Going Somewhere?
Simply a Few of the Best Tips for Your Next Trip
Let’s face it; planning trips can quickly lower the appeal of travel altogether. The seemingly endless game of low-cost-airfare searching alone can drive even the most adventurous globetrotter into taking a stay-cation instead of a vacation.
Here are some quick tips for to consider before taking your next excursion.
Get Organized
I recently planned a short, weekend getaway to New York City, to see my beloved Arsenal in their first match on American soil for over 25 years—a detail crucial to the construction of this article, obviously.
I had my heart set on flying from the moment I scored tickets to the game. I used Mammoth and my Mini-Mammoth extension for Google Chrome to compile fares as I found the best deals. Mammoth allows you collect information from around the web, or even your own notes, and throw it up on the internet on your own cloud-based “board.” Check out this video to learn all about what a board is and how to get started using mammoth for free.
It’s important you utilize some organizational tool to help plan your trip, even if it be an old-fashioned pen and pad of paper.
As it turns out in my story, I decided to settle on the 19+ hour, $90 Amtrak ride instead of the much more expensive airline ticket. Hey, my budget as a recent college grad is extremely tight!
Snag Low Airfare
Take a look at Mammoth’s Top Ten Tips to Snag Low Airfare board, with fresh tips from the folks over at airfarewatchdog.com. I learned a couple of things from them that could really be useful when hunting for cheap flights.
If you are relying only on online travel agencies, such as Expedia or Travelocity, don’t. Switch to using a multi site search engine like Kayak—they have an excellent mobile app for iOS. And when you search on Kayak, or any travel site, map sure you try a flexible search. You will be amazed to find lower fares just by adjusting your travel dates by a day or two.
You don’t have to book round trip on one site. In fact, try combining fares by looking for the cheapest one-way there, and the cheapest one-way back. Throw in a connection and you may end up saving even more. Here’s an example from Airfarewatchdog.com:
“Let’s say you want to fly from Boston to San Antonio next weekend. If there’s a Boston to Atlanta fare for $128 round-trip, and an Atlanta to San Antonio fare for $108 round-trip, then you can fly to your destination and save creatively.”
Just in case you’re curious, a round-trip search on Kayak put the cheapest price at $507 for a week out from when I am writing this article. I spent a few minutes trying out the aforementioned strategy and came up with airfare for $388 round-trip from Boston to San Antonia via Philadelphia.
Take a Lot of Pictures
This one is probably a no-brainer, but before you go off on your trip, reeducate yourself on your equipment and how to take better travel pictures. Here are a couple of tips from Digital Photography School’s “8 Tips to Take Better Travel Pictures.”
Pick a perfect spot and wait for someone to walk by and a story to unfold… (from digital-photography-school.com)
Include signage in your pictures. (from digital-photography-school.com)
Photograph the locals. (from digital-photography-school.com)
Pick a table by a window or on the terrace and photograph the local cuisine. (from digital-photography-school.com)
Think ‘outside the postcard’ and photograph iconic monuments with a fresh perspective. (from digital-photography-school.com)
We’re just scratching the surface of travel tips that will make your next trip the best you’ve ever been on. Come back soon for links to Mammoth’s public boards “On Travel” for a wealth of additional information.
