11 Tips For Saving Money When Traveling
If you are like me, you love to travel. Taking a vacation can be so much fun and something that we all look forward to well in advance. However, travel expenses add up quickly and sometimes we end up spending more money than we had anticipated. Oops! It can be hard to alter our day to day lives and routines in an attempt to save money for an upcoming vacation.
Who wouldn’t like to save money when traveling? Although it can be tedious, every little bit counts! Here are 11 tips for saving money when traveling that should be easy to implement into your life.
#1 Research Flights
Do not book the first flight that you come across, the first time that you look online. Rookie mistake! Take some time and research what flights are available or if there are any nearby airports that you could use instead.
If you look into flights more than once, clear your browser history and cookies. Each time that you search, you will see increased ticket prices if the website knows that you have previously searched for it. No, this isn’t fair, but it happens. Shop around on different websites to compare prices.
Read this post for help in finding the best website for cheap flights.
#2 Book an Airbnb
A lot of times, renting an Airbnb is cheaper than a hotel room. Best of all, if you rent the entire apartment/house you will have much more room than you would at a hotel and potentially pay less. Airbnb hosts love to give you information about their city (what restaurants to try, attractions worth visiting)!
#3 Travel in the Off-Season
Traveling during the offseason is wonderful. There are no crowds and often times the weather is better. I have no idea why people choose to visit Walt Disney World in July, when the park is packed and it is one hundred degrees. Another perk for traveling in the off season is that prices, of pretty much everything, are cheaper.
#4 Book Flights in Advance
It has been said that the best time to book a flight is 6-8 weeks ahead of time and the best day to buy your ticket is Tuesday. Unless a last minute deal occurs (which 99% of the time will not), this is when you will get the best price for your ticket.
#5 Shop Around for Hotel Deals
Often times you can get a room for less than the price listed on a hotel’s website; you just have to put forth some effort. It does not hurt to look around and I bet that you will find a better deal. We use Kayak to check prices for our travels.
Tip: Learn how to stay for free at Hyatt All-Inclusive Hotels in this post.
#6 Do Not Overpack
Overpacking is a big mistake, especially if you are flying. Airlines can charge customers $100 or more for bags that are overweight. And since you have to pay for each checked bag, you want to check as few bags as possible. This is really just wasted money.
Pro Tip: Watch for weigh limits. Some budget airline carriers use 40 pound weight limit instead of 50, which is typical of most.
#7 Drive, Instead of Flying
I am going to step out on a ledge and say that 99% of all people do not enjoy riding in a car for long periods of time. I am one of those people. Yet, since my parents live in Florida and my husband’s family lives in Texas, we spend a lot of time traveling to see them. And by a lot of time, I mean 12 hours or more.
It is not that bad and after a while you will, almost, get used to it. Typically the cost of our gas to and from a destination is cheaper than one plane ticket would be. Plus, we get cheaper gas by shopping and getting gas at Kroger.
#8 Skip the Souvenirs
I know that you mean well and want to bring people back home something from your trip, but I bet that it will not be used much. Skip buying another t-shirt and send a postcard. It is much cheaper and getting something in the mail is always a nice surprise.
#9 Drink Water
Dining eats up majority of your traveling money. Opt for water instead of soda to save a few dollars at each meal. You will probably be surprised at how much you save over the course of your vacation. This is my favorite tip on how to save money when traveling. My mom kicked soda and has probably saved $10-20 a week. That is a huge amount of money.
Note: This applies only when traveling to a destination where the water is safe to drink.
#10 Look into a Ride Share Program
In some cities, the price of taking a taxi is outrageous, yet necessary. Check out Lyft or Uber, as their prices may be cheaper. Typically, I will get an estimate for how much it would be to my destination using the Lyft/Uber app and then I will ask a cab driver how much they will charge to take me to the same destination. Nine times out of 10 the ride share is cheaper. And you get to pay through their app with your credit card, so you can save some of your sacred cash. Score!
#11 Get Money for Your Trip, Quickly
Raising some extra spending money right before a trip is a bonus. Sell unwanted items on Ebay or Facebook yard sale, have a yard sale, eat at home, or cut back on luxuries (such as getting your nails done).
Every little bit helps!
Saving Money When Traveling Feels Good!
Well, there you have it. Wherever I May Roam Blog’s 11 tips for saving money when traveling. If you have any other ways to save money, please let us know.
We would love to hear from you!
When you are ready to book your next trip, check out the best deals on TripAdvisor!
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Taylor Pittman Hardy wrote this article.
Check out some of our other traveling tips:
Guide to Packing For a Cruise Vacation
Tamara Elliott says
Great tips- I also like to try and get some groceries from a local supermarket. Not only is it cheaper and healthier, but they’re fun to explore!
taylor pittman says
Oh, that’s a good idea! Thanks 🙂
Ashley says
Great tips! So much money can be saved when you are strategic and try to plan ahead of time.
taylor pittman says
Thank you! I agree, it just takes a little planning.
