It definitely feels like more people from New Jersey are traveling lately. Flights are packed. Newark is busy all the time. Everyone you talk to either just got back or is about to go somewhere.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not just a feeling. According to a report on NJBIZ<\/a>, millions of travelers passed through the region\u2019s airports over the holidays, with Newark handling a huge share of that traffic.<\/p>\n Yet flying and traveling is more expensive than ever. So how are we doing it?<\/p>\n SEE MORE:\u00a0This place was just voted NJ\u2019s best cheap eat<\/a><\/p>\n Canva \/ Townsquare Media illustration<\/p>\n Canva \/ Townsquare Media illustration<\/p>\n There was a breakdown on FinanceBuzz<\/a> about how people are managing to travel more without completely blowing their budgets. According to the piece it\u2019s not one big trick. It\u2019s a few small things that actually make a difference.<\/p>\n One is being flexible with your dates. Midweek flights are usually cheaper, and even shifting a trip by a day or two can change the price more than you\u2019d think.<\/p>\n Another is using points and rewards instead of letting them sit there. It sounds obvious, but a lot of people have credit card points they forget about, and that can cover flights or hotels pretty easily if you use them right.<\/p>\n Booking timing also matters more than people realize. Waiting too long usually costs you, but booking too early doesn\u2019t always help either. There\u2019s kind of a window where prices are better.<\/p>\n Canva \/ Townsquare Media illustration<\/p>\n Canva \/ Townsquare Media illustration<\/p>\n And then of course, don\u2019t sleep on destination flexibility. Instead of picking one place and forcing it, people are looking at where flights are cheaper and going from there.<\/p>\n Which honestly makes so much sense right now. Because people aren\u2019t traveling less. They\u2019re just trying to be smarter about it.<\/p>\n And if Newark Airport is any indication\u2026 a lot of people in New Jersey are already doing exactly that.<\/p>\n LOOK: Every state’s nickname and where it comes fromSpokeo<\/a> analyzed state government information and other historical sources to compile this list of stories behind every state’s nickname.<\/p>\n Gallery Credit: Stacker<\/p>\n LOOK: These Are the Best Places to Live in AmericaStacker<\/a> compiled a list of the best places to live using Niche data<\/a>, which ranks places based on factors such as the cost of living.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Gallery Credit: Stacker<\/p>\n Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only. <\/p>\n