The experts at Cheapflights have put their heads together, sharing the best travel tips, tricks, hacks and secrets on how to save money travelling next year – and every year!
Before you fly
1. It’s a no brainer but don’t travel in high season. Select shoulder seasons when it’s cheaper to fly or low. Just keep an eye on the weather forecasts.
2. Check out flights 53 days in advance. A recent study by Momondo.co.uk, which analysed 7.5 billion airfares on its top 100 routes, revealed that booking a flight 52 days before you wish to fly could save up to one-third on your fare.
3. Source cheap accommodation, checking out hotel deals or giving hotels a miss and trying Airbnb or one of the other city-stay websites.
4. Lock in a multi-trip travel insurance policy and ensure it covers you for everything you intend to do on your trip.
5. Save on foreign currency exchange. Sort out your spending money in advance. Getting your currency at the airport is a budget buster.
6. As soon as you have a date in mind, start your search. Scheduled flights will only climb in price as the departure date edges closer. The opposite is true for charter flights, a great option if you just want to get away and don’t really mind where!
7. Fly indirect. Travellers can make big savings on flight prices IF they’re prepared to take the long way round.
8. Dodge Air Passenger Duty on flights departing from the UK by flying from an airport that doesn’t charge one! Belfast doesn’t, Dublin doesn’t, Amsterdam Schiphol doesn’t. Fly to any of those airports – £13 for that – and take your long-haul flight from there.
9. Don’t necessarily book with the flag carrier or major airline. Smaller / new carriers can have great deals.
10. If you have a complicated itinerary consider picking up the phone to speak to a travel agent. There are often fares that professionals have access to.
11. Follow airlines and online travel agents on social media. They’ll announce flash sales and discounts there first.
12. Be flexible with the times and dates of travel.
13. Fly early mornings or late at night.
14. Fly mid-week. A slew of studies have shown that Tuesday and Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly.
15. Flight sites can tell from your searches how close you are to booking and some will jack up the price or notify you that there are only a couple of seats left at a particular price. Ditch your device and check on a laptop or other phone.
16. Don’t feel like you have to lock in a return fare. Mix and match your flights – out with one airline, back with another. Booking a return flight from your destination could be a good way to save, when you consider currency conversions.
17. Watch the airlines that charge big for paying with a credit card. See if paying by a debit card or other method is cheaper or even free.
18. If you’re travelling in a family or large group price the tickets singly. If there’s no admin fee, look at booking seats one by one. Sometimes, if there are only a small number of seats available at a certain fare, a large booking will be bumped up into the next tier.
19. Price it all up. What do get for your fare? A free meal? A baggage allowance? An allocated seat? Is there an admin fee? If the answer to any of these questions is no, add on the cost of each – £10 for a meal; £20 to check in a bag; £10 to choose where you sit (crucial if you’re travelling as a group or with children).
20. Avoid booking a specific seat. The costs for these can add a tenner to your flight price.
21. Give the in-flight meal a miss and make your own in advance or buy it at the airport.
22. Avoid the obstacle course that is (often) booking a flight. Sometimes you can feel like you’ve triumphed by JUST booking a flight. Do you need that text message that’s charged at £1? The airline’s travel insurance? Be very careful about which boxes you’re ticking and which you’re leaving clear.
23. Where’s your departure point? That bargain flight from Heathrow won’t help if you’re closer to Manchester Airport or Aberdeen.
Getting to the airport
24. Transport costs can be a huge part of the equation. Fly from your nearest airport and then beg a (free) ride with a friend or family member or source the cheapest way of getting there.
25. If you are taxiing, check out Uber or Kabbee. Kabbee allows bargain hunters to compare minicab prices from 5,000 licensed cars. If you’re considering it for an airport run, its mobile app prompts travellers to enter their flight number, which gives their driver live arrival information, guaranteeing perfect timekeeping.
26. Take a slow bus instead of a pricy express train.
27. Go on the underground instead of overground.
28. Travel after peak times on the Tube.
29. If you’re leaving your car at the airport, price up the costs of parking long-stay or short-stay and do a complete search on what airport-parking providers are offering. Then book.
30. Ensure your liquids are in a zippable bag already. Some airports charge £1 for a clear plastic bag for security screening.
31. If Wi-Fi is not free at your airport and you need to access emails or surf take up residence near the business lounge. If you’re close enough you’ll be able to pick up the signal.
32. Bring your own breakfast / lunch / dinner snaffling a cheeky, free chocolate sample from duty-free shops. Pack vitamin boosts such as carrots, celery, radishes, apples or apricots.
33. Have an empty plastic bottle that you can refill with water when you pass through security.
34. Have everything you need on your device to cut down on anything that might add weight.
Baggage charges
35. Checked-luggage charges can be sky high and are hard to avoid especially if you’re on a family holiday. Pay very, very close attention to what your checked luggage allowance is. On Ryanair flights, hauling an extra couple of pounds of luggage will add £10. Weigh your luggage before you leave home and don’t chance it. Airport scales are not always reliable.
36. Shelve the shampoo and buy what you need at your destination. Sunblock, beach towel, buckets and spades. Goes without saying that your paperback will now be in ebook format…
37. Max out your cabin baggage allowance and try to pack everything you need in that, stuffing socks in shoes, rolling your clothes to make maximum use of the space you have.
38. Invest in a specially designed bag such as Cabin Max, Tripp Lite or Samsonite rather than your heavy old backpack. They’re very light, with outer and inner zipped pockets, telescopic handles and packing straps and designed to fit the maximum carry-on luggage dimensions of 55 x 40 x 20cm.
39. Or, buy a jacket that doubles as a bag. Wearable luggage it’s called. There are lots of these on the market with imaginative names such as the Bagket, the Rufus Roo and the Stuffa. You could get 5kg in one of those jackets.
40. Make full use of your companions’ baggage allowance, even if they’re tiny travellers of two-and-a-half! Don’t leave the house with just a Peppa Pig backpag, make sure you’re getting your full allowance.
41. Wear most of your clothes on the flight. Heavy sweater? Tie it around your waist. A skirt? Wear it over your leggings. Sure, you’ll look a little like the Michelin man but you’ll be saving money.
On the flight
42. Don’t be tempted by the in-flight lotto, a £3 cup of tea or a hot panini. Stick with the items you have squirreled on board.
43. Forget paying for Wi-Fi. Load up your device with what you need before the flight and enjoy a break from real-life for a couple of hours.
When you land
44. If you need to grab a trolley for your luggage see if there is a charge. If there is, carry your bags instead.
45. Take the local option (bus / train) to get into town, rather than a pricey cab.
And while you’re on holidays …
46. See if a city pass is a good option for you. It’s a roll-up of museum and gallery admission and public transport but you might also get some free events or free food too.
47. Use public transport or walk everywhere. It’s the best way to get under the skin of a city.
48. Eat like a local, frequenting places that local people lunch and dine in. If the weather is good and parks are plentiful put your own lunch together from markets and groceries.
49. If you’re staying at a hotel breakfast as late as you can and make it count as brunch, perhaps hiding a bread roll or two as the basis for lunch.
50. Go for museum lates, free entry and donation-only galleries.
(Feature image: Phil Roeder)
