[trip style = any]
Whether or not the weather got the memo {I've heard tales of snow storms in the East}, Spring has sprung. For many hot-ticket destinations, particularly in Hawaii and the Caribbean, April marks the beginning of shoulder season, meaning you can save an arm AND a leg {pun totally intended} on travel!
Trip Styler Tip :: shoulder season logic can be applied to any destination. For example, April is an incredible time to hit the slopes as many ski resorts still have snow, the crowds have thinned, the weather is warm and the prices are off-peak! Or take Europe, visiting in May and October offers similar benefits.
Smarty Pants Travel Strategies 1/ Bank on shoulder season savings to go farther, or take more smaller trips. For example, a few years ago in April I flew to Hawaii from Vancouver for $400 {return}, and I saw similar prices advertised recently. This trip would normally cost 700+ for flights.
2/ Sign up with a service like Yapta or TripIt Pro to get notified if your flight goes down in price. I just got $98 dollars back on a flight using this method.
3/ Airline or Credit Card travel points. a) You MUST collect airline/hotel points and travel credit card points. Triple the fun {and savings}. b) Redeem points in low season to get more for your money. For example: I'm about to book a trip to Argentina with the American Airlines points I've accrued to fly in business class at the cusp of shoulder season. In low season the trip is 60,000 points, in high season the trip is 200,000 points.
4/ Get on the travel app train. ---> Last-minute savings are NOT a thing of the past. Apps have reinvigorated spontaneous travel with a ton of services that offer day-of savings.
5/ Monitor fare sales like a hawk. For example, vacation destinations get fewer bookings in shoulder season, yet many airlines still fly those routes, which means they need seats sat in!
More Travel Savings Strategies The Six-Week Rule :: the sweet-spot for flight bookings Six Ways To Save On Airfare :: score the lowest airfare for your next trip How To Book The Best Flight :: without hours of research The Airfare Dance :: key findings from Kayak.com’s Chief Scientist Travel Tips for ANY Trip Style :: 11 trip tips
[photo by @tripstyler]