How satisfying is it to find the best hotel deal? The cheapest flight? To outsmart all those other sheep and book your trip when the crowds will be thin and you can have the whole place to yourself? Satisfying, Maybe, at least at first. Smart? Eh, that depends.

Meg Favreau of Wisebread.com shared some frugal traveling tips. Among them:

“A mistake — I know I’ve made in the past and I know frugal travels make — is considering only money and not time,” she said.

Sometimes it’s worth coughing up the extra $50 for a plane ticket to avoid multiple layovers and hours lost in airports. She also says to be wary of traveling in the off-season. While you may have a city to yourself, that city may not have essentials like restaurants and attractions open during your visit. Listen to the interview above to get more tips on how to travel without spending too much but still enjoying yourself.