Pay Less & Travel More: Top 9 SECRETS
“Emily, how do you travel so much? How can you afford it?” No, I didn’t win the lottery and nope, I’m not a trust fund baby. Here are 9 SECRETS I’ve learned to help you pay less for travel:
This candid was taken in Antibes, France while en route to the Nice airport.
1. HOPPER
This amazing app tells you when flight prices rise and fall. Set your location and dates of travel, “opt in” for text notifications, and the app will tell you the best day and time to book the cheapest flight. This is my number 1 go-to app and I use it before booking any flight. Watching the bunny hop around is also quite entertaining (for the easily amused).
2. SKYSCANNER
This is my second go-to app for international flights. I gauge flight prices with HOPPER and cross check with SKYSCANNER. Sometimes SKYSCANNER has flight options and combinations that don’t appear on other apps, and they’re frequently cheaper.
3. SCOTT’S CHEAP FLIGHTS
Every day I receive emails from this subscription website which let’s me know about the hottest flight deals to be found on the internet. (My spontaneous trip to Iceland was booked this year because of a notification from this app). The emails also provide you with a genius tip or “must do” in the specific location of the deal.
4. MOMONDO
Similar to Hopper, this app compares flight prices on hundreds of airlines and will send notifications for your inputted dates. It also tells you the cheapest, quickest, and best found prices. I found out about this app through my Scott’s Cheap Flights subscription.
Momondo offers great travel guides and map navigation for some major cities in Europe. You can download specific Momondo apps from the app store after a quick search.
5. BEST & WORST DAYS TO TRAVEL
BEST: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday are the cheapest days to travel.
WORST: Friday, Sunday, and Holidays are the most expensive.
6. BEST & WORST TRAVEL SEASONS
CHEAPEST TIME OF YEAR TO FLY:
• January through mid-May
• September through early December
MOST EXPENSIVE TIME OF YEAR TO FLY:
• Christmas & New Years
Specific destinations may also have peak season. (Example: Flight prices in Asia rise for the Chinese New Year which usually lands in late January to mid February.)
• Summer/peak season (mid June–mid August)
7. GREAT FARES FROM THE US
AFRICA: $800 or below
(I paid $733 from JFK to Cape Town)
ASIA: $500 or below
(I paid $565 direct from JFK to Hanoi)
AUSTRALIA: $800 or below
(I paid mid $700’s, from EWR to Brisbane)
CARIBBEAN: $300 or below
(in Feb. I paid $250 from JFK to Grand Cayman)
CENTRAL AMERICA: $300 or below
(I paid $453 from JFK to Managua during peak)
EUROPE: $500 or below
(I paid $530 from JFK to Porto )
HAWAII: $400 or below
(mine was about $500)
SOUTH AMERICA $600 or below
(I paid $650 from JFK to Lima)
8. CHASE SAPPHIRE
Chase Sapphire VISA is used by almost all of my travel buddies. Why? You accrue double points for travel and dining out, it works everywhere, and your points go further when you redeem them for travel. Also, if you lose your card abroad, they’ll overnight you a new one (this happened to me when in France).
Once approved, you’ll receive 50k travel points if you spend $4,000 within 3 months time. I signed up before spending a month in Asia, put all of my travel expenses on the card and reached the spending quota before the 3-month mark. Between the points I accrued traveling around Asia and the 50k newbie points, I was able to book a few free flights afterwards.
If you opt for Chase’s higher level card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you get even more reward options. (I’ll be investing in this one before my next big trip.)
No, I don’t work or promote for Chase, but they should pay me for recommending them as much as I do. Seriously, they’re wonderful. Send me an email if you’d like me to refer you!
9. XE MONEY CONVERTER
For the mathematically disadvantaged (such as myself), this app is an amazing time saver for converting foreign currency. From booking flights on foreign airline sites to trying to figure out the costs of purchases during your holiday abroad, this tells you how much you’re actually spending in USD (or your local currency). XE comes in handy for any international trip and helps you to not blow money! Download this from the app store.
