I think working travel into your budget is so good for the soul. I’d much rather have experiences than things. But, having said that, I also know how terribly expensive vacations can be. It’s not a good idea to go into debt to vacation. Ever. So can you vacation on the cheap while still having a magnificent time? Why yes you can! Here are some tips that’ll help you take that vacation and not break the bank:
- Take that red-eye flight: I often traveled at night and flew the red eye flight when I traveled to the east coast. It’s cheaper, quiet and I can sleep on the plane and hit the ground running the second I walk out of the airport.
- Learn how to eat for less: I did a whole post on How to Eat on a Budget While Traveling. Lots of good tips packed into that post!
- Save on activities: Do some research on entertainment. Every city {and I mean every city!} has free activities. Hit the beach instead of an aquarium {even with parking and snorkel masks, you will still be in less than your typical aquarium}. Look for parks with hiking paths or wildlife refuges instead of zoos. Try the local Costco for discount passes for local attractions.
- Be open to lodging other than hotels: I have had friends who have had amazing experiences with Airbnb. I’d definitely look at the ratings of the owner and the past reviews of the place you’re looking to rent out. I think you can probably get a good feel for a place that way and save some major cash! If you’re a braver than I, there are some awesome house swapping sites that have great reputations like homeexchange.com. Utilize Priceline.com and bit on a room if you’re set on staying in a hotel. I’ve found some of my very best hotel room rates this way.
- Travel in off-peak season: This one kind of goes without saying. Summer months, Christmas and Thanksgiving weekend, spring break, etc. There are times where prices will jump guaranteed. If it’s possible to travel when the rest of the country isn’t, you’ll see much better hotel rates!
- Be flexible in your destination: Travel to the deals. Sometimes having no destination at all is the very best way to save money. Check out last second deals on travel sites. Maybe there’s a great deal on a 5 star hotel in San Diego or a travel package to New York City that’s tempting. Seattle, Salt Lake and Washington D.C. also have some random great hotel deals. If you’re flexible with your destination city, a vacation could be in your future.
- Save on rental cars.
- Pack light. If you fly, packing light can save a bundle on baggage fees when you fly. Pack enough that you can carry your item on. It is a hassle, but the savings are totally worth it.
- Save on flights. Or this is another post on how to score cheap flights!
- Constantly look for deals. Sign up for Facebook alerts, etc. for attractions and locations. That way, if there is a special, you will be the first to know. You will also be able to track deals–making timing your trip a little easier.
- Save on exchange rates.
- Travel in a group: If you have some people you wouldn’t mind vacationing with, see if you’d all like to travel to the same place at the same time. Group rates are almost always offered at resorts or on cruises!
- Ditch the souvenirs: Buying overpriced gifts for everyone and their brother can eat through your budget in a hurry. Most people would be just as pleased with a few gorgeous postcards or a few pictures on your Instagram page with some fun details about your trip!
- Limit alcohol: Unless you’re at an all-inclusive resort, adult beverages can suck your food budget dry. If you do decide to drink, look for happy hours or limit it to one drink a meal if you are at a restaurant. Avoid the mini bar as well!
And now you’re all ready to plan that vacation on the cheap! Do you have any great tips I missed? What are some of your favorite low cost travel destinations?
Travel on,
~Mavis
SHARE:
erin says
Don’t be afraid to pitch a tent! Going to Yosemite was around $400 a night in the lodge/hotel. $24 for a campsite saved our budget!
S says
We’re headed to Yellowstone in a week to camp. $30 a night for a large tent. So excited!
Lynda Kling says
We had friends camp there.. a grizzly destroyed one of their tents.. they said NEVRR AGAIN!
erin says
Be sure to head south to the tetons! Next time we go, we’re skipping Yellowstone and going straight to the tetons. So beautiful and less crowded. Enjoy!!!
Jane says
We live near Jackson Hole and it’s awesome here right now! Do Grand Teton NP too! Best deal is to get a national park pass if you do both unless you have a 4th grader and get into all the parks free 🙂
Deborah says
We have been on several Caribbean cruises and loved it. You have your room paid for. All you can eat at any time. Room service. Entertainment. All included in the price. No worries at all. This is the ultimate ladies vacation. No cooking or cleaning. Your bed is made every day, and turned down at night. Some have laundry rooms too so you can was wash and dry your clothes. They also have a laundry service, but it is extra. Gratuity is all included in the price of the cruise. I love it.
