Travel used to be fun.  It was easy to get onto an airplane. Security didn’t take an eternity.  You could keep your shoes on.  There used to be room for your knees and elbows on a plane.  They used to give you food if your flight was more than an hour or so.  You could check bags for free.  But everything is different now.  Flying is not fun.

Because flying is not very comfortable anymore, my general rule of thumb is that if I can drive the distance in eight hours or less, I don’t even consider flying.  But I’ve been known to opt for driving distances that take up to 12 hours.

When I do need to fly, there are several tricks I use to save money.

First, buy airline tickets at least a month in advance when possible.  The closer you get to your travel date, the more expensive the ticket will become.  And for some unexplained reason, tickets seem to be cheaper on Tuesday and Wednesday than on other days of the week.

Second, consider multiple airports.  It’s often possible to save hundreds of dollars by driving a couple hours to a different airport.

Third, don’t pay to check a bag if you don’t need to.  If you can get everything into a carry-on, you can save up to $50 round trip. But sometimes checking a bag is necessary.  Some airlines (Southwest!) will let you check a couple of bags for free.  Others may give you a discount on bag check fees if you are a member of their loyalty program or if you use their rewards credit card or if you check in online before you get to the airport.  Do a little research about your options before you pay the bag check fees.

Finally, food and drink can add up quickly when you’re in planes and airports.  Just like you can save a fortune by brown bagging your lunch to school or work, you can save a lot of money by packing a sandwich and some snacks when you fly.  Also, bring an empty water bottle with you when you travel.  I never go anywhere without my trusty Nalgene bottle.  It goes through security empty and I fill it on the other side.  No need to buy a drink.  And the trend must be catching on.  More and more often I find handy bottle filling stations in airports.

Travel is not much fun.  But destinations are wonderful.  And travel doesn’t have to be ridiculously expensive if you’re smart about it.