3 Simple Cost-Effective Ways To Save Money When Traveling
Have you ever wanted to travel with your family or friends but declined because you felt that it would be too expensive? Even if you had enough money to go on the trip, you would still need money for food and fun all while you stay within your budget. Are there any cost-effective ways to save money when traveling?
After graduating from college and being out in the real world, this is the exact question that I asked myself. Most of the time there was no breathing room in my budget. I had to find a way to get over this feeling.
One day I realized that the debt isn’t going anywhere, but my life is passing me by. There will be plenty of time to pay off debt, but time to travel in my 20s is winding down quickly.
Last year I went on a trip to Portland, Oregon and I did my best to save as much money as possible for the duration of my trip. The trip was amazing and I didn’t have to sacrifice food, fun, or experiences to save money.
My friends and I enjoyed downtown Portland and the delicious restaurants and food trucks that Portland had to offer while staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This was actually one of the most fun and least expensive trips that I have been on. Here are a few of the things that I did to save money when traveling.
**Bonus: If you are ready to start saving money for your travels, I recommend using a savings tracker. Click here to download your tracker and start saving.**
Take Advantage Of Carry-On Luggage
I live on the east coast so I had to fly to Portland. My biggest tip to save money when traveling by plane is to take advantage of carry-on luggage. Most airlines allow you to bring one carry-on bag and one personal item on the flight for free. Take advantage of this. As long as your bags are within the carry-on size limits, you will have no issues. Check individual airlines for their carry-on guidelines.
A small suitcase and Jansport bag were perfect for my trip. If you’re like me and have a hard time packing light, invest in a set of packing cubes to save space in your bag. For this trip, I used the largest one, the smallest one, and only one of the medium-sized cubes.
I packed four days worth of clothing, shoes, and a hotel sleeping bag comfortably in my suitcase. My personal item bag was used for travel toiletries, a few snacks, and my laptop. Using only carry-on luggage has the potential to save you between $25 and $50 on your trip.
Search For The Best Prices
While looking for ways to save money when traveling, be sure to shop around for the best prices. Use an incognito window to do your research when searching for flights and hotels. This keeps the price from going up based on your search history and cookies.
Your research should include round trip prices for your trip on major airlines and hotels and rental cars near your destination.
When booking a flight, don’t forget to check the prices of one-way flights as well. Booking a one-way flight there and a one-way flight home ended up saving me over $100! If you are planning your trip well in advance, use a service such as AirfareWatchDog to save even more money.
You will get email notifications when the flights and hotels that you are searching have the lowest available rates. Compare emailed rates to the rates from the research that you have already completed to ensure that you’re getting the best deal.
Flexibility is the key to save money when traveling. Hotels and airlines usually charge a higher rate on the weekend. If at all possible, try to start your trip in the middle of the week. This will give you the lowest daily rates.
Split The Cost With Friends
If you are traveling with friends, split the cost of the hotel with them. Have one person to book the hotel room and use the Square Cash App to split the cost between all roommates.
When searching for hotels, make sure to find one that provides a microwave and a refrigerator. This will allow you to store snacks and reheat leftovers. Head to the grocery store when you arrive at your destination.
Eating food from the grocery store for most meals is a great way to save money when traveling. Since you booked a room with a microwave and fridge, you will be able to purchase cheap meals and snacks to prevent eating out as frequently.
Being that you are traveling to new places, it makes sense to visit a couple of the local food spots as well. If your destination is known for their pizza restaurants, go try the pizza! Take advantage of traveling with your friends by ordering one pizza together.
Most people won’t eat a whole pizza, but the cost is much lower to buy a large pizza and share than purchasing a small pizza alone. If you decide to eat at a casual dining restaurant, make sure everyone orders something different.
Ask for extra plates and share each dish to experience multiple items on the menu without spending a ton of money.
The Bottom Line
Traveling and experiencing new things can be done on a tight budget. The key is to be strategic about your spending. Plan your trips in advance and save as much money as possible. Travel with people that you trust and splitting the cost of things will be a breeze. With today’s technology, finding travel deals has never been easier. Don’t put off traveling this year. Find the deals and go for it!
Yes to the packing cubes!
& there are perks to booking flights, car rentals & hotels early, its kinda awesome to go on a trip & the big expenses are all paid for!
I have been traveling solo for the last 3 years and always practice the same tips you’ve shared, debt will always be here but life passing me by wont. Great post
Those packing cubes look like it will help me a lot, I either over pack or pack light and forget important things. I will have to get some of them. Although there are no trips planned as of now, they still would be good to have on hand.
I love the idea of ditching some of the luggage… but I’m a pretty girly chick and have certain necessary items. lol
There are more options these days to save money when it comes to traveling. Especially with the deals and sales that airlines offer on tickets! I think these are all helpful tips!
We love the packing cubes. My hubs travels a lot for work and he swears by them. Great tips.
As long as you are actively working on the debt in the background, there’s no reason ALL of your funds should be focused on paying off the debt. That’s how I see it anyways. A certain percentage goes to debt then a certain percentage is for my leisure.
I love all these tips. Before the end of last year, I used the money I have saved and paid off my husband’s sports car to save the interest every month. Now we can put those amount towards a our travel money.
That’s an awesome idea!
Booking in advance can really help you in saving flight and hotel costs. It’s also good to plan your luggage to save on weight and extra luggage expenses.
Thank you for these tips. I always love to save money when I can. When I travel, I fly Southwest so I don’t have to pay for checked baggage!
Planning a trip in advance is important to keep your budget under control. It’s important to plan for things like being able to split the cost with friends.
Some ways that we like to save money while we travel include skipping out on airport/airline drinks and snacks (helloooo expensive) and also bringing cash and not using our debit/credit cards. We’ve found that cash helps because it helps us keep focused on how much we have to spend since it’s right there in our hands.
These are smart tips on saving money when traveling. I love the idea of sharing plates of food. We never finish a whole plate by ourselves so we often order a larger size and split it.
These are some great ideas, I love the idea of deciding to split costs with friends, after all it is good to travel with both friends and family.
We haven’t done a lot of air travel lately with the kids, but these are great tips that I’ll have to keep in mind next time we start planning a trip.
We definitely spend a lot of money on food when we travel. We’ll have to be better about bringing food or finding cheaper options.
Try to find a few “must try” local options then bring your food or find cheaper options for the rest of the trip. This way you get the best of both worlds.
I am constantly trying to find ways to travel for cheap. I love everything that you mention here because it will get me flying and traveling sooner.
It’s just the beginning of the year. Use these tips and plan a few amazing trips!
I should consider traveling more with friends. I haven’t thought about the thought that we could share the cost of traveling. I’m going to put your tips to good use on my next trip which is in March.
Yes, sharing the cost makes a big difference. Thanks for reading and enjoy your trip!
I need to invest in packing cubes because I’m always over packing. I’m impressed that you got all that into a carry-on. I’m definitely going to use your tips the next time I travel.
Packing cubes are a life saver! I thought they wouldn’t make that much of a difference, but I was wrong. You won’t be disappointed!
I travel with just a carry on as much as possible. Of course when I travel with the kids, that is pretty much impossible, but I do it when I am alone all the time.
I can’t imagine traveling with children and a carry-on. That is one instance where I would check my luggage for sure!