5 Tips For Cheaper Holiday Deals Online
- Written by Tom Willis
Looking forward to a holiday is one of life’s great pleasures. It’s important to have positive things to strive for and packing a bag and getting away from the 9-5 can help satisfy your thirst for new and fun experiences. Completing a holiday purchase can be time consuming due to the self-serve nature of booking online; given that anyone can become their own travel agent and prices for flights and accommodation now fluctuate on a daily basis, the search for the best deal available is never-ending.
So how can you be sure you’re getting a bargain for your buck without wasting time booking online? Here are ten money savings tips to lower the cost of your holiday so you can focus your thoughts on enjoying your travels.
1. Pick your dates wisely
Beware of the busy periods that draw in crowds. It’s no surprise that the months containing seasonal events such as Christmas, Easter and school holidays coincide with a rise in fees for holiday packages across the board. The time of year is critical for trying to keep costs down so do your research on when trends to get away are at their lowest and therefore cheaper deals are easier to come by.
2. Consider a stopover flight
Long-haul or international flights usually offer several types of routes one of those is likely to be a stopover. No guessing that this option is often presented at a lower rate that a direct flight due to the added time taken to get to where you want to be. If you can get your head around the extended itinerary for the sake of saving money then you’re halfway there to cutting the cost of your holiday package.
3. Choose apartments over hotels
When it comes to value for money accommodation a hotel shouldn’t be the first and only option you explore. Serviced apartments, like Rhapsody Resort with holiday apartments on the Gold Coast, are equipped to offer a more homely experience that subtly brings down day-to-day spend. If your holiday accommodation is fitted with a kitchen and cooking amenities it presents the option to eat rather than dine out. Saving on food and drink purchases is more likely too without the temptation of a hotel mini bar or room service at your disposal. Choosing an apartment may also be a decision based upon space for you and your travel companions: apartments that cater for families and large groups do away with the hassle of booking separate rooms, another contributor to higher holiday costs all round.
4. Check your luggage allowance
Airlines are getting smarter in how they bundle in invisible costs online. One common practice is to entice the buyer to confirm their purchase of a flight and then reveal that baggage is not included, or only a minimal allowance is part of the price. We are seeing this trend more so with budget airlines. By that point it’s too late to reverse the transaction. Don’t be caught out by deals that don’t make this information clear upfront or you could be paying more than you bargained for. Weigh your luggage ahead of flying to be absolutely sure of avoiding extra fees.
5. Travel overnight
One of the most undervalued tactics when it comes to limiting costs of a multiple-destination holiday is travelling at nighttime instead of checking in at a hotel. If you’re not considering using your evening for any special plans then this is essentially ‘dead time’ that can be spent in transit to wipe away the cost of a night’s accommodation. Depending on where in the world you are this may prove to be a costly decision for your finances. Generally this travel hack works best when making a long haul trip internationally either by plane, coach or sleeper train. Waking up fresh may be a compromise but for those who love to travel it will simply another great story to share and a fond memory to keep.
Hopefully these tips on how to make a more cost effective holiday booking will steer you towards a happier time travelling the world. Further advice on travel and accommodation can be found at the Rhapsody Resort website.