Vacation is something we all look forward to but worrying about how you’ll fund your trip is not as pleasant. Thinking about the costs is daunting, but don’t let that limit you. Whether it’s a getaway with your partner to the Amalfi Coast, or skiing with your family in the Alps, there are always ways to cut costs while still enjoying your trip and staying within your travel budget. Here are our top pieces of advice to help you travel more affordably.
If possible, be flexible with your dates
Having set dates greatly limits the number of flights you have to choose from. We’ve found the most cost-effective way to book flights is to book when they’re cheapest and building our trip around that flight. We were looking to travel for our babymoon and planned on heading to Europe. Instead of being set on leaving a specific Saturday to Saturday, we picked a rough time period (January/February) and as cheap flights started to pop-up, we booked on one of the weeks within that timeframe, saving us nearly $500 a ticket. If you can make a Tuesday through Monday work for example, it may make a huge difference in price. We understand not all trips can be flexible, especially with families, but if you’re able to, this is a top way to save a large amount of money.
Scott’s Cheap Flights Membership* (this is not a paid advertisement; we are legitimately fans of the service)
Scott’s Cheap Flights is a service that provides members top-flight deals from any airport to any destination as they come available. You can join the mailing list for free or pay $40 annually to join. The benefit of joining the annual membership is you all flight notifications where as the free version does and you also get first notifications of the top deals before free members do. All you have to do is sign up, provide your home airport(s) and you’ll get email alerts for international and domestic flights from your selected airports.
We’re believers in the annual membership because you receive a larger number of flights and more varied destinations. You’ll easily get back the $40 you spend on the annual membership if you book a flight or two (most likely with your first flight booked). For example, in 2018 a deal alert popped into Jack’s inbox for Switzerland. Switzerland was never on our next trip radar, but for $200ish dollars round trip, we booked an unplanned vacation and have been become huge fans of Switzerland. (Well, I have more than Missy. She likes it there, I’m obsessed.)
Having the right credit card
Utilizing the right card for the type of travel you enjoy saves you a lot of headaches and money. The first thing to know is there isn’t a perfect credit card. All cards have strengths and weaknesses, so depending on the type of travel you prefer there is the right card for you. Some perks that will save you money and headaches to be on the lookout for:
- No foreign transaction charges
- Sign up bonuses that are worth $1000+ in value
- Complimentary Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Annual Travel Credits
- Premium lounge access
- Checked bag included
- Travel insurance
If you’re a leisure traveler that loves all-inclusive resorts or are looking to explore all ends of the globe, there is a card for you. Best part, the more you use your card, the more points you earn and the more trips you don’t have to pay for. If you want to learn more on what to specifically look for and get our opinion on credit cards, please read our blog “What to Look for in a Travel Credit Card”.
Hotels aren’t always your best friend
Hotels might have a great location and have the comforts you’re used to, but our experience, avoid them. The biggest reason, they’re typically quite a bit more expensive than using a rental group. Airbnb, VRBO, TurnKey are all legitimate rental groups that allow you to stay pretty much wherever you can think of. While it may seem scary/weird at first to stay in a stranger’s home, it can save you a decent amount of money in accommodations and helps with some costs you might not think about such as, food and laundry. We’ve come to also love the privacy and the convenience that comes with an Airbnb rental. With an endless selection across the planet and a variety of ways to stay, from just a private room rental for a solo traveler to a full 10-bedroom house for multiple families you won’t run out of options. For a success story, Missy and I took a trip to Spain. Our 4-day opening leg in Barcelona was $68 a night at an Airbnb. On the last night on our trip, we flew out of Barcelona and decided to stay at a Hilton property. The cost of that one night at the Hilton hotel cost more than 4 nights in an Airbnb. An important note, this apartment wasn’t located in the outskirts, but in the heart of the city. Minutes from the famous Sagrada Familia and walking distance of La Rambla. Something to note, while checking in don’t forget to tap into your renter’s knowledge of the area. We’ve gotten so many great tips about local businesses that we would have never known otherwise. By frequenting these local establishments you’re able to stay away from the more expensive tourist traps and get a more authentic travel experience. If you have hotel points, put them to good use. We’ve stayed at hotels too using our points and have nothing against it. Using points is a great way to save money. But if you don’t, spending a lot of money on a hotel is an expense that is easily avoidable.
