Finding Weekend Travel Deals to Popular Places

Some people are content to blindly pick a place on a map and turn it into a weekend vacation destination, and some are even willing to choose the cheapest flight from a list of last-minute weekend travel deals (bags already packed) no matter where it is. But if you’ve got your sights set on a particular destination, then that kind of travel lottery just won’t do.

If the vacation spot that you’ve got your heart set on is popular, however, you might run into higher prices than you were hoping to pay. Add in traveling at a particularly busy time – like a weekend or (worse yet) a three-day weekend – and you’re really looking at inflated prices on everything from the airfare to the accommodation.

There are a few things you can do to save money when you’re planning a weekend trip to a popular place, though, and you’ll find some of those tips below.

Do Your Homework & Book Early

The earlier you start looking for airfare to a popular vacation destination for your weekend trip, the better off you’ll be. This is partly because you’ll be better-informed when it comes to finally buying your own airfare, knowing what the prices have been doing, and also because you’ll see great deals come up more quickly if you’re checking in regularly. Some airfare booking sites will let you sign up for email notifications of whatever flights you’re looking at so you’ll know when the price fluctuates and will see when the price drops.

If you’re planning your weekend travel for a busy time of year, you’d also be well-served to book your trip as far in advance as you can. You may find sales that include your travel dates, but they’ll be long gone if you wait to book until a few weeks before your trip. Sometimes last-minute bargains come up, too, but if you wait too long you may find the only great deals are on places you don’t want to go.

>> Read more about how to find cheap airfare for weekend travel

Consider Package Deals

Whether or not you’re ordinarily a package tour type, when you’re hoping to travel to a popular place at a popular time of year then you’ve got to cover all your bases in terms of hunting for travel deals. And sometimes that means looking at vacation packages.

Package trips can range from all-inclusives to a simple bundling of airfare and a hotel stay, so they’re definitely not all alike – which means just about everyone can find a vacation package that’s appealing to their travel style and budget. And because popular destinations tend to offer vacation package deals more regularly than other places, you’re more likely to find vacation packages that will save you money on your weekend trip.

Just remember that it’s a good idea to break down the cost of whatever package you’re looking at to make sure you couldn’t get a better deal by booking things like your airfare or hotel individually.

Look for Discount Cards & Passes

Most places that are popular with tourists have some kind of combination cards or passes you can buy that will grant you access – either free or discounted – to the various attractions in that area. Some places will include public transportation on cards like these as well. No matter where you’re going, it’s a good idea to check with the tourism office to find out if such cards or passes exist.

Don’t be put off by the cost of some of these discount cards. The up-front price may seem expensive, and you may wonder why on earth cards like this are included on a list of tips designed to help you save money on a trip! For some people, they may not be a good deal – but if you’re planning to visit enough of the attractions included on the card and the discount is significant enough, it’s a great way to save money.

As is the case when you’re looking at vacation packages, to find out whether a discount card or pass is really worth the price you’ll need to do a little math. Figure out what the admission costs would be to the various attractions you’re planning to visit, and then compare that to the cost of getting into those same attractions at the discounted rate the card offers (plus the cost of the card itself). It might be a bigger up-front cost than you were expecting, but it can mean quite a big savings over the course of your weekend vacation.

photo by mamamusings