Although my awesome support team do our best to individually answer most questions we get, it’s impossible to stay on top of them all. Sometimes, however, we get questions I know a lot of people have – that haven’t yet been covered on our blog, FAQ page or Youtube Channel so I do my best to answer them here.
Hey Todd,
First off – Thank you for your lifetime purchase. Subscribers like you are helping me to share my passion for affordable travel with the world, as well as funding future JGOOT improvements (and we’ve got some exciting stuff on the horizon!)
Your question isn’t an easy fit for “The JGOOT Way” of travel so I hope you don’t mind me sharing my complicated answer with the thousands of other subscribers who probably have a similar question.
- As a premium subscriber, your best bet is to log into your account and take a quick glance at what deals we have found in the “July” category, and see if you can change the dates of any trips that interest you to fit your schedule. If not, try June knowing that many of those trips can be changed to July too. (But since shopping on our site is like shopping exclusively from the clearance rack at a department store (and you have VERY specific criteria date-wise) I wouldn’t spend much time if you don’t immediately see something that works.
- If that doesn’t work, I suggest using Kayak.com/explore. Because you’re flexible on where you want to go but not on when, use the “exact dates” feature. They’ll tell you where the good deals from your home airport are and you can go there. (It’s pretty hit-and miss, but hey – you asked the guy who pays an average of $.12 on the dollar for travel and sometimes, it takes a few at-bats before you get on-base.)
- Although you’re flexible on WHERE you want to go, you’ve picked one of the busiest weeks of the year to travel, so it’s going to be tough. If tips #1 & 2 don’t work, it’s time to dip into your stash of points. (Don’t have points? You should. It’s SOOOO easy, and it’s paramount rule #3 of “The JGOOT Way” of travel. You can find an invite (and required password) to our private point-hacking discussion group at the bottom of your daily trip-alerts. In addition to a quick-start guide, a comprehensive set of instructions, explanations about how to improve your credit, and webinars, we’ve got over 1000 other members who are familiar with traveling on points and can answer questions you have.
I hope those tips help!
PS – If you book a great trip at a great price, email me a screenshot of the fare you paid and a testimonial about what you like about being a premium subscriber. If we add it to our testimonials section, we’ll send you a $100 travel discount card to use toward some fun stuff during your trip! In addition to 400,000 hotels, it can be used for car rentals and fun activities/excursions worldwide. (Sample card below.)
Not a premium subscriber? Give being one a try risk-free for 30 days. Subscriptions start as low as $8 per month.
Have other suggestions for Todd? Feel free to add them in the comments section below.