More Ideas for Budget Travel

With soaring gas prices and tighter budgets, travel can sometimes seem impossible. Just a five day trip to Vegas can run you well over $900 for one person. Affordable travel is possible, but you just need to know how to do your homework.

The first thing to do is take the time to study the travel trends. June is a popular month for weddings, so weekend flights tend to be more costly. Find sites that can help you determine when is a good time to go. Once you have determined this, book as far in advance as you can. The closer you get to your travel date, the more expensive your flight will be. Yes, you may score a great last minute fare, but their are risks and issues involved with that.

Yes, sites like Priceline and Hotwire may have great last minute deals. However, there is not a guarantee. Sometimes you can find a $100 flight. Other times, you will be stuck with a $500 flight. Priceline and similar sites are great ways to try and find a last minute deal, but you have to read the fine print. With Priceline guarantees that if they find you a deal your flight will depart between 6am and 10pm on the requested day. This could pose an issue. Lets say you are in San Francisco and you are flying to Indianapolis. If you do not fly out of San Francisco until 9:30 at night, you will not actually reach your destination until early the next morning. If you have to be back to work on a specific day, you cannot take a red eye flight back. However, you run the risk of that happening. Many times red eye flights are the ones with seats open at the last minute, so this is a serious concern.

Networking is also a very powerful tool in booking vacations too. Sometimes you can make business and personal connections with people you can contact. People you know may have experience with booking online travel. They may know of discounts and deals you can use to your advantage. If you are fond of a city, you can befriend tour guides and hotel managers. If you can provide a service such as publicity, write the hotel or tour a good review. Let the company know about your efforts, and they may be able to help you with discounted rates.