These days, we’re all trying to save money and watch our spending habits, but sometimes you need a break from your everyday life. Seeing a new country or city and immersing yourself in the local life is often just what you need to recharge and get your energy back.
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. Keep an eye on exchange rates and plan your travel accordingly. For Americans, Western Europe was not a very economical choice in the summer of 2008 – the summer of 2009 is another story. The dollar has gained 9% on the Euro just since the beginning of the year.
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. Rent a house or apartment rather than staying in a hotel. Not only will you in many cases end up paying less per night, you can save even more by eating at least one meal/day at home. The best deals can be found where there are many rental properties available; areas like Florida with lots of second homes for example. Also keep an eye out for last minute deals – this year especially, since the recession is forcing property owners and rental companies to lower their prices and offer special incentives.
4. Stay up to date with the latest deals and discounts. Sign up for newsletters from travel sites, airlines, home rental companies, chambers of commerce, travel magazines, online auction sites, etc. to make sure you hear about new deals as soon as they are announced. You don’t want to miss deals like JetBlue’s recent one-day sale where they offered tickets from San Francisco to New York for $14, or Last Minute Travel’s $1/night hotel rooms.
5. Travel auctions are another great way to vacation for less. Sites such as Luxury Link list new offers all the time and with a bit of luck and smart bidding, you can save tons on stays in luxury villas and resorts with all kinds of amenities included (meals, staff, chef, massages, etc.). I recently read a review by an auction winner who ended up paying just over $2,000 for a week at a well-known luxury villa in the Caribbean with all staff and a private chef. The regular price for a week at that property is around $10,000, so that was quite a bargain.
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.
