Affordable Travel – 7 Ways To Save On Your Next Vacation

Staycations are all the rage these days, and while you certainly can find lots to do without traveling to the other side of the earth, sometimes you just need to get away and have a relaxing vacation far away from car pools, grocery shopping and home maintenance.

Fortunately, this is a great time to travel. Thanks to the current economic situation, you can find great deals on everything from air travel to hotels to cruises to home rentals, both here in the US and worldwide.

Here are 7 ways to get even more out of your travel budget:

1. Go where the dollar is strong. This year, that means Europe (the UK, Iceland and Turkey in particular), New Zealand, India, South Africa, Mexico and Chile. Exchange rates fluctuate though, so keep an eye on them.

2. Frequent flier programs. Always sign up for frequent flier (or frequent guest) programs, even if you don’t think that you will travel on that particular airline or stay in that hotel chain again. You never know what happens in the future – companies merge or get bought up, and you can also transfer miles/points between airlines/hotels. Make sure using your frequent flier miles is worth it though, especially this year with all the great deals around. Save them for times when you truly cannot afford a ticket, or for that dream trip around the world.

3. Stay in a private home. If you’re traveling with a group, renting a villa or condo instead of staying in a hotel can save you all quite a bit of money. Staying in somebody’s home also means that you will have more space (especially in cities with hotel rooms the size of broom closets) and usually access to amenities like a washer/dryer and sometimes outdoor space as well. Eat breakfast at home every day, and you’ll save even more. Keep an eye out for last minute deals and specials too – I’ve seen many offers like “pay for 5 nights, stay for 7″ or “chef included”, as well as large discounts.

4. Don’t miss out on a great deal. Make sure you hear about any last minute deals and discounts as soon as they are announced. Sign up for RSS feeds, newsletter and email alerts from relevant sites on the Internet such as airlines, travel magazines, online auction sites, chambers of commerce, home rental companies, and travel sections of newspapers. Did you hear about JetBlue’s $14 San Francisco – New York tickets earlier this year? You don’t want to miss out on something like that!

5. Give travel auctions a shot. At sites like Luxury Link, winning an auction can mean huge savings on stays at luxury resorts, villas or castles, with many extras included as well (staff, private chef, all meals, etc.). Also keep an eye out for occasional auctions, such as Abercrombie & Kent’s “once in a lifetime trip” auction earlier this year, where winners saved up to 60% on dream trips to exotic locations.

6. Travel slightly off-season. You can save a lot by going just a little bit before or after the majority of people do. Try traveling mid-May to the end of June and the beginning of September to mid-December in the Caribbean, anywhere in Europe in the spring or fall, or to the larger cities, such as Paris, London or Madrid in August when the locals have fled the scene for some time at the beach. If you ski or at least don’t mind the cold, winter is a great time to find cheap flights to Europe. Stockholm is spectacular with a snow cover, and with the sun setting around 3 pm in December, candles are everywhere, giving the city a cozy, fairytale atmosphere.

7. Call home for free. If you bring your laptop (or iPhone), make sure to download Skype and ask your friends and family to do the same. It is a free service (as long as you call Skype to Skype; a Skype to landline or cell phone call does come with a charge), and all you have to do is download the software, set it up, get a headset or USB phone, connect to the Internet, and you’re good to go. You can talk to friends all over the globe this way – and it’s totally free.

Taking Advantage of Last Minute Trips

You may have procrastinated and decided to wait until the very end to get a travel deal for the holidays. Even with that you can still find great travel deals during this time. You just need to know where to look. You can either contact the airlines, travel agencies or search on the internet.

If you plan to travel during the holidays at the last minute, you may run into a snag if you choose dates that are considered peak periods. For major holidays, spring break and peak business hours, you may pay more because the demand may be higher.

If you dont want to travel during peak seasons, you can always travel during low season travel periods when you can save money. Keep in mind that when you do travel, make sure to include a Saturday night stay. You can get some of the best airfare rates when you include a Saturday night stay. Travel agencies will be able to help you find some of the best deals available for last minute travelers. Be sure to give them as much information as possible about your travel including the following:

Departure and return dates Destination Time you would like to leave and return How much you can afford to spend Whether or not you need a car rental Any special needs you may have

Its important that they have this information. This is the way that they will be able to accommodate you at the best rate possible. If you dont want to use a travel agent, you can always check the internet. Make sure that you have time enough to do so. You want to have time to look over the information and the options that are available. There are plenty of websites to choose from where you can get the best rates at the last minute. You can do this for air travel, riding the train and going on a cruise.

Also keep in mind that, You must be prepared for the unexpected. Even though you look to have a nice time during your trip, things can and will happen. You could get ill or the weather may play against you. You must have an alternate plan in the event this happens to you. A lot of people dont think about that. You should seriously consider getting travel insurance. Even though this insurance is nonrefundable, its better to pay money for it and have it than not to pay and then something should happen.

Find out what is covered with travel insurance. You need to read all of the information and know what you are buying. You must be proactive in all aspects of your travel, including this.

How Students can find Last Minute Deals

Young college students are known to procrastinate, especially if it something they detest doing. However, in this case, if you are a student and you are planning to travel, procrastination would serve to benefit you.

It might benefit you more to look for your own last minute travel deals. There are some websites that can help you. You will have to research to find out which ones would suit your needs. Some of the websites are set up where you are allowed to bid on certain destinations. In order for you to get in the running, you will have to submit a bid for a price that the website will take. However, the trick is to try to keep it as low as you can. You may get a decent price, but it may not be the very low price. Still, you would come out better than the initial advance purchase price.

There are websites that release new fares for travel on certain days of the week during the morning hours. In order to get a cheap fare at the last minute, you have to be at the computer before time so that you will have first dibs on lower pricing. Its even better if youre looking to go anywhere. You have more options available to you. You dont have to concern yourself with bidding on destinations that everyone and their mother wants to go to.

You will find some websites that have a special section for last minute travel deals on the weekend. Or you can find websites that have special travel deals to buy for that particular day. Those prices are usually a steal, and if you can act on it, by all means do so. Have you heard of a website that acts as a crystal ball? Well, theyre out there. These websites not only have great last minute travel deals, but they work to spot trends as to how fares will go. They also advise you when you should buy your ticket in order to get the best prices available.

You can also sign up to receive newsletters from some of the websites to keep up with whats going on. You will be able to find out about last minute travel deals. Students can also check on the airlines websites to find deals that are not advertised to the public. They can also send you e-mail on their specials and discounts. There are also student discount websites available to look for last minute travel deals. A lot of times you can find the cheapest fares on those sites. Some of the websites specialize in finding discounted deals for students that are on a budget.

Then you have the websites that specialize in Deals of the week and Hot Deals. They can find last minute travel deals on domestic and international destinations. If you dont mind being a standby, last minute travelers can find tickets to different destinations. The last minute deals in this case are extremely cheap and affordable.

Since most college students operate on a budget when theyre in college, these websites would serve the purpose for them. They can help them to save money, in the event they want or need to go somewhere at the last minute. They are great time savers, not to mention money savers for last minute travelers. There are websites that are unique in what they do to help students find the best deals at the last minute. In addition to finding the best travel deals at the last minute, students would also be able to book destinations for the holidays and spring break.