How to Make Flexible Travel Plans: 5 Tips to Save Time & Money (2024)

Making flexible travel plans for your flights can save a bundle! (Photo by Jerry Zhang on Unsplash)

Making your flights flexible without spending extra can be tricky. Many airlines offer fully refundable tickets, but you’ll usually pay at least double the price of a standard fare. One way to make flexible travel plans without paying more is to choose flights that will give you a credit to use later, should you decide to cancel. This worked well for me when booking my cheap flights to Peru.

Choose an airline you use often when booking tickets that offer a credit. Book directly with the airline instead of using a third party. This makes it much easier to change or cancel your plans. Be sure to read the fine print before you purchase and keep all the emails and receipts you receive, in case you need to reference them when making changes.

Miles and rewards points can also be helpful for making flexible travel plans. When I canceled my trip to Peru, Delta refunded all the SkyMiles I’d used without any penalty! Again, be sure to check with the specific airline to see what options their rewards plan offers.

It’s pretty easy to find rooms with free cancellation these days. (Photo by Christopher Jolly on Unsplash)

Thankfully, making flexible travel plans for your accommodations is fairly simple. Many hotels and traditional lodging options allow you to cancel for free until a few days before your arrival. There are plenty of places that don’t even collect payment until you get there.

My two favorite booking sites -- Booking.com and Hostelworld -- make it easy to see the cancellation options when you book. Hostelworld only collects a deposit at the time of booking and gives you the choice to make it fully refundable before you pay. Booking.com will show you the payment options available for each room and you can even filter your search results to only see properties that offer free cancellation!

When reserving my rooms for Peru, I used Booking and chose the free cancellation option for my room. If I’d traveled as planned, the room would have only cost an additional $5 per night ($25 total), which was worth it to me for the flexibility. Also, canceling my stay was super easy! It only took a few clicks and my card was never charged because I was within the time frame for free cancellation.

Making flexible travel plans for transportation is pretty easy too! (Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash)

If your trip is going to include a rental car or train tickets, there are multiple ways to make flexible travel plans. For bus and train tickets, you don’t need to book very far ahead! In many places, train tickets aren’t even available for purchase more than twelve weeks in advance.

It’s a good idea to pre-book a rental car, if that’s how you’ll be getting around. Traditional rental agencies usually offer a fully refundable option that’s not much more than the standard rate. Local agencies and services like Turo, typically offer generous cancellation policies as well. Just be sure to read the fine print before you book.

If you’re planning to travel by bus or train, you may not need to book until a few days before you travel. Depending on your destination, you may even be able to purchase your ticket at the station, which means you don’t have to solidify your plans until the last minute.*

Most bus and train companies are run by the local country or individual businesses so their policies will vary. There are usually refundable fares available if you’re purchasing in advance. Simply look for those options when booking and, as always, read the fine print.

*Note: If you’re traveling during the busy tourist season, I do recommend purchasing bus or train tickets in advance to be sure you get a spot. Here are different ways to travel that you may want to consider when planning how you’ll get from place to place.

The right travel insurance can help you save if your plans change too. (Photo by Vlad Deep on Unsplash)

Travel insurance is another option that can help you create flexible travel plans. Most policies only cover you in case of a medical emergency or basic mishaps like lost luggage. However, there are plans that offer coverage if you cancel for any reason.

The “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) options tend to be more expensive than the general coverage. However, if your trip requires the majority of your bookings to be made far in advance or if your pre-booked elements come with a hefty price tag, this may be a good way to ensure you don’t lose your money if you need to change or cancel.

A simple internet search will give you a long list of insurance companies offering this type of coverage. Every policy is different so be sure to read the details. Though I’ve purchased travel insurance on many trips, I prefer to make flexible travel plans using these other methods so I’ve never chosen a “cancel for any reason” policy. I do know there’s more paperwork involved to get payment from insurance companies so I take the simpler route whenever possible.

Pretty sure this is how I felt for days before actually canceling my plans to Peru! (Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash)

It can be disappointing and frustrating when you have to change or cancel your trip. The good news is that if you make flexible travel plans using the information in this article, making adjustments is simple! You take care of everything with just a few clicks and not worry about losing your money.

When canceling my trip to Peru, the Delta app allowed me to cancel all three reservations from my phone. The SkyMiles were immediately put back into my account and the taxes refunded to my credit card. For flights I’d paid for using my credit card, they simply issued a credit to use on future bookings and I received an email with the information for how to redeem them. If you choose this option and aren’t going to use the credit right away, be sure to note the expiration date and save any emails you receive for future reference.

My accommodations were easy to cancel through the Booking.com app. I simply selected the reservation I wanted to cancel and followed the steps. Because I planned to visit during the shoulder season when there aren’t as many tourists, I was waiting to make transportation arrangements so there was nothing to cancel there.

The whole process of canceling my trip to Peru took about five minutes. I did it all from my phone while having my morning coffee. It was fast and simple because I’d purposely planned for this possibility. Now you can too!

One of the things I love most about indie travel is the ability to make flexible travel plans any time! It means I can start creating my trip without feeling anxious about losing a pile of money if my situation changes. The peace of mind is worth the few extra dollars it may cost to keep things flexible.

Here are a handful other articles that you may find helpful for saving money and planning your own epic international adventures:

• 7 Tips for Finding Cheap Flights to Anywhere
• 5 Types of Accommodations and How to Use Them to Save Money
• Types of Transportation To Consider for Your Trip
• How to Plan Your Own Trip to Europe
  

If you want to learn all the ins and outs of planning your own international trips, have a look at the How to Plan Your Own Unique and Affordable International Trips course. It covers everything from creating an itinerary you’ll love through booking every element you’ll need!

If you don’t have the time or energy to plan every single bit of your trip or would like to get a bit of personalized help with your plans, check out these consulting services created specifically for indie travelers like you.

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Now get out there. The world is waiting for you!

Your Turn

Have you ever decided to change or cancel your travel plans? How did that process go for you?

Share your experiences in the comments!