Crafty ways to pay less for your summer vacation

Planning a getaway? If you’re not, you better get on it — because summer won’t last forever. With everything you worry about on a daily basis, there’s no doubt you need a vacation — though, you may be wondering if you can afford one. Well, we crunched the numbers and we can cautiously say: Heck yeah, you can.

Sure, sure, we don’t know exactly what’s on your plate at the moment, or if you’re battling to cover some debt or overdraft. Assuming things are more-or-less under control, though, and you’re just about cutting it in terms of taking a vacation, we have some tips that’ll save you serious cash on your next voyage. No, we won’t encourage you to ‘plan ahead’, ‘search for a nearby airport’ or ‘go during the low season’ — where’s the fun in that? Whenever you’re ready, take notes:

Sign up for cash back

If you haven’t hopped on the online rebates wagon yet, there’s no time like the present. Nearly all major travel sites offer cash back: Priceline, Cheapoair, Expedia, Booking and Hertz, not to mention airlines such as British Airways and Air France, and even hotel chains such as the Comfort Inn. By signing up for a cashback site such as Ebates or BeFrugal, you’ll be able to receive up to 10% of your purchase price back and all it takes is simply clicking a link before you check out. Now that you know how easy it is, you better start doing it for all of your shopping.

Weekdays are your friends

You probably already know that travelling on a weekday can save you money on flights. Generally, that means departing Monday through Thursday, and even more specifically — Tuesday is your safest bet for lowest air fare. However, did you know that the day you search for a flight matters too? Ahh yes, those sneaky airlines know we’re mostly searching for their flights on weekends when we have some downtime, so of course that’s when they mark up the prices. Stay ahead of the game by booking your next round trip on a Tuesday afternoon. If you want to get even more technical, try to carefully time your booking to the optimal window ahead of your planned flight, depending on where you’re going. There’s a whole science to it!

Go incognito

Considering the level of data collection we’ve grown accustomed to in our digital lives, it should come as no surprise that travel sites are logging every single action you perform on their site. What is surprising to some, though, is that they’re turning around and using that data against you. For instance, if you search for flights to Paris in September but don’t check out, the next time you perform a similar search you might see higher prices than you originally saw. Sure, the prices might have gone up, but it’s just as likely the company is trying to pressure you into completing a purchase by creating a sense of urgency, lest the price continue to soar. The worst part is, sometimes your search data can also impact the results you’ll see on another site, totally unrelated to the one you used to perform that first search. Don’t fall for it! Save yourself from wondering what the true price of your trip is by conducting these searches anonymously. Browse sites, change parameters, zig zag between dates, destinations and airports, until you find a deal you’re comfortable with. Once you checkout and input your details, it’ll be the first time the system logs your identity and

stores any data on your behavior.

Score tourist discounts and refunds

If you’re travelling outside of the US, be sure to read up on whether your destination’s government sponsors discounted services or promotions for tourists. For instance, many countries in Europe offer VAT (sales tax) refunds to tourists. All you have to do is save your receipts from all the shopping you did while visiting, then plan to arrive about an hour earlier than you normally would to the airport in order to show these and receive your refund in cash.
Nearly every destination offers similar deals that are only available to tourists. Japan, for instance, lets tourists purchase a rail pass that includes unlimited bullet train travel for a price that would otherwise very likely be exceeded when purchasing individual tickets. Similarly, France offers tourists various sightseeing bundles that include entry to major attractions, saving you money and precious time you would’ve spent in line.

Score local discounts

You love to experience everything your city has to offer, don’t you? Enjoy that same freedom by doing a little research online about your destination, scouring deals on locals’ favorite activities. This means going beyond the usual TripAdvisor forums skim, and making a game plan. If you’re headed to Miami, find a deal on LivingSocial for an afternoon of snorkeling. Travelling to Montreal? Check if your credit card company offers discounted festival tickets. Oh, and before you book a hotel facial or massage, check out Groupon. You’ll be so busy you’re sure to work up quite an appetite, so check out Yelp and Open Table for restaurant specials.

Let us know where you plan to use these tips: The Grand Canyon? Cancun? Morocco? All great options, and surprisingly affordable if you do it right. Luckily, we just showed you how. We hope you were paying attention, it might just mean the difference between stamping your passport and punching your timecard. For a week, anyway. Bon voyage!

Originally published at gochange.co on July 19, 2017.