Deborah says
Oh, and off season, when school is in session is the best time to go. I love cruising!
Heather says
I plan a long overseas vacation between Veterans Day and the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It is a great time travel. We went, planned a budget, traveled with only a backpack and stayed in AirBNB.
Saving for travel is a line item in my budget. I’ll forgo meals out, drinks with friends….anything to have a buck for a good beer in a foreign country.
Jane says
We just got home from a trip where we made more than one lunch stop for the kids at the closest IKEA . $2 gets them two hot dogs and a soft drink. $1 more for an ice cream cone. We also like to hit up Einstein Bagels and get a box of bagels and add fruit to make a lunch of it on a park bench somewhere pretty… $12 for a bakers dozen plus two containers of Shmear (cream cheese).
Torry says
I ate meals at Ikea when I was at a convention near the Mall of the Americas. They have plenty of choices, so eating there didn’t mean eating the same things every time.
livingrichonthecheap says
Avoid prepurchasing seat selection on airlines that don’t overbook aircrafts. Those that overbook often bump people without seat selection. Those that don’t (like Westjet in Canada) will preassign seats about 24 hours out and usually they assign them with your travelling companions. Even if they don’t, is it terrible if the two of you don’t sit together to save $50 bucks on seat selection? That’s a nice meal out. Other tips: The online hotel booking engines don’t always have the best prices. They are a great tool to do research and compare costs – but if booking hotels always always go to the actual hotel website and check their rates. They may be the same or lower and sometimes they throw in free things like breakfasts or a drink if you book with them direct. Don’t automatically assume UBER is cheaper than a taxi (use public transportation when possible, that is always cheapest) as we were just in Rome and UBER was almost 1.5 times the cost of a taxi called by our Air BNB host
debbie in alaska says
That looks like Devil’s Club — were you in Alaska?
sunshineshed says
We have two dogs that we like to take on road trips with us. Dog friendly hotels are typically more expensive and the pet friendly rooms are usually stinky. We bought a camper which has allowed us to take a lot more camping trips without spending a ton of money!
A few tips:
– Buy a gently used camper. Like cars, campers will depreciate by at least 20% the second you pull it off the lot.
– Pack your meals and snacks. We typically will only eat out once while on a trip, usually lunch because it’s a nice treat but cheaper than dinner.
– Research dry camping/boondocking to save money on campground fees.
– Download the Gas Buddy app – you can find the cheapest gas and it makes it easier to plan out your route. The app is free.
– Stay where you can play. We live in Oregon, which has some wonderfully maintained state parks. We can stay in the campgrounds and take advantage of the nice trails and other amenities at the parks. Some parks even have museums and many are close to towns we’d like to explore.
Susie says
Just curious what “dry camping” and “boondocking” mean? I’m guessing dry camping is not being hooked up to water or electric, right? Is boondocking just finding someplace out in the boondocks to park for the night?!
Laura says
We often plan to eat dinner in our hotel, picnic style, or if the weather is nice at a park or on the mountain, beach etc. we travel with an electric cooler that we can plug into our car lighter to keep things cold. In the hotel we don’t need a fridge because the cooler can be plugged in to an outlet. We bring cheese and crackers, some fruit, etc. (similar to your picky dinners and enjoy that together without the hassle and expense of eating dinner out.
I also always pack a box of mac and cheese and a few other family favorites (at least when the kids were young) to make on the road. Almost always used it when the kids said they would rather splash in the pool than eat at a restaurant. Plan to stay at a hotel with a free breakfast and insist that everyone eat a hearty one. That carries to a late lunch (or an ice cream lunch!). Then you can do dinner on the early side and be done. We often just get a pizza or two on one of the nights we are away and eat the leftovers over the rest of the stay along with the “picky” stuff. Works out really well and saves lots of money and effort. The effort was more important when the kids were little. Did not have the patience to sit in a restaurant with wait staff with young ones.
We also utilize simple cafeteria style restaurants for dinners. Think Mod pizza, Chipotle, Noodles & Co. Gets us good food but fast and usually cheaper than sit down restaurants. Drink only water to save about $13 for our family of 5.
Linda Sand says
Libraries sometimes have discount cards for local attractions.
If you have a membership in a local museum (art, history, science) they often have exchange programs with museums in other cities.
