Saving Money on Mexican Vacation Packages
Located just south of the U.S., it is no wonder the beautiful beaches of Mexico have long been a favorite travel destination for Americans. With plenty of warm weather, great beaches and ample opportunities for sipping margaritas on the beach , Mexico is a great place to kick back and enjoy a relaxing vacation. With so many different places to chose from and so many different resorts, the only hard time you'll have in deciding to take a trip to Mexico is where to go and how to get the best deal.
Here are some tips to help you save money on Mexico vacation packages.
Be flexible
The number one best way to save money on any kind of travel is to allow for as much flexibility in your schedule as possible. If you are hoping to take a vacation sometime in the Fall or spring, try not to limit to a certain weekend before you start your search. Instead, keep your options open and look for the best deal, rather than searching for the best price on a certain date. By keeping your travel dates flexible, you'll allow yourself many more opportunities to get last-minute sales, flash sales and other great offers.
Another great way to save money is to stay flexible on WHERE in Mexico you'd like to go. If you don't have a strong preference about whether you spend a week in Cancun or Puerto Vallartaleave them both open as options. That way you can look for which resort-city is offering up the best deals (who knows, maybe two competing airlines or resorts are having a rate/fare war that's driven down prices).
Avoid peak-season travel
It's no surprise that prices on all kinds of travel go way up during peak-season times. In Mexico, the high season runs from late December until spring break time, though prices around Thanksgiving break also tend to go up. Summer tends to see fewer tourists (not as many Americans trying to escape cold weather for the warm Mexican beaches), though prices during the swing fall and spring season can also be very good. The difference between a High Season vacation and a Swing or Low, may be as little as one day and it could save you hundreds of dollarsmake sure you shop around and do your research before booking your vacation package.
Spring break time in Mexico is definitely the most expensive time to go. Flooded with college students and families who flock to the beaches to get wild or catch some rays when school's out, hotel rates and airfare often soar through the rough. If you are looking to save money on your Mexican vacation package, you are best off avoiding most of March and April as prices tend to be much higher.
Instead, look into heading to Mexico in June or August. These months tend to yield much better prices and resorts will often have special offers in an effort to fill up their empty rooms during this slow time.
Set alerts for deals
Ok. You've decided that a Mexican vacation is in your future. Now you just need to find the hottest deal out there so you can do the whole thing for cheap. I always like to set alerts on Kayak to ping me when airfares to a certain place drop. You can also set alerts on google to ping you when news is released about a fare sale or other kind of Mexico deal. If you are dead-set on getting the best deal possible, set alerts for numerous Mexico deal€ related phrases to ensure you won't miss anything.
If you are setting alerts on airfare alone on sites like Kayak, have it ping you when airfares get below a certain amount for numerous aiports. This will give you a better chance at finding the cheapest airfare.
Check out to see what airlines at your local airport fly directly to Mexico
Are there 8 flights a day from your local airport to Cancun, but only 1 to Puerto Vallarta? Chances are that more heavily serviced routes from your local airport are likely to boast better fares. Ideally, there will be more than one carrier that flies directly from your airport to one in Mexico, in which case competition will often keep prices down. If you live in a major hub city (Dallas, Los Angeles, Denver), finding deals will of course be easier than if you are flying from say, Eugene, Oregon. That being said, you can still get good deals on flights to Mexico with enough poking around from many airports in the country.