Tag: cheap tickets

Five Types of Suitcases You Absolutely Must Have

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Different trips call for different luggage. Here are a few suitcases I own that I adore and how I decide which I will use:

  1. Duffel bag. An overnight bag is like a little black dress for travelers. Everyone should have at least one. I like to use a duffel bag for this, I have three different ones. The key is to find one that has enough storage space as well as pockets on the inside and out to fit everything you need and keep it organized. In addition you can also use a large back pack or oversized purse.
  2. 15″ rolling under the seat luggage. For longer weekend trips, whether you are driving somewhere nearby, or flying out on business, a small rolling suitcase that can fit under an airplane seat is my favorite thing in the world. It is slightly smaller than carry on bags and fits under all airplane seats. Brandon and I both have one for short trips back to NJ to visit our families. The suitcase is roomy enough to fit everything we need yet compact enough to fit on smaller commercial airlines.
  3. Standard carry-on rolling bag. If you are like me and need to bring 3 pairs of shoes on every trip longer than 24 hours, the standard sized rolling bag is a great addition to your luggage collection. One reason I love this is because a standard sized commercial aircraft has room above your seat to store these. Modern technology has made me so lazy. I only fly on airlines I can check in from my phone so I can skip the lines at the gate. Very rarely do I ever check a bag. I hate standing in lines with people who don’t know how to navigate an airport or hardly ever fly. I am inpatient and love being able to get out of my car and walk directly to security so I can grab my Starbucks and relax once I get to the gate.  I hate standing in baggage claim waiting for airport employees to unload the plane and get me my luggage. I’ve also seen one too many suitcases lost or contents stolen in airports. If I can keep my possessions with me at all times I am a happy gal.
  4. Large sized luggage. Buy a nice large luggage bag with a good lock, and don’t skip out on the toiletry bag. When I am going on longer vacations like when we were in Hawaii for 2 weeks, I like to bring a large enough suitcase that I have everything I would need for one week including shoes. You’ll have to check your bag, unless you are lucky enough to live near an airport with curbside check in. In addition, you will need to stand around and wait for your luggage to get off the plane and you’ll run the risk of items being stolen. As long as you are careful, have a good lock on your bag, and pack smart you should be alright. Finger crossed and let’s hope that everything makes it home with you! Luggage sets are nice because they are usually roomy are made well, and come in a matching set which makes it easier to spot on the conveyer belt.
  5. Laptop bag. If you’re like me you’ll want to bring your laptop on the flight with you. I have a laptop bag in the form of a backpack which I found on Amazon. There is a ton of cushion so your laptop doesn’t get damaged and they are really nice and well made. I own the HFSX Vintage Laptop Backpack. You can buy ones with built in phone chargers and a place to store your phone, keys, wallet, and passport. Plus, it will fit under your seat.

Geniuspack.com is my favorite place to shop for luggage. They have great luggage that makes travel easy and organizing natural. Their hard side carryon is amazing. You can also find packing tips and lots of travel related gear other than luggage. You can all of the above INCLUDING universal travel adapters which work in 150 different countries. Another great thing to do if you can invest is to buy a luggage set that includes all of the pieces above. You will save money in the long run and everything will match (if you have OCD like me than that’s really important). Don’t forget to comment below with links to your favorite pieces of luggage and why.

 

Happy travels!

Why Hopper is the Best Travel App

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I have tried a few different travel apps over the last few years. Apps ranging from hiking to airline apps to money saving travel apps. When it comes to apps that will save you money on your flights you should throw all your money at Hopper and I’ll explain why.

Hopper is easy to use:

Hopper main screenOne of the main reasons I love this app so much is that it is so straight forward and easy to use. It isn’t loaded down with a bunch of distraction junk. The app is easily downloaded and your search options are made ridiculously easy. The main search screen gives you the option of choosing your airports and searching for specific dates, but also gives you the option to input flexible dates. This is my favorite feature because I can plane my trips easily around where and when the best prices are being offered.

