You want to go on a trip but you don’t want to break the bank while doing it. It doesn’t matter if it is a weekend getaway, going across the country or overseas. There are things that you can do to cut down on the cost.
The key to making your finances work is having a plan to get the most bang for your buck. There are many ways that you can still have a wonderful time on your vacation without breaking the bank.
It does not mean that you can’t do some more pricey things but it does mean being strategic.
The following are 25 different ways that you can save while you are on that vacation that you have been looking forward to. They are not all going to work on every trip but you will be able to implement some of them to make your money go further on your next trip.
- Stay at hotel that offers free breakfast
I know that one of the things that I always look for in staying at hotels is does it offer free continental breakfast. The nice thing about this tip is that you don’t have to stay in a high priced hotel to get a free breakfast.
Most mid to low tier hotels will offer a free breakfast. It is just one more meal that you don’t have to pay for while on vacation. This can be a real saver especially if you are traveling as a family.
- Find a place with kitchen or kitchenette
Meals are a huge part of a vacation budget. It is almost always cheaper to buy groceries and prepare meals yourself.
You can rent a hotel room with a kitchenette or full kitchen. You can also rent an Airbnb or Vrbo apartment or home. If you fix one meal each day it will save you money over the course of your vacation.
- Pack snacks
If you are driving or flying it does not matter when it comes to snacks. You want to have plenty on hand no matter if you are traveling by yourself or with a group. Purchasing snacks at gas stations or at airports is a lot more expensive than purchasing them at a big box store.
- Skip Drinks and Deserts
Skipping alcohol or pop along with desserts at meals can save you lots of money. A family of four can save between $20 to $40 at a meal depending on the restaurant that you are eating at.
This does not mean that you never can get a drink or dessert. It just means that you have to be aware that your eating out budget can go further if you cut them out most of the time.
- Eat at cafes and small restaurants
Cafes and small local restaurants are usually a cheaper way to get a meal while on vacation. You can ask locals where you can find good food at a reasonable price. If you are staying at one location, you can do a little research ahead of time to see what restaurants fit your needs.
- Eat out for lunch instead of dinner
Most of the time when you eat out at a restaurant, it is going to cost you less to eat lunch versus eating at dinner time. During the day is when people are out sightseeing and getting back to the hotel to eat is not as convenient either.
No matter if you are traveling alone, as a couple or with a family this is going to save you money at each meal which can add up over the course of a trip.
- Pack light and wash clothes
If you are flying, getting by with a carry on is the cheapest way to go on most airlines. If you do have checked bags and you are traveling with someone try getting by sharing your luggage. This cuts your luggage cost in half.
People that are driving will not have to worry as much about packing lighter unless there is a space issue.
Packing light on a trip is the way to save on luggage cost but that cuts down on the outfits that you have. So, you may need to wash your clothes but it will more than save you the cost of having extra luggage.
- Use Public Transportation
This suggestion may not always be possible but if you are staying in a major city with great public transportation this will save you hundreds of dollars versus renting a car.
- Purchase City Passes for Multiple Attractions
Most major cities offer city passes that you can purchase at a discounted rate for various attractions. This will be cheaper versus paying for the same attractions separately. Two sites to checkout include CityPass and GoCity.
You will need to see what attractions are included in the city pass and decide if those are the things that you want to see.
- Check Groupon
Groupon is a great place to see what activities, travel, goods and services are being offered by local merchants at a discount. Depending on what you are doing, it can save you a little or a lot.
- Book Flights for Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday
The cheapest days to fly are generally on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturdays. This is not a hard and fast rule but most of the cheapest flights are going to be on one of those days.
A good way to see prices on flights for a given set of dates is using Google Flights. You can put in your departure and return dates. It will show you prices for current dates and months out.
- Flexible dates on flights
One of the best ways to save money for a trip is being flexible with the dates that you are traveling. In some cases just changing a trip by a day or two can save you hundreds of dollars.
Again, Google Flights is a great way to see what prices are the cheapest for particular dates.
Below is a screenshot of a trip from Cleveland to LAX. If you went from February 14th to February 21st it would cost you $412 for a round trip ticket. If you had flexible dates and went February 28th to March 7th it would cost you $110 for a round trip ticket. I am not a math major but that is substantial savings.
- Use Credit Card Points
If you have a travel credit card, be it through an airline, hotel or overall travel credit card you can use the points that you have on the cards to cut down on the cost of the trip.
Depending on the amount of points or miles that you have, it can make a major dent in the cost of your trip.
