Finding great travel deals is a skill, but it’s one that can be honed—if you can be patient and flexible (and if you know you can take advantage of the 24-hour free federal cancellation policy to lock in time-sensitive deals). Here are some of the best travel websites you can use to snag your next trip on the cheap.
Use Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights
Yes, Google Flights is more user-friendly and has cool features (like the “explore” tool to see a map of your potential destinations and their prices), but if you mean business and are looking for the cheapest flight options you can find, Skyscanner is what you want to use. Here, you’ll find flights that will not even appear on Google Flights, and it even has an explorer-like tool similar to Google’s where you simply input your local airport, select “whole month” for dates, and click “search” to find all the possible low-cost destinations for that month (I found a direct flight to Cancun from my home in Atlanta for $183).
You can catch last-minute flight deals and set alerts for cheap flights as well.
Use SecretFlying to set up alerts for their “Error Fares”
Airlines make mistakes sometimes, and as a savvy traveller, you need to be ready to take advantage of them when you can. SecretFlying is a travel deal website that works like many others, but it also has a special tool to find cheap flights that exist because of mistakes that airlines make. (For example, there was an enticing $95 roundtrip non-stop flight from Barcelona, Spain to New York last year.) The error fares go fast, and many might not logistically work for you, but if you ever do catch one of these, you’ll be bragging about it for years to come.
Look for all-inclusive holiday packages
There are many websites that sell you travel packages that include flights, hotels, food, tours, and even transportation (rails, bus, taxis, etc.) for much cheaper than you would find if you tried to book each piece individually. The catch is that these packages are typically strict on dates, and their cancellation policies are often less forgiving. But, you’ll be able to find amazing deals to locations you might not otherwise be able to afford.
Luxury Escapes, for example, offers a range of International and Australian-based packages. Their best all-inclusive deals can be found here.
To give you a little taste of the all-inclusive offerings, you can do a 5-night stay in the Maldives from A$5,999/villa with all this included:
- Roundtrip domestic flight and speedboat transfers from Malé to the resort with VIP meet and greet service at Velena International Airport (MLE)
- Daily buffet breakfast at Lily Maa
- Daily lunch at AQVA Pool Bar, Vibes Bar or Lily Maa
- Nightly buffet dinner at Lily Maa
- One a la carte dinner at Tamarind Specialty Restaurant per stay
- Unlimited free-flow drinks, including premium spirits, a selection of 80 wines, champagne by the glass, cocktails, beer, soft drinks, juices, tea and coffee across several venues
- Premium drinks restocked in your personal minibar daily
- Three included excursions per person, per stay, plus morning yoga sessions and unlimited access to the sports complex and non-motorised watersports equipment
- One child (11 and under) stays free of charge on existing bedding with all-inclusive meals and drinks and access to the Turtle Kids’ Club (excludes Green Tax and Male transfers)
- Inclusions valid for two guests
Here are some other websites similar to Luxury Escapes where you can find great deals on packages for your next trip:
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