Research, research, research

I was thinking really hard about what I wanted my first post to be about and I decided on research. I feel that research is probably the most important thing when planning your next vacation. At this point, I am pretty much an expert on researching things but it wasn't always like that. It's similarly like that scenario in class or in a brief when they ask if you have any questions but you're just sitting there wondering "do I have any questions? I don't know, it's a lot of information to take in. I wouldn't even know where to pull a question from. I don't know what to ask". Then you find yourself alone in the task and all of a sudden you have 50 questions. Well to bring it back, that is how I felt when I took my first trip. So worry not, you are not alone in that! To help mitigate those overwhelming feelings of where to start, here are the more important things I start with:

1. Where do you want to go? And why?

2. How are you going to get there?

3. Where are you going to stay?

I don't know about all of you, but I pride myself on being exceptionally frugal. Alright, maybe that is a nicer word for cheap but hey, I love me a good deal! Who doesn't? When I booked my first airline ticket to Germany, I used Priceline and ended up paying $909 with traveler's insurance at $34. I am kicking myself now because I know had I looked elsewhere, I could have found a better deal. And forget traveler's insurance. If I'm buying the ticket, I AM GOING. Ain't no one stopping me. But I digress. Two of my favorite apps to use for flights are Hopper and Skyscanner. (In case this post gets lost somewhere, the names are in my "About" section.) What I like about Hopper is that it shows you a calendar that is color coded by what dates are most expensive to travel, green is cheaper going into red the most expensive. Should you find cheap tickets that you want to buy right then and there, it will take you to a site to purchase. But again, MAKE SURE TO RESEARCH. You can even set alerts for a trip you're eyeing. I get notifications every now and then saying "the trip you're looking at has tickets cheaper than ever right now!" Hopper also offers "tips" on how to make your flight cost cheaper by suggesting alternate travel dates or using a different airport nearby. However, I don't just leave it at that. I also like to crosscheck those prices with Skyscanner which will narrow down the cheapest flights available. Be aware that some of those really cheap flights may come with additional stops but you can filter those out. It is all up to you and your preference of comfort versus flexibility. I like to start planning at least 6 months out because it gives me time to research properly, flight prices tend to fluctuate, and hotels are cheaper as well. I'll write another post dedicated to hotel searching so you're not bombarded with so much information at once and who really wants to read a post so long anyway? So toodaloo for now, which actually comes from a funky way of saying "a` tout a` l'heure" meaning "see you later" in French. Ya learn something new everyday. Have a great day!

Goose, out.

#flights #travel #savings