Budget Travel Tips
Read these 5 Budget Travel Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Travel tips and hundreds of other topics.
Student Travel
Students can purchase a Student Advantage Card for $22.50 from Greyhound and receive a 15% discount on all Greyhound bus tickets for 1 academic year.
Airfare Coupon Books
One airline - TWA - makes available to you young people, ages 12-24, the same four coupon airfare booklets at $548 that are normally marketed to seniors. Call TWA at 800/221-2000.
Bumped
If you want to be "bumped" next time you have more time than money, make a reservation only if the flight is almost full.
Access software will allow a travel agent to see if the seat availability is limited to eight seats or less. If there are fewer than eight seats, it's a pretty good assumption the flight is heavily booked and some people will have to be bumped.
Look for flights on heavily traveled days, but on small-bodied aircraft, such as 727s and 737s.
Be aware, though, that bumping compensation rules don't apply to commuter airlines or charter flights.
Volunteers who are bumped are usually compensated anywhere from a $50 voucher to a 100% free ticket.
Trading Houses
If you're on a tight budget, you might consider trading houses with another family. You will each get a vacation without the lodging expense.
