10 Travel Tips to Save You Money While Flying

1. Bring an empty water bottle with you to the airport and fill it up from the drinking fountain inside the airport for free. This will save you on paying the outrageous prices at the airport.
   

   Atlanta, GA airport water fountain- so convenient!

2. If you are someone that enjoys a cocktail during a flight but hate paying $5-7 for one then this tip is for you. Pick up a nip or two (less than 3oz) from the liquor store of your desired alcohol and pack it in your carry-on luggage. When the flight attended asks what you would like to drink, order a mixing component (coke, sprite, juice, etc.), mix it up and wallah you saved yourself a few bucks and got a nice drink (or two) for the flight. Don’t worry when you go thru security, this is all allowed as long as it is less than 3oz.
3. This on may be obvious, but I have seen so many travelers fall into this trap. Make sure that when you book a flight that you read all the directions associated with your ticket before you get to the airport. For example, Spirit airlines asks that you print our your boarding pass at home, otherwise when you arrive at the ticket counter you have to shell out $10 for them to print it out for you. They also ask that you specify what luggage you will bring on the flight when you purchase the ticket online (checking luggage or carry-on ). If you wait until you get to the ticket counter you’ll be paying about $100. Save some money so you can splurge when you get to your destination and read the directions beforehand and follow them!
4. Pack snacks. This one if for all modes of transportation whether it be boat, plane, or bus. Airports allow you to take food on the flight. No where does it say that you can’t; however there have been so many times I have pulled out a homemade sandwich from home and the passenger beside me asks how I got it past security. Save yourself the money and pack food with you, your stomach and wallet will thank you! I usually pack nuts, chips, a piece of fruit, and a sandwich (all depending on how long the flight or bus ride will be).
5. Join a miles program. Don’t wait- do it the moment when you book your ticket. With our past miles we were able to get two free tickets from Kansas to Florida at the very start of our round the world trip, which saved us about $800.
6. When you are initially looking for flights online, make sure you delete your cookies after each search. The internet remembers past searches; just take a look at the Ads that pop up on various websites (ex: facebook)- this is not a coincidence. Each time that you search for a flight and you have not deleted your cookies then the search will yield all the same prices as your last search or most of the time it will come up with something much higher.
7. Download the Hopper App. If you know that you will be going to a certain location on a certain date or month (Ex: Rome in April) then you can create an alert on the hopper app to send you a notification when is the best time to buy. Once you see a low price, head over to the website and purchase the ticket! This helps with not having to look up flights constantly, definitely a time saver!
8. Buy your airline tickets on a Tuesday I have tested this theory time and time again and flights are always cheaper when you buy them on a Tuesday. Whether it be $10 or $100, a savings is a savings and that is why I always buy my tickets on a Tuesday when I can. There’s also a rumor that it’s cheaper to also fly on a Tuesday, but I haven’t tested that theory yet.
9. Ask for upgrades, extras, and discounts. The people that work for the airline companies are people just like you and can go out of their way for you, but you have to ask. I always say that it is better to ask then to never know at all. Anytime I am about to check-out in a store, I usually ask the cashier if they have any coupons or discounts and the majority of the time they give them to me! Ask and you shall receive.
10. Be Kind. This is coupled with the advice from above because usually in this world if you are not kind to others, they are more unwilling to give anything to you for free. Be kind to those who work for the airlines as they have to do a lot for the passengers on the plane. Be kind and good things may come to you

Happy Travels!