Key tips for booking cheaper travel tickets
The end and start of the year fall under peak travel season in South Africa and beyond. This period allows many to take a break from various commitments to catch a breather and relax with friends and family.
While not everyone travels away from their residence, many people vacation individually and often with family and friends. For those not driving themselves to the selected destination, booking the cheapest available travel tickets becomes vitally important.
While trying to arrange the tickets, you can count on Guzzle to search for your travel needs.
Below are some easy ways in which you can book cheaper travel tickets
Research and buy early
The early bird catches the worm, so they say. This also applies to booking travel tickets. You need to start researching early enough, especially since most air travel agencies and airlines release cheaper tickets approximately 11 months before peak travel. When purchasing the ticket, 30 days to 3 months in advance is the recommended time frame.
If you leave this too close to the travelling date, you will likely pay more. Leaving it late also robs you of the privilege to choose your preferred seats.
Cast your net wide on booking platforms
Avoid the temptation to buy tickets on the first search attempt. Different airlines offer different rates for the same routes. Therefore, you should shop around by using booking platforms that aggregate destinations and available fares.
Some of the effective platforms to consider in this regard are Skyscanner and Travelstart. For those travelling by bus, Computicket is a reliable platform to check available buses and ticket fares.
Once you check these aggregator sites, there is no harm going on individual bus or airline websites to check what they are offering before making up your mind.
Set up price alerts
Price alerts are not only convenient, but they will help you save time and money. Once you set up alerts on various booking platforms, you will be alerted immediately cheaper tickets for your destinations that suit your budget are available.
This means you can spend your time focusing on other personal and business matters. In the retail space, shoppers can set email
retail alerts on Guzzle that remind them of specials or products they wish to purchase when they are available.
Use loyalty points
Many travel companies and agencies offer rewards programs. For instance, loyalty points from Discovery Vitality can help you save on local and international flights while using Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper gives you access to discounts with their travel partners.
Book for traditionally cheaper days
For those travelling by air and possibly by bus, not every day is a busy day. Traditionally, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are cheaper to travel because most people would have travelled by Monday or Friday.
Clear cookies
Any internet user knows that online activities are not a hidden secret and IP addresses are an open secret on online platforms. This means your shopping habits and activities leave a trail online, which can cost you if not cleared.
For example, if you visit a site to browse ticket prices, the chances are high that you could see and book for slightly higher fares when you make a return. Avoid this trap by constantly clearing your browser history.
Connecting flight
Connecting flights is generally cumbersome, especially if you are rushing for urgent personal or business commitments. However, for those who have time on their hands, connecting flights will prove cheaper than direct ones, especially for long haul flights.
Of course, it’s hard to connect flights if you are going nearby, but this is worth considering for long-distance journeys.
The tips provided above, if well utilised, will save you some money which you can use to spend on holiday or other pressing needs. For your travel essentials such as bags and gadgets and other home needs before and after the trip, count on Guzzle to find great deals.
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