I am often asked what my tips are for traveling at the best price! That’s how I came up with the idea to write this article. So I’m sharing with you our tips for traveling cheaper, because we all dream of being able to take the trip of our dreams without breaking the bank.
1. Organize everything yourself to travel cheaper
The first and most important rule when you want to travel at the best price is to organize your trip yourself! For example, before booking our road trip to Canada (cancelled due to covid) , we compared the prices of a travel agency with our own research. The agency had given us a quote of €12,000 for a family of 4 (2 adults + 2 children). By organizing everything ourselves, the trip cost us €6,000. The figures speak for themselves. Organizing your trip allows you to make huge savings and adapt your choices (accommodation, transport, etc.) to your budget.
However, you should know that wanting to take charge of organizing your trip requires a lot, a lot of time. I spend hours finding the best prices, the must-see places, planning the itinerary… For my part, I love it! Almost as much as the trip itself. For those who like to travel without taking their heads, a travel agency or a travel planner remain ideal solutions.
2. Book in advance to travel cheaper
Some will say that last minute can be a great deal but we have never tried this option. I like to take the time to organize and plan everything in advance before discovering a destination. But I am sure that the unexpected and the unforeseen must bring a certain excitement to the trip and sometimes even be a good surprise on the budget side.
When you want to go outside Europe, you look at the prices of plane tickets between 6 and 9 months before the desired travel date . And once again, after doing a few tests, we realized that the price went from single to double (or even triple). And this, for the same date and the same destination but by booking barely 2 months in advance. So we never took this risk because our travel plans are not flexible and we never leave on a whim. In addition, booking in advance allows you to have a wider choice in terms of accommodation. And if you like to visit like us, some emblematic places require booking months in advance!
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3. Compare prices to travel cheaper
Here is what takes the most time but is essential when you want to travel at the best price: COMPARE prices. By doing this kind of exercise (Excel spreadsheet in front of you!), you will see that you can find all the prices and especially very good prices if you are looking for the best deals!
PLANE TICKETS
First step of a travel project: book plane tickets. And there our best ally is the Skyscanner flight comparator . As parents and employees, we have date constraints. So we are not really flexible when it comes to our trips. For our romantic city trips we always leave during the weekend and when we leave with the children, it is during the school holidays. Obviously, these are not the most recommended periods to find the cheapest tickets. However, the flight comparator allows us to find the most competitive airline and the cheapest flight times.
On the other hand, if you are flexible and can leave at any time (during the week and off-season), you can get great deals. Another super economical tip that we have never used, and if you don’t have a particular plan, adapt your destination to the price of the tickets! And finally, to save a few more euros, and if you can, don’t take hold luggage. Traveling in cabin luggage when you are leaving for a few days is rather easy (but paying on some low-cost airlines) . On the other hand, when you are leaving for a long trip, it is more difficult to apply this tip especially with children!
ACCOMMODATION
Whether you choose a hotel or an apartment, here too you have to compare prices. Besides, it is often more interesting for the budget to rent an Airbnb . I am not talking about youth hostels which are also a great option because it is not at all our thing. With our 40 years and some, we like our comfort but also to please ourselves! If you prefer to stay in a hotel, review the price offered on Booking and that offered by the hotel that interests you. Even with a Genius status, Booking is not necessarily the cheapest. It is often more interesting to go directly through the hotel and sometimes even to get a discount.
CAR RENTAL
During our city trips, we like to do everything on foot. For us, it’s the best way to discover a city. Sometimes we save our legs after long days of walking by using public transport. When we go away for longer, we rent a car to be able to get around easily. For this, we use the Rentalcars comparator to find the most suitable car at the best price.
On the other hand, be careful because choosing the cheapest rental company is not always the best option. The first thing to do is to check if they take debit cards. They represent the majority of cards that the French have. However, and very often, low-cost rental companies require credit cards. Then, you have to be careful about the amount of the deposit which can be exorbitant. There are also additional insurances that you may be forced to take out. Finally, the price will also be higher if you prefer to pick up your vehicle directly at the airport. Look at everything in detail and don’t be afraid of sometimes losing a few euros because some rental companies have very dubious practices and you can easily get scammed!
THE PARKING
To park our car at the airport, we often use Onepark which is a comparator and an online booking site for parking spaces. It allows you to make huge savings because it offers parking spaces in hotels near train stations and airports with free shuttle service. And the good deal is that if you click on this link you can save 10% on your first reservation!
THE VISITS
When we go to discover a European capital, whether as a couple or with family, we love visiting museums. Once again, we compare prices before booking our tickets. We have noticed that those sold on official websites are often cheaper. On the other hand, they cannot be canceled or changed. If you are cautious, sites like Civitatis or GetYourGuide often offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the visit but also a more varied choice of visits.
It is very interesting for some destinations to take Tourist Passes such as Go City. This is what we did during our getaway to New York that we talked about in our article on our budget for 5 days in New York . We found it very interesting because this kind of Pass allowed us to see the must-see places of the city while saving money.
Finally, depending on the day or time of year, some museums offer free entry. The only drawback for very touristy monuments is that this free entry attracts a lot of people. You will not be alone and you will have to be patient.
THE FOOD
Finally, there is a budget that can literally explode, it is that of food. Some destinations are more expensive than others. You will pay almost nothing to eat delicious tapas in Spain but you will ruin yourself in New York! So you have to know how to adapt. When you stay in hotels with breakfast included, you often skip lunch, otherwise it is often lunch on the go. I can tell you that in New York we ate slices of pizza for 1 dollar!! For the evening, we go to a few restaurants because we also like to treat ourselves but we eat local. We look for good affordable addresses by reviewing the reviews on Tripadvisor. In Airbnb, we go to the market, do some shopping and we cook!
