To save the most on travel, resist the mainstream. Instead, think in every way — including where to go, how to go and when to go — like a contrarian.
I call this frugal secret the off-travel mind-set, a willingness to chart your own course to savings and possibly a better experience. The following are a few off-travel strategies I rely on.
Off-Peak Travel
Off-peak travel, or going when everyone else isn’t, generally gets you the best prices on costs that change with demand, including flights and accommodations.
Kayla DeLoache, the U.S. travel expert for the travel search site Kayak, said midweek flights tend to offer the best value while Fridays and Sundays are the most expensive thanks to the weekend surge.
“Tuesdays, Wednesday and Saturdays are generally where we see airfare around 20 percent cheaper than other days of the week,” said Katy Nastro, of Going.com, a membership service for cheap airfare.
She cited a round-trip flight between Boston and San Francisco in August at $241 for Monday to Friday, which drops to $208 when the departure shifts to Tuesday.
The same approach applies to the calendar. For summer travel, late May and late August flights can save travelers 15 to 20 percent on airfare compared to mid-July, when traffic peaks, according to Ms. DeLoache.
Off-Season Travel
Would you sacrifice the best weather in a destination for the best price? That’s the prospect of off-season travel, going when the crowds ease usually because of weather or as dictated by school holidays.
In addition to lower airfares and hotel rates, off-season triggers its own specials. For example, several R.V. rental companies offer one-way relocation deals to get their vehicles from one destination postseason to the next, often 40 to 60 percent off normal prices and starting as low as $14 a night.
The rental car company Hertz regularly offers one-way rentals at up to 50 percent off during transition seasons, including spring rentals from Florida to a number of locations in the North and Mid-Atlantic.
“It’s really a win-win,” wrote Henry Kuykendall, the executive vice president of North America operations for Hertz, in an email. “Customers get a great deal on one-way journeys while we move our vehicles where they’ll serve customers best.
Off-the-Beaten-Path Travel
In travel economics, popularity triggers higher prices. If everyone wants to go to Dubrovnik, Croatia, which has a finite number of guest rooms, then the prices for those rooms tend to go up. And if you find long wait times at attractions and restaurants, the quality of the experience tends to go down.
One way to avoid the beaten-path pinch is to get off it by looking for similarities in less popular places, or “dupes.”
“These dupes offer similar experiences, landscapes or cultural vibes, allowing travelers to avoid crowds and save money while still enjoying a memorable trip,” wrote Melanie Fish, the vice president of global public relations for Expedia Group Brands, in an email.
She identified alternatives, including Baton Rouge, La., over New Orleans for a similar cultural spirit but a cheaper cost of living. With its walkable streets, small hotels and culinary scene, Charleston, S.C., can sub for Europe and save you money on airfare. (Expedia noted that round-trip airfare to Charleston from New York recently started at $217.)
Off-Ramp Travel
Whether you call it “off-road,” “off-grid” or “offline,” leaving the world behind usually means saving money.
In the United States, the Bureau of Land Management allows dispersed camping — meaning camping apart from developed campgrounds — for free for up to 14 days on its public lands. (Travelers should expect to forgo toilets and running water and adhere to Leave No Trace wilderness principles.)
The federal website Recreation.gov manages camping reservations on lands managed by several agencies, including the National Park Service and the B.L.M., which also offers campgrounds.
Recreation.gov also takes reservations for rustic cabins on Forest Service lands.
Several camping platforms, including the Dyrt, Hipcamp and Campspot, identify campgrounds, dispersed camping areas and campsites on private lands.
Off-Speed Travel
Transportation is one of the biggest expenses of a trip. But what if you tried moving at the speed of humans when you got there?
Slow travel, such as following ancient routes — think of pilgrimage trails like the Camino de Santiago in Spain — can offer relatively affordable ways to go for do-it-yourselfers.
Walking routes that don’t require camping can be a lot easier to find in Europe — hikes in Switzerland range from vineyard ambles to high Alpine treks — than in North America. But with some planning, walkers can tackle sections of the 1,000-mile-long Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin using shuttle services from trailheads to lodgings in local communities arranged in advance with volunteers.
Going by bike — or bikepacking — allows you to cover more ground. The Adventure Cycling Association offers information on long-distance bike routes across the country and into Canada. It also offers its own guided biking trips (a four-day, inn-to-inn trip in Maine costs about $1,700) and a list of cyclists-only lodgings found along bike touring routes.
Off-the-Cuff Travel
While it may be difficult to find a cheap flight at the last minute, spontaneous lodging and package deals abound.
The app HotelTonight offers discounted last-minute lodgings — which range from basic to luxury hotels — in cities from Albuquerque to Zurich.
Among short-term rental platforms, Whimstay offers deals on vacation homes, usually with booking dates within 30 days.
Online travel agencies often maintain pages devoted to deals on short notice. Expedia recently listed a trip to Orlando from Baltimore for $171 a person a night, including airfare and hotel accommodations. Travelocity and the discount retailer Costco also list travel sales.
Tour companies such as Intrepid Travel offer last-minute deals including, recently, a nine-day trip to Bali in June for $772, or about $200 off, not including airfare.
Offset Travel
In some cases, travelers can trade their sweat equity for free or discounted travel by volunteering.
Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, for example, offers global farm stays for volunteers who participate in farm work and can use their free time to explore. Experiences range from making goat cheese in Greece to working on an organic 20-acre farm in Missouri.
The organization emphasizes education and cultural exchange, and hosts provide meals and lodging to their volunteers, who usually work around 25 hours a week.
Other organizations charge a fee to cover a volunteer’s lodging and food. The nonprofit ConservationVIP, for example, offers weeklong trail restoration trips in Yosemite National Park for $1,095 a person.
If your idea of travel involves getting to know the locals, consider a day of volunteering. In Hawaii, the program Malama Hawaii offers a range of traveler-friendly volunteer opportunities across the islands such as beach cleanups and tree-planting.
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