It is summer time and travel season is in full swing. If you’re just making plans now, you’re too late to land the best deals on flights, tours and hotels.
Travel can get very expensive if you are in a rush. Good deals are often available months in advance, especially when you’re travelling to popular destinations during peak-season periods — like summer vacations.
But don’t despair, you still can save a little bit if you use the following tips.
Compare options
Many websites compete on offering attractive bargains for hotel and flights. When you compare different booking websites, you might be able to find a competitive price, even in a rush. In fact, some websites might offer last-minutes deals on openings that became available unexpectedly. So don’t just go for the first hotel-room price you see. Take your time to see what different websites can offer you.
Similarly, travel agents might be able to package trips for you that are less expensive than what you can get on your own. So if you have a destination in mind, call and check if you can get a package put together at a lower cost for flight, hotel, rental car, etc. Again, compare different packages to know what you’d get for your money. Make sure you check the costs of each of these individual offers and know if there are any surprises in terms of quality or exclusions.
Fly on budget
Consider flights to secondary airports near your destination. Although those flights might not be optimal, they can save you a bunch. And surprisingly, rental cars are often cheaper when you book them in secondary airports.
You also may sacrifice some convenience to save money by booking red-eye flights or longer ones. For a determined traveller who has procrastinated until now, these compromises can mean that you will pull off a trip this summer at a lower cost.
Find shorter getaways
If you take flights out of the equation, you might be able to plan now for getaways that cost pretty much the same as they would have if you booked them months ago. The trick is to find out options nearby, where you can drive or make a day trip — bonus savings for sleeping for returning home and sleeping in your own bed.
Although these day trips or shorter vacations may not be as spectacular as a couple of weeks off in Europe or Asia, they still provide a good break from the daily grind and you can do them more often since they don’t cost much.
Host this summer
If your goal of travel is to meet up with friends or family, what if they come over? Turn your vacation into a staycation, while you hang out with your friends and family if they are willing to visit. New places can be exciting for them, and it will be interesting for you to revisit some of the local attractions.
In addition, with having the luxury of time, you might be able to capitalise on some free fun activities that are offered in your community. So if travelling is out of your budget this summer, think of what it would cost you to have a staycation either alone or with visitors. In many cases, you will find many attractions that are relatively close and exciting.
And as many people do, you might have put off exploring those attractions for being busy or feeling like there is no rush to do so. So start now by finding places from Ajman to Dubai or even as far as Oman to visit this summer.
Planning for summer travel
- Look for competing deals
- Fly to secondary airport
- Look for local fun options
The writer, a former Gulf News Business Features Editor, is a Seattle-based editor.
