Spring Break is coming up so here are some travel planning tips to save you some money and stay safe!
Flights
Spring break is an expensive time of the year to travel, so for the best rates it is best to book early, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a last-minute trip. Flight tracking tools like SkyScanner and Google Flights are perfect tools for finding the flight. The two apps allow you to see where and when is the cheapest day and place to fly to. Using Skyscanner, all you need to do is put in your home airport to fly from and click explore everywhere. This shows you the prices of flights throughout the U.S. and around the world with the cheapest times and airlines to take!
Additionally, you can use Google Flights. With this, you are given the option of putting in multiple home airports and multiple destination options. It automatically will tell you the cheapest combination of airports. After picking where you want to go, they offer a graph and a grid chart to show you the cheapest dates to fly.
Most people choose not to leave the United States for trips because they think it’s going to be too expensive but with these options, you can see that’s not always the case. Flights from NYC to Europe start at less than $300 which can be even cheaper than popular destinations like Florida.
Other countries are also typically cheaper than the United States so when you arrive at your destination you will likely save money.
Accommodation
Another great app to utilize is Booking.com, where you can buy flights, accommodation, and activities. The more you book through them the better deals and rewards they will offer you, so sticking to one place to book your trip details is another easy way to save some money.
When it comes to accommodation, hotel costs can be alot, so traveling with a bigger group can easily save you some money. Sharing rooms or getting an Airbnb rather than a hotel can quickly cut down your price.
Another option that is often overlooked is Hostels. This option is great for if you are not staying in the United States but the United States does offer them as well, just fewer options.
Hostels can be found on either Hostelworld or Booking.com but you can typically save even more money and get cheaper rates if you book directly through the hostel itself after finding it and reading reviews on these third-party websites.
Staying safe
When going somewhere you are not familiar with you always need to be sure to stay aware of your surroundings. Don’t go anywhere without someone knowing where you are. Even if someone seems friendly, never tell anyone where you are staying or any extra information.
Popular tourist spots are also easy places to get targeted to have your belongings stolen. Always make sure to keep your important belongings on your body, somewhere you wouldn’t if someone were to try and take anything. Belt bags are great and convenient for this. They even make money belt bags specifically for travel that can go under your shirt if you are going somewhere with a high pickpocket rate.
Adding air tags to your belongings can help you easily track them and make sure they don’t go missing. Air tags are also great to put into your luggage so you can track it and ensure it arrives safely at your destination.