Hey guys! Forgive me for the delayed return, as there has been a shortage in my travels recently due to being so busy with work; I have been quite stuck on what to post. I did travel to Amsterdam again over the weekend just gone, however, I believe I have shared enough of the Dam trips with you all and therefore decided against blogging the most recent lol. I did consider vlogging the trip instead however my camera has been having some technical difficulties so yeah that didn't go to plan. Anyways enough of that, I figured I could switch it up a little and do a post sharing travel tips and advice. There are several questions that I am asked quite frequently, so I will be covering those in this post.
I am quite often asked how I manage to travel so frequently, where I find deals etc. The truth is travelling does not need to break the bank, there are several work arounds and ways of saving money. It helps to be spontaneous as sometimes it's either last minute, random week days or season trips that work out to be the cheapest. As you can imagine weekends are the most popular times to travel due to majority of people either being off work or being able to travel with children etc. Therefore it's best to totally avoid weekend trips if possible, or even compromise to departing on a Friday and returning on a Monday, whilst the majority would be occupied with work. Just generally being flexible makes things a lot easier, we all prefer the convenient flight times and airports closer to home but being open to travelling a little further to fly out, or taking the 6am departure saves extra coins in the pocket.
Okay I'm starting to blab on a bit, so I'm going to list some tips to save your eyes the struggle of reading paragraphs!
1. Incognito/private browsing
This is major key when it comes to searching for holidays! When booking a trip do you tend to go through several searches before actually deciding on something? Yeah, we all do, and the more times a flight/hotel is searched the more popular it's shown to be. Popularity = price increases! Searching in incognito means none of your browsing history is saved therefore there is no record of how many times you've visited British Airways to check the price of flights to MIA!
2. Booking early
Despite recommending last minute deals unless you're very flexible in your search, it's rare that you will find something suitable. We all have this idea that flights decrease in price closer to the departure date, however this isn't entirely true. There are lots of last minute people out there so chances are several others are also browsing the same offers, and as above popularity = £+. Booking early not only means that you have more of a choice within your flight times, airports etc. but you also get the early prices and most flights would have numerous seats remaining so prices are less likely to rocket.
3. Do your research
When booking a trip ensure that you shop around before rushing into a reservation. I find comparison sites very useful, as your options are weighed up for you. There are so many different airlines and companies out there so instead of restricting yourself to just one or two, broaden your search and be open to trying out an airline you haven't travelled with before. However, be mindful of the hidden charges that often appear i.e. VAT or cabin baggage.
4. Be open/flexible
Personally I am very open to where I travel to which definitely does help (Obviously within reason, you wouldn't catch me flying to Syria). If you're looking to travel to the Caribbean in the height of Summer expect to see big prices! You have to be smart when booking, if you're able to travel in low season then do so. Chances are you will save a lump sum and still reap the benefits of the destination. I often find that the less popular places are the most delightful, almost like untouched hidden gems!
5. Low deposits & free reservations
Yes there are actually sites out there that offer free hotel reservations, either requesting for the cost of the room(s) to be paid on arrival, or shortly before. Booking.com & Expedia are two of the best for it! As for low deposits, talk about life savers. Putting down a low deposit in good time, allows you to secure the early price but still have a reasonable period of time to pay the trip off. I never say no to a deposit myself, it's not every day that we can randomly pay for something outright so planning ahead and securing your deal early saves a lot of stress!
Turns out I have a thing for paragraphs lol... Well that's pretty much all of the tips my tired brain has produced at present, if I think of or discover any more I will be sure to share them!
Look out for my next post which will most likely be from an island in the Caribbean :)
xo
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