7 Ways to Save on Luxury Summer Travel

 

  1. Fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays

“Fridays and Sundays are the most popular days to fly; we know this. And nobody wants to fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays because it means sacrificing extra vacation days. Or having to pretend you’re still asleep on the couch while your buddy gets ready for work on Monday morning. But if you are willing to fly midweek, you can save money, as airlines can’t afford empty seats on flights and lower fares to encourage off-peak booking.”

“12 Flight-Booking Hacks to Save You a Ton of Money on Airfare” – Thrillist

 

  1. Ask for an upgrade

“Airlines would rather up-sell you a seat in business or first class at a fraction of the cost than be forced to give away those expensive seats for free to members of loyalty programs.”

“6 questions that will save you money on vacation” – CNN travel

 

  1. Clear your search history

“You know how you keep refreshing your browser window every 11 seconds in the hope that fares will somehow magically drop? Turns out, doing that may actually make your flight more expensive. Airline websites use browser cookies to help track your search. … The best thing to do is to clear your search history and your cookies.”

“12 Flight-Booking Hacks To Save You a Ton of Money on Airfare” – Thrillist

 

  1. Buy flights in bulk

As a general rule, you will get better value on your flight tickets if you buy more at the same time, but only if they are with the same airline, or airlines in the same alliance (e.g. Star Alliance). For example, flying a return ticket from New York City to London with United Airlines will be cheaper than 2 one-way tickets.

“How to Book the Cheapest Flight Possible to Anywhere” – Thrifty Nomads

 

  1. Get a tourism card

“Popular destinations like Paris, London and New York offer passes that include admission to high-profile attractions. Some even include free public transportation or allow you to skip notoriously long lines at tourist hotspots.”

“6 questions that will save you money on vacation” – CNN travel

 

  1. Try booking by fare rather than destination

Remember when you were an adventurous free spirit with $300 dollars, a backpack, and nowhere to go? Well, our agent Kausha gets dozens of requests a week from older and wiser Business Class flyers who still enjoy the adventure of “fly me anywhere in Europe, just give me a deal!”

– cooktravel.net

 

  1. Go through a discount travel agency

What it is: Large-volume travel agencies that offer deep discounts off regular ticket prices.

How it works: They pass along volume discounts, [upgrades], with preferred airlines, use net fares (effectively wholesale rates) and find unconventional or less direct routings with lower premium fares.

What you’ll save: Their ads promise savings of 30% to 70% off published prices.

Sample deal: Cook Travel, a well-known discounter in New York, recently offered business-class fares to Europe averaging around $3,000 round-trip, or about 50% off regular fares.

“4 Ways to Save Big on Flying Business Class” – Barbara Peterson, The Wall Street Journal