Globe-trotting is becoming a trendy hobby that is showing no sign of going away. One reason for this is that air travel across the board has become much cheaper than back in the day. Not only that, but people are getting increasingly savvy about finding the best deals in the air and at their destinations.
If you feel like you’ve been left out of the cool kid’s travel club, here are some of the secrets to scoring a super cheap flight, seeing all the sights, and living in the lap of luxury on the low.
Where To Find Cheap Flights
For most trips, the flight can be the biggest assault on your wallet, and that’s before you even get to where you’re going and need to find hotels, food, and everything in between. This is why scoping out the best flight deals should be your number one priority.
But this is more than just going to different airline sites, or searching through kayak.com. To find deals like a $200 flight deal to Dubai, you have to a bit more stealthy.
First, if you can, base your
travel around flight deals, not your plans. The more flexible you are about your dates and destination, the better your chances are of hopping on a great deal.
Think of this way: instead of planning to go to Amsterdam on July 5, 2019, plan to go to Europe in the Summer of 2019. Then, when you find a deal that meets your general plan, you can jump on it immediately (which is key to snagging the lowest fares). Let the deals be your guide for your next trip.
Next, you can bookmark air travel sites like TravelNoire.com, TheFlightDeal.com, and SecretFlying.com to scope out the cheapest flight for a future vacation. These sites have daily email newsletters listing out deals to far away locations from various cities around the US and the world.
You’ll be the first to learn about airline glitches, or when the airline’s system publishes the wrong price for a certain flight. These glitches or error fares usually go away in just a few hours, until the airline catches its mistake, so you have to jump on it when you see it. And don’t worry about buyer’s remorse. Most airlines and ticket purchasing sites give you 24-48 hours to change your mind and get your money back.
Keep an Eye on the Prize, and Prices
While it’s nice to be flexible and open to the flight Gods, many people just don’t have the flexibility of buying the first error fare they see. I mean, you have kids, spouses and that many schedules to coordinate, right? But even the
least flexible traveler can find a steal of a flight if they know where and when to look. When you have a specific destination and date in mind, the key is to start looking early.
About 6 months (or more) out from your trip, enter your travel details into GoogleFlights.com or SkyScanner.com and save your search to track the flight. These sites will then send you updates on when the flights go up or down in price.
There’s no exact science on when to pull the trigger and book, but if you track your flight for a while, you’ll get a sense of what a good deal or not. Mobile apps like Hopper will even tell you whether you should book right away or wait for fares to fall. Like with the error fares, when you see your flight drop to a price you like, book it quickly before it goes away.
Use Facebook Groups for the Inside Scoop
Once you have your flight squared away, you can finally start planning the fun stuff! Most people start with popular sites like TripAdvisor.com to get an idea of things to do at your new location.
But the savvy traveler heads to Facebook to find groups of expats (Americans living abroad) who live in their vacation destination. You can look for black expat groups who live in your desired location and ask for insight on what to see, where to eat and where to find other black faces when you arrive. Check out Nomadness, Black Travel Movement, and TravelNoire for starters on Facebook.
Where to Find Tours, Sights, and Food
Rather than go to a
travel agent or book expensive tours and excursions, start with groupon.com and similar sites for discounted local activities in your new country or city. Just like at home, Groupon has local websites for cities all over the world.
This is a great option to find an upscale restaurant or a day trip outside of the city where you’ll be staying. Of course, you can use it to find spa deals and beauty packages if you need a day of relaxation. Not to mention Groupon and similar sites have deals with hotels in the area too. Just be sure to check the reviews of the discounted places to make sure their legit and worth the trouble.
One of best decisions I’ve made in my travels was booking a spot on a free walking tour. You get to be up close and personal to historic sites and wander off the beaten path to find the cities’ best-kept secrets. In Santiago, Chile, our tour guide walked us through a beautiful cemetery and shared the stories of Chileans and the legacy left behind in Santiago.
You can usually find free walking tours on Facebook or with a trusty Google search. The way it works is a group of locals form a tour group to share the history of their city with visitors. The tour is free but you’re encouraged to leave a sizable tip, especially in third world countries where income is hard to come by. But even a big tip is about half what you might pay for a Big Bus tour. What you get in exchange is a one-of-a-kind experience plus thousands of steps!
With these hacks under your belt, you’ll be country hopping with the best of them in no time. Keep in mind, the less you spend on hotels and flights, the more you’ll have left over for another vacation! Now the only question is where are we going?
Sharita Jennings is a fitness and travel enthusiast and creator of Get Fit Like That, LLC. She is a health policy attorney and ACE certified group fitness instructor and fitness nutrition specialist. She provides online fitness plans and leads group fitness classes in Washington DC. Check out her fitness tips and workouts at GetFitLikeThat.com.
By subscribing, you consent to receive emails from BlackDoctor.com. You may unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service.