Damien McGuigan says
Couldn’t agree more about driving instead of flying. When I went to Ukraine, I took a 15 hour bus from Warsaw. It wasn’t overly comfortable and was definitely no frills but it cost me only £15 and I was able to get a very cheap Ryanair flight to Warsaw from Dublin. It probably saved me over £100 over flying to London and then getting a flight to Kyiv.
taylor pittman says
Wow! That bus was definitely worth it then. Glad to see others choosing not to fly too! 🙂
noel says
These are all great trips, whenever I’m taking a big trip, I’m super thrifty the month before I leave to save money. I also take a lot of public transportation at the destination.
taylor pittman says
Public transportation is another great tip. Thanks for sharing!
Anne Slater-Brooks says
I also recommend having an international SIM card to avoid nasty, unexpected charges on your phone when you return. Some phones block the SIM so we have an old tatty phone that we use for this purpose when away
taylor pittman says
What a great idea! I love having a completely separate phone. Thank you for sharing that 🙂
Carmen's Luxury Travel says
All great tips! I absolutely love Airbnb, especially when I’m traveling with the family. Thanks for sharing 🙂
taylor pittman says
I love Airbnb, too! Thank you!
Cristina says
Great tips, easy to follow and definite money saviors! I have done most of them especially during my six months trip to South America.
Cristina
taylor pittman says
I am glad that other people use these tips, too!
travelordietrying says
Amazing tips! and i definitely agree with tip 2, 6, 8; 9. We always book an apartment on Airbnb while travel, coz it is really cheaper than a hotel room and more comfort.
taylor pittman says
Thanks so much 🙂
Vanessa says
I love traveling in the off season. Better prices, cooler weather, far less people – it’s a win all round.
MelodyPittman says
I feel so bad for those families who only get to take a summer vacation due to school and work scheduling. They have to pay such high prices and fight the horrible crowds.
yenor says
Agree with all of these especially drinking water. I remember when I was drinking a lot of soda while I was in Europe quite a few years back. Would hate to know how much money I wasted and how much damage I did to my body drinking that crap! Water is the way to go!
MelodyPittman says
Definitely! And I’m usually adventurous and up for just plain ole tap water. 😉
Janna says
Great tips! I need to start booking flights early and on Tuesdays! I always purchase it late and end up paying more.
taylor pittman says
Janna, it’s easy to forget and have to do it last minute. Thanks for reading 🙂
Jenna says
So many great tips! We agree with all of them–we need to get better at #11, but we always try to travel in the off season or at least the shoulder season, and we love airbnb!!
taylor pittman says
Jenna, thanks so much for reading!
Mar Pages says
I’ve been guilty of overpacking- its so expensive! I love traveling in the off season, not only is it cheaper but so much less crowded as well.
taylor pittman says
Mar, I completely agree with traveling in the off season to avoid the crowds!
Claire says
Great tips. I still haven’t used Air bnb even though I signed up with them months ago!
taylor pittman says
Claire, my fiance and I have had great experiences with Airbnb. I definitely recommend using them!
Christine Maguire (@thetraveloguer) says
These are all great tips for saving for a travel addiction! I love the water tip, although in some places water is as expensive as soda or beer! 🙂 Packed lunches and cutting down on coffee are my most successful ways to save.
taylor pittman says
That is true; I hadn’t thought about traveling internationally. Thanks for bringing that up!
Tara says
Our biggest expense is always food, so by staying at Air BnBs, we are usually able to cook our own meals, or at least some of them. I hate flying too, so I only fly if I have to.
taylor pittman says
Tara, what a great tip! I never thought about cooking since you have a kitchen. Thanks for sharing!
Lauren Meshkin @BonVoyageLauren says
Nodding my head to all of these suggestions! I’m a planner and I love booking flights ahead of time – I recently found a great deal from Los Angeles to Nashville for $210… that’s roundtrip AND nonstop. I’m so excited!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
taylor pittman says
Wow! That’s a deal! I am glad that others plan ahead, too 🙂
sher says
i stopped buying souvenirs now – no room for it back home and it saves a lot more money. love that you included that.
taylor pittman says
Thank you so much, Sher, for reading our post!
Gypsycouple says
Lovely tips! I can see how some of them can be very useful on the road and frankly we’re already using a few of them already! We’ve always wanted to write such a post but the AP syndrome on what to include and what not to and a bit of laziness added to it made sure it never saw the light of day! Thanks for sharing this!
taylor pittman says
You are so welcome!
Cathy says
Cheers to saving money travelling, for more travel!
Kevin Wagar says
Great tips Melody! We always try to travel in the shoulder season so we can try and get the best value and weather.
MelodyPittman says
We bloggers sure are smart. 😉 Thanks Kevin!