If you’re no spring chicken in the world of travel, you’re what I like to call “seasoned”. A seasoned traveller is well informed on all the dos and don’ts associated with travel as well as knowing all the “hacks” that people new to travelling might have no clue about.

These hacks don’t just happen overnight… it comes with travelling to many different places and experiencing trial and error during your adventures. If you want to get the most out of your travel experiences, take notes and pay attention to these cost-saving hacks!

1. Give Up Your Seat In Exchange for Travel Perks

Yes, you may be giving up your seat and miss an entire trip you planned for, but by doing so, you could reap the benefits of free meals, discounted hotel accommodations, and all-star treatment and perks of a first-class flight!

2. Travel in Larger Groups… It’s Much Cheaper

How many times have you heard different accommodations offer group rates, and thought about how much you could save if only you knew 13 more people that loved to travel the world as much as you do! Well, it’s not that hard… set it up!

Talk to family members, co-workers, friends, neighbours, and members of your social organization! You’re bound to find a nice group of people who would be willing to go on a group trip! Hotels will give you rooms at a discounted rate. Travelling in larger groups is also a great idea when it comes to transportation too.

For a group of your size, the prices would be insane to get around in any destination… rental cars would cost you an arm and a leg! To accommodate everyone on this particular trip, you would want to look into the cost of renting a bus. This would allow everyone to pay their portion for the ride, and it would still be cheaper than renting multiple cars!

3. Book Flights in the Afternoon

We all know that the prices of flight go up and down during the week, even the most novice of travellers know that, but what people may not realize is that flight prices fluctuate during certain times of the day too. The morning is the worst time to search for a flight because that’s when most business travellers are booking their flights. It’s best to book your flights in the evening!

4. Take Full Advantage of Lunch Specials

This may sound like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t! You can save a huge amount of money by taking full advantage of lunch specials. A lot of the times, lunch specials at certain restaurants can be as low as 50% less than what you would pay during dinner times!

5. Find Free Attractions

They say some of the best things in life are free, and that is truly the case when travelling! Now, finding free attractions is something you want to research before going on your trip, but there are lots of parks, museums, and concerts that are free to the public… you just have to look for them!

6. Use the Available Space in Your Carry-On Luggage

Just about all airlines offer their passengers the luxury of at least one free bag to carry on their flight. If you’re in the slightest doubt of going over your airline’s baggage weight limit, take some of that stuff out of your luggage and put it in your carry-on bag! It’s a lot better than paying those extras fees for your suitcase being too heavy!

7. Change Your Currency Before Leaving the Country

You will probably be very busy with work and other responsibilities in the weeks prior to your trip out of the country. Although you will be busy, try your best to give yourself enough time to exchange currency at your personal bank. If you were to try and do this at the airport, the exchange rate will be insane, so save yourself the hassle and do it before your trip!

8. Purchase an International Package with Your Wireless Provider

This is an instance where you don’t want to take the cheap route. To avoid any possible roaming fees, and a high cell phone bill, invest in an international package with your cell phone provider… please!

You know you’re going to be taking pictures and wanting to post them to your blog or on social media. You will also want to call friends and family to let them know you arrived safely. Instead of scrambling to find WiFi, just pay for the package… your nerves and wallet will thank you!