Bookings for air tickets and stays at exotic destinations are getting more expensive. Even as popular destinations are now open for business, increasing gas prices and devaluation of loyalty programs are driving up vacation package prices. But that doesn’t mean you need to find a second job to supplement your travel plans. All you need are a few clever booking hacks to find affordable holiday deals online. Here’s how you can save money on bookings.

Have a flexible schedule
Being flexible with the dates can actually get you the best holiday deals online. Traveling during the off-season is comparatively cheaper, so avoid times when everyone flocks to the nearest beach destination to only drive-up hotel and flight booking prices. Instead, book your travel between January and February or in the early first week of December to avoid the holiday rush. These months are what travel companies call dead zones, wherein hotel and flight bookings are cheaper.

Consider flying on a holiday
People plan their travel to make the most of the festive season, be it Thanksgiving, Christmas, or the new year. But if you can be flexible with your vacation plans, traveling on these holidays can save you hundreds on flight bookings. Not many people will prefer to spend Christmas day on a flight. Airlines offer last-minute cheap deals to fill up the seats. If you’re lucky, you might even get bumped up to business class seats for the price of economy.

Make the most of fare alerts
Booking websites and apps allow you to create fare alerts. Use these subscription alerts and notifications to your advantage to scan for cheap flight deals that pop up every now and then. Fare alerts can be set up for a selection of airlines, flights, and destinations across the world. You can even customize these alerts to only show the lowest fares if you don’t have a preference for a layover. Kayak and Airfarewatchdog are popularly known to offer the best fare alerts using algorithms and analysts.

Redeem your points
If you are a frequent traveler, try signing up for a loyalty membership program with a couple of airlines. You can use frequent flyer miles and points to redeem vouchers on holiday deals to exotic destinations. This scheme also applies to hotel bookings and car rentals, as you can rack up points to be used for your next vacation with the same chain of bookings.

Book online
To get the best deals on holiday packages, you need to continually check comparison sites, be on the lookout for flash sale deals, and consider last-minute holiday deals. Many experienced travelers argue that last-minute booking for available seats on busy routes is the best way to save money. This step won’t necessarily work if you’re making plans months in advance. But if you just want to travel somewhere and have no preferences for flight or hotel bookings, search for holiday deals that pop up just a few weeks ahead of your expected travel dates. These last-minute vacation packages will be cheaper on any given day compared to booking months in advance.

Look for the right booking window
If you are booking online, timing also matters because there have been many conclusive surveys done on this topic. Tuesday is the apparently least expensive fare day to book when you can make travel plans three weeks in advance. Holiday deals can be even cheaper to arrange if you are flexible with the choice of airport. Domestic and international fares vary greatly depending on the airport of departure. For example, if you’re booking a flight for Barbados from JFK, check if Newark airport has any flights departing for the same destination. There is a good chance you can save hundreds of dollars for the same airline. This factor, of course, depends on the frequency of flights operating from both terminals.

Make all bookings on one site
The best way to save money is to bundle flight and hotel bookings on the same platform. Often, you might be tempted to explore different websites for individual bookings. Bundling your travel and stay itinerary in a travel package will save you more dollars. Booking platforms like Kayak and Expedia offer nice vacation packages. You can also avail of coupon codes to get extra discounts.

Consider all-inclusive deals
All-inclusive holiday schemes will take care of your flight, stay, and food expenses for a bundled price. Holiday tour operators create this special package for those who want a guided tour of the city or exotic destination. The operator will have preselected places to stay, dine, and enjoy local experiences, all-inclusive of the package fare. This will again save you a lot of money if you are not too particular about the destination.