Featured image: Plan your next adventure with these tips to save money on travel | Photo by CarlosBarquero on Envato

Travel tips from Pauline Frommer and Peter Greenberg

by Carolyn Ray

The 2025 New York Travel and Adventure Show was a treasure trove of tips on how to save money on travel, with advice from well-known experts like Pauline Frommer, Peter Greenberg, and author Russell Hannon.

According to CBS Travel Expert Peter Greenberg, 2025 will see international travel explode, surpassing 2024’s 1.4 billion international travellers, a return to pre-pandemic levels. In 2025, airlines are adding more than 600 routes. In its largest international expansion ever, United Airlines, the world’s largest airline, has added eight new non-stop routes from New York and Washington to: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Madeira Island, Portugal; Faro, Portugal and Dakar, Senegal.

Delta is focusing on secondary cities, with new routes to Catania, Sicily; Naples, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Dublin, Brussels and more. American Airlines is offering five new routes to Europe starting and more than 70 daily departures to more than 20 trans-Atlantic destinations.

According to Pauline Frommer, Co-President, Frommer Media, with the strong US dollar, there has never been a better time to go to places like Canada, Mexico and Japan, where US travellers get even more value for money. For example, one US dollar equals $1.40 Canadian dollars, a 30 per cent bonus.

If you’re still wondering where to go, Frommer’s has recently published its 2025 top destinations list, which includes less-travelled places like Crete, Greenland, Zambia, Barbuda, and Tucson, Arizona. Bath and Hampshire, UK are also on the Frommer list, in celebration the 250th birthday of Jane Austen.

5 tips to save money on travel

1. How to save money on flights

As a result of airline expansion, Greenberg believes there will be excess capacity and opportunity to find cheaper fares. Instead of using Expedia, Greenberg recommends Secret Fare, which offers fifth freedom flights.  A fifth freedom flight is an international flight that begins and ends in countries other than the airline’s home country, often at a fraction of the cost.

When it comes to finding lower rates, he also prefers conversations with airline agents to online purchases.

“Go online to research,” he says, “but don’t go online to buy.”

While many travellers use Google Flights to check routes, he suggests calling airlines or travel advisors to discuss flight options. He cited saving $1,000 on a return flight from New York to Tokyo simply by flying through Montreal on Air Canada, an option not shown on online aggregator portals.

Pauline Frommer previewed soon-to-be-released research that shows that Google Flights, while popular, does not have the lowest prices. Instead, she recommends Momondo/ Kayak and Skyscanner, and says finding the best price is all in the timing.

“In our research, we found that the best flight prices are available on Sundays, with Thursday or Saturday as the best travel dates,” Frommer says. “Sundays are the worst day to start a trip.”

Frommers’ latest research, which isn’t public yet, shows that domestic (US) airfares are 6 per cent lower on Sundays. International flights are 17 per cent lower on Sundays. She recommends buying 1-3 months out for domestic travel and 18-29 days out for international travel for a savings of between 25 and 10 per cent, respectively. Starting a trip on Thursday or Saturday can offer a 16 per cent savings over flying on a Sunday, she says.

Solo travel expert Jen Ruiz recommends using flight alert programs from companies like Going, Secret Flying, TicketSpy, I Want That Flight, Airfare Watchdog and more. She also suggests looking for Error fares, which are a glitch or mistakes where a product turns up online for a significantly lower price, due to technical issues or human error.

2. Make sure you have adequate travel insurance

Savvy travellers know that purchasing insurance is an absolute necessity. While we think of it as a cost, the reality is that most credit cards only cover limited amounts for trip cancellation and interruption and will not cover medical or evacuation / repatriation costs, which can go into the thousands.

When purchasing an airline ticket on an airline website, Greenberg recommends opting out of insurance offered and choosing your own insurance separately, as airline websites often don’t disclose the actual policy on the website. Alternatively, use a travel advisor to help sort through the options and make sure the fine print is understood.

“Look for a policy that allows you to consult your doctor, and fly you to a doctor of YOUR choice, not the insurance company’s,” he recommends.

For those who travel frequently, one option is annual insurance from companies like Allianz, Manulife and others, for several hundred dollars a year.  Evacuation and medivac insurance are required for many trips, such as those to Antarctica.  Greenberg recommends Alianz, Med Gen Assist or Travel Guard as top options for Americans. Check insuremytrip.com for options.

Compare travel insurance options here.

3. Avoiding baggage fees

Back in 2008, when the airlines were struggling to stay afloat, they created at $15 bag fee. In 2023, airlines made $7 billion on bag fees alone, according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Prices range from $30 in the US to more than $75 for international flights. Most airlines now have a checked baggage calculator, so check websites before you book – it may be cheaper to upgrade than to pay extra.

4. Look for hotels that include wifi and breakfast

Accommodation is often the most expensive part of travel, representing the bulk of travel costs. Hannon suggests looking for university dorms, particularly in the summer.

With Airbnb fees becoming exorbitant in some places, negotiating directly with the owner can result in savings, particularly for longer stays. This also applies to hotels. Instead of using booking.com, contact the hotel directly and ask for a discount. In my experience, most will offer at least 10% off the booking.com price.

If you’re looking for more freebies, Hannon says Canopy by Hilton offers free evening drinks.

Many hotels also offer free wifi, but don’t forget to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to keep your data safe on your phone, iPad or computer.

5. Use loyalty programs with caution

In the US, loyalty programs are deregulated, which means that the companies have absolute control over the redemption of points.  In September 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) launched an inquiry into the four largest U.S. airlines’ rewards programs that are aimed at protecting reward customers from potential unfair, deceptive, or anticompetitive practices. As part of the probe, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg sent letters to American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines ordering them to provide records and submit reports with detailed information about their rewards programs, practices, and policies.

“Right now, in the era of deregulation, there’s nobody minding the store when it comes to airline frequent flyer programs,” Greenberg told CBS News. “The airlines are free to change the programs on a moment’s notice, they can end the programs without any notice, and devalue the points overnight.”

According to the trade group Airlines for America (A4A), there are nearly 30 million U.S. airline industry credit card holders — nearly one out of every four U.S. households. Delta, the U.S. leader in credit card revenue, made $6.8 billion from its partnership with American Express in 2023 and targets $10 billion by 2028. Learn more about how airlines monetize miles here.

One final tip – ‘trip stacking’

Greenberg also suggests ‘trip stacking’.  Say you are flying from New York to Los Angeles with a two-hour stopover in Chicago. If the connection time is tight, you may miss your connection and end up spending the night at the airport. Instead, he suggests buying a second refundable ticket that departs later. If you make your connection, get a refund. If you don’t, then use the extra ticket.

What’s your best money-saving tip? Share it here and we’ll publish it on our website, or comment below.

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