Top 10 Travel Hacks – Tried and Tested To Save You Money
Planning your next holiday? Read this first! Our top 10 travel hacks will save you time, money, and help you travel smarter.
I urge you not to book a Ryanair flight or an attraction ticket until you have read our top travel hacks! I have worked in travel for over 35 years and picked up plenty of top tips and tricks along the way. From saving money on flights and getting refunds on attraction tickets, to avoiding getting ripped off at the car hire desk or being caught out by unexpected roaming charges.
These are the travel hacks I have found most useful over the years and I hope they help you save time, money, and make your next trip a little easier.
1. Don’t pay full price for your Ryanair flight
Did you know you can book a Ryanair flight with a deposit and avoid cancellation fees? Many people haven’t realised that Ryanair offers the option to pay 50% of the flight cost when booking, with the remaining 50% payable at least 40 days before departure. You will see this option when:
If you are booking a 10kg bag or more, it is definitely worth considering this option, for two reasons: As well as having the convenience of not having to pay the total amount in advance, you also have the benefit of not losing any money if you have to cancel.
Approximately 50 days before your flight is due to depart you will receive an email advising you that the balance needs to be paid. If the balance is not paid at least 40 days pre-departure, your booking will be automatically cancelled.
But here is the best part – the deposit paid will be refunded as credit to the wallet section of your myRyanair account, and you have up to 12 months to use this.
Top Tip: Before paying your remaining balance, check the current price of your flights to see if the price is lower than what you have booked. When I was travelling to Chania recently I noticed that the price of the flights had dropped by €120 compared with the price I had paid when booking several months earlier.
Rather than paying the remaining balance on my original booking, I decided to let the booking cancel and rebooked the flights at the lower price. The refund was credited to my Ryanair Wallet within an hour of the cancellation, and I was then able to use the credit towards my new booking – this has to be the best Ryanair travel hack!
Read: How to save money on Ryanair flights
Read: Book Ryanair Family flights with 50% deposit
Note Ryanair rules and fares are subject to change – always confirm up to date Ts & Cs on the Ryanair website before booking.
2. Don’t book attraction tickets direct
When booking attraction tickets, you will often find that the cheapest prices are either non-refundable or only allow refunds if you cancel 7 or 14 days beforehand – the Sagrada Familia above being a good example.
For that reason I always book attraction tickets through Viator, GetYourGuide or Attraction Tickets.com as they usually offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the activity, although the cancellation policy can vary depending on the attraction or tour.
I had a similar experience recently when booking the Brightline train in Florida. I wanted to cancel my reservation but, having booked directly, I discovered that it was non-refundable. Some of my friends had booked their tickets through Viator and, because their booking offered free cancellation, they were able to receive a full refund.
If you are booking your trip several months in advance, I recommend reserving tickets to popular attractions and tours early, knowing that you can cancel if your plans change or you decide that you would rather spend the day relaxing by the pool.
Top Tip: Before booking a city tour, check the website of the local tourist board. Many cities offer free walking tours, which can be a great way to explore the city without adding another expense to your holiday.
3. Use flight comparison sites to find cheap flights
I’m not sure how we ever found cheap flights before Skyscanner and Google Flights came along. They have made searching for flights so much easier, particularly if you are flexible about where and when you travel.
Skyscanner’s flexible search features allow you to search for flights to “Everywhere” or look at different dates to find the cheapest options. This can be a great way to discover destinations you may not have considered, while also finding out when it is cheapest to travel.
If you already have a particular destination and dates in mind, you can also set up price alerts. Skyscanner will then notify you when the price of your chosen flights changes.
Top Tip: Use Skyscanner and Google Flights to compare prices, but I always recommend booking directly with the airline. It can make things simpler if you need to make changes to your booking or have a problem with your flight.
4. Be flexible with the length of your holiday
This is one of the travel hacks that I use all the time! Instead of automatically searching for the standard seven-night holiday during the summer, try searching for six or eight nights as well. The same applies to longer holidays. If you are planning a 14-night getaway, try searching for 13, 15 or even 16 nights. Sometimes changing the length of your holiday by just one or two nights can make a significant difference to the overall price.
5. Don’t always assume DIY is cheaper
While more and more people are booking their own holidays, it is important to remember that in some cases booking with a travel agent can offer better value. They often have exclusive deals on long haul flights if booking hotels at the same time. Similarly with cruises, you may get free flights, cabin upgrades or onboard credit that is not available by booking directly with the cruise line.
Online travel agencies such as loveholidays or TUI offer low booking deposits and payment plans so you can secure the holiday you want without having to pay in full for flights and hotels at the time of booking.
Tour Operators such as TUI or Jet2 operate charter flights where airport transfers and checked baggage are included, something which can prove costly when you try to book them separately. You may also find great deals on last minute holidays if they need to fill the allocation on the plane.
