Travelling can sometimes be a costly affair. Paying for flights, accommodation, insurance, souvenirs, activities it all adds up. But thankfully there are many websites out there that allow us to save money when it comes to booking travel.
Here are just 5 ways you can save money, whether you’re planning your travel route or already on the road.
Use Price Comparison Websites
There are price comparison websites for just about everything. In terms of flights, websites like Skyscanner are fantastic for discovering cheap and suitable routes.
Download the free Skyscanner mobile app for access to the best deals on flights at all times. It’s also, a good idea to use similar style websites when looking for travel Insurance. Booking.com is a great example of a price comparison website for accommodation.
These websites have one thing in common: they save you money by comparing the best prices in their field and saving you the trouble of doing the research yourself.
Trip Advisor
Trip Advisor is the leading website for reviews, and offers a lot of insight into attractions, restaurants, hotels, and so on. Utilizing the Trip Advisor community is a great way to gain tips and advice on what’s good to see and what you should avoid. This in turn saves you from wasting your money on overrated and overpriced places.
You can also use it to share your knowledge and experiences with other travellers.
Airbnb
If you haven’t already signed up to this excellent website I highly recommend that you do. Airbnb offers huge savings on accommodation by letting you rent a room in other people’s house, villas, apartments, houses etc.
One of the most advantageous reasons to use this website is it sometimes allows you to meet the locals and get insider tips. And of course, if you are lucky enough to have a big house with a spare room you could use Airbnb to rent it out and make extra cash to put towards travelling.
Lonely Planet
This knowledge intensive website is loaded with information on just about every destination in the world.
Use it to research and plan your journey in advance. It always easier to spend less when you know what you are doing and where you are going.
Groupon
One word: discounts! I presume by now you’ve heard of Groupon and probably have even used it. This awesome website gives you discounts on everything. From getting your hair to cut, to buying furniture, restaurants, sightseeing and so on. You can use this for deals while on the road, or before you leave to save money before you set off.
These websites are just the tip of the iceberg. So always take the time to do a bit of research before you set off and you will save yourself a few quid in the process.
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32 Comments
Awesome tips. I love signing up for Groupon in the local areas I am going. They usually have some really good off the beaten path ideas and local shops I would have never found on my own. I have to say my favorite price comparison option is now google flights though! They’re awesome.
Thanks Susanna! Groupon deals are fabulous – we’re constantly changing our local area while we’re on the move, so great for local deals, and as you said, using it as somewhat of a source of local info for what to see and do!
Haven’t checked out Google flights yet – will jump over today to see what it’s all about. Thanks for the tip!
I never think about using groupon, but it’s a tool that I need to look at using. I love AirBNB and Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet’s website often has a lot of the same info that their guides do! I never think of using booking either, I usually use Expedia because it’s so simple. Thanks for sharing some great tips!
Absolutely Paige – Groupon is great for finding localized deals, and as Susanna mentioned in her comment above, usually a great source of local info for off the beaten path sights and attractions :)
Glad we could give you some new ideas. Happy travels!
These are great tips!I LOVE booking and Groupon. Not only are they great for finding something specific, they also just make great search tools if you’re trying to figure out where to stay or what to do somewhere.
Thanks Samantha! Absolutely – Groupon as a source of info and research tool is a great approach to planning your travels :)
Love these tips! I sign up to Groupon and use Airbnb when I travel and they are such a good way to find some unique neighbourhoods. I also like to try to volunteer (e.g. New York Cares) if there are places that let you volunteer short term, or Meetup. Meetup lets you join groups and do a whole range of activities – everything from photography to screenplay writing!
Thanks for the tips on Volunteering and Meetup Laura – great ideas to spend some immersive time in the local community!
Great list! I absolutely love Airbnb and Skyscanner, and use them quite regularly. Had not heard of Shiply, thank you for sharing that! Another I’d add to the list is Hotel Tonight for last minute discounts on hotels in many cities.
Thanks Aparna! Thanks for the tip on Hotel Tonight, I hadn’t heard of it before, so will jump over to check it out :)
Thanks for this list, Megan! I really love AirBnB – I just recently used it and love how well it is organised.
