21 Travel Hacks Only Frequent Flyers Know (and You Should Too)

8. Embrace Overnight Travel

Overnight travel—be it red-eye flights, sleeper trains, or night buses—can trim costs in multiple ways. First, these less-desirable departure times often reflect lower ticket prices due to limited demand. Second, traveling at night can save you a night’s hotel stay, effectively compressing transportation and lodging into one expense. Frequent flyers often pick red-eye flights to get more daylight hours at their destination, or to align with time zone changes for minimal jet lag. For shorter routes, overnight trains or luxury bus lines might be cheaper than flights, and they provide a bed-like setting so you can rest en route. Some folks find nighttime travel ironically less stressful—airports and stations are quieter, security lines are shorter, and there’s a laid-back vibe to traveling while most people sleep. By gamifying your schedule to include overnight legs, you might free up your budget for extra activities upon arrival.