5 Money Saving Tips for Traveling
1. Simplify your daily life Many people say money is the biggest obstacle for not traveling more, however most people could easily save money for dream vacations if truly wanted. What could you give up for a dream vacation? How about cable TV, gym membership, monthly hair appointments, manicures & pedicures, eating out, going to movies, having a second car (payment)? The list is endless when you start thinking where your money goes to. Start cutting off your regular spending, and you will most likely be able to start saving hundreds of dollars a month to your travel fund. Buying lunch of coffee out every day is inexpensive, but it really adds up and bringing your own from home can save you a few hundred each month. Saving $5 daily for one year saves you a total of $1,825. 5$ daily save adds up to $1,825 annually
2. Do staycations – local vacations Instead of spending time and money traveling somewhere far, stay close by. Our hotel and resort expert Leigh is the master at staycations, and we have always traveled this way as well. Sometimes just a night in a nice hotel or renting a nice cottage can do the trick. Even if it’s less than 50 miles from your home.
3. House swap or couch surf Do you have relatives or friends who live in locations you want to visit? House swap. Not just you will get a free place to stay but also a kitchen so you don’t have spend money on eating out. Couch surfing and staying with someone is OK to some extent, but I don’t recommend staying at anyone’s house for more than 3 nights if they are home. It doesn’t give you the same freedom to really travel on your own pace and it is kind of rude to ask to stay in someone’s home for weeks at the time.
4. Book cheaper travel Learn how to collect travel points with airlines and credit card companies, and how to book travel for less by using discount sites and discount airlines. If you have specific locations where you would like to travel, sign up for airfare alerts to get notified when the prices are the cheapest for your wanted route. Many hotels give discounts when you stay 3 or more nights, and you can also get memberships to most hotel chains to collected points and get member discounts or perks. Even if you want to experience the luxury for less, there are ways to book the luxury hotels and experiences for less, for example using flash sale sites like Jetsetter. When it comes to hotel chains and airlines, my favorites depend on the destinations and where I live. For example when we lived in New York, I only wanted to fly with Delta and collect SkyMiles and only flew out from a smaller more convenient airport instead of JFK or other NYC airports to save time on going to the airport and for expensive parking at the airport. So always also think if the money saving is worth of your time, and how much it will cost you to “save” money. You might save money on the flight but end up paying for airport transfers, parking, luggage or other fees and end up paying the same as for the more convenient option. Same with hotels, the cheap hotel might not give you free wifi or breakfast buffet and you end up paying as much for them as you would have when you had booked a nicer hotel with those included. The “cheapest” isn’t always the most cost effective or convenient.
5. Rent an apartment & minimize expensive eating out I am a huge fan of renting vacation houses or ski lodges but they are often even more expensive than staying in hotels. However, this is only true when you book through luxury property management companies and from popular tourist locations. On our recent trip to Frankfurt am Main, we rented a house 20-minute train ride from the city and it was half the price double hotel rooms downtown would have been for our family of five. It added inconvenience but the small town in Taunus mountains was also a destination on its own, so we got two destinations for one. On our trip to Rome we saved money on renting an apartment close to Campo dei Fiori and saved money on eating in a few nights. I am now a huge fan of Airbnb.com for booking apartments. ways to save money on travels The biggest money saving from renting apartments doesn’t just come from the daily rate – it comes from saving the money by eating in. If you are not planning on cooking in the kitchen – there is no point of paying for one, and you might as well stay in a hotel. But the eating cost savings can massive depending on your location if you opt in eating in. It might also make your trip more pleasant especially if you have small children and picky eaters.
source: https://www.skimbacolifestyle.com/2013/02/how-to-travel-more.html source image: https://www.skimbacolifestyle.com | image source: https://media3.s-nbcnews.com/