Save Money, Time and Hassle With Cheapflights.ca's Favourite Travel Hacks

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - May 11, 2016) - Want a suitcase full of travel tips to save you time, money and hassles this summer? The experts at Cheapflights.ca, the champions of simple travel search, have assembled a full line-up of proven tips and tricks for better getaways with their 25 Hacks to Make the Most of Summer Vacation. Find out why solid sunscreen beats liquid, how turning left will help you speed through airport lines, and what to do to snag savings on airfare.

Here's a sampling of travel hacks to put to work before and during your vacation this summer:

• Don't sleep over: Save on accommodations by booking overnight flights and sleeper cars on overnight trains. Booking travel this way, particularly for multi-city tours, means you not only save money on hotels and home shares, but, if you're a power sleeper, you also arrive at your destination rested and ready-to-go.

• Search for one traveller to start: When booking travel for a group or family, even three or four people, start searching as if you are looking to travel as a single person. If there are just a few seats left at a lower fare, you can at least grab them and get a partial deal.

• Don't roam: Avoid racking up data roaming charges on your cell phone by only using Wi-Fi. Check your phone settings to ensure "data roaming" is turned off, put your phone on "airplane mode" to prevent getting charged for incoming calls and use free messaging apps like WhatsApp while on Wi-Fi. You can even navigate data free by using offline maps like CityMaps2Go and the hidden offline maps feature on the Google Maps app. To find the hidden feature: make sure to download the latest version of the app, connect to Wi-Fi before your trip, type in the destination address and then search "OK maps" (without the quotation marks). The app will then cache all the map data that is currently on the screen.

• Cash in on freebies: Take advantage of freebies -- from free snacks and headsets on airplanes to shampoo, conditioner, and soap in hotels. Not only will you lighten the load and have extra room in your carry-on luggage, but you will also save money by not having to buy these little luxuries.

• Go left: Scientists aren't precisely sure why people are more likely to turn right than left (perhaps it's because more people are right-handed than left-handed), but when faced with the choice to go right or left at the airport security line, go left as those lines tend to be shorter.

• Buy foreign: Check prices on international airlines, if possible, as prices may be lower. A number of overseas airlines and new discount carriers are ramping up in North America and are vying hard for your business. Some will wow you will great deals. Others will have better amenities than domestic airlines, even in economy (hello hot towels, free pillows and blankets, newspapers, and even -- gasp -- full cans of soda).

• Get carded: Even if you've graduated from university, bring your student ID and/or an International Student Identity Card to save money on everything from museum entrance fees to clothing. If you're not a student, you can still get discounts. Anyone 30-years-old or younger can get an International Youth Travel Card, and full-time teachers or professors can get an International Teacher Identity Card. If you're a retiree or a veteran, mention it and bring your ID as many places offer discounts to senior citizens and veterans.

• Get free tickets: Most monuments, museums, and attractions offer free entry once a week or month. Research each place you plan to visit in advance (the easiest way: go on the site's website, look for the hours of operation and see if there are days when free or discounted entry is offered). Then, time your visits to coincide with when admission is free or greatly reduced.

• Eliminate odours: Don't waste leftover hotel soap. Throw it in your dirty laundry bag, so the dirty clothes don't stink up your suitcase. A dryer sheet works well, too.

The savvy traveller takes advantage of every opportunity to save, and here are a few more hacks to try: search for online coupons for discounted admissions; pre-book tickets to avoid sell-outs of tours and major attractions; pack light to save on baggage fees; collect makeup samples to pack instead of full-size bottles; wrap duct tape around a water bottle for emergency repairs; save at Michelin-starred restaurants by having lunch instead of dinner; book travel either far in advance or last-minute for the biggest savings; if flying on a Boeing 767 is an option, take it for the optimal 2-3-2 seat configuration. And so on! For the complete list of travel tips and tricks, check out Cheapflights.ca's 25 Hacks to Make the Most of Summer Vacation at www.cheapflights.ca/news/money-saving-summer-travel-hacks.

About Cheapflights.ca, part of the Momondo Group
Founded in 1996, Cheapflights is a leading global flight comparison and deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple. It is now a market leader in the UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating more than C$4 billion in global downstream revenue for its partners as it expands into numerous other territories. More than 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes. The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter receive the best deals from more than 120 travel businesses -- for whom it has driven more than C$80 million in revenue this year. Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.

In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.

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