Here are five ways to lower the cost of flying on your summer vacation – or any trip!
1. Sign up for the email list of your favorite airlines. When a fare sale starts, airlines often email their loyal customers. I got a round trip ticket to New York City for less than $160 because Jetblue emailed me when they dropped their fares. Hubby and I paid $39 each way to fly to Portland because we got an email about a fare sale from Southwest. Yes, you will get some annoying emails from signing up, but usually you can tell from the subject line if the email is about a sale or not.
2. Thoroughly search Kayak.com, a site that aggregates travel deals seen on Travelocity, Expedia and others, before you book. I find most of the lowest fares I have booked through Kayak.
3. Fly mid-week for lower fares. Simple but it works.
4. Once you book your flight, register it at Yapta.com. If the price drops, Yapta will email you how to get a refund or credit. Many airlines charge a re-booking fee so the drop has to be significant (generally $75 to $250).
5. Check out TravelZoo.com. I love this site because it sends me travel deals from my local airports. They have many vacation packages and oftentimes the vacation specials page has deals that are eye-popping.
Which airline has the best luggage policy? National Geographic travel writer Chris Elliot says hands down it is Southwest.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
vrbo.com! hands down the best place you can find anywhere you are going. These are vacation rentals by owner. We discovered it because my daughter has food allergies and we need to cook all her food and getting a suite can get expensive. But this is the best!. We are sharing a house with a pool 1 block from the ocean in hawaii on our week long summer vacation with some close friends and its costing us less than 100 dollars a day per couple!