Let me break it down for you:
- I am an over-full-time employee at a local company in Trinidad.
- I have twenty days’ vacation leave per year.
- I am a mother and have to feed a twenty-year-old son who will soon start University in September.
- I have a mortgage and the regular household bills that come with that.
- I like clothes and jewelry…A LOT!
- I do NOT have a trust fund however hard I wish NOR do I have a sugar daddy, yet! Just kidding!
- But despite all of that, friends ask me all the time, how was I, pre-COVID, able to travel two to three times a year. HOWWWW SIMSSSSS HOWWWWW????
Well my friends, I will share my wonderful and time-tested secrets with you!!!
- Travel Credit Cards
Don’t be scared, credit cards can work FOR you. It takes planning and discipline but it’s worth it. Get yourself a credit card that offers miles for each dollar spent. I use the Scotiabank’s Aero Rewards Visa card. I use it to pay the water, electricity, phone, internet, cable monthly bills, school fees, insurance and for gas, all of my monthly household bills that will probably continue to accrue long after I am no longer walking this earth. But I digress. The trick is since I have to pay these bills every single, blessed month why not use my credit card and gain the miles in return? YOU MUST pay the balance each month so that you don’t pay any nasty interest but that is it! Easy, breezy, lemon squeezy… Also, I like the Aero Rewards card because it’s not associated with any one airline. Remember I said that I live in Trinidad, so for almost any adventure, I will need to pass through the USA and my credit card usually gets me there almost free using my accumulated miles.
- Travel in the shoulder season
This means that I don’t travel during peak season. Shoulder season is another way of saying the low season. I know this may be hard for those with younger children out there with school holidays usually coinciding with peak season but that’s how it works. When my son was younger this meant I traveled late August or sometimes the last week of Easter after everyone has already left in the 1st week of Easter holidays. Everything is cheaper during the shoulder season; flights, hotels, etc. so take advantage of it!
- Skyscanner and Google flights are the bomb
I never go anywhere without checking flight prices on Skyscanner.net and Google flights. I’m a chronic planner and so of course I usually plan my vacay days at the start of the year. Most importantly, for every Trinbagonian out there is to make note of all the public holidays during the year and use these days to add on to your official leave. Once that’s done I have a general idea of when I can travel. Next I go to Skyscanner and Google flights and search. Skyscanner is a third party search engine and travel agency based in Edinburgh, Scotland and owned by Trip.com Group which is the largest online travel agency in China. The site is available in over 30 languages and is used by 100 million people. I prefer to use it over Expedia or Kayak because they offer US based and non US based airlines for flights. Another site I check is Hopper.com to see what time of the year is cheaper to travel to any country.
- Incognito mode
Always search for flights in INCOGNITO MODE to see the lowest prices. Flight prices increase when a specific route is repeatedly searched so search incognito or in private mode. It’s easy to set up, open Chrome and click on top right button and select New Incognito mode and you’re in!
- SALES
Believe it or not there are sale periods for travel, it’s works like the retail industry. I have taken advantage over the years of the period leading up to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and travel Tuesday. Many times there are 2 for 1 specials for flights, hotels, tours etc. I have benefitted with trips to Italy and Egypt from those deals. Another popular period occurs from last week in December to January. It’s a special time I look forward to feeding my sweet addiction!
So there you have it, my top 5 ways to save and travel more. These are not my ONLY travel hacks but these are guaranteed to help you along the way. Stay tuned for more articles on how to save and still cross off more countries on your bucket list. Happy travelling!
