If you're planning a vacation this summer, it's time to start thinking about booking your flights and hotels. Here are four tips that should save you some money . . .
1. Be flexible with your dates. If you're locked in to traveling on July 4th weekend, it's going to be a LOT more expensive than traveling on a random Tuesday or Wednesday in June.
Also, try to avoid flying on Sundays and Mondays. Those days tend to be the most expensive, according to data from the flight app Hopper.
2. Don't assume vacation rentals are cheapest. There was a time where vacation rentals like Airbnbs were usually cheaper than a regular hotel. But it's not always the case anymore with all the fees that get tacked on. So shop around and consider ALL your options.
3. Stay in the outskirts of the city. The closer you stay to all the action in the city center, the more expensive the hotel is going to be. So consider staying in areas outside of the city center. Especially if there's good public transportation.
4. Pay with credit card points. This one's tough if you don't have many points saved up already. But if you ARE sitting on a bunch of points, use some of them to book your flight, hotel, or rental car.
But use them smartly: Points usually go further when you use them for cross-country or international flights, or to book hotels during off-peak times.
(NPR)
Getty Images