Road trip planning - Plan ahead

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself enough to get this blog post written!! I AM GOING ON VACATION WITH MY BEST FRIEND!!!!! YEAY!!!!

Ok, so those of you who know me might say "Hey, you are always traveling somewhere, what is the big deal?"

I'll tell you. This is the first vacation in years that I have planned and decided to go on simply because I said so. Also, the first real vacation with my bestie! Although we have visited each other since I moved to Montgomery, AL (me mostly being the visitee ( I know, not a real word, it's ok)  and her being the visitor), we have never been on a planned vacation together for more than one night.

So, as I am sitting over here jumping from site to site online, looking for attractions, money saving ideas, flights, car rentals etc, I decided to share my findings with anyone willing to read about it.

On my way to somewhere in the world.

I think I will make this into a series on how to plan a cheap, fun and adventure filled road trip.

First of all, this trip will be epic and will go down in history as the most spectacular event in history. Also it is 6 months away. This brings me to my first essential tip:

• PLAN AHEAD -If you start looking way ahead of time for flights and such before going on vacation, chances are you will get a deal. The alternative is to wait until the last minute. This option could also get you a good deal, possibly an even greater one but it could also result in you not going at all. You don't want that.

If you decide to go with option one, please keep reading.

• PAY YOUR DUES - As a person who in a way is voluntarily poor on an almost constant basis because I refuse to conform to capitalistic societal norms, I detest bills. Unfortunately, I still receive them. My favorite part about planning ahead when traveling is that I can pay the trip off BEFORE I even go on it. That way, I can enjoy the vacation, instead of obsessing about my growing credit card bill. Another benefit is that it leaves lots of room on my card to spend on emergencies or just fun things that I didn't plan.

• KNOW WHEN TO GO -The cheapest days to fly, at least within the U.S. are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It makes sense being that everyone and their mother usually wants to go somewhere over the weekend. Sometimes if they really want to live large, they will even take a day off and leave on Thursday. But never on Tuesdays or Wednesdays! Look for travel on these days for extra cheap flights. 

• YEAH BUDDY! - If you know someone who works in the airline industry and you don't mind getting to know the inner workings of your airport, buddy passes are great and cheap alternatives. Buddy passes are a fraction of regular tickets and are great if you don't have a need to be somewhere on a specific date or time. Make yourself comfortable, you could be spending the night. Some airlines require you to dress nicely when using a buddy pass since you may be seated in business or first class. Leave the cargo shorts and flip flops at home for this one.

So, you have no friends in the airline industry and you still insist on flying to your destination? Keep reading.

• START SEARCHING - Below are some of my favorite sites to scour before I decide to buy. 

1. KAYAK  - Great for domestic U.S. flights.
2. MOMONDO  - International flights
3. VAYAMA - International flights
4. HOTWIRE  - Will not tell you all the details until after you have booked. Great if you like surprises!

This is where I spend most of my time. I search, tweak and search again to find the absolute best price. Someone told me that prices drop late at night because there are less people searching. I am not sure if that is true, I always fall asleep. Someone please confirm or deny this for me.
If available, always use the options of nearby airports and/or flexible dates. Where i live I have three possible airports to choose from and sometimes the drive is worth the money I save. Make sure that you don't have somewhere else to be on the dates that pop up if you choose the flex option.

MAKE A DECISION. When you find a flight that works for you, buy it. Double check that prices include taxes and that all the dates are correct and work with your plans. I speak from experience, double check it five times! Once, i booked a flight home that arrived a day after my friend was visiting me. Luckily I have fantastic room mates who entertained her while they waited for my dumb ass. We made it work but if you can avoid it, why not?
Congratulations!!! If you followed these steps you have booked a flight and hopefully got a great deal! Now all you have to do is rent a car, plan your days, get somewhere to sleep, find the sights and make a budget. Piece of cake!!

Next tip: RENTAL CARS