Holidays don’t have to be hideously expensive in order to be special, memorable and relaxing. In fact, budget holidays can offer you some impressive deals, that will allow you to enjoy places at prices you never thought possible. As a backpacker who’s been traveling for a few years, I am very well practiced at hunting out budget holidays. There were lots of things I learned along the way to keep costs down while ensuring a great trip and I want to share them with you. Here are some easy-to-implement tips that could save you hundreds or thousands off your next trip:
1) Look Into Package Deals
There are a number of companies that offer high value package deals, such as Holiday Gems. Now, often more experienced travellers tend to stay away from package deals as they feel they can do better themselves. Truth be told, these companies have access to high-volume deals that a single traveler would not be able to access, resulting in very reasonably priced packages, often far less than you could find yourself. When you’re planning your next holiday, you should see what package deals are on offer.
2) Travel in the “Off Season”
If you can, take some time off during the off season as it will lower prices across the board: hotels, flights and even sometimes activities, will be cheaper. The other bonus? There will be less other tourists, so you’ll get a bit more time to soak in the attractions yourself.
Photo Credit: eGuide Travel on Flickr
3) Be Flexible With Your Flights
One of the biggest costs in any holiday, especially if you’re venturing far away, is the flight costs. If you scan many of the flight routes and their relative prices, you’ll see that prices are generally more expensive on weekends, Mondays and Fridays. During the week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday tend to be the cheapest prices. The same proves true with hotel prices as well! If you can be flexible with your flights and the dates of your holiday, you can skim quite a lot of the price of your flights.
4) Book in Advance or Really Last Minute
There are a bunch of last minute deals that offer exceptional value – they are simply packages which haven’t reached their quota and need to be filled. This is true with cruises, package deals, hotels and flights. There are also advantages to booking in advance, both in terms of price and being able to ensure you can plan your holiday exactly as you want it. There are benefits to booking either way, so make sure you decide which works for you and get onto it. Last minute bookings are great if you have a bit of room for spontaneity in your plans.
