Stylishly cheap travel - part two

March 29 2009 , Written by thediversetraveller Published on #aroundtheworld, #bargains, #Budget, #Cheap, #Cost, #Costofliving, #Credit, #Crunch, #DiverseTraveller, #editor, #escape, #experience, #Help, #holiday, #insight, #Ola, #OlaFagbohun, #Planning, #Smart, #Stylishly, #travel, #Travel News, #traveler, #traveller, #TravelTips, #vacations, #World

As promised last week, here are more travel tips to help you travel cheaply and in style this year.

6. Book early. My friend Rachel snagged a ticket to Washing DC for the Obama inauguration for under £300 by booking in November. I snagged one of the elusive £59 Eurostar tickets to Paris for next Tuesday by booking in January (going for the day). But I knew they were available because I had signed up for their newsletter. The same applies to airlines and local rain travel - subscribe to their newsletters - be the first to know.

7. Mix up your mode of travel. If you have the time, travel by a cheaper form of transport. When visiting family in Sheffield I often take the early National Express coach. They often do great deals at £5 each way. You can get cheaper deals on companies like Megabus (also availble in USA & Canada). NB. Average train price £52.

8. Look for free Stopovers. When flying long haul ask if there are any free stop overs. When I flew to Australia in 2005, I stayed two days in Hong Kong going and two days on the way back - free (with Quantas / British Airways).

9. Be careful what you spend your money on. It's easy to get carried away buying presents for friend, family and their cat, but you have to be realistic. I travel to the USA at least twice a year, and each time I would have a suitcase full of presents - no more! It's not that I am being stingy, but the pound isn't going as far as it did, so time to scale down the presents. Also do the conversion, and ask yourself, would you buy it if you were at home? Of course there are going to be some one-off things that you'll only find in the country you are travelling in, so save your spending money for that.

10. Book directly with your transport provider. Buy direct from the airline’s website (if you can). Most major airlines now guarantee the best prices on their own sites (though still check around as this is not always the case.) The reason I am suggesting this is if something happens you are more likely to be able to change your travel arrangements (for a fee), something your travel agent (on or offline) won't do and the airline won't either if not booked through them. e are two reasons to book directly with the airline you will be flying. A few summers ago, I booked a flight to Houston through Expedia, when i wanted to change my return date (I was prepared to pay a fee) the airline couldn't help me as i hadn't booked with them, and Expedia said I had to buy another ticket. The next summer, while driving to the airport I was involved in a car accident, I called the airline and they moved my flight without even proof of the accident (and for free).

11. Watch your weight. Don't get caught out by over packing. My last summer trip I bought a hand held digital scale, which saved me lots of dollars as I travelled across the USA. Extra luggage fees are usually start from £25. Some of the low cost airlines are charging for hold luggage, pack early, then repack and then pack again. If you are going for a short trip two to seven days then you should be able to pack your stuff into one small suitcase - I know, because I do it often.

Believe it or not, this is not the end of my 'interesting stylishly cheap' travel tips, check back here next week (or subcribe so you'll know when they are here) to learn about my favourite recession-proof travel ideas that cost next to nothing.

Also, please do share your 'interesting' recession-busting travel tips, the best one will win something from the Diverse Traveller shop.

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