Going on a whim is nice, but it takes a hell of a lot of luck to come up with a good travel plan every time. The more you anticipate, the better you can find out about the cheapest periods depending on the destination and organize yourself accordingly. Identify off-peak periods (often at the start of the year, then around November) and major events in the cities you want to visit and which will drive prices up (national holidays, carnivals, etc.). The ideal is to leave during the week and, again, this cannot be improvised! The best prices for plane tickets are practiced about 21 weeks before the trip, 5 weeks minimum for short flights. Another advantage of anticipation:you will have time to identify good deals once there and to put your network to work! Finding atypical accommodation, getting to know a friend of a friend via Facebook who is quite willing to take you to visit marvelous sites, experience your trip in advance by reading about your destination… So many things that will bring added value to your trip without spending more.
We can't predict everything and sometimes we have unexpected urges to go green for the weekend to release all the pressure at work. So that it does not ruin you, subscribe to the offers of flight comparators and create a specific email address. You will be notified of all the good plans throughout the year, often nice destinations in Europe where you can go for a few days to get some fresh air. These are often all-inclusive packages, flight and hotel included. Buying a plane ticket at the last minute means not quibbling about the departure airport (often very far away), the flight time (meeting at half past six at the boarding gates) and stopovers. You have fewer choices but plan for many more funny situations!
If you search for flights on comparators, remember to change your computer or IP address in the following days. Buy your plane tickets rather on weekdays, very early in the morning. Also think about accommodation costs and find out about the cost of living once there. We dine and party for very little in some cities, and it's well worth paying a slightly more expensive plane ticket… Compare accommodation options and consider solutions such as couchsurfing or airbnb to compress the costs. Another tip to try to travel cheaper:call on a vacation hunter.
