Money Share Tweet The world is still your oyster and this is particularly true of late, more than ever. Sure, purse strings are tightening and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet; but don’t let this perturb you. The key point here that I am trying to make is that it’s a buyers’ market out there! Now, more than ever it’s easier to grab a tailor made holiday. Travel companies are bending over backwards to get the consumer to spend – so negotiate. Bargain and haggle, be sure to get the best value for your money. How To Save Money Booking Your Holidays Are you Flexible Enough? Be Flexible – try wherever possible to be flexible about dates and destinations. Not always as easy as it sounds, but if you just use a little know-how and possibly “Google Trends” you will quickly be able to identify peak season trends. Of course, try not to book your time off right in the middle of the school holidays, or other popular holidays for that matter. More importantly keep an eye out for the cheap cruise and cheap flight websites, there is “last minute” gold to be found! 3. Sign up to Loyalty Bonuses Sign up for loyalty programmes for your preferred traveling method, if it’s cruising, then go for the cruise line loyalty programmes, prefer flying? Get collecting those air miles; they are not only useful for getting money off, but you can also pit them against upgrades. Sometimes it’s not always necessarily about getting the best price, but extending the value of your money. The more loyalty schemes you join, the greater spectrum of choice you have. Get more bang for your buck, don’t be afraid to play travel agents against each other. It’s time that we (the consumer) started moving in the right direction. 6. Travel Off-Season Time and time again, people are always rattling on about traveling off-season and that is for a good reason! Off-season is cheaper! But remember, off-season for a cruise liner may not be off-season for some of the other methods of travel. It also depends upon the country that you are visiting (cue Google Trends again). If you are going whale watching in Alaska then off-season will be considerably different from traveling to the Caribbean or Costa Rica. Another point to think about – events! You might not want to take yourself and the family over to the states during the Super Bowl. You might also want to avoid sailing away to Rio de Janeiro during the carnival if you are looking for a cheap break also. 7. Take the Road Less-Travelled Why not visit some of the less popular destinations of the world, try destinations such as Bulgaria or even Romania, they are often cheaper alternatives to some of the more popular destinations. Think about it though, a five start hotel is still a five star hotel no matter where you go. But, a five star hotel will be considerably cheaper in Bulgaria than, for example Hawaii. Get your Homework Done! Simple mistakes happen to the best of us, but there is no excuse for ignorance, and in an information age this is especially true. Use the resources you have at your fingertips to plan ahead. What is staring you in the face right now? Yes, a screen, no doubt you also have access to the internet as you will be reading this blog. Well get researching! Check out the average eating-out prices, travel fares (bus, train, car hire). Take a look around, budget and plan. If you are not getting anywhere fast, then contact the areas local tourist office, they should be able to furnish yourself with the info you are looking for. Travel on Sleeper Trains Sleeper trains are a great way to save a little money, not only can they save on traveling, but you can also save on expensive hotel costs. There is yet another benefit, you will be able to travel during the evening; therefore not waste valuable time traveling during the day. It’s pretty much a win win situation. I hope that my some of my insights will help you save some money on your future excursions. These are all tried and tested methods and when you put them together, you can make considerable savings.