Speaker 1: Hey, I’m Brian Kelly, the points guy, and today I’m going head to head with chat GPT-4 to give you the best tips on how to travel on a budget. Budget. Travel is not about staying in hostels and flying on the cheapest airlines. It’s a mindset. It is winning at the systems in which you’re booking in. So whether that’s hotels or airlines, it’s not necessarily flying the cheapest option because cheap can be expensive when you factor in all of the fees out there. So my best tips for budget travel [00:00:30] are to be flexible. That is where you save the most money in travel. Also, when possible, leverage loyalty points, which can save you dramatic amounts of money. I personally believe there’s no one best budget destination. You can go to the most expensive cities in the world, but when your hotels and flights are free, you can go eat street food. So I don’t like boxing people in to say that this is where you go this time and date because there are amazing deals at all times. So I [00:01:00] recommend using technology, flight alerts and huge data sets to determine when the best time to buy a flight is. So now let’s hear from chat GPT-4. For any misleading information, I’m going to deduct one point, and for anything super insightful, I’m going to give them points and I promise to be fair, because I am the points guy.
Speaker 2: Traveling on a budget can be enriching and fun with these top tips. Plan ahead. Early bookings can secure cheaper flights and accommodations.
Speaker 1: Planning the most ahead [00:01:30] often will get you the highest airfare. So airlines like to take advantage of nervous Nellys who book super far in advance. We call it the Goldilocks rule. You don’t want to book two last minute because that’s when they raise fares and prices. For business travelers who have to get there but too far ahead, you actually are spending more. On average, there’s a sweet spot. Domestic flights, you’re looking at eight weeks or so before the flight, and for international three to four months before to get the lowest fare. And there also are great last [00:02:00] minute deals, especially if you have frequent flyer miles. What most people don’t realize is last minute airlines will release tons of super, super, super cheap points. Tickets because they want to fill every last seat.
Speaker 2: Travel off season, avoid peak times to benefit from lower prices and fewer crowds stay in budget accommodations. Consider hostels, budget, hotels or vacation rentals.
Speaker 1: Budget for different people can mean different things. So staying in hostels, yes, that can save [00:02:30] you money, but there are also ways to stay in nice hotels that give you free breakfast and are safer and smell less like using corporate codes and points. So I don’t believe it’s the best tip for everyone. Many people don’t want to stay in a youth hustle. They generally are geared towards a younger audience. So I feel like that tip was kind of narrowly focused and kind of basic. So I’ll take away half a point.
Speaker 2: Eat like a local opt for street food or local eateries [00:03:00] instead of tourist spots. Use public transport. Save money by using buses, trains, or metros free activities. Explore free attractions such as parks, museums, or historical sites. Pack smart, avoid extra fees by packing light and bringing essentials. Use travel apps. Apps can help find discounts and navigate foreign locales efficiently. Set a daily budget, keep track of spending to avoid overspending. Local sim card. [00:03:30] Reduce roaming charges by using a local sim for data and calls
Speaker 1: Unless you need high, high, high speeds. The time you take to change your sim and have a different phone number and all of the annoyances that go along with that probably are not worth it.
Speaker 3: In five words or less, what is the cheapest day of the week to fly
Speaker 1: In general? Tuesdays,
Speaker 2: Tuesday, or Wednesday.
Speaker 1: Tuesday is cheaper. ai,
Speaker 3: What is the cheapest time of day to fly?
Speaker 1: Generally speaking, [00:04:00] midday,
Speaker 2: Early morning or late
Speaker 1: Night? From my experience traveling the world, airports are the quietest, midday and generally airfares track demand. So I don’t believe that this is a good tip.
Speaker 3: Which credit card has the best travel perks?
Speaker 1: American Express Platinum
Speaker 2: Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Speaker 1: When we look at perks alone, the American Express Platinum blows the sapphire out of the water with lounge access. Also, when it comes to purchase protection, which is a perk that a lot of people undervalue American Express, they will take [00:04:30] off purchases if you buy something and lose it on a trip. There are certain parts of the Chase Sapphire Reserve, like the flight delay and cancellation coverage. I give the edge to Chase Sapphire. But how often are your flights canceled? It’s a small percentage. So in addition to global entry and precheck, which the reserve gives, American Express Platinum also has clear, which will help you through the airport. Chase. Sapphire Reserve doesn’t chase Sapphire Reserve wins on points, but it’s sort of indisputable. Amex Platinum wins on
Speaker 3: Perks. What are the best international travel destinations for travelers on a budget?
Speaker 1: [00:05:00] Southeast Asia, Latin America,
Speaker 2: Mexico City, Bangkok, Lisbon.
Speaker 3: What are the best domestic destinations for travelers on a budget
Speaker 1: Road trips? Florida, Georgia, Texas,
Speaker 2: New Orleans, Austin, Las Vegas.
Speaker 1: New Orleans can be super expensive, especially over peak times Vegas as well.
Speaker 3: What is the best part about traveling on a budget?
Speaker 1: Save money. Travel more
Speaker 2: Discovering affordable, hidden gems.
Speaker 3: [00:05:30] What is the hardest part about traveling on a budget?
Speaker 1: Saying no to cool experiences,
Speaker 2: Limited choices, strict planning
Speaker 1: Chat, GPT-4, then you’re not giving good advice because there’s a lot of choices for budget travelers. So
Speaker 3: What is the most important thing to do when traveling on a budget?
Speaker 1: Open your mind. Meet friends,
Speaker 2: Plan and budget carefully.
Speaker 1: It’s an experience, it’s a lifestyle and will uplift you if done correctly. So negative two points [00:06:00] for just being boring.
Speaker 3: What’s the most common misconception about traveling on a budget?
Speaker 1: That it’s about making sacrifices.
Speaker 2: It’s low quality or restrictive.
Speaker 3: Why should people travel
Speaker 1: To change your mindset?
Speaker 2: Broadens perspectives creates memories.
Speaker 1: That’s the first point I will give to AI today. Good job. We’ve been asking a lot of the questions. Let’s ask ai, what questions should we ask when traveling on a budget? [00:06:30] What do you got?
Speaker 2: What are affordable accommodations? What free activities are available? How can I save on meals?
Speaker 1: Basic but not wrong.
Speaker 1: I guess the biggest issue I have with asking an expert or chat GPT tips is that you’re not getting the full picture. And I hate saying the cheapest day of the week is Tuesday to fly. That is in general, but you can get scorching hot deals on a Friday. The deals come and go. [00:07:00] It’s about knowing how to value a deal and when to hop on them and using technology. There are so many tools these days that you can set alerts that when flights drop below a certain price, you get alerted and you can buy right then and there. And here’s a tip too. Even after you buy a flight, a lot of airlines will let you reprice it if the flight drops, that’s budget travel. I think the tips today were good, but I would recommend anyone that wants to travel more and spend less is educate yourself on the systems. [00:07:30] The best deals come through flexibility and cleverness, knowing how to work each system in each country that you go to. I recommend going to countries internationally where the US dollar is strong. There’s even countries where you can go and get a better exchange rate on the black or gray market, but at the end of the day, this can stretch your dollar longer. So think of budget travel as maximizing what your budget is so that you can save money and travel more.