Online Vacation Booking Tips
Nowadays, booking a flight or vacation online couldn’t be easier. There are dozens of apps and websites promising to find you the best deals possible. Google Flights which has become an extremely popular go-to for booking flights has taken out a lot of the guesswork. There is also, of course, friendly tips and family advice on where to go and when to book a vacation or flight online. That being said, there are still some solid booking tips that you may not have heard of that could also help you save big when it comes time to booking a flight or vacation. Check out the following tips, I’m sure you haven’t heard of at least of these tricks.
Use Rate Calendars To Figure Out Pricing Drops
Most travel websites start by asking you to enter the destination and number of people on the trip, followed by the dates you’d like to go. Nearly all websites will also show you a rate calendar for the cost of flights to and from your desired location. If you plan your trip in advance, you may begin to spot pricing drops of flights closer to a specific date. As a good test, watch the prices of the same day of the week you wish to leave but a few weeks earlier. As seats begin to fill there can be a flux in price based on the number of seats filled and days remaining to departure.
Take 5min out of your day to see if you can spot patterns in the cost of the trip. Booking at the right time could save you as much as 10 to 20% if you are
Avoid Packages to Compare Prices
You might not be able to find a deal on a flight, but there are always options on a hotel. Instead of booking a package vacation deal go the extra mile and compare prices of booking just the flight and shop around hotel prices. You may get a good deal.
Hotwire is an excellent way to get a nice hotel room at a discounted price if you’re not overly picky. Check out my review of Hotwire here to learn more about how booking by preferences could save you a lot of money.
Search Using Chrome “Incognito” Mode
Back in 2008, the internet welcomed Incognito Mode. A privacy option for the browser Chrome. This allows people to search without websites tracking your history.
Flight search engines and non-travel websites often use a tracking tool called “cookies” to help remember your search history. You might have noticed this as when you re-visited a website about flight information or pricing all the details of your trip have to saved. This can be helpful from a time standpoint, but there are some that believe you might not be seeing the best price available.
To open an incognito window, start Chrome and click the three dot icon in the top right corner of the screen. Click New Incognito Window and start browsing. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+ Shift + N to bring up a new incognito window without entering the Chrome settings menu.
By browsing in a private browser session, you might able to find a lower price because the website cannot use their tracking cookies to determine any previous browsing history you might have had. Another option is to clear your cache before you re-visit the website.
Last Minute Mystery Deals
If you’re looking to get away and can wait until the very last minute to book, airfare can be surprisingly inexpensive. You might be able to save up to 60% off by booking the day of the flight. Of course, you will know very little about the time and location of where you’re going, but you might be able to make an educated guess based on the travel window and patterns of the flights available at the airport. This isn’t for everyone, but if you’re the adventures type, you could have an amazing impulse vacation for cheap.
Consider “Hidden City” Booking
This flight search option is legal, but, there is a catch. You book a fare with a connecting flight and hop off at the connecting airport instead of continuing to the final destination instead of booking a more expensive direct flight. Since the airlines might not appreciate this gesture, be sure you don’t check a bag or link your loyalty rewards number. Skiplagged is probably the best site to engage in this endeavor.
