11 Travel Hacks To Avoid in 2024

When it comes to traveling, frequent and casual travelers alike often look for ways to save money and time, or make the trip the best it can be. Common travel hacks include searching for flights in incognito tabs, traveling during the off-season, and using hotel booking sites to score the cheapest accommodations.

While some of these travel hacks have served people well over the years, many of them either don’t work anymore or don’t work like they used to. Sometimes, these so-called travel hacks end up costing more money in the long run — or they detract from the entire experience.

Before you book your next trip, here are 11 travel hacks to avoid in 2024, according to experts.

“Booking a flight with a layover at your actual destination, and then skipping the connecting flight will backfire because the airline will cancel the remaining parts of your ticket, leaving you stranded or facing additional fees,” said Kat Fleishman, a luxury travel expert and CEO of Do-Tell PR.

This so-called travel hack referred to as “skiplagging” might seem more cost effective than booking a direct flight. However, you won’t be able to check any bags if you do this. It’s also technically legal, but could result in lost miles or lifetime bans from that specific airline.

You might save money by purchasing a cheap airplane ticket over a train ticket, but money isn’t everything when it comes to traveling.

“Some train journeys may cost more than a cheap flight but the beauty of a train ride is the greater flexibility from the booking system to being able to jump off at a certain point in the journey — much less stressful and also enjoyable,” said Jessica Dante, a leading travel expert at Love and London. “Boarding is much also less hassle, there are no luggage restrictions and inevitably more leg room.”

Plus, you could save money — or at least break even — by taking a train over a flight. Luggage fees can add up when you fly, and many airports are located far from the city center, which means you’ll need to spend more money on a taxi or public transport to reach your destination.

“Using currency exchange services at airports or hotels can be convenient, but they charge higher and hidden fees with really bad exchange rates compared to local banks or ATMs,” said Fleishman. “It’s better to withdraw local currency from ATMs or exchange money at local banks.”

Off-season travel is often less expensive than any other time, but not always.

“There has been a lot of talk around the benefits of off-season travel recently, which presents this as a travel hack for getting the best prices. In some cases, visiting during these quieter periods can offer a unique and more affordable experience. However, sometimes, they are just less popular times to visit for a reason,” said Jan Luescher, CEO of luxury travel social network, ASmallWorld.

“Visiting certain destinations during their quieter periods significantly limits what you can do there and causes you to miss out on some of the best things to do and see because they are not open or safe to visit at this time,” she continued.

If you miss something you really wanted to do, it might require a second trip to the same place. Or you might not enjoy yourself quite as much as you’d hoped.

“While early bookings can secure lower rates, committing to non-refundable accommodations too far in advance puts a damper on flexibility,” said Fleishman. “Plans can change, and unforeseen circumstances always arise, leading to potential financial loss. Always better to book a hotel with a flexible cancellation policy if you are booking in advance.”

“Traveling further afield often means catching a connecting flight and a common hack or tip for planning an indirect journey is checking the layover time to ensure it gives you enough time to disembark one flight and get onto the next,” said Luescher.

But even if you account for the layover time, you might be forgetting a very important detail: The size and layout of the connecting airport.

“It’s easy to get lulled in a false sense of security that because these connecting flights are available to buy, the layover time must be fine,” Luescher continued. “However, each airport and airline can have very different rules for connecting travelers that require you to set aside different lengths of time.”

Most international airports, for instance, have additional security checkpoints or requirements. You might even have to claim and recheck your luggage during the layover, depending on your destination. This can cut into your layover time quite a bit.

Some airports are also massive, so it could take you even more time to get to your gate. If you don’t account for all of these factors, you could end up missing your flight — and having to buy a new ticket.

On the flipside, if your layover time is substantial, you could end up wasting valuable time that cuts into your trip.

Airline miles, or frequent flyer points, rack up for frequent travelers. When you have enough of them, you can redeem them for discounted future flights, rental cars, accommodations and more.

But don’t buy them in bulk to try to get more points quickly.

“Buying airline miles or loyalty points at a discounted rate is not OK by the airlines and there’s a risk of having your account suspended or worse,” said Fleishman.

“A common travel tip people have been following for years is that you should search for flights in private Incognito mode and clear your browser cookies to see the lowest fares,” said Mercedes Zach, travel expert at ASAP Tickets, part of Trevolution Group.

“This approach comes from the belief that airlines are using browser cookies to track your searches and will show you higher prices if you do several searches for a particular destination within a short period of time,” Zach continued. “In reality, airfare pricing is dynamic and constantly fluctuates and Incognito mode has no impact on it.”

Just because a price drops for a specific flight doesn’t mean it’s because of the way you searched for it. If you want to get the best fares, set up alerts on Google Flights or a similar platform.

There are lots of hidden fees when it comes to traveling, so you might be tempted to find even small ways to save money. One such way is to use free Wi-Fi, but there are many scams that can end up costing you.

“Beware of hackers who set up fake Wi-Fi networks with names similar to legitimate hotel networks to trick travelers into connecting,” said Fleishman. “Using unsecured networks can expose personal information. It’s safer to use a hotel’s official Wi-Fi or a virtual private network (VPN) for added security.”

If you’ve been booking flights on Tuesdays in the hopes of saving money, chances are it isn’t actually working.

“I have been with a flight booking agency for several years now and I cannot say for sure that Tuesdays are cheaper than other days. Flight fares are dynamic and constantly fluctuate,” said Shreya Patel, marketing manager at Lowest Flight Fares. “A flight from Austin to Boston may cost you around $114 on a Tuesday and $89 on a Saturday.”

Instead of booking flights based on the day of the week, compare different options around the time when you want to travel. Patel also suggested booking between 21 and 115 days before your trip for the best prices.

Some travelers swear by this travel hack, but there’s not much proof that it actually works.

“What you are wearing at the check-in counter has no influence on the agent. Moreover, the airline already decides where its passengers are going to sit before they even leave the house,” said Patel.

“For example, British Airways’ check-in automatically upgrades passengers if it is required, based on the ticket cost, frequent flyer status, whom you are traveling with or if you have any special needs,” Patel said. “The agents on the ground can no longer upgrade you.”