25 popular travel hacks to save money on holiday
Are you a super savvy saver when it comes to booking holidays? Or do the websites get the best of you, causing you to miss out on deals?
Take this quiz to find out your savvy-booker score.
Discover if you’re a travel titan, able to winkle out a bargain months in advance or a sticker price sucker, paying over the odds for your holidays.
The quiz comes after a study of 1,500 people who go abroad revealed 65 per cent attempt a number of ‘hacks’ each time they search online for a holiday, with 16 per cent waking up early to take advantage of sales going live first thing in the morning.
While other top travel tactics people try include setting flight price tracking alerts, clearing their web cookies and signing up for air fare newsletters.
But 74 per cent think booking a getaway is just ‘a bit of a gamble’ when it comes to prices.
A spokesman for FlightsFinder.com, which commissioned the research to launch its specialist ‘ask the expert’ function, said: “Everyone wants the best deals and cheapest flights.
“The problem consumers face is deciding which hacks are actually worth the effort and which are not.
“Some might even be more hassle than they’re worth.
“The fact remains that the more rigid you are with your travel plans the less likely it is that you’ll grab a bargain.”
Other hacks holidaymakers employ to get the best prices are to always check whether two single flights are cheaper than one return (24 per cent) or using browser incognito mode to hide previous searches (23 per cent).
While 15 per cent search for ‘hidden city’ or multi-city tickets – with a long stopover to squeeze in an extra day’s sightseeing in a new location.
TOP 25 HACKS SAVVY HOLIDAY BOOKERS SWEAR BY
1. Compare different travel dates to see if it’s cheaper
2. Search for flights departing on a particular day to see if it’s cheaper
3. Pay for flights with a credit card
4. Book a hotel directly rather than through a third-party site
5. Pack as lightly as possible to avoid baggage charges
6. Search for flights six-eight weeks in advance of the trip
7. Buy a package deal to make the entire trip less costly
8. Compare multiple flight comparison websites
9. Compare multiple airline websites directly
10. Book flights in the ‘off season’ of where you’re travelling to
11. Look up when school holidays are as to travel outside of these times
12. Clear cookies from your browser when resuming a search for flights or hotels
13. Compare two, one-way flights instead of a return flight, to see if that’s cheaper
14. Compare multiple travel agents directly
15. Use ‘private’ or ‘incognito’ mode on your browser so they can’t tell you’ve already looked at flights
16. Book a flight into a less busy airport
17. Fly overnight to reduce costs
18. Set up price alerts to be notified of price drops
19. Sign up to air mile or frequent flyer programmes
20. Sign up to airline flight deal newsletters
21. Consider different layover options to lower the price of your overall trip
22. Wake up early to take advantage of the cheaper tickets on sale at the start of the day
23. Compare flights in other currencies to see if you can save money
24. Search for hidden city tickets (when you buy a ticket with the intention of leaving the plane at a stopover, rather than the final destination)
25. Use throw away ticketing (where a round trip flight is cheaper than your desired one way flight so you purchase the round trip flight and throw away the return ticket)
However, these hacks can cause some anxiety as 23 per cent admitted to stressing ‘a lot’ about getting the best deal when going abroad.
On average, adults start planning a holiday overseas five months and one week before they actually take to the skies.
But 31 per cent aren’t very spontaneous when it comes to choosing a holiday destination.
Travellers’ top priority is the accommodation (49 per cent), followed by what the weather will be like (31 per cent).
And arranging travel insurance (18 per cent) was deemed a higher priority than picking what to pack (17 per cent), according to the OnePoll.com figures.
FlightsFinder’s spokesperson added: “There is still a huge demand for travel even though we are living through a cost-of-living crisis.
“Now, more than ever, it is essential that consumers educate themselves about the best money saving tactics when looking for their next trip abroad to save their hard-earned cash.
“That is why we launched our new ‘ask the expert’ service which guides consumers to the best deals online, essentially separating the wheat from the chaff.”