Read: 2027 holidays 15 TUI Family Favourites
Read: Love Holidays Best European family resorts for 2027
6. Always join airline’s rewards clubs
Before you fly make sure you have joined the airline’s rewards club. You may have no plans to fly with the particular airline again, but you will be surprised at how many are linked to hotels and other airlines. In fact I often choose an airline because of the reward program they offer. Avios is my reward currency of choice and I try to choose airlines that offer Avios when booking, such as Aer Lingus, British Airways and Qatar Airways.
I have used Avios to part-pay for flights, get free flights, and upgrade to business class. Upgrading saved me a fortune compared to the real cost.
Best of all, you don’t need to be a frequent flyer to start collecting. You can collect Avios when you fly but also through everyday purchases. You can convert Revolut’s Rev Points and Tesco’s ClubCard points to Avios, and collect them when shopping online, renting a car, catching an UBER or booking hotels.
Read: The ultimate guide to collecting and spending Avios
7. Flying direct is not always best
Most of us tend to book a direct flight when one is available, but the savings can be significant if you are willing to take an indirect route. In some cases, you can take advantage of free or discounted stopover packages, with hotels and activities included. In other cases, flying indirectly can simply be a more convenient option.
Kaitlin recently holidayed on the Albanian Riviera and found that it was more convenient to fly to Corfu and take a short boat transfer, than to fly direct to Tirana and spend four hours on a coach.
Read: 2027 Corfu & Albania holiday
Stopping in Iceland or Canada can offer significant savings when flying to the USA, while airlines such as Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines offer stopover packages that can be particularly useful when flying to Asia or Australia.
Stopover packages are usually available in the airline’s hub city, allowing you to turn a long layover into a short city break. Depending on the airline, these can include free or discounted hotels, meals, airport transfers or city tours, with stays ranging from around 24 hours to several days.
The Portugal Stopover Programme is another great example. You can include a stopover in Lisbon or Porto for up to 10 days, with special deals and discounts on hotels, tours, restaurants and attractions.
Not only can a stopover reduce the overall cost of your ticket, but it also gives you the opportunity to explore an extra destination along the way.
Read: 20 Best City Stopovers Worldwide And Stopover Packages Worth Booking
8. Don’t hire a car without booking car hire excess insurance
Don’t get ripped off at the car-hire desk! When you collect your rental car, you will usually be offered additional insurance to cover the excess if the car is damaged or stolen. After a long journey, it can be tempting to simply accept it, but this can cost around €15 – €30 per day.
Instead, consider taking out a separate car hire excess insurance policy before you travel. Policies can cost considerably less, with cover available from €2.99 per day in Europe or €65.99 for annual worldwide cover.
Top Tip: Check exactly what the policy covers before buying, and compare the excess, exclusions and coverage limits with the rental company’s own insurance. See more car rental tips here:
Read: 12 Top tips for renting a car abroad
9. Avoid roaming charges
Roaming charges can be extremely expensive in some countries, including the USA, and they can also catch you out in places where you might not expect them.
I had this happen recently when skiing in Andorra. I didn’t think that roaming charges would apply until I got there, and ended up paying a significant amount for using my phone. Other European countries such as Switzerland and Albania are not part of the EU or EEA so roaming charges usually apply.
I highly recommend purchasing an eSIM before you travel. It can be a much cheaper option and, more importantly, means you know exactly what you are paying for rather than returning home to an unexpected phone bill. I have used Airalo on a few occasions and found them great.
Another useful tip is to plan your driving routes before you leave and download Google Maps so you can use them offline. This means you won’t be dependent on Wi-Fi or a good mobile signal when you are on the road.
Read: 25 Best travel apps to make travelling easy
Top Tip: Check the roaming rules for your destination before you travel. Don’t assume that your usual roaming arrangements will apply everywhere.
10. Invest in travel essentials
Airline luggage allowances vary greatly, so always check the allowance before you start packing! Some airlines, such as Aer Lingus, allow you to check in a 10kg suitcase free of charge, while Ryanair’s basic fare only includes a small cabin bag that must fit under the seat in front of you. Many airlines also have a 7kg hand luggage limit, which is particularly common on charter and long-haul flights.
If you travel regularly, a good lightweight suitcase is worth investing in. And if you frequently fly with Ryanair, the viral cabin bag is a must-have, and only costs about €20.
It is made to the exact 40 x 20 x 30cm measurements and is therefore free to bring on board as your personal item. Don’t be fooled by its size when you see it online – it holds a surprising amount! It even has space for a laptop and water bottle, and can also be used as a 7kg cabin bag on other airlines.
Compression packing cubes, a mulberry silk eye mask, a travel pillow and an AirFly are also among my must-have travel essentials. The AirFly is particularly useful on long-haul flights, as it allows you to connect your AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones to the in-flight entertainment system instead of using the uncomfortable headphones provided by the airline.
Read: Top travel essentials – travel must haves for the plane and on holiday
Finally, I recommend investing in a portable luggage scales. They only cost €10 and can save you a lot of stress at the airport, particularly if, like me, your suitcase always seems to be hovering around the baggage allowance!
I hope my top travel hacks will help you to prepare for your next trip! While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, above details are subject to change. Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links, where I receive a small commission if a purchase is made, but at no additional cost to you.
