The Budget Traveler: 7 Ways to Save Money While Flying
Travel Light or Smart, or both?
Table of Contents
Is it Possible to be a Budget Traveler and Save Money While Flying?
Making travel arrangements today can be confusing and time-consuming and not to mention expensive.
Airlines have creatively mastered the art of having us pay as much as we possibly can for our flights. A few years ago airlines added fees to check a suitcase, and there was an uproar over it, now it’s rather common and expected to pay fees if you wish to take more than one suitcase, depending on the airline.
Airline marketing also adds to the confusion. I have searched for flights on several airlines at the same time and had to go through the whole process of completing the airfare booking online without actually booking the flight to try to ascertain the cost of flying.
Airlines today are masters of confusion, in my opinion, so I, myself, have adapted and changed the way I fly in response.
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How I Find the Best Deals on Flights
Since the airlines want us to spend the most amount of money and I do not wish to play that game, I realize it may require me to research to find the best deals on airfare.
What I have found helpful is the use of several tools and websites, which I have found favorable results and wish to share.
What is a VPN?
A VPN is a Virtual Private Network, and not only does it help to keep your protect your information online and ads a privacy layer, but it also can help you to get the best flight deals.
When I search online, I use a VPN so I can search without interference. If you are in a different country, make sure you update your VPN location as many times your airfare will show different prices depending on your location or country.
Finding the best deals on airfare can be a challenging task and I am grateful for a couple of websites I use almost exclusively.
The first is Skyscanner. Skyscanner is a meta-search engine that allows you to search and find the best flight deals.
The second is Skiplagged. Skiplagged will allow you to search for flights between destinations to also find the best deal.
Once I find the best deal using these sites then I typically head to the airline directly and book on their site.
Join the Airline Frequent Flier Programs
There are several credit cards that allow you to use points toward airfare. I hold several and have paid for flights exclusively using credit card points and miles. Miles add up and before you know it you may be able to use your points and miles toward a free flight.
Pack Efficiently
Less is more and especially when it comes to flying. I have fewer things to manage, and overall is less stressful.
I don’t take everything and the kitchen sink. I recently stopped flying with a hairdryer and haven’t missed it. If I am going to be traveling where one (such as an AIRBNB or hotel) will likely be provided I use the one they have for me. In places where there is no hairdryer, I style my hair curly (I have naturally wavy hair), so it’s a curl day and I am fine with it. I haven’t missed my hairdryer- not one day.
What helped me to minimize my packing was experience. As I have flown and traveled and noticed I didn’t wear or use more than half the items I was bringing. Slowly I started to take less and when I did, I felt more organized, it was easier to find items in my backpack, and overall it was less stressful.
Take Less than You Need
When I fly now, have made some changes so I can get the best deal on a flight, travel in the shortest amount of time, with the least cost and I use a variety of methods to do so in my attempt to travel both smartly and with the least amount of travel gear.
Now, I fly with one backpack for the most part, and It’s packed loosely with all I need for the trip. I don’t need to take 16 shirts, 12 pairs of shoes, 4 pairs of jeans, tons of makeup, etc.
When I say I travel with less, let’s break down my average contents: 2 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of pants, 3 shirts, 2 tank tops, one small bag for toiletries and makeup, one sweatshirt, laptop, camera equipment, and a few other miscellaneous items.
I have elected to downsize to the bare minimum because I have found that whenever I traveled with more, I didn’t end up wearing half of what I brought.
So, I started traveling lighter and lighter and found it worked for me and I really enjoy paying less when traveling. I no longer check a bag.
Wear Layers
Recently I wore 7 shirts on a plane…
I just flew from the USA back to Mexico through Las Vegas and San Diego on my way through to Puerto Vallarta, so I was carrying extra items and didn’t want to bring an extra suitcase. It was a little humorous for me but I managed to do it and not have to bring an extra bag with me.
Look for Deals on Certain Days of the Week
Travel on unpopular days, and generally speaking not major holidays has helped me to get lower deals on flights and accommodations. Tuesday and Sundays are days that seem to have lower flight prices, but this is not always the case.
Research and when you have found a good deal, get ready to move on it. I snoozed on a flight and when I checked it a day or two later, the price increased.
Do you have additional tips you wish to share that have helped you to travel more efficiently? Are there websites you use to research to ensure your travel experience is the best? Drop a comment below!
