How to book your first overseas trip
If you’ve never ventured abroad, planning and booking an overseas trip can be an intimidating experience.
To simplify the process, and to ensure you get the most for your money, the Star reached out to three travel gurus: Farah Salim, co-founder of the airfare website Next Departure, Mary Zajac, public relations specialist at Expedia, Inc., and David Solomito, vicepresident of marketing, North America, with Kayak.
Here are some of their top tips for booking a trip:
Budget booking
Once you’ve made the decision to book an overseas trip, one of the first steps is deciding where to go. If you’re stuck, consider some of the travel tools available, such as Kayak’s Explore Tool.
“(To) see the options of where you can go within your budget, set the amount you want to spend on airfare and Kayak will find you all the amazing places you can travel,” said Solomito.
Other things to keep in mind include: activities you want to do, the weather, the exchange rate and travel time (17 hours doesn’t sound that long until you’re sitting on a plane).
Be flexible
The more flexible you are with your dates, the more likely you can save money — although deals can be found in the high season too.
“Keep in mind that travelling during the off season of a destination usually means cheaper flights, more hotel availability and less crowded tourist attractions,” Salim said.
New data from Kayak reveals January, February and March are the cheapest months to search for travel because median airfares are at their lowest.
“July is the most expensive month to travel internationally with median airfare upwards of $1,000,” Solomito said. “Consider flying in February instead when median flight prices drop under $670.”
The day of the week you book your flights can make a difference too. According to Zajac, the best day to book an international economy flight from Canada is Sunday, while the worst is Friday. Further, the cheapest day of the week to start an international economy journey from Canada is Thursday, while the most expensive one is Sunday.
Plan ahead The number one tip our experts had was to book a flight as far in advance as possible. “Despite popular belief in the benefits of last-minute booking, in most parts of the world no matter where you are headed economy fares tend to increase as departure date gets closer,” Zajac said. “The most cost-effective booking lead time for an economy flight is one month, or even earlier, from the departure date.”
Solomito agrees, noting the cheapest prices can be found by booking flights one month out for the Caribbean, three months out for Asia, four months in advance for Central America, five months for South America and six months in advance for both Europe and Africa.
If you constantly debate whether booking now or later, he recommends using Kayak’s Price Forecast tool. The online tool uses historical data to predict whether airfares will rise or fall in the next week, which can set your mind at ease and help you commit to booking.
And one more tip from Kayak: Keep an eye on low cost carriers entering the Canadian market this year, which may help drive down prices.
Other tips:
Try using sites like TripAdvisor to find reviews of hotels in your budget.
How you get from the airport to your lodging is best planned ahead. You’ll be tired after your overseas flight (making you susceptible to taxi scams and pricey rides), so research free hotel shuttles and public transportation options.
Consider visiting a travel clinic to see if you need vaccines or any medications (such as malaria pills) before embarking — and don’t forget about health insurance.
Check the Government of Canada’s travel advisory website for any safety alerts for your destination.