Rollaboard Travel - Tips on Traveling Light

When a family emergency comes up or you have an extra long weekend and want to go visit a friend or family member you have to make last minute travel plans. This type of traveling can be costly due to the increase they put on last minute plane ticket prices to make profit on business travelers. To help avoid these costly seats here are some ways you can save money on your last minute travel plans.

Last Minute Deals

If you happen to have time off of work or need to get to your family for an emergency you may have luck finding a last minute deal. These tend to be offered by airlines at the larger airports around the country so if you live in a small area it may be hard to find. Talk to your local travel agent to see if any of these last minute deals are available to you.

Alternate Airport

When traveling last minute it is important to have as much flexibility as possible to get the best deals. If there is an airport that is a little further away you should check and see if they offer a better deal than the closer airport. You can call the airlines directly to talk with a ticketing agent and see what they have available from the airports in your area.

Air Miles

If you have a large amount of air miles accumulated and are looking for a reason to use them then last minute travel is a great opportunity. While they may not have seats on their own airline or partners there is the option to use more air miles to get on multiple carriers. This would allow you to spend air miles instead of a huge chunk of money to get to your destination.

Train Travel

While train travel is not the fastest way to get to a long distance destination it can help with getting you to a less expensive airport. When you live in a more rural area with a small airport then consider booking yourself a train ticket to the closet international airport where you can get cheaper flights. This will save you quite a bit of money since train tickets are a fraction of the cost of airplane tickets from some of the small airports.

Bus Travel

Traveling by bus is also not a very fast way to get to a long distance destination but can be used as a way to get to a larger airport. Sometimes a bus ticket to the closet large city can save you a few hundred dollars on parking your vehicle or taking a plane. Make sure you check on weather predictions and possible cancellations before you rely on bus travel in winter months.

Drive

While driving is an easy and less expensive way to get to your destination when it is not that far away, it is hard to rely on driving to a far away destination. As an alternative to driving the whole distance you can see if an airport a few hours away has better flight deals than your local airport and drive part of the way. The huge downside to driving is figuring out what to do with your car while you are away since parking can be very expensive.

Shop Around

The best thing to do when traveling last minute is to shop around and compare total cost of the trip to and from your destination. If you map out all of the possible ways to get to the destination then it is easier to determine which itinerary saves you the most money. This may mean you have to take the train or bus to another airport or leave on a redeye. Good luck making your last minute travel plans and hopefully you can get where you need to go on time.