Between the crowds and general chaos, traveling during high-season is stressful as it is. It certainly adds insult to injury that airlines and hotels jack up their prices during summer and the holidays, knowing that more people will naturally be traveling. Though it can be frustrating to pay more, there are some ways to cut costs when traveling during high-season. Here are 10 tips on how to save a buck or two when traveling at the same time as seemingly everyone else.
10/10 Book Far In Advance
Hot Air Balloon Ride Over Luxor, Egypt
There’s no arguing that the best way to ensure the best deals is by booking hotels and flights far in advanced. Of course, this means that travelers must know their schedules far in advanced, so it’s not a realistic option for everyone. If you are one of the lucky ones who can guarantee what days you might need to visit family or generally need to travel during Thanksgiving, Christmas, or summer time, the sooner you book, the better deal you’ll get.
9/10 Utilize Sites Like Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a budget traveler’s dream. For travelers who have flexibility in the dates they can travel, head to Skyscanner, type in your designated destination, and instead of selecting a “departure” or “return” date, select “whole month” with the appropriate month in which you want to travel. Skyscanner will then give visitors a calendar with estimated prices, with the cheapest ones appearing in green. For travelers who have flexibility in where they want to travel to, Skyscanner can still be your best budget-worthy friend. Type in your designated home airport, and instead of choosing a destination to arrive at, select the “Everywhere” option. Skyscanner will then give you a chronological list of destinations from least expensive to most expensive based on your home airport and your travel dates.
8/10 Be Flexible With Your Dates
Christmas Tree in 2021 at The Peninsula Hotel in NYC
Speaking of dates, flexibility is key in booking budget travel. For travelers who can leave during the week instead of a weekend, it’s likely that hundreds of dollars can be saved. For travelers who need to travel during the holidays who can leave a week prior or perhaps a week later, this can also be huge in saving money.
7/10 Book A Flight With Layovers
Exploring Dublin, Ireland on a long layover. PHOTO: Kaitlyn Rosati
While there’s no denying that direct flights to your designated destination are ideal, flights with layovers are almost always cheaper. Having a layover isn’t always the worst thing in the world; sometimes, you can make a whole other trip out of a long layover. Airlines such as TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Emirates Airlines, IcelandAir, and more, offer long layovers in their home-designated cities (Lisbon, Istanbul, Dubai, Reykjavík), where there are options to leave the airport to go explore. If you’re going to be stuck traveling with a layover, you might as well make the most out of it and get two trips for the price of one.
6/10 Book A Flight On Layaway
One of the best well-kept secrets in the travel world is that flights can actually be booked on layaway. Some airlines, such as Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Frontier Airlines, to name a few, offer services such as Afterpay, Uplift, and Klarna, allowing travelers to not only put their flights on layaway, but to pay the flights back in installments. Sure, the price is the same, and sometimes there’s a small interest charge slapped on there, but for those on a current tight budget that need some flexibility, this is certainly not a bad option.
5/10 If Traveling Short-Distance, Book A Bus Ticket
Flying is indeed the quickest way to get to most places, but it’s also one of the most expensive ways to travel. For journeys less than 12 hours, though not nearly as exciting, book a bus ticket. For example, a flight from New York City to Syracuse, NY, is around $118 for a one-way. A bus ticket from NYC to Syracuse, however, is $49. That’s more than 50% cheaper, and sure, riding a bus isn’t particularly glamorous, but the route can sometimes be scenic. Even if the route isn’t scenic, bring a good travel book and enjoy the money-saving ride.
4/10 Use Points And Miles
These days, frequent flyers don’t need a shiny credit card to receive points and miles. They simply just need to travel, sign up for an account such as United MileagePlus or Delta SkyMiles, and the points will come in! Points are a great way to save for a rainy day, and using them to book those tickets that just are too hard of a money-draining pill to swallow, points and/or miles can certainly come in handy. Not only do airlines allow you to acquire points without a credit card, but hotels such as Hilton do as well.
3/10 Consider Staying In A Hostel
Speaking of hotels, the influx of prices during the holiday and peak season can sometimes feel like a robbery in itself. Though not for everyone, hostels are undoubtedly one of the cheapest ways to accommodate yourself while traveling. Hostels typically mean sharing a room with a few strangers, but hey, you never know who you’ll meet! If sharing a room with strangers doesn’t sound so appealing, most hostels offer private rooms, which are still often much cheaper than a standard hotel room.
2/10 If Hostels Are A No, Try A Budget Hotel
If the idea of a hostel seems too youthful or just too invasive, a budget hotel is the next best thing. In places like Cairo, Egypt, budget hotels are as low as $20/night, and some even offer stunning views of the pyramids along with a free breakfast. Hotel search sites such as Kayak and Booking help ensure that travelers will find the lowest prices.
1/10 For Those Who Are Able, Consider Shoulder-Season Instead
For travelers who have the flexibility and simply do not want the hassle of crowds and an uptick in prices, consider dodging holiday and/or summer travel altogether and opt for shoulder season instead. Shoulder season is the term used for a low season or “in-between season.” It’s when places aren’t at their peak but not necessarily at their lowest season, either. For example, Greece’s shoulder season is late September-October because the summer crowds and heat are gone, but it’s not quite in the unbearable winter weather yet. If you have any control over when you are able to travel, shoulder-season is a no-brainer.