Hopper sends updates daily:

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Every morning you get a clear update to your phone on whether or not it is the best time to pay for your flights. I was able to find tickets to my local airport using this feature. Normally prices to fly to visit my family range between $600-$800 per person. I was able to find flights for $314 using the app. As you can see in the screen shot above, Hopper also will let you know if you should keep waiting. The app will even tell you the date you will need to buy your tickets before to avoid a huge price increase just before the flight.

Hopper doesn’t leave the “guessing” up to you:

The language on Hopper is clear and easy to understand. You will know right away whether you should buy the tickets or not without a clear understanding of when your flights will increase or decrease in price. Hopper makes it very easy to know exactly when you are getting the best deal possible. Other travel apps like Skyscanner, which I was a huge advocate for before stumbling upon Hopper, leave the guessing up to the user. Since most of us aren’t travel gurus, and do not travel on planes constantly. It is hard to pull the trigger on flights knowing you got the best deal. With Hopper, you don’t have to worry about playing the “guessing” game.

Hopper allows you to search multiple destinations AND dates:

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One feature I am crazy about is that I can make my search as flexible or as confined as I need to. Google is a good tool to use if you know exactly what you want, but if you just want to go on a vacation to the cheapest place possible and are flexible on dates, then you can! You can check daily on the best prices and locations to visit. The app will tell you the time frame that the prices are as low as possible. Three days ago I found flights to Iceland for $300. Tell me seriously, who can beat that? I would love to  know.

 

Of course, there are some aspects of the app that I think could be improved upon. I think it would be great to have a place to enter your airline rewards number when you are booking on an airline you use frequently. I also would love for them to add a feature for rental cars and hotels (which is a feature that sky scanner has built in). I am hoping that down the road Hopper is able to grow and partner with some of these bigger corporations so they can add even more helpful features.

Check out more money saving tips

Tricks for Cheap Flights

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If travel was that easy, everyone would do it. Right? One of the biggest barriers for those who want to travel is the outrageous price of plane tickets. Everyone who travels has had to deal with it at one time or another, and it sucks. I will let you in on the tricks for cheap flights you can use so you don’t have to break the bank. There are 5 important tricks that will change the way you shop for airline tickets.

Tricks for Cheap Flights

Always look in multiple places.

You should ALWAYS look on as many sites as you can. First, try typing “flights from ____ to ____” in your google search bar. Google usually does a pretty good job of searching all of the available sites and airlines. My second go to is Skyscanner. Skyscanner is a website that helps you search for flights at the best price out there and has an easy option to search for one-way flights which brings me to my next trick. It also has a super easy to use app that I love.

book your flights one-way.

One trick for cheap flights is to book your plane tickets one-way. This isn’t always successful, but when you book your trip one-way you can sometimes get deals. Plus, you can book one plane ticket and book the other one at a later date when prices come down a little.

do your research.

Look up the best and worst times of the year to visit where you are going. The closest you are to the tourist season, the higher the prices will be. In the summer time prices tend to skyrocket basically everywhere. Try to avoid holiday weekends, weekends in general, and tourist season.

Be flexible.

Try not to carve out the dates you want or even where you want to go. Chances are if  you travel a lot you have a very long list of places you want to see. Instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, pick a month you want to travel and compare prices. Once you compare the prices for all of the possible destinations within that time, then you can pick a date and place to go. If you pick the week before checking out prices, you will almost always be paying more than you want to.

tuesday, tuesday, tuesday.

The best day of the week to travel, and for the lowest possible prices you should depart on a Tuesday, and return on a Tuesday. For reasons unknown to me, choosing flights on Tuesdays are always more affordable. One of the worst days to travel is on a Friday or a Sunday, so try to avoid those days at all cost.

Of course, there are so many tips and tricks and places to read up on the tricks of the trade. One of my favorite blogs with cost saving  tips for airlines is Scott’s Cheap Flights and Nomadic Matt.

Need help packing your carry on? Click here.
Traveling with pets for the first time? See here.