How To Plan Your Trip in Reverse and Save Big
Flexibility is key when planning your trip in reverse, but it can pay off big time.
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“This concept flips travel planning on its head,” said Philip Ballard, chief communications officer and travel expert at HotelPlanner. “Rather than picking the destination and dates first and then finding your flight and hotel, the traveler focuses on the cheapest flights departing from their home city, and then chooses a destination and date based on the cheap flight. This is not only a terrific way to save money, it also can open doors to visiting places perhaps never considered or even imagined.”
Here’s more about how reverse trip planning works and whether it’s a good idea for you.
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What Kind of Traveler Does This Strategy Work Best For?
Mercedes Zach, travel expert at ASAP Tickets, which is part of Trevolution Group, said that he has had experience with travelers who are open to exploring different travel destinations to save money and experience new, unexpected adventures.
Zach said that, mostly, the people who use the reverse travel strategy are younger people with more freedom and fewer responsibilities who can be flexible with travel plans but don’t necessarily have a large budget to spend going abroad.
“It is especially popular among Gen Z entrepreneurs and freelancers who are not tied to specific vacation dates, destinations and amenities,” Zach said. “Older travelers, on the other hand, give higher preference to security, convenience and a certain level of comfort and would therefore consider these as the main cons to planning a trip in reverse.”
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How Do You Plan a Trip in Reverse?
Wendy Diep, the co-founder of group travel app Let’s Jetty, said that you should first determine what your travel goal is in general.
She offered the following examples:
I really want to go on a group ski trip with my closest friends this season.
I’d like to be somewhere warm with a beach for my birthday.
I’d like to go on an adventure. I don’t necessarily care where, but it has to be something I’m interested in and never done before.
Next, Diep said, using a flight searcher tool like Google Flights or Kayak, enter the name of your home airport and put in Europe, for example, as a destination. Then, she said to look at the cheapest flight options to Europe.
“Determine what your important secondary factors are — like duration, non-layover, acceptable layover flights, etc. — as well as even looking up what other destinations are easy to fly to from the destination you go to,” Diep said.
If your trip costs are cheap enough you may be able to visit multiple destinations, she suggested.
Ballard said that another hack you can try when using a flight search tool is to simply search for “Anywhere” for your destination, and a global map will pop up showing the very cheapest flights from your hometown airport.
And here’s another tip.
“There are certain destinations that you may actually save more on the accommodations rather than flights,” Diep said. “If that’s the case, check hotel/home searchers like Airbnb/Expedia instead.”
Main Pros and Cons of Planning a Trip in Reverse
“The main pro for planning a trip in reverse is that you can stretch your travel budget further by saving money on where and when you travel,” said Kelsea O’Donnell, chief travel officer at Out of Office Mindset. “This means more and/or better experiences!”
O’Donnell explained that one of the main cons of reverse trip planning is you have to pay close attention to the season the deal is in.
“While the off-season could be a great time to visit some destinations, it may also mean monsoons or that the top attractions are closed …” she said.
Ballard added, “The other disadvantage is there is very little time to decide on a cheap flight before you book, otherwise you’ll lose the lower rate.”
How Much Can You Save by Planning a Trip in Reverse?
O’Donnell said she has personally saved several hundred to a thousand dollars by planning trips in reverse.
“Flights can be a big part of your budget, so if you can get a flight for 70% less than its normal cost, you can save a lot,” she said.
Diep said, “It depends on the destination, but you can save up to hundreds of dollars on a round-trip flight. Sometimes even as much as 100% of a normal fare depending on how flexible you are.”
The Takeaway
“We encourage travelers to subscribe to cheap flight alerts and experiment with the pros and cons of this reverse travel planning hack,” Ballard said. “It will work for some. For others, it may just be additional travel inspiration for a later date. Either way, if you’re looking to save money, exercising maximum flexibility with dates and destinations will save you a lot of money over time.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How To Plan Your Trip in Reverse and Save Big