Live like the locals
Try to live as the locals do. This is a great way to travel in general, but it also will save you a good amount of money if you do it right. Try to use your eyes and resources, the renter at your residence, cabbies, etc. to get information about where people usually go and what they do. When you live like a local, shopping where they shop, dining where they dine, you are really getting the best and usually most cost-effective experience that city has to offer. You won’t fall prey to the tourist traps that overcharge because the customers don’t know any better, and you’ll have a more authentic experience as a result. Where we have the most success is just wondering and adventuring where we are staying. Going into the neighborhoods, finding places with locals. From finding a local brauhaus in Salzburg, Austria with some of the best beer I’ve ever drank to the wine bar near the Jewish quarters in Rome, packed to the gills with locals of the neighborhood, each of these places were a much more enjoyable experience than an overpriced restaurant near in the big tourist areas.
Be smart on your food costs
Going out to eat every meal is one of the easiest ways to overspend. Please don’t take this in a way that we wouldn’t encourage going out to eat, but when it comes to certain meals like grabbing a sandwich, it adds up quickly. If possible, try to grocery shop and cook. You don’t need to cook every meal, even if you just pick up snacks to have on hand at a grocery store, those savings add up. We love to dine out and enjoy the local culinary scene, but we do try to make it a point to cook one meal a day and to have snacks back at our rental/hotel. Most of the time the extent of our cooking is grabbing some amazing bread, cheese, meats, fruit, and wine and eating al fresco, (if you’re like me and don’t speak Italian like my wife, it means eating outside. I now say it to sound smart – JF) it does not have to be complicated. Making a concerted effort to not eat all your meals in restaurants will save you so much more money than you think. Also, try any kiosks or food stands that locals are frequenting. From our experience, the food tends to be better. Whether it was the street food in Bangkok, or the soup stand in Zermatt, Switzerland (shout out to Soupi and their delicious potato leek soup with rustic bread), the food was fantastic, and we were able to save quite a bit of money which we were able to spend on restaurants we were really excited about or different activities we had planned
Public transportation, it really isn’t bad
If you’re flying over to Asia or Europe as well as many other places around the world, public transportation has become a science. Getting from point A to B on a bus, tram, subway is simple and extremely affordable. Unless you need to get somewhere right away, avoid cabs and Ubers, and take the subway or bus. $30 round trip could easily be $5. Some of you may have hesitation because of stories you heard or read about theft. Does it happen, of course. Same with any of our large cities. Just be smart. Keep your belongings with you and pay attention to your surroundings and you’ll be safe. For those of you looking to explore outside of the big cities or are seeing multiple places on your trip, we encourage the train. This note is especially for Europe, don’t feel you have to rent a car or head to another airport unless you really want to. The train system in Europe is a much different experience that what we have in the States. If you’re looking to tour a certain country, trains are efficient, affordable, and you don’t have to worry about traffic or sitting at the airport waiting for your flight. Also walk as much as you can. It not only saves money, but you’ll find some little gems along the way. Walking allows you to truly soak up the city and gives you an entirely different view than a vehicle, while also allowing you to save some dollars along the way.
Do your research
Do your research beforehand for any travelers’ discounts. This should be an obvious one, but so many people don’t think to do a little research to see where they would possibly get discounts for being a visitor to a new country. We were using the train quite a bit on our first trip to Switzerland to get from city to city. After we planned out our trip, we did some research to see how we could possibly save on train tickets, and later found out about the half-pass which was a tiered pass you could buy that would save you money on all public transit and then some. We found out it discounted our ferry tickets and if we were looking to rent ski equipment or other things it would discount that at select location. Also, we have a lot of success speaking with the public service workers about what our pass all includes and what else to consider. We would have never known our half pass applied to so much beyond the trains if we didn’t ask.
There are a lot of ways to save money traveling without being a penny pincher. These have been the top ways we have been able to save a fair amount of money and still be able to visit some of the most incredible places around the world. We’d love to hear your experiences with any of these or any additional tricks you have learned along the way.
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