CHEAP THRILLS FROM YOUR VACATION DEAL
Simple tips to find the best flights and hotel rates for your holiday
With the year winding down and winter approaching, vacations are on everyone’s mind. It’s time to surf the Internet, make travel plans and look for the best flight and hotel deals. Refine your search with these tips.
KEEP YOUR SEARCH PRIVATE
Searching for flights in incognito mode can bag you great deals. All browsers on the desktop and on your smartphones have an incognito mode. Fares rise on the basis of search history. If you find the right flight but book after a few hours or the next day, prices would’ve increased.
BROWSE ALL TRAVEL SEARCH ENGINES
While searching for the best flight deals, do comparisons on all search engines to get the lowest price. Using multiple search engines is a good idea because it means you are least likely to miss out on deals. Do browse the airline’s website as well as prices may vary sometimes.
BOOK IN ADVANCE
It is recommended that you buy flight tickets much in advance as prices typically shoot up as you near the travel date. Book two to three months in advance to get the best rates.
TRAVEL MID-WEEK
Flying on weekdays often gets you a lower fare than the weekend, though that may not be the case during the holiday season. Avoid peak-hour flights as fares rise with demand. Be open to flying at less-friendly hours or on indirect flights and save. The best time to book an air ticket is between midnight and 2 am.
DON’T FORGET THOSE AIRLINE MILES
Frequent flyer programmes come very handy for those who travel frequently. They reward you with points every time you fly, which can be accumulated and used to get a free ticket or an upgrade. Airline miles are loyalty programmes offered by airlines to regular travellers. You accumulate them every time you buy tickets and use them for free upgrades or free tickets.
PACKAGE DEALS
It’s best to opt for packages than buying products separately. Advance purchase of flight-hotel packages provided by online travel aggregators makes them cheaper. The basic package deals include flight tickets, hotel stay with breakfast, transfers between airport and hotel and sightseeing. Operators purchase tickets in bulk before the season, which gives them the best pick among hotels.
FLIGHT CANCELLATION
If you are not sure about your travel plans, it makes sense to book refundable tickets. It will protect you from losing the entire fare in the event of cancellation. Remember, the lowest fares are often non-refundable. If you happen to cancel, only the taxes will be refunded, whereas slightly premium tickets tend to allow refunds. You can also change travel dates on paying the difference in fare between the present and earlier date of booking.