My family of 3 just booked a 6-night Bahamas vacation for $400. Here are our 8 secrets to getting the best travel deals.

I’ve traveled all over the world to destinations like Santorini on a strict budget.

Michelle Maves

My husband and I travel on a budget — we once went to London and Paris for $600.
Signing up for credit cards at the right time and being flexible with travel dates saves us money.
Taking a cruise is a great way to knock a few destinations off your list for one set price.

I’ve traveled the world on a shoestring budget.

My husband and I once spent five nights in London and Paris for $600 — which included airfare, hotels (one being the five-star Churchill in London), and the Chunnel train. My family’s next stop is the Bahamas, where three of us will fly down and spend six nights at Baha Mar resort for $400.

And the upcoming trip would’ve essentially been free if the taxes/fees/expedited security could be paid for in points instead of cash.

After years of learning the ropes, here are eight of my best tips for saving money on amazing trips around the world.

Sign-up bonuses are a great way to earn credit-card points quickly.

Converting points usually gets me a better deal on hotels and flights.

Michelle Maves

When you apply for a card, look into travel partners and other options for transferring points. It’s almost always more valuable than booking through a card’s travel portal.

The Chase Sapphire is one of my favorite cards — it has a reasonable annual fee for the value it provides. But one of my favorite perks is if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Ink Business Preferred card, you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to travel partners like Hyatt.

On a recent trip to the Midwest, we transferred some Ultimate Rewards points to our Hyatt accounts and scored a free night at Thompson Chicago.

Having a travel buddy makes it easier to rack up points quickly.

I saved so much on a trip to Antigua by booking a package.

Michelle Maves

Plenty of sites offer travel packages, but I’ve found the best deals with American Airlines.

I once saved hundreds of dollars on a trip to Antigua by booking a travel package instead of going through the hotel’s website. Plus, I was able to apply some of my AA miles to further increase our savings.

Watch out for promo codes across these bundle sites even if you don’t have the credit card or miles available.

Staying flexible with travel dates helps us find the best deals.

I’d rather spend that money on a nice dinner.

Michelle Maves

Bag fees add up. But many of the best airlines credit cards include perks like complimentary bags for you and your traveling companion.

It’s saved us hundreds of dollars a year. My airline cards have always waived the annual fee for the first year, but even after it kicked in, it’s been worth it for this perk alone.

Don’t be afraid to ask for upgrades.

European cruises have helped us check a ton of cities off our bucket lists.

Michelle Maves

When we eventually took that canceled cruise, we visited Rome, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Valletta, and Florence in one fell swoop.

Traveling to all of these places by land in one vacation is incredibly expensive. But the cruise was reasonably priced, stopped at several interesting ports, and included food.

I like to use a cruise to get a taste of an area before returning to the spots I love the most on longer trips.

Read the original article on Business Insider

source:https://www.businessinsider.com/best-ways-to-save-money-on-vacations-travel-points-miles