Most of us love to travel, whether it be backpacking through Europe or road-tripping across the USA, or a luxurious trip to the water bungalows of Maldives. But each type of travel has its caveats, for example, staying in youth hostels, hitchhiking, and shoving your carry-ons in crowded commute vehicles are part and parcel of a typical backpacking trip. But if the thought of cramped spaces and crowded commute makes you want to reconsider taking a vacation and you are at a stage in life where a glance at your bank balance inspires more pride than dread, you’re all set to take a luxury trip!
But even if you don’t have an Uncle Scrooge-esque treasure room filled with gold coins, there’s nothing wrong with having a champagne taste on a beer budget. Breakaway from the monotony and treat yourself to a sumptuous experience of the tropical beaches or the ice-capped mountains on a not-so-opulent budget.
Unlike our previous blog on luxurious items, luxury travel works on different principles, but the bottom line remains the same.
● Do thorough research.
● Know exactly which cities you wish to visit, and the sights you want to see
● And most importantly, know your budget, gauge your expenses and spend wisely by getting the maximum value from your travel dollars.
Following are 5 tips to help you enjoy a luxury holiday for less.
Plan ahead
The secret to savings on any kind of travel is thorough research and planning. This planning should include making an itinerary that finalizes at least these 3 things –
1. The location you wish to travel to
2. The airlines to use
3. The accommodation for various locations you’d be traveling to
You can save as much as 3 times the airfare when booked a couple of months prior to the date of travel. Airfare can be ludicrously high when booked at the last moment even if it’s the same airline, same timing, same class, and the same destination.
The tourism industry is a seasonal one, so for each destination, there are peak seasons and then there are off-seasons. And the same is reflected in the tariffs of hotels and resorts. But if you plan ahead, you can mitigate this surge in pricing and also avail some lucrative promotional offers at the start of a destination’s peak season.
Planning early also allows you the time to save up and make room for your expenses. Who knows, maybe a stroke of luck might end up helping you accumulate a little extra, that you can use to pamper yourself during the trip. But if you’re one of those who enjoys a spontaneous plan-as-you-go trip, don’t lose heart, you can still find some last-minute deals on accommodation. They might not be as lucrative as the early bird, but as the saying goes, the second mouse does get the cheese.
Traveling during Off seasons
The prices of accommodation, airfare, and other services can soar as high as 2-3 times their normal rates. And just by choosing your travel dates wisely, you can save boatloads of money. You can either delay the entire trip so as to not clash timings with the peak season or maybe extend your vacation so that you can outlast the seasonal price surge.
Alternatively, you can visit a destination during its off-season. But note that peak seasons and Off seasons vary across the globe. The weather might not be perfect during the off-season, but you’ll get the entire beach all to yourself without the pestilence of hordes of other tourists. Also, during these times cruises and hotels offer many free upgrades, complimentary services, and discounts on fare. Think of it as the black Friday weeks of vacationing.
Use cards
Credit cards are your best bet for availing of free upgrades and discounts when traveling. And since we are talking about luxury travel, you can fly internationally in a business class or a first-class seat just by using your accumulated frequent flier miles. Many credit cards often provide you with loyalty points, and these points can be used like cash. This will vary from card to card but for reference consider this: for every dollar you spend you get points equivalent or upto 5 cents. These points can go towards your next trip. So, even if you can afford everything that you want, why not generate the most value from your travel dollars with such minimal effort.
Embrace Aggregators
Not sure which site offers the best price for airfare or hotels?
Looking for deals on a helicopter tour of the city?
Want to find more offers on your best-priced resort?
Check out aggregators of each niche to find out the best available prices across the internet. But there are many such aggregators for each niche and hunting for offers on so many sites and remembering which site offered which deal can be a tiresome affair. To that end, a super aggregator such as Hundred Offers can find you offers and deals spread across the UAE from various niches of offer aggregators, loyalty programs, bank cards, independent merchants, etc. In Hundred Offers free-to-use mobile app you can get offers & deals on Food & beverages, hotels, shopping, adventure sports activities, and a lot more.
Mix your hotel stays
The idea here is to optimize your travel dollars. If you plan to spend the day sightseeing, you’re only going to be using the hotel for sleeping and storing your luggage. It’s prudent that you don’t waste your money and find accommodation in an affordably priced hotel. Splurge to stay at a gorgeous property only when you intend to spend the entire day resting and relaxing, taking full advantage of their spread of amenities.
With these tips, we hope that you have now come to believe that luxury travel is in fact possible without breaking your bank. So, what are you waiting for? Start planning!
Happy Savings!
