Chic On The Cheap: 10 Ways To Find The Best Hotels And Cheapest Flights

Why pay more than you need to on travel? Cut costs and travel cheaper but still in style with CGD’s 10 cheap luxury travel tips for cutting the price of your vacation. It’s not rocket science—all it takes is patience, research, and time. Here are our 10 best ways to travel chic on the cheap:

#1 – Buy your tickets in advance
Be flexible to get a great deal. The key to finding cheap flights is to be flexible with your days. Flights on Wednesday and Thursday are cheaper then Monday & Friday, Sunday and Vacations. (the time when everyone else is booking a flight). Generally, the most expensive times to fly are peak business travel hours (8 to 10 am and 5 to 7 pm). Cheaper seats tend to depart early in the morning (5 to 7 am) or late in the evening (after 8 pm).

#2 – Use travel apps
This is a great article about the world’s best travel apps.

#3 – Check different airlines
Use different airlines to check the best price. Don’t mind where you go as long as you can get there cheaply? Then use Skyscanner’s ‘search everywhere’ option which lists the cheapest flights from your local airport in price order.

#4 – Dress for success
If you’re flying intercontinental try to get an upgrade. Airlines want first and business class to look a league above, so make sure you do too. Bob Atkinson, travel expert at TravelSupermarket.com advises sticking to the ‘smart casual’ code and that ‘a cashmere shawl or linen jacket can make all the difference.’

#5 – Sign up to newsletters
To save as much money as possible, make sure you sign up to all the airlines’ deals newsletters and subscribe to newsletters on third party sites like Booking.com.

#6 – Book with an airline
British Airways has valuable deals on their website. Book your hotel with them. It will save you a lot of money.

#7 – Check the reviews
Try to find real images. Photos on sites like booking.com are professional and sometimes different from reality.  Hotels go to great lengths to make their properties seem perfect. But upon arrival, that pool could really be the size of a postage stamp, and those sumptuous linens could feel like sandpaper. Take anything a hotel says about itself with a grain of salt (or sand). To avoid disappointment try to do your research first.

#8 – Check your location
This one can’t miss in our list of cheap luxury travel tips! If your hotel is very affordable, but in the middle of nowhere it’s not worth it.

#9 – Ask your friends for tips

#10 – Don’t Book A Nonrefundable Room
If there is any chance at all that you’ll need to cancel your hotel reservation—bad weather, difficult connection, chance of illness—then don’t use the nonrefundable rate. Yes, you’ll pay more up front, but you won’t be out much bigger bucks should you need to put your trip on hold.

Source: smartertravel
Featured Image: Sex and the city 2