Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Tips on travelling smart

Richard Hartung

SINGAPORE — With many low-cost airlines now flying out of Singapore and plenty of websites offering hotel deals, it might seem like the best way to save money on travel is simply to book a budget airline and hotel online. It turns out, though, that there are ways to bring down your costs even further by planning smart.

CHOOSING WHEN TO TRAVEL

The first decisions you’ll need to make are when to travel and where to go. If you only want to go to the trendiest destinations during peak travel times, it can be difficult to save money.

If you have flexibility on timing and can travel during the off-season or you can choose from a number of beach or mountain destinations rather than just the Maldives or Switzerland, however, you can take advantage of airline and hotel deals that can save you money.

SELECTING A FLIGHT

Once you decide where and when to go, the next step is often selecting an airline flight. While full-service carriers such as Singapore Airlines are comfortable, the quality of budget airlines has improved tremendously and flight times can be convenient. More than just choosing an airline, though, you can save even more by following tips from experts.

Booking your ticket far in advance is, perhaps surprisingly, not always the least expensive option. Data from cheapair.com, compiled by analysing more than 8,000 markets and 1.3 billion airfares, show that the timing for the cheapest fares varies depending on the destination. A check last month showed that flights to Seoul bottom out about 77 days in advance, for example, while flights to Paris are least expensive about 98 days in advance. Other data show that the cheapest day to book a ticket is often a Tuesday.

You can also save hundreds of dollars if you watch for early bird sale fares, travel site Lonely Planet found, as travellers can get cheaper fares if they book when tickets are first released or in a seat sale.

Looking for tickets first thing in the morning also can also be helpful, since bookings that were on hold overnight are often released in the wee hours of the morning and result in better prices earlier in the day. Skyscanner also suggests considering mixing and matching airlines to lower the price, since tickets on multiple budget airlines often don’t raise the total cost.

To minimise what you pay, you should also delete your browser history after each search for a flight. Many websites and search engines install cookies on your browser so that they can track your visits. When you do a search and return to book your ticket later, the sites may raise prices because their analysis shows that returning travellers are more serious about travelling.

YOUR HOME AWAY CAN BE A CASTLE

Along with making an airline reservation, you’ll need a place to stay. If you want to stay in a hotel, The Lonely Planet travel guide suggests that the biggest savings come by booking hotels about 30 days before your trip. Booking last-minute can work too, since prices can be lower the day before you travel than months in advance.

If you make a cancellable hotel reservation, you can use services such as DreamCheaper.com to lower your cost. DreamCheaper tracks the price of your hotel room, then cancels your reservation and rebooks the room at a cheaper rate if it finds that the room price has fallen.

If you’re willing to give up the frills of a hotel, you can save even more by renting a room, apartment or house using Airbnb or another accommodation marketplace. You can even rent a castle in Europe, if you want something luxurious.

And while house swapping may seem like too much hassle or too risky to consider, renowned travel writer Rick Steves said many families who’ve tried it go on to enjoy this budget option year after year. Even better, your accommodation is free. Good places to start, Steves suggests, are HomeExchange, HomeLink, and Intervac Home Exchange.

GOING IT ALONE

Once you get to your destination, you can save money if you’re independent enough to make your own arrangements.

You may find that credit cards or other memberships offer deals or perks on meals and tours or more in the city you’re visiting, for instance, and you can sometimes find deals on sites such as Groupon as well.

Other specialised online sites can also be helpful. Audio walking tours available through sites such as PocketGuide Audio Travel Guide or local guides through sites such as Airbnb Experiences can be a good way to get to know a city. Services such as TripAdvisor can help with finding local deals, and apps such as BonAppetour offer links to home-cooked meals. Plenty of other apps can help with cost-effective local arrangements too.

CHOOSING THE BEST OPTION - FOR YOU

What works best really does differ for each person. If you have a tight schedule or prefer luxurious hotels and full-service airlines, you’ll pay for the privilege. If you want to spend less and are willing to be flexible, you can save a bundle and have a little extra to splurge if you take the time to make arrangements on your own. A little effort can yield big dividends.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.