If you have a general travel card, you can transfer points to hotels and airlines to help pay for them.
- Use no foreign transaction fee credit card when traveling internationally
Traveling overseas can cost you when using certain credit cards. You may be hit with foreign transaction fees that are usually in the 3% range.
Many travel credit cards have no foreign transaction fees. Whatever card that you would be using overseas, you want to make sure that it does not contain the fee before you use it.
- Travel in off season
Having the flexibility to go to locations in the off season can save you money. Flights and hotels are going to be less expensive.
Not only do you get the benefit of cheaper prices in the off season but you also get fewer crowds to deal with at your destination.
- Consider going camping
Besides couch surfing with some friends, having a tent and camping is one of the cheapest ways that one can travel. The average cost for a campsite is around $30. The cost can drop down to $10 to $20 per night in the off season.
There is obviously some upfront cost with this tip. Once you have all of the necessities that you need for camping you will be able to use them again and again.
- Use Camper or RV
A little more glamorous way to get around versus camping is traveling by RV or hauling a travel trailer. Spaces for RVs or travel trailers are going to range from $25 to $80 per night. Cost can exceed over $100 per night for better locations or more upscale parks.
When we traveled as a family when I was growing up we did so by travel trailer most of the time. We made many great memories over the years traveling that way.
- Site see free or low cost attractions
Wherever you go on a trip, there are going to be things to see that are going to cost you money. At the same time, there are going to be many things that are going to be free or low cost to see or do.
Many cities have cheap or even free walking tours that you can take. Going to parks, beaches, or just walking/hiking does not cost a cent.
It does not cost any money to enjoy the architecture in cities or the beauty of nature. Some museums offer days that people can get in for free. Other museums don’t charge any money.
Wherever that you go you will want to do some research to see what things you can do or see at low or no cost. For example, in New York City you can take the Staten Island Ferry for free. You get a great view of the city and it goes right by the Statue of Liberty.
- Stay in hostels
If you are traveling by yourself or as a couple staying in hostels is a nice cheap way to go. They are going to be less expensive than most hotels and they are going to be more convenient than camping.
Hostels are more popular overseas but they are becoming more popular in the states in larger cities. If you don’t want to stay with a group of people in a large room, some hostels allow you to rent a room for yourself.
- Stay with friends or family
Do you have a friend or family that lives where you are going to visit? If you do, make sure to let them know. They may open up their home to you and this can save you lots of money in the process.
We have stayed with family and not only does it save you money but it is a great time to spend time with family and catch up on life.
21. Travel to a locale with great exchange rates
Your dollar can go further in some countries versus other countries. Looking to see what the exchange rate is in a particular country can help you determine where to travel if money is a major factor.
My daughter and son-in-law went to Bali for their honeymoon and were to travel on the cheap because of the exchange rate.
22. Use Price Alerts and Tracking Services
When trying to find the best deals on hotels or flights, most major booking sites like Kayak, Hotels.com and Google Flights have price alerts that you can set. They will send you an email when the price has dropped.
You can also sign up for services like Scott’s Cheap Flights which will track flights. I have this service but the one thing that the service does not do is track specific dates for a flight.
23. Use Travel App to Track expenses
It can sometimes be hard to keep on top of the expenses that you have incurred while on the road. As with many things today there is an app for that.
A few of the apps that you can use to track expenses include Trip Coin, Trail Wallet, Trabee Pocket and Concur.
24. Ask if there any discounts
If you have memberships through AAA, AARP or have a military ID, ask or look for discounts when booking hotel rooms or when booking different activities that you plan on doing. Many places have discounts for these memberships.
Do you have children? When eating out you may want to see if they offer discounts for kids under a certain age or if kids eat free.
25. Stay outside city center
Staying in the city center can be convenient since many things are there to see and do but that convenience comes at a cost. The city center is usually the most expensive place to stay.
Staying just outside the city center or even a little further out will cost you much less. Most major cities have good public transit that can get you back into the center when needed.
Having a car when staying in the city center can also cost you more than staying somewhere outside of the center of the city. Most hotels in the city are going to charge you to park your car.
So, you need to keep that in mind if you are determined to stay somewhere in the center of the city.
Final Thoughts
As you can see there are many different ways that you can save money while on your vacation. Hopefully, you can apply a number of them to your next trip to save money along the way.
Make sure to check out my blog Travelwidstom to learn other ways to save money while traveling, travel itineraries, how to earn and maximize credit card points and miles and more.