6 Ways To Find The Best Budget-Friendly Vacation Deals

Bungalow style accommodations at Blue Diamond Resort, Koh Tao, Thailand

A well-known quote by an unknown author says that “travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”. Well that’s great, but travel still costs money! When it comes to budget friendly vacations, the first thought in most people’s mind is  a bunch of young 20-somethings partying their way across a continent. Fortunately, we’re here to help you plan a budget friendly vacation the grown up way, partying optional!

Continue reading to learn some great tips to help you with the planning of your trip.​

Sign up for sale notifications with airlines
Get on the email list of the airlines that travel through your local airport. They hold seat sales and will send you notifications alerting you of their special prices. When I travelled to Ireland, it was after receiving an alert from WestJet announcing a new route and offering amazing deals to Dublin for a limited time.
 
Use comparing travel websites
Use comparing website such as Kayak and Google Flights which searches through hundreds of websites to get you the best deals. It also allows you to search with flexible dates to determine when is the best time to leave. This will help you find great deals within your price range.
 
Search in incognito mode
Believe it or not, this actually makes a difference. Companies establish their prices based on availability and demand. The more people are looking to book with their company, the more expensive they can let their services go for.
 
Use alternative accommodation options
Using alternate types of accommodations such as hostels, guesthouses or Airbnb will help reduce your expenses largely. Now, before you start saying, “hostels are not for me, I’m too old”, hear me out. There are a lot of different styles of hostels, small and big, so if dorms are just not for you, look for one that has private rooms. Check out Hostelworld for great options.
 
Guesthouses are also a great mid price option. Although they can run quite expensive in popular locations, if you look just outside of those areas you can save a lot. The same goes for Airbnb accommodations.

Crystal Crescent Beach, Nova Scotia

Choose your destination carefully
So you got a great deal on your flight and your budget friendly accommodations are booked. That’s awesome, but what about the other expenses? Car rental, activities, tours, food and drinks can add up really quickly. If your budget is tight, you’re much better off going to a country that has a low cost of living, like Cuba, rather than going to a country where everything is expensive such as Iceland.
 
Stay away from the heavy tourists spots 
By expanding your search to outside of the popular areas, the price will likely drop. You can try to stay just slightly out of the touristic cities or even go to a lesser-known area.
 
Use these tips and you will be able to plan your very own vacation that fits all of your desires and needs. You don’t have to break the bank in order to have fun and enjoy yourself. Let us know in the comments below if you have any other recommendations that could help your fellow travelers. Happy travels! 

​J&C

Catamaran tour off the coast of Dominican Republic