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Top Tips For Finding Cheap Flights For Camping
In partnership with Dollar Flight Club.
With 13 campervan rental locations across the US and Canada and round trip and one-way flights available, finding a cheap flight and renting a campervan is one of the best ways to travel on a budget. Many of our depots are located right near the airport in major cities, making it easy to land at your dream destination and hit the road. But what about getting there? Here are our top tips for saving money on flights for your next camping trip.
1. Airfare Search Engines for Cheap Flights
Start here. There are plenty of airfare search engine options out there, but the ones below are some of our favorites. Not only do they aggregate flights from a million (ok maybe not literally) different sites into one, but you can also filter by nearby airports, calendar view (if your dates are flexible), number of layovers, shortest travel time, etc. If you know you’ll be checking a bag, you can even add in that cost automatically. Once you find a flight that works for you, always cross-reference with the actual airline website before booking.
It’s particularly fun on Kayak to visit their “Explore” page, where you can input your budget and see how cheap it would be to fly to almost anywhere in the world and when (careful–this can quickly become a black hole of procrastination and daydreaming).
2. Sign Up for Alerts Straight to Your Inbox and Phone
Dollar Flight Club is a flight deal alert subscription service that helps 500,000+ people save money on airfare by serving up cheap flights. They collect a ton of flight data from the big flight providers including the ones mentioned above and use technology, historical data, and a team of expert flight finders, to find flight deals that are 50-90% off leaving your airport. When they find a new deal, they send you an alert via email or app alert so you never miss out on a deal. Just let them know what airport you want to fly out of and they’ll find amazing flights for your next adventure. That way you can spend more time traveling and spend less time searching. Subscribers save over $500 USD per international ticket on average! Join today for FREE.
3. Join Airline Newsletters
The best airfare deals are often available on the airlines’ own web sites, and many come in the form of promo codes and special offers (sometimes up to 50% off!). Signing up to the airline’s newsletter gives you access to these deals. Pick a couple that you fly regularly so you don’t overrun your inbox.
4. Be Flexible With Dates
Typically, the best days to depart seem to be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday because there’s less demand to travel on those days of the week. Another way to save money on tickets is by flying during the off-season, or shoulder seasons, when there will be less demand. That’s a great way to save money on campervan trips, too, as our rates vary depending on a variety of factors, including the time of year and length of your trip. Fall, winter, and spring are also our favorite times of the year to travel because you can avoid the summer heat and the crowds.
5. Fly for Free With Points
What is better than a cheap flight? A free flight. There are a variety of airline credit cards out there. As long as you can treat it like cash using only the money you have in the bank and pay your balance off each month, this is a great option.
6. If You Know When and Where You’re Going, Don’t Wait to Book
Airlines typically offer low rates as a baseline price, and as those tickets sell, the remaining ones increase in cost. That means tickets rarely get cheaper as your departure date approaches (especially if you need to fly on a certain date). More often than not, your biggest savings come from booking as far ahead as possible. There is, however, such a thing as booking too early. The best time to book your flight is around 6–8 weeks before your departure, or around three months before if you are going to your destination during their peak season. Keep in mind that popular campgrounds and hiking permits book up early too.
- When to Book National Park Campsites for the Summer
- Guide to Booking Popular Hiking Permits Summer 2019
7. Book Your Flights After You Book Your Campervan
If you know you’ll be traveling during peak season (usually May – September), be sure to book your campervan FIRST before booking anything else. Our campervans sell out every summer without fail, and we wouldn’t want you to miss out on a van because it doesn’t match up with the flight dates you already booked. By booking a campervan as early as possible, you can guarantee the lowest rates. Get a quick campervan quote on our website to check pricing.
Reserve Your Budget-Friendly Camping Trip Today
And there you have it! With these cheap flight tips for camping and our budget-friendly campervan rentals, you’re sure to have the road trip of a lifetime without breaking the bank. Contact us today to get started.