BMP_5530

Megan and Brittany have over 15 years of experience in the wedding and event industry. Our small team enables us to take on more events, and offer more coverage on your event day!

Tricks of the Travel Arrangement Trade – Think Cheap!

When planning a vacation, most people spend hours browsing travel websites looking for the cheapest package deal. The keyword here is package. Think reasonably; That company needs to make money. How are they making money by giving you the cheapest travel package? You’re right, they are not. They are making money by doing the research for you, adding an additional charge for their service, and sporting it as a package.

In most cases, you can find the exact same vacation for less if you purchase, say, the flight separately from the hotel. Flights specifically can be tricky. I’m sure you’ve heard some reference to Tuesday being the cheapest day of the week to purchase airfare. If you haven’t, the rumor is that 6 weeks prior to your departure, on a Tuesday, the flight is the cheapest that it is going to be. There has been a lot of debate, research, claims, and the like disparaging this tactic, so I am not supporting the statement as true. I am only identifying a common belief. What most people don’t know is that it may be cheaper to purchase two one-way flights on different airlines, instead of a round-trip on the same one. There are a couple of sites that allow you to see one-way flights options, so make sure to take a look. You could be saving yourself a pretty penny!

I recently discovered the hub-and-spoke analogy about airfare as well. Major cities are more popular destinations and function as the hubs of most flight paths. Spoke cities are considered the connecting flights. If you book a flight from a hub to a hub, you can expect it to be more expensive. However, if you book a flight to a hub, to a spoke, to another hub, when in actuality you just need to stop in the middle spoke, you will find you will save yourself money. Of course, if you get off on the spoke, the airline will cancel your ticket for missing your flight. Make sure you purchase them separately, at your own risk! I am not supporting your actions.:)

If you’re anything like me, I was in my twenties before I figured out how frequent flyer miles even worked. Check out one of my favorite blogger‘s explanation, it helps. My point is, use them and abuse them! He suggests going the credit card route, because people tend to use their credit card more than booking flights, but redeeming your old flights can give you a good bump!

Islands.com says in the Caribbean, the cheapest flights you will find are to Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Nassau. Start packing. On car rentals, I’m guilty of the trend: Most people don’t shop around because they assume they are about the same everywhere. This is not true. Companies vary, and even more so beyond the airport. Remember, you’re paying for convenience! Finally, making breakfast, lunch and dinner reservations in advance is not something that will save you money, but we recommend for good practice. You don’t want to miss out on that five-star restaurant because you didn’t plan ahead.

Hope these help in your next vacation, business trip, or family visit!