Here are The Traveling Professor's Tips for Saving Money on International Travel
Get a Good Travel Credit Card: I like the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Travel insurance, no-checked bag fees, and lounge access are just some of the ways to save money right away. How does lounge access save money? I estimate the free food and drink saves me at least $20 per person over having to buy food at the airport. What's the travel insurance worth? Just one claim on your card makes any fees for the card worthwhile.
Fly Out of a Smaller Regional Airport: Parking fees are lower, and without getting into a long discussion how airlines price airfares, it can be much cheaper to fly out of a regional airport then connect at a large airport to get to your international destination.
Travel Insurance: If you don't want to get a travel credit card, buy an annual travel health policy from Geo-Blue. It costs about $100-$125 for an annual policy, as many trips as you want to take.
Don't Take the Taxi to/from the Airport: Especially if traveling alone, Uber or public transportation saves a significant amount of money.
Negotiate with Hotels Directly: Lodging is probably the most expensive component of a trip, so here is the opportunity to save the most. Hotels hate when you book with booking websites like Expedia and Orbitz because they pay exorbitant commissions and they need to adhere to their rules on policies like refunds. However, when the traveler bypasses these sites and negotiates directly with the hotel, the hotel is more flexible on rates and other benefits like free breakfast or parking. Hotels also hate the dreaded cancellation within a day or two of arrival. If a traveler negotiates a guaranteed advance payment with the hotel, they may even be more generous with their rates. It is always better to negotiate with a small or family run hotel rather than a large chain.
Buy the City Card: This is one of the most overlooked but best money saving tips. Cities like Paris have the Paris Museum Pass. Rome has the Roma Pass. Copenhagen has the Copenhagen Card. These are cards giving admission to the best sites in each city, often with skip-the-line preference. In most cases, they are worth it after visiting 2 or 3 attractions but the big benefit is no standing in line, saving hours of time. Some cards even provide free transportation.
Vist the Traveling Professor's website for information about his small group tours and more travel tips.