My Low Cost Luxury Travel Tips
If you prefer spas to bars, and like to be pampered, luxury travel is for you. Fortunately, recent changes in the travel industry mean that the cost of travelling five star is lower than ever. Here are my top tips, for cashing in on these changes, and pampering yourself while you travel, even if you are not particularly well off.
Go off grid
Whilst the cost of four and five star hotel rooms have fallen over the past decade or so, they are still quite expensive. Fortunately, there is a good way to find quality accommodation with luxury facilities without having to pay too much.
One of the best is using http://luxurylet.com/. As the name indicates this travel website specialises in letting out luxury accommodation. This site allows owners of luxury apartments or homes on golf courses and in the best parts of town to lease their properties to holidaymakers. Often you can stay in this type of accommodation for a fraction of what you would have to pay to stay in a luxury hotel or resort, in the same area. There are properties on that site that have swimming pools, Jacuzzi baths, sea views and access to things like saunas and steam rooms as part of the deal. Dreamy!
Book an apartment with friends
It is even cheaper if you travel with other people, because it means that you can split the cost of leasing the luxury apartment between you. Obviously travelling with a bunch of friends makes it extra fun too! However, if you do so, pay particular attention to how many proper beds there are. Often one or more of the beds will be a sofa bed, something that everyone needs to be aware of in advance.
Travel out of season
I’m a big fan of travelling out of season. In fact the summer holidays are generally my time to relax and catch up on work. After Ibiza this week (can’t wait) I currently have no plans to go abroad until September! If you can travel out of season, you will save even more money. You can easily save 50% or more by doing so.
Book last minute
It is also relatively easy to find good last minute deals if you book yourself a luxury apartment. Of course, booking late narrows down your options, but you can usually find something.
Be flexible
The more flexible you are the better your chances are of finding a good deal. Being prepared to move from one luxury apartment, or room, to another halfway through your stay can save you a lot of money.
Keep your other costs under control
Being clever about booking your flights and being prepared to cook some of your own meals will free up money that you can splash on a better grade of accommodation. I love heading to the local market and seeing what exciting different treats they have on offer. Add in a game of Ready Steady Cook and you are sure to have a fab time on the cheap! If you are staying in a city, or a large town, look out for voucher sites that cover the area. You can use them to get half price meal deals, and discounts on things like attraction entrance fees. Often these sites are written in the local language, but this is not a big problem because you can use a translator app to get a reasonable understanding of how each deal works.
If you would like to read more about luxury travel on a budget, click here.