When flying on vacation we would buy a cheap stryrofoam cooler to keep milk in to go with our cereal and pastries for breakfast. Hotel ice is free so we would also buy soft drinks at the grocery store and stash them in the cooler. When leaving we just left the cooler behind since it only cost $1-3 and we saved way more than that.
Jillbert says
I stayed in a youth hostel on my last trip to Boston. I went to visit my son who lives in a college dorm. I thought a hotel room for me to just sleep in was a waste of money (Boston hotels are $$$!). I was in a hostel dorm room with 5 other women. It felt very adventurous but was totally safe and really interesting. I also anticipated it being noisy but it was not — quiet at night, very respectful “room mates” who were mostly international students traveling on a budget. Breakfast was included. The location in downtown Boston was safe and convenient. I’m planning to do it again in August.
Christine says
When our children were young we lived in a larger town that had a science museum which offered annual passes. We purchased a family pass that allowed us to also take visitors. Whenever we had out of town guests that is where we would take them. It also had an IMAX film option. All this cost us about $175/year. But…the best part of this was the reciprocating part. It would reciprocate with a different museum/aquarium/Zoo/water park each month in our local area. And when we would travel out of town we were able to also go to other science museums and museums for free as well. It was the best investment.
Another thing we do is go to a park to cook a meal on the grill. You can buy such yummy things at a farmer’s market when you are out of town and cook them very easily on the grill. I always carry foil, paper goods, a pot holder, and a spatula for this purpose.
Tonya says
Love all the great vacation tips everyone! What a great “Mavis” community we have here.
tc says
To keep your carry on luggage to a minimum if we absolutely have to take something or want to take it we sometimes stuff any heavy items into the large flat rate box and ship it ahead to get there as we arrive and then we ship it back. (avoids the snooping TSA agents) also great if you are visiting family at xmas and want to take presents. THe medium flat rate box fits a lot of stuff in it too. We also save on packing too many toiletries because there is a dollar store in every big town and we just buy what we need there and if you have a family it is used up by the time you go home. You can skip the fancy stuff you might usually use for a couple of weeks. I like the RV idea but my HH won’t have one and we don’t have room to store it but I would love to do a cross country trip in one. I have done the airbnb thing and found it wonderful, my neighbor hosts people via airbnb and she loves doing it and is now considered a super host.
Leslie says
WHAT ARE THOSE GIANT LEAVES?!
Janice says
The plant with the large leaves is called gunnera or sometimes referred to as prickly rhubarb.
Leslie says
Thank you! I was so excited to see it but had no idea what to call it! X-D
Gigi says
Where can you find those leaves? I’m scouting for the next vacation.
Tracy says
Mavis, you an identify whether Harriet is a quince tree or an apple tree by the leaves. Pull up some pictures of both; they are significantly different.
Lynne says
I’m a retiree who travels more internationally, and I go alone. I like to stay in small, local (MUCH cheaper and far more charming) hotels rather than the big chains. While an included breakfast is a bonus, if the hotel offers a rate with and without breakfast, I usually opt for the not-included rate and find a local coffee shop, almost always the cheaper option. I look on line and in guide books to identify the options for getting into the city from the airport, the sights to see and what sort of lower cost options might be available. For example, city cards may bundle admissions to many attractions, or include several days rides on the local transit system, or other discounts. Even just wandering into a museum or gallery, ask if there is a senior discount (many start at age 62 or even 60) or combination offers with other sights. One worthwhile (usually modest) expense is a walking tour of the local food scene: those are usually small groups, very convivial, you’ll see parts of the city you’d probably miss, and it’s a great opportunity to get suggestions from a knowledgeable local guide about things to see, do, eat in their city. Plus, figure you’ll have a meal in the stops of the tour. Always consider if your splurge meal can be lunch, and if you do have a big lunch, skip dinner altogether. Check Groupon, if they are in the city you are visiting, and if there is a big attraction you want to see, check their website for any offers that might discount their prices. If there’s something you really want to do, get tickets in advance, but be open to spotting a flyer for a concert that night and getting a ticket on the spot. Be brave and be flexible.
Carrie says
My hubby takes a few business trips a year. I like to tag along if I can find a cheap flight and have the vacation time. I’ve been using the Hopper app to get price alerts but does anyone else know of a good way to find a cheap flight?