With these tips, you will save some money on your next trip
It almost seems like a special skill; planning a trip on a budget while also feeling like you’re on a luxury(-ish) vacation. But it turns out that there are some tricks you can use to make planning your trip easier ánd cheaper without having to sleep in low-budget motels.
Cheap rooms
According to Hopper, an app designed to find cheap prices for hotels and flights, there are ways to find cheap rooms without having to stay at the creepy motel that looks like the ones you see in horror movies. And the best kept secret is that sometimes, booking online isn’t the cheapest option. It might seem easier because you don’t have to actually talk to people to book your vacation, but you might save some money if you do put in the effort of making that call.
So, call the hotel that you’re planning on booking and ask them if they have any special rates of discounts. That way, you’ll make sure that you always get the best prize when booking a room.
Check-in
If you have some wiggle room when it comes to the start date of your vacation, try to start it on a Sunday. According to Real Simple, Sunday is the cheapest day of the week to check-in. You might save as much as 19% on the rate of your room compared to people who check in on other days. The most expensive day to check into your room is Tuesdays. Always check multiple days when trying to find a hotel. That way, you can adjust your vacation based on the cheapest options. And always check if your flight for that day is also cheap; you don’t want to end up with a cheap hotel only to find out that the cost of the flight is way over budget.
Time
Besides the day of the week, it also matters at what time you book your room. If you are planning on traveling to a really big city that is used to a lot of business travel, like NYC or Chicago, you should book your room pretty last-minute. In these cities, prices for hotels tend to go down in the three months before check-in. So, it wouldn’t hurt to book last minute in this case.
If you travel to smaller cities, like Phoenix or Orlando, you should book a little more in advance. When you wait for the last minute, prices will go up and you will end up with a more expensive room. So, book your room three months in advance. That way, you’ll end up with the best price!
Read more: Find out: these are the hidden fees for flying
Source: Real Simple | Image: Unsplash, Vojtech Bruzek