I cannot say the same for Trip Advisor, though. It seems almost any place can have a sticker from it which, imho, is not real.
What’s your insight?
I’ve definitely noticed a recent rise in the number of properties who claim TripAdvisor stickers, though I’ve never had a bad experience at a property who does.
Like any review site, Tripadvisor is of course going to be vulnerable to fake reviews, and because it’s the most popular website, this occurs here to the extreme. I find though that it’s generally pretty easy to spot a fake review and still get a pretty good gauge for what a property or attraction is like from the overall attitude among all reviews.
Hope that helps!
I have a personal distaste for tripAdvisor as I find it a bit extreme however I do love Around ME and Foursquare apps which are great for helping out with things to do. Price comparison sites have saved me a fortune too
Thanks for the tips on the Around ME and Foursquare apps, will have to check them both out. Price comparison websites are my go to every time – love them. Trip Advisor we use very frequently, though you do have to sometimes approach it with caution in terms of separating authentic information from potential crap!
I use all of these! I haven’t used Groupon in a while though. I wonder how it stacks up lately! TripAdvisor can be hit or miss though. Their interface isn’t awesome in Korea.
Interesting to hear that Trip Advisor doesn’t hold up in Korea … We use it quite frequently, and it’s one of my main go-to websites, but you do have to sometimes approach it with caution in terms of separating authentic information from potential crap!
Love Groupon for localized knowledge and deals :)
Great selection, I particularly love Lonely Planet for inspiration.
The only one I’m not too sure about is Trip Advisor. Apart from a poor user experience, it’s often packed with fake reviews, gotta take everything with a pinch of salt there!
Thanks Bruno :) Lonely Planet is great for inspiration, and we also like to use it for research in our pre planning stage.
Like any review site, Tripadvisor is of course going to be vulnerable to fake reviews, and because it’s the most popular website, this occurs here to the extreme. I find though that it’s generally pretty easy to spot a fake review and still get a pretty good gauge for what a property or attraction is like from the overall attitude among all reviews. You’re right though, you do need to often take things with a pinch of salt there!
This is a great post for any traveler! I definitely use skyscanner and airbnb. This is a great article and I’m definitely bookmarking this! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Christine! Happy travels :)
Who doesn’t love websites that save you money! I’ve used Groupon in my own town but never thought about using it while travelling – great idea! I use all the others & love saving the pennies :)
Right!! I’m changing my local settings on Groupon all the time as we move around the globe – such a brill way to find local deals on attractions, and sometimes even flights and hotels :)
Amazing list, Meg! You might want to add HolidayPorch.com to a list soon. We offer Free cancellations and charge no booking fees on most rooms. Thanks for the list! Cheers
Thanks Gagan! Cheers for the tips on HolidayPorch.com – will jump over and check it out :)
Great list of websites. I know a lot of people don’t like TripAdvisor but I find the reviews really helpful. To avoid fake reviews I ignore really great or awful reviews and reviews from people with only 1 or 2 contributions.
Thanks Patti :) I agree with you, I think it’s reasonably easy to see through fake TripAdvisor reviews, and there are always tell tale signs if it’s been posted as spam. It’s my go to site for reviews, but we’re always mindful of watching out for red flags!
Hi Meg, I’ve been using Booking.com and Agoda.com for my current trip to Southeast Asia. I haven’t tried Groupon yet, but I’ll have a look.
Yes, Agoda.com is fantastic for Asia :) Definitely check out Groupon and see if there are any local deals in your area – can find some great bargains for immersive local experiences as you’re traveling through :) Happy travels!
I love Airbnb! I love skycanner too but don’t forget Momondo. If you want to use sites like skyscanner or Momondo, do it in incognito Mode and sometimes that can get you an even better flight deal!
Great tips that you shared! I had never heard of Shiply going to check them out now
Airbnb is the best! Thanks for the tip on using incognito mode – I’ve heard of that before actually though haven’t tested it out yet. We’re booking our flights to South America for next year soon, so will give it a go and see if there’s any difference!
I don’t think about using groupon, but it’s a tool that I need to look at using.
Absolutely – I think it goes under the radar among travelers as it’s usually perceived to be a local tool. But a great way to find local discounts if you change your search area as you travel :)