My Best Tips for Booking Affordable Travel

Most people love to travel, but simply can't figure out how to afford it. Here are My Best Tips for Booking Affordable Travel - for taking that trip that you thought would be over your budget! With a little saving, planning and thinking ahead, you can totally take that trip - maybe even sooner than you think!

My Best Tips for Booking Affordable Travel

When You're in the Booking Stages...

Don't let the airlines and hotels take advantage. Enable private browsing before heading to hotel and airfare websites. They often track your visits and may not show new deals or lowered prices if your IP address is recognized!

Book flights when costs are lower. Airfare seems to be less expensive on Tuesday and Wednesdays, so search for flights on those days!

Know where to find the best deals on airfare. Check out sites like Expedia, Travelocity and Kayak for the best airfare deals!

Sign up for Airline newsletters and frequent flier clubs. Airlines send emails announcing promotions, so make sure you're on the list! Join the frequent flier clubs even if you don't fly often - those miles really add up over time and you can save yourself some big money by booking flights with miles.

Book your vacation through a deal site. Whether you're looking for an all-inclusive vacation package or simply a great deal on a hotel, check sites like Groupon. Groupon Getaways offers great deals on hotels, all-inclusive resorts, cruises and international vacation packages that include airfare!

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Use promo codes when renting a car. Most car rental companies offer a discount code for signing up for emails, or simply do a Google search for "Alamo car rental promo code" or "rental car coupon code." You can also check this page out for van rentals!

I personally have a system when it comes to booking travel arrangements for myself.

Try car-sharing services. Not sure you'll need to rent a car? Try using services like Uber or Lyft instead of a taxi cab, or see if the city you're visiting has car share programs like Zipcar or Car2Go. If you've never used Uber before, use my promo code when you register the app on your phone and save $20 on your first ride: uberrebelchick.

Book a hotel downtown. You can avoid transportation expenses all-together by booking a hotel near the attraction you're visiting, or booking a hotel in the heart of downtown that is within walking distance to museums, restaurants and activities. On a recent trip to NYC, I booked a hotel near Times Square and it was about $30 more expensive a night than hotels farther away, but we never had to take a cab because everything was RIGHT THERE.

Book a hotel with free WiFi or join membership programs that grant guests free WiFi. Most hotels offer complimentary WiFi, but there are some that charge a daily fee. It's not usually publicly advertised, but some hotels offer free WiFi to their rewards members, so join the program before you go!

Get deals on cruises by joining their email newsletter. Get great deals on Carnival Cruise Lines by signing up for emails - and military personnel get a $50 discount per person if they're active duty or honorably discharged.

Don't convert your cash at the airport. Wait until you arrive in your location, as the currency conversion rate that the airport usually leaves you at a disadvantage.

Pro Travel Tip: While we're speaking of money - make sure you call your bank and credit card companies to let them know when you're going out of town so that they don't place a freeze on your account when they notice spending at unusual locations. You might also want to check and make sure that the place you're visiting isn't blacklisted - I once found myself in Dominican Republic with no access to my bank account because it was blacklisted by my credit union!

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