10 Ways to Save Money on Airfare

Airfare can be quite expensive, depending on where you're going or when, but there are ways to save, making your vacation easier to fit into you budget. It can be pretty discouraging when you search for airfare and see sky-high prices. It doesn't have to be that way, though. You can find rock-bottom deals if you know how. Here are my top 10 ways to save.

1. Get airfare alerts - NOW - As soon as you know where you want to go, set up airfare alerts, like from Airfare Watchdog, FareCompare and Expedia. If you want to go to a place where only a few airlines fly in, set up fare alerts with those airlines, too. For example, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines cover the majority of Hawaii-bound flights and often have the best deals.
2. Check regional airlines - These smaller airlines might offer lower rates, because they have fewer routes and need to compete with the big guys. This is a perfect way to make short trips for less or make a side trip. Some regional airlines include Peninsula Airlines, Mokulele Airlines, West Coast Airlines and Ozark Airlines. The same thing goes for budget airlines, like easyjet, which we used to fly from London to Paris for less than $200 for two of us.
3. Be flexible about what season you travel in - Every destination has an on-season and an off-season. Know when it's cheaper to visit there and you'll be able to book the best times for the most affordable flights.
4. Travel mid-week - Tuesday and Wednesday are the least popular days to fly for people, so generally airlines look to drop their rates, even if just by a little, on these days to encourage people to fly then instead of on the weekend. Of course, Saturday is also a "slow" day and can have equally budget-friendly flights.
5. Book mid-week - Most people look for airfare on the weekend, when they have extra time to spare. Take advantage of sales that run from Tuesday-Thursday and book mid-week instead. Those booking Friday-Monday will only find the most expensive rates, except for the odd typo rates found in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
6. Choose "flexible dates" when it's available when looking for tickets - Tuesday and Wednesday aren't always the best days to fly. Be flexible when you sarch and you might find a great rate a few days before or after you wanted to go or come back. Isn't it worth changing up your days if that's the case?
7. Fly into or out of a different/nearby city - Smaller hubs are less busy and because of that, they often lower their rates to get people to fly through them instead. Two ways I've saved this way is by flying into Oakland (OAK) instead of San Francisco (SFO) or flying into Ontario (ONT) instead of Los Angeles (LAX). Choose "nearby airports" on your search and see if this might work for you.
8. Book a promotional package deal - Sometimes it's just cheaper to bundle your whole trip. I've often found deals that included air, car and hotel for the same price or less than just airfare. In that case, I was able to save money by only having to book one thing and then just worried about food and what to do at my destination. It doesn't always work that way, but it's worth looking into.
9. Bid for low rates on Priceline - If you aren't picky about which airline you fly on or what time of day you fly, then choose your dates and what you're willing to pay and set your bid. Airlines will compete to see if they can match your bid and if they agree, your airfare will be booked, your card will be charged and details will be sent to you via email.
10. Book overseas flights 6-8 weeks in advance - Flying domestically has different rules than flying internationally. Domestic flights have the best deals, generally, 3-6 weeks in advance. The magic number is 42 days, but again, that's not a hard and fast rule. If you're traveling internationally, you'll want to book further out to get the best rates, and that's 6-8 weeks out. I know this can be difficult for people like me who want to book as soon as possible, but that doesn't mean that deals can't be found further out.

So, those are some of my best tips. If you want to save, you have to be flexible. If you have kids and think you can only travel during holidays, call the school and see if it's possible to take them out and bring homework with them. You just want to make sure you let them know with plenty of time to spare, so they can actually put together all the work for them to keep up with. Do you have tips on how you saved on airfare in general or on specific destinations?

Museum Day Live 2014

It's that time again! Time to get your free tickets to museums around your around your area or where you'll be traveling. Last year we hit up Portland's World Forestry Center. This year we'll be traveling, but we'll have just come from Washington, DC where we'll have visited several free Smithsonian museums (free everyday!), so we won't be partaking this year.

Museum Day Live! is a great way to see some of those spendy museums you always mean to get to, but then don't. There are over 1,000 participating across America that can be a fun (and entertaining) for the whole family. I know not all museums are fascinating for children, but there are plenty that are educational and fun for them, including the Pacific Aviation Museum in Honolulu, the Koshland Museum of Science in DC, the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan and Zoo Miami in Florida.

Mid-America Science Museum - photo credit

If you don’t have kids and just want to see some fantastic art, that’s great too, and you will have plenty more to choose from. Museums of history, art and sculptures fill the list in each state, so you will find something that will fit your mood. All you have to do is go to the website, choose your preferred museum and submit your information. You’ll get an email to print out your free ticket and gain admission for two people. It’s that easy! You can get a free ticket for two per email address/household. If there are more people in your group, use your husband’s email address or a friend’s. I don’t think you’ll need to go so far as to pretend you don’t know each other when you enter, but use your own judgment.

Bailey House Museum - photo credit

The majority of the free entries are September 27, but a select few aren’t open on Saturdays and are offering it on Sunday, September 28. You MUST have your printed ticket to get free entry, so don't forget it.

Will YOU be attending Museum Day Live! organized by Smithsonian Magazine?

Budget-Friendly Hawaii: Molokai & Lanai

Last week, I discussed my meeting with the Maui Visitors Center and how there were so many money-saving opportunities there. Believe it or not, there is quite a lot more to Hawaii than Honolulu and if you're not into a crush of tourists everywhere you go and tons of shops, then Moloka'i and Lana'i may be more your speed. Both offer a more true Hawaiian experience without thousands of people on the beaches and everywhere else you go. These two islands are smaller and pride themselves on having a more authentic and natural vibe. If you planned to spend as much time outside as possible, at the beach, swimming, snorkeling, hiking or scuba diving, then there's no better places to head to, even if you just make it a quick escape from your Maui or Oahu vacation. It's truly a relaxing getaway in a totally different way.

