My 3 best money saving Tips

Table of contents

1. The Itinerary 
2. The airfare 
3. The local commute

There are so many traveling spending myths and so many untapped realities. I’m a traveling enthusiasts. I have done my fair share of traveling, as I believe one the biggest pleasures in life is to travel, discover new places, cultures, flavors and friends.

I have done trips on a budget, but I also know the good things in life. I love planning big trips, the farther, the better it gets for me, it gives me joy.

Planning trips on a budget is not complicated, I understand how to do it, and I know how to make the most out of each trip in terms of enjoyment and savings. Here are the best money saving tips to save and splurge when it makes the most sense:

Tip #1: The Itinerary 

“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be flexible with your destination

I am always flexible with the destination. In general, I have a long list of places that I want to visit. And it keeps growing. When I decide to go on vacation, I start looking for flights to my favorite destinations, then I shortlist 2 or 3 places with the best airfare rates around my tentative dates that are also flexible by 2-3 days if needed.

I use Google flights as it only takes a quick search to get results based on price and convenience. You can filter by airlines, stops, etc. But my favorite tool is the price history chart, it helps me to understand if prices are cheaper than usual, typical or high. I’m always hunting for “cheaper than usual”

Then, I go a step further and do another Google search on the weather, what is the average temperature, and forecast for my tentative dates. I avoid rainy seasons and hot summers, as a personal preference.

The point is not only to save money booking a ticket below average price; but that you go to a place in the right season for you, so that your trip can be comfortable and enjoyable. And that’s how I decided my itinerary.

Last minute deals

Yes, it is my favorite type of traveling, the one that is spontaneous. And it could be as spontaneous as booking 2-3 days before, or more calculated like 2 weeks in advance depending on the destination.

I’m that travel enthusiast that often asks loved ones “would you like to go to Europe tomorrow…” I believe that in my lifetime, I have saved thousands of dollars on airfare and hotels by booking 2 to 3 days before. That’s the sweet spot for some places.

I have saved more than 50% just like that. The catch is that usually there are very few tickets or rooms left, so don’t expect to book a friends reunion, or a large family getaway being so spontaneous.

I have also enjoyed large discounts for the most enjoyable trips of my life; I’m talking about saving up to 50% in airfare, cruises, all inclusive resorts and hotels. I usually implement this strategy for holiday trips and new year’s, or times when all you need is a quick getaway.

Tip #2: The airfare 

Loyalty rewards points.

I have been a loyal one word customer for decades. It makes sense for me to keep my miles with them, so my itineraries 90% of the time use One world alliance partners for my own long term benefit.

In addition, I always check the cost in miles and decide from there. For example, I recently went to Saint Lucia for a quick getaway, and the airfare cost was USD$1,500 but I paid 24K miles round trip (equivalent to USD$320)

Oneworld flights.

If it happens to be a longer trip, I also look for Multi-City Flight tickets offered by Oneworld Member Airlines. You can choose between three types of Round The World trips:

• Oneworld Explorer: a continent-based fare,
• Global Explorer: a distance-based fare,
• Circle Pacific: an inter-continental journey to explore continents that border the Pacific Ocean.

I have traveled using a Oneworld Explorer Fare, a continent based fare that allows you travel to multiple destinations consecutively, if you follow the certain rules, including:

• Segments: 16 max
• Stopovers: minimum allowed 2, maximum 15
• Total Miles: max 39,000

In addition I had the option to choose between

• Splurging: Business class for $10K,
• Saving: Economy class for $5k

I have splurged. After researching the cost of each segment on a normal Oneworld airfare and realizing the business ticket was a steal. Each segment ended up being around 2K on business class. You could never find a regular fare ticket on business class for such a low price.

Low cost airfare.

The 10% of the times I don’t fly on Oneworld alliance partners is when I book low cost local flights. You can save a lot of money by booking discount airfare on economy class whatever you are, and for short leg flights, instead of booking it here in the U.S. In addition it gives you the flexibility to modify your trip as you go.

Tip #3: The local commute

I have learned by trial and error that, I do not enjoy renting vehicles on my travels. In fact I always tell my friends to “ Never rent a car abroad”. I have plenty of stories about driving in narrow roads, not finding parking, getting questionable tickets and “extra fee’s” when I returned some vehicles.

I never rent a car abroad for my own sanity and to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Believe me the traffic tickets are not joke in some places.

The point is that traveling should be all about disconnecting from these kind of stressful situations and being able drink if you feel like it.

So now I walk, I love walking in cities, and discovering places at my own pace. And when walking is not possible or is unreasonable I use public transportation. And I mean all of it, from Ubers, cabifys, trains, buses, taxis, tuk tuks, etc. It helps me to learn more about the people and culture. It also leaves some funny memories…