5 ways to save on summer travel

BOSTON — If you haven’t made your vacation plans for the summer yet, don’t worry!

You can still get away without breaking your travel budget.

Popular summer dream trips usually require months of planning to save some cash. You might think it's too late to get a deal now, but with some research you can find a bargain.  FOX25 asked George Hobica, founder of airfarewatchdog.com to share some of his secrets to last minute travel on a budget. He gave five that will help you stretch your travel budget.

BEST FARE FINDER

Hobica says to Google "jet blue best fare finder".  He says this is the best way to find low fares on JetBlue.

We tried it and we were able to find fares to New York City as low as $79.

The feature allows you to clearly pinpoint on a calendar when it's the cheapest time to fly.

AIRFARE ALERTS

Hobica also recommends Googling "airfare alerts".

The search results will lead you to a number of sites that will email you when airlines are offering specials or deals.

BOOKING DIRECT

Hobica recommends trying to book lodging through a hotel's website directly.

We found that some hotel websites offer:

- Credits for room service

- Free night stays

- Deals on room upgrades

- Cheaper room prices

REFUNDING THE DIFFERENCE  

Hobica told FOX25 that websites like tingo.com will refund you the difference in cost if the rate you pay goes down after you book a hotel room through its website. Tingo has already almost given $1.5 million back to consumers in the form of hotel refunds after the price drops.

BE FLEXIBLE

Hobica says Tuesdays and Wednesdays are always the cheapest day to fly, but traveling on a Friday or a Sunday is going to be more expensive.

Cox Media Group