Transportation, including airfare, plays a huge factor into one's travel budget. Discounted flights are often kept watch for by frugal travelers and they generally figure out ways to stretch their money.
How to Use Free Stopovers: The first time I traveled to Australia with my significant other, we flew Air New Zealand. The reason we did this was so is that we got a free stopover in New Zealand, which worked out perfect because we were planning a tour to New Zealand and hadn't ever made it. By taking advantage of free stopovers you're able to visit places you may wish to visit without having to pay airfare. When we went back to Australia the following year, Air Tahiti Nui was the airline for us due to them having a free stopover in Tahiti on the return flight.
Hidden Cities: Free stopovers are a benefit openly offered by some airlines. Hidden cities are not only unadvertised but are actively discouraged by the airlines. However they can be a great savings for the frugal traveler.
An instance of this is when you're traveling to Las Vegas from New York City. Sometimes it's cheaper to fly from NYC to LA and you can just get off in Las Vegas. The only snags are that you pretty much have to be a carry-on passenger because luggage would be sent to the ticket destination and your real destination is where your return flight will originate from.
Getting Bumped: If you're looking to get very lucky with your travels and perhaps get a night or two more in a city you quite enjoy, be open to the option of being bumped. Typically airlines compensate you quite well when you give up your seat to another passenger.
Travelers knowing the rules know the compensation offered (check the carriers website), know the next flights out (be wary of carriers with once a week flights), and can weigh that against the pain of disrupted plans. The hubby and I always decide before arriving at the airport (early so we have a boarding pass to give up) whether or not it's worth it. That way we can be the first to offer up our seats should the opportunity to arise. It's almost always free round trip tickets or up to $300 in travel vouchers per ticket!
To achieve the highest possibility of being bumped, try to book a seat on a flight that is very full and taking off later in the day. Traveling by airplane does not have to be incredibly expensive and if you research appropriate discount travel sites, you can get a lot more than you give up.
Booking Your Ticket Online: By using an online travel site, you're typically able to get much better deals than with a travel agent.
Consider booking your hotel a few weeks in advance before you travel to popular destinations like Zurich. It's smart to find your discounted Zurich hotel before the hotels get filled up which tends to happen, especially during busy travel months.
Author Resource:
Alejandra R. Machado is part Swiss and was born in Geneva though she grew up in Brazil. Traveling all over Europe and particularly her wonderful motherland of Switzerland is her greatest pleasure. She writes of her travels on her blog as well as posts reviews about each hotel in Zurich she visits.
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