At the 2012 Boston Globe Travel Show, Arthur Frommer and his daughter Pauline offered their advice on “When to Splurge and When to Scrimp on Vacations“.
The high cost of air travel has forced many would-be-vacationers to stay close to home. The Frommers suggested that rather than cancel your travel plans altogether, plan ahead and save on other vacation components such as food, lodging and activities.
Here are a few of their suggestions:
- Best time to buy plane tickets – 6 weeks before travel date, on a Tuesday or Wednesday; Avoid booking on a weekend
- Use Twitter to track last minute bargain fares
- Consider airfare/lodging packages
- Stay in apartments where you can make your own meals rather than hotels
- Avoid Tour Groups and travel independently instead
- Save on lodging by booking a condo directly through the owner, renting a spare room or participating in a home exchange
The Frommers also recommended checking out these websites:
- To rent a spare room or apartment: airbnb.com and wimdu.com
- Rooms for free/cultural exchange: couchsurfing.org, globalfreeloaders.com, usservas.org, homeexchange.com, workaway.info, wwoof.org
- Hotel deals: hotelscombined.com, hipmunk.com, dohop.com
- Packages: bookit.com, vacmart.com, expedia.com
- Car Rentals: bnm.com, autoslash.com
- Teaching English in Spain: Vaughan Volunteers
For more tips from the Frommers, listen to their weekly radio show on WOR News Talk radio 710 AM, Sundays 12-2 or subscribe to the podcast.
