Ways To Save On Vacation

Posted by My Dallas Mommy on Sunday, May 24th, 2015 at 12:30 PM
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Ways to Save on VacationVacations can be pricey! Here are some great ways to save on vacation to keep a little extra money in your own pocket.

First you need to pick your destination, then there are quite a few ways to save on your hotel or condo.

One of my favorite ways to save right now on destinations is to check out the daily deal websites. BothGroupon and Living Social offer great rates on vacations in and out of the country and many are all inclusive deals – also including airfare!

Priceline/freebies allows you to search for hotels that provide complimentary breakfast, parking, WiFi, or even credits towards activities in the area such as spas or golf and extra nights for free.

Bing Travel has a hotel finder that will give you the rates of the hotels in the area from lowest to highest as well as reviews.

-Hotel credit rewards offer incredible opportunities to the bargain hunters in all of us. 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.

Now that you’ve planned your destination it’s time to decide how you plan to travel.

If you decide to fly here are a few tips to help you save more:

Groopdealz

-The best site I’ve found by far is Kayak.com. Recently I had a friend fly in – that decided to fly in just a few days before and we were able to find a price round trip that was less then one way.

AirfareWatchdog.com, also compares prices with all of the well known travel sites but the difference is that it also provides Fares Alerts which tell you instantly when prices drop. Along with the alerts you receive promo codes and airline site only fares that are not available anywhere else.

You will also want to compare prices with sites such as; Priceline and Expedia. Another thing you will find is if you are flying mid week for example Thursday – Tuesday your prices will be much less then leaving or returning Friday – Monday.

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!

If you need a rental car:

-AutoSlash.com, is a site that continues to check prices (on both domestic and foreign reservations) until your pickup date. If it finds a lower rate, you are automatically rebooked for free, and the new confirmation details are sent to your in-box.

Now you need to save on Entertainment, Restaurants and Shopping:

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 loaded 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.

Groupon
Living Social

Plus be sure to check out the Local Eats mobile app. You can filter by cuisine, price, location and more..

Plus 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.

Last but not least don’t miss out on great deals when it comes to your vacation apparel.

My favorite website for discounts on clothing, dresses, swimsuits, shoes and much more is 6pm. Not only will you find discounted prices but they also offer FREE Shipping.

Thanks STLMommy!

Daily Boutique Deals

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