Most of my close friend tell me I tend to be a little extra when it comes to travel planning– well, that’s true and that’s because I like having tighter control over where I go and how I spend my money. And the best thing I do, is never to use travel agencies– talk about being a traveler on a budget. I am sure that’s important for most of you too so I am going to show you all the tools that you can use plan your next vacation especially for those going to Dubai one the most famous destination for most Ugandans.
My Workflow
As self proclaimed professional travel planner, knowing that I have an upcoming trip puts me in mega saving mode. Here is what I love to follow for budgeting.
As a rule of thumb, at least for me, a vacation for just yourself should cost thoroughly around what you make in one paycheck. That way you are neither making nor losing money and you give yourself the option of going to a really fancy resort for a weekend or maybe even fly first class, etc. But I understand that everyone’s situation is different especially if going on honeymoon, trying to impress your bae, or at the extreme if you are planning to travel with family.
I have several colleagues who have scored crazy flight deals from Entebbe (EBB) to Dubai (DXB) for about UGX 1 million, well we have several airline options and once you get a good deal you save a lot. But first, let’s understand how flight pricing works.
Flight pricing
The majority of air fares you see are mainly targeted to two kind of travelers. There are those who will pay any price because they need to be somewhere at a specific time, especially those traveling for business, health or family emergencies or wedding. And, then there are the flexible travelers who are willing to put up with mid-day flights or layovers to get a better deal. So in that sample, a flight from Entebbe to Dubai the prices might fall into this range.
Now of course airlines are incentivized to make the most money per seat so the majority of the fares you’ll see are likely to fall between this middle range of prices.
But when it’s time for airlines to try to fill its empty seats, it may just straight up drop prices. When an airline drops prices it drops services too, for example don’t expect to have any kind of onboard meal with low cost carriers such as Fly Dubai. Cheap flights often come with restrictions such as not being able to pick your seat, bringing overhead luggage and having to fly at inconvenient times. These budget options are becoming more popular such that airlines can get their prices up on the top of any search engine on the internet. So, always read the fine print before you book.
The Flight Deal
So back to how to get an affordable flight. Sometimes these cheap flights could be a technical or human error which causes a flight to be literally sold at the wrong price. This is obviously very rare and not all airlines will honor it, but if you do find one, wait until you have a confirmed booking before you start booking places to stay. Currently am looking to book a fight for the holidays and am pretty flexible on where although I prefer flying Emirates for obvious reasons (great service among others). To get a great flight deal, I often use Skyscanner or Googleflights but there are plenty of other websites and Newsletters that track price drops. So it’s always good to compare websites before you confirm. You can also book a flight through aggregators like Obirts or Expedia and earn points but booking directly from an Airline will give you more leverage in case of travel disruptions or cancellations.
Check with your credit/debit card companies too, for my current trip, I managed to get a great MasterCard deal with Emirates and saved over $380 (UGX 1.4m) for my upcoming multi destination vacation late this year.
Cheapest Option
So let’s try and get a great flight for you to Dubai on a cheap. An economy flight to Dubai for one person can be as a cheap as UGX 900,000 to as high as UGX 4 million. It all depends on the season you plan to travel, the airlines you use, journey duration, when you travel and number of stops. From the data below, Ethiopian Airways and Flydubai are the most affordable at about UGX 1m, followed by, Kenya Airways and then Emirates. Please note that the prices below fluctuate a lot and they are just a through representation of airfares this holiday season.
Tips Time
Here all the things you need to do before you go.
Download all the apps you need beforehand.That’s offline maps so that you can navigate without internet, ride hailing apps, money exchange converters, may be a dictionary or translator if you go into a place where you don’t speak the language.
Check with your mobile carrier for international data plans, some are free or cheap but I always recommend buying a local SIM card when you reach the airport at your destination.
Lastly set a travel notice for your credit card, or in layman terms always have money with you when you travel. The last thing you want to happen is to get to a foreign place with no money. Bon Voyage.
