accommodation
If you save on hotel costs, your trips will always be at least 50% cheaper. For this you can use Couchsurfing.com, a website that connects travelers with local residents who offer free accommodation in their home for one or several nights. It can be a sofa (couch in English), a bed in a shared room or a private room. The point is that the platform does not allow in any case to charge for the stay.
The most interesting thing is that this community is formed by people who want to meet people from other cultures and practice languages, and often are willing to provide first-hand information to explore their city and even accompany you.
Couchsurfing sometimes involves sacrificing things like comfort or privacy, so it may not be an option for everyone. However, it is a form of travel that has become very popular, based on public reviews from both guests and hosts to ensure a dynamic of trust, safety and transparency.
7. Stay in hostels or Airbnb
If you are one of those who prefer the comfort of your own bed or room, the cheapest and most comfortable accommodation are hostels or hostels. You can find them for prices as low as 10 euros a night. Moreover, nowadays they are no longer what they used to be: they are becoming more and more complete and cleaner establishments, and many offer a different tourist model in which the most important thing is not the category, but feeling at home away from home. To get the best price in hostels, it is recommended to book between 1 and 2 months in advance.
Another option is to rent an apartment or room through Airbnb. Some of the advantages of this service are that the apartments usually include free Wi-Fi, they are usually located in good areas or near the center, and you can also stay with a local who knows the city well and use their kitchen to save more money on food.
8. Take shorter trips to take advantage of a greater number of offers
To travel more times a year, try to shorten the length of your stays and choose your travel destinations based on specific offers. There are many destinations that are ideal for a short trip and cities that can be explored in three or four days. Sometimes you don't need more than a week to get the most out of a vacation. In fact, trends show that people are increasingly opting for short getaways to coincide with days off, weekends and long weekends.
As you can see, even if you are on a budget, traveling alone or accompanied, the world is at your fingertips, you just have to go out and discover it!
If you have any other trick or tip that you think can help you travel cheaper, leave us a comment. If you liked the article, don't forget to share it ;)
By Kristina Kinson
15
January,
2019
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