Ways to Save on Travel
I recently shared our 52 week money saving challenge. I’m doing that to save for a vacation for my family. Now, we need to find ways to save on travel. “Staycation’s” are good, but sometimes just not enough. Here ways to save money on your next vacation.
Booking the Trip
–Subscribe to email alerts for “mistake fares” and flight deals. I love AirfareWatchdog.com, which scours all the main sites for cheap fares to and from certain cities or on particular dates.
–Be flexible. Whether it’s regarding the dates you’re traveling or the cities you’re going to, flexibility is a great way to take advantage of the best travel deals available. One of our readers recently paid $44 per flight on a Spring Break vacation just by being flexible with his dates. Southwest Airlines is known for having those “flexible” trip fares.
–Use Social Networking. Social media is a great way to hear about deals. And they’re coming to you, so you’re not having to do all the work.
–Buy Package Deals. When you book your hotel packaged with your airfare, you’re gaining access to deals that aren’t available to the general public. All-inclusive hotel packages can also be a great way to control your expenses. One of my favorite ways to save right now on destinations is to check out the daily deal websites. Both Groupon and Living Social offer great rates on vacations in and out of the country and many are all inclusive deals – also including airfare!
–Hotel credit rewards offer opportunities. Every dollar spent can earn free night stays, free breakfast, WIFI… you name it. Make sure and sign up for the hotel rewards program at the hotels you will be staying at.
–VRBO (vacation rental by owner) also has locations all over the world. This gives you the option to rent a condo instead of getting a hotel room. The ability to prepare your own meals helps you save big while traveling.
–Before booking a round-trip flight, look at the cost of two one-way flights. Sometimes it turns out to be cheaper. Or look into a “free extended stopover. Research multi-leg flights to see where you can go without having to pay extra.
–“Hidden City Ticketing”. It’s based on the idea that airline fares are priced based on market demand, not distance traveled, so booking longer routes can save you money than booking direct. For example, if I wanted to fly NYC to Idaho, you could book NYC -> Idaho -> Calgary and just skip the last leg. If you don’t want to do the research yourself, there’s an app called Skiplagged that does the work for you.
–Look for freebies included. Look for complimentary breakfast, parking, WiFi, or even credits towards activities in the area such as spas or golf and extra nights for free.
–Travel during off peak times. For example, when kids go back to school (September), after New Year’s (early January), and just after Spring Break (April). Airlines and hotels often give big discounts on airplane seats and hotel rooms during this time, since it’s not a popular period to go.
–Join a local Facebook group that alerts you to sweet travel deals.
Saving For the Trip
–Ask for gift cards on birthday’s, graduation or holidays instead of gifts.
–Use money saving tips we share on daily items. “Pretend” you’re paying full price and stash the extra aside.
–Request your time off from work starting in the middle of the week. Then you can take advantage of cheaper airfares.
–Instead of just focusing on eating cheap on the road, eat cheap at home — so you save more money for your travels.
–Set up an automatic travel savings account at your bank.
Driving Car
If you decide to drive:
–Use Gas Buddy or Gas Price Watch to find the lowest gas prices in the areas you are traveling through.
–Bring cash because many gas stations charge 5 to 10 cents less when you pay with cash versus credit or debit.
–Pack a cooler so you aren’t stopping and picking up drinks and snacks along the way.
-You won’t want to forget the entertainment during your drive.. A lot of kids will like to listen to music as well as watch movies or read in the car or on their notepads or iPods. Take advantage of the free one month Netflix offer so you can add the app to the iPad or notepad. You’ll find DVD’s under $5 on Amazon, over 500 FREE music downloads , and FREE books! **Keep in mind you can read more than 360,000 Kindle books on your PC with this free application – no Kindle required. Download it here (for Windows 7, Vista, and XP).**Apple users can download the Kindle app to get these freebies too!
Cutting Costs on Trip
–Don’t forget the cardinal rule of traveling.. Just Ask. As soon as you get to your hotel, ask your concierge for deals and upgrades, especially if you’re traveling with kids. It’s important to find out if there are opportunities to upgrade your room for free, places in the area that offer family discounts, which restaurants offer Kids Eat Free and where you can go for less.
–Get an unlocked phone — or use T-Mobile when traveling international. T-Mobile’s Simple Choice plan offers its subscribers text and data in 140-plus countries at no extra charge. Or using an unlocked smartphone lets you buy and use SIM cards in each country you go to, giving you local rates that are typically a fraction of what your provider wants to charge you. Also, use apps to call and text back home. You’ll save even more money by making calls and sending text messages using apps rather than your carrier’s service.
–Stay with Friends and Family when traveling through town. Plus it’s great to catch up with old friends. It might cost you a dinner, but your building on current friendships and saving money too, that’s a win-win situation.
Entertainment, Restaurants and Shopping
–Eat where the locals eat. Follow the locals to the places they eat. Street food and small single-dish restaurants have tastier, much cheaper food.
–Restaurant.com- has more than 18,000 participating restaurants nationwide which gives you a wide assortment of discounts at restaurants during your vacation.
–If you are traveling in the United States it’s important to grab the Entertainment Book Iloaded with over 15,000 in coupons for the city that you are traveling too.
Daily Deal Sites– These are great resources for food and entertainment in your destination city. Here are my favorites.
–Bring your own airport snacks.
–Research museum pricing policies and free nights. Many museums offer free or discounted pricing on certain days. Plan your trip accordingly.
–Use public transportation everywhere you go. Not only is it a great way to save money, but it’s the best way to see a country and get up close and personal with its people.
–Follow the so-called “six-block rule.” Never eat within six blocks of a major tourist sight. The food is double the price. Walk far away from the people and get much better food at a better price. Sites like Yelp!, Openrice, and Foursquare can help you find restaurants!”
–Have a picnic in the park. It’s so much cheaper than a restaurant, and just as fun!
–Get breakfast from the grocery store.