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Because Lana'i is not the "ultimate" tourist destination, you may want to go ahead and splurge on a hotel, like the Four Seasons, which has recently been renovated and has some of the poshest rooms you're bound to step foot in as a budget traveler. In fact, there are two on the small island: Four Seasons Manele Bay - which is offering a 3rd night free right now - is still pretty far out of a budget range unless you weren't planning to do anything else, except take advantage of the complimentary guest hikes. The Four Seasons Koele is a bit cheaper, even if you choose the bed & breakfast options, but still not what I would consider budgety, especially factoring the cost of ferry service to get to the island as well. In fact, if you want to experience the luxury of the Four Seasons, as I suggest with the Ritz, grab a table at Kailani, which offers Italian and Mediterranean dishes, NOBU Lana'i where you can get delicious sushi, ONE FORTY that serves up Hawaiian seafood and steak or the Orchid House which is highly private and fancy, though it is set in a gorgeous greenhouse. (You might want to make a reservation for that last one.)

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Where to stay instead

If spending hundreds of dollars a night on a room you will mostly only sleep in doesn't fit in your budget, because it doesn't mine, look at booking a room at the much more attainable Hotel Lanai, where rooms start at $149 per night, come with free Wi-Fi and a complimentary breakfast and feel a bit more homey. This hotel, built in the 1920s, has been named Hawaii's "Best Little Inn" and was the only hotel on the island until 1990. It is still owner-operated, but because it only has 11 guest rooms, it's best to try to book well in advance.

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This is where you'll find the Lanai City Grill, that offers inventive sushi dishes and other Hawaiian fusion cuisine at an affordable price. There's Opal's, a quaint little boutique gallery and gift shop. Every week you can take part in Friday Night Music Night, which is exactly what it sounds like. You'll experience a variety of music for everyone's taste.

What to do on Lana'i

There are not that many shops on either Lanai or Molokai, but the ones that exist are there for the locals, which means you won't find ridiculously inflated prices for anything you happen to come across and just have to take home with you. That's pretty awesome, right? I thought so, because much of the things I found on our trip to Honolulu was either crazy expensive or cheap and not-so-good quality.

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Learn about arts and culture of Lanai at the Lanai Art Center. It offers workshops, classes and studio access for everyone. You can also learn even more at the Lanai Culture and Heritage Center which houses Hawaiian artifacts excavated on archaeological digs, plantation era documents and more. Find out about the historical sites on the island, which you may want to check out on a day you rent a car.

If you are interested in scuba diving, Lanai is one of the "Top 10 Dive Destinations in the World", which is pretty impressive. There's also only one full-service dive company available on the island. Trilogy Excursions can take you to many unique dive sites that you'll only find here. 

Explore the gorgeous Hawaiian landscape by UTV and four-wheel your way through the trails of Ironwood Forest, check out some of Lanai's beautiful plants and flowers and interesting wildlife. Lanai Grand Adventures has three different experiences to choose from, one of which you can try your hand at clay shooting.

As you may have guessed, Lanai is full of hiking opportunities and world-class golf, plush even more ways to relax, like white sandy beaches that are almost deserted, even on a busy day.

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Moloka'i is another outdoor oasis in Hawaii. The 28-mile island is home to the tallest seacliffs in the world, the longest wharf in the state (Kaunakakai Harbor) where you can go deep-sea fishing, and beaches that are quiet and crowd-free. The entire south shoreline is fringe reefs dotted with fishponds that are ancient and a great tourist attraction. They are available to visit at certain times. These ponds are 700+ years old and were constructed to keep fish in while still allowing sea water to go in and out.

Stop off at the Molokai Museum and Culture Center, where you can learn about the sugar plantation days and more of the island's history.

Molokai is so laid back, there are no street lights on the island, because there isn't that much traffic. If you want to go whale watching, canoeing, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling or hiking without tons of tourists everywhere, this is the place to do it. No matter how you spend your days, you'll feel properly relaxed after your visit to Molokai.

Getting to Molokai

You can fly to the island by air from Maui or Honolulu, via Mokulele Airlines or Makani Kai from just $70 each way. You can also take a ferry from Maui's Lahaina Harbor every morning except Sunday.

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Where to eat and What to do

Molokai has plenty of farms in which to buy produce, nuts and coffee. Farmers markets are a fantastic place to get a ton of fruits, veggies and homemade goods. Historical Kaunakakai Town is where you want to go to eat where the locals eat, because honestly there are no other kinds of places to eat here. If you want to pick up some souvenirs or other items, the town has several owner-operated shops to find some gems in.

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Where to stay

Amazingly, you don't have to spend a lot of money to stay the night on Molokai. While a lot of travelers just visit for the day, those that want more of an escape can choose from a handful of lodgings. Rent an apartment at Ke Nani Kai for a week at just $750. Hotel Molokai has oceanfront bungalows that have kitchenettes and can be stayed in for around $159 per night. For even less, check out the Blue Goose B&B. Rooms can be had for around $100 per night and each morning you'll be served a hearty breakfast before you head out to explore the island.

Molokai and Lanai are definitely places to head to if you are wanting a true relaxing vacation. Even if you spend your days being busy and active, the vibe of the islands will surely settle into your bones and leave you feeling totally refreshed and ready to get back to your daily grind when you head home. Have you been to either island? If so, what did you like best?