#1 Booking directly guarantees you the best rate

We know how much you want to believe this (it's easier to go on the hotel's site and book there hassle-free), but understand that "best price guaranteed" means something else. So, if the hotel says they have the best price guarantee, that doesn't mean that their website has the best price. That implies that they'll give the difference back to what you booked if you find a lower price in some other place.

SOLUTION: Get creative - online travel agencies have dominated the hotel industry for more than 10 years. They are popular and hotels offer good prices through them. OTAs have convenient websites to navigate and choose the suitable hotel for you. However, the biggest cons - different commission rates for each OTA. Hotels pay 5%-15% commission to the OTA, so it's listed and/or promoted there. This means, that one OTA sells the same hotel at the higher rate than another. So simply put - you can never know whether you found a fair price or not. However, Ratepunk's browser extension is designed to scan all OTAs prices as you search for a hotel, and it will pop up displaying links to other sites if cheaper price is found. 
 

#2 Last-minute bookings are the best

When you think about flights, there are key rules to know: 

• The best time to book a domestic flight is 1-3 months out, whereas for international travel, aim to book flights 2-8 months in advance. 
• 24-hour rule: suppose you found a fantastic flight deal, but you're unsure if you can travel on those dates. The best way to go around this is to get the deal, and if you see you cannot make it or you change your mind, cancel the flight and claim a full refund. 
• The last-minute booking rule doesn't apply to flights as per se. Until about 21 days before a flight, prices are pretty steady. The longer you wait to reserve your seat on the plane, the lower your chances of getting a good rate. After 21 days, the system considers these "last-minute" flights (usually filled by business travelers), and the fares rise. So don't wait too long!

However, hotels have other paths for booking at the last minute. 

• Rule-of-thumb: if you're going to a larger, more business travel-heavy city, book a hotel 1-2 weeks in advance. If you're planning a vacation getaway, then 2-3 months in advance. 
• However, if you're really into budget traveling, last-minute deals can potentially save you up to 50%. Prices for hotels can change every day, and it all depends on the season and upcoming events. Sometimes the price might be $100 when you check it 20 days before arrival and 2 days before arrival - it’s only $50. That happens because hotel managers reduce the price to fill all the rooms at the last minute.

#3 Search incognito and/or clear your browser cookies to get the best price

It would be easier if this were true. Studies show that there is no variance in pricing when you use incognito mode. Know let us simply explain how abandoned cart works: so the cart is tracked by cookies, and when you leave it open without proceeding to checkout, business (for example, Expedia company) discount prices to get you to complete the purchase, and so they don't raise the rates only for this reason. 

#4 Small airports are more expensive to fly from

In some cases it might be. Overall, that is a BIG no. There are times when smaller airports need to fill up the seats, so they often sell them for cheaper, and this is how you get major discounts. So, what you can do, is frequently check the rates, and if they lower up - this is your time to act. 

#5 Your check-in day doesn't matter

We already talked about the best times to book a hotel, but one more tip - plan the date of your check-in. Choosing the right day can save you from 15% to 47% on your hotel stay depending on the destination. 

Generally known that Sunday is the least expensive day to check-in, and your savings can increase to 19% off-peak prices. Thus, Tuesday or any other middle week day is the most expensive one. These higher prices are prevalent in cities with a big proportion of weekday business traffic. 

Those are TOP 5 travel myths that (can) break your vacation almost every time. Watch out for those travel myths in 2023, and plan smart, not hard.