Travelers who do their research will discover ways to travel better, safer, smarter, and cheaper.
New York, NY (PRWEB) December 29, 2016
According to Expedia and ARC’s annual Global Air Travel Outlook for 2017, travel hackers may not have to work quite as hard to get air travel deals in 2017. Apparently, ticket prices for economy class are declining worldwide and haven’t been this low since 2013. While this is certainly good news, it gets better. ExpertFlyer.com recently spoke with veteran travel hackers and experts to gather tips and anecdotes to create a definitive travel hacking cheat sheet for 2017.
For online travel searches, it is recommended consumers clear all cookies on the computer and possibly use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). David Bakke from MoneyCrashers.com says it’s essential to outsmart the search engines before shopping for deals online. “Make sure ‘private browsing’ is enabled on your computer before shopping for travel deals. Websites may show higher prices if you’ve clicked on them before.”
Haris Mumtaz at PureVPN concurs but also believes using a VPN will allow travelers to check and compare fares by connecting from multiple countries and booking tickets from the location with the cheapest price. “It is not widely known that the price of a particular flight may differ when booked from different locations. Using a VPN can save you a lot of money.”
Airline and bank credit card perks continue to be a popular and effective way to earn miles but none more than the Southwest Companion Pass, the gold standard in this area, according to FoxNews travel writer and GotoTravelGal blogger, Lyn Mettler. The Companion Pass allows one person to fly free with the pass holder for up to two years. “When you sign up for a Southwest credit card and meet the minimum spend of $2,000 through everyday purchases you earn an additional 6,000 Rapid Rewards points,” explains Mettler who offers a free, step-by-step book on her blog. “Once you reach 110,000 points, which is not difficult to do, you only need to pay the government-required security fee each way. My family of four (we signed up for two credit cards) has flown to six destinations within a year for less than $100 per flight.”
Valerie Bowden, author of Backpacking Africa for Beginners, offers three great tips for those looking to venture outside U.S. borders: reconsider one-way flights; fly new or rarely used airlines; and be flexible with travel schedules. For those with flexible schedules, Bowden recommends Skyscanner to find the best deals (Watch ExpertFlyer’s interview with Randi Wolfson at Skyscanner here).
House-sitting is another unique and cost-effective way to see the world. Many homeowners are looking for trusted individuals to mind their properties while away. Tanbay Theune, a professional house/pet sitter and blogger at TravellingWeasels.com, says this is a great way to see the world for almost nothing. “Getting the first house sit can be tough without references so finding opportunities local to you is a great way to build references before venturing out to interesting places you want to go.”
For folks who want to go the traditional route with accommodations, Abigail, a travel blogger at Where Abigail Went, suggests checking to see if family members or friends are full-time employees at hotel chains where Friends & Family rates often apply. “Now that Marriott and Starwood have merged, for instance, you can take advantage of the extended Explore Friends program, which entitles you to book an unlimited number of nights per year for leisure travel at any of their hotels across the world, based on availability. You can save up to 50% off rooms this way, which is a fantastic deal.”
“Knowledge is power,” says Chris Lopinto, president and co-founder of ExpertFlyer.com. “Our success has been based on the premise of providing thousands of travelers with air travel information they simply can’t find anywhere else. Travelers who do their research will discover ways to travel better, safer, smarter, and cheaper and much of the information found will be provided by travelers with personal experience.”
To read the entire list of tips from top travel industry hackers, please visit ExpertFlyer's blog.
About ExpertFlyer.com
Each month, ExpertFlyer's One-on-One blog goes face-to-face with the travel industry's leading decision makers to discuss and address topics relevant to many of today's business and frequent travelers.
ExpertFlyer.com was conceived and created by an eclectic team consisting of a veteran elite tier frequent flyer, an airline captain and corporate travel manager, and information technology professionals to deliver a 24/7 real time powerful air travel information service. The company provides its subscribers and corporate travel managers alike with a complete, concise and efficient way to access the ever-changing details of worldwide air travel information. For more information, please visit expertflyer.com.
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