Are You Taking A Mardi Gras Vacation? Here Are Some Tips For Saving Money When Traveling
I have a travel itch. I love to travel, however, we all know it can be expensive. The way to travel more is to use money-saving travel tips.
So here are a few tips for saving money when traveling!
- Complimentary breakfast: Stay at a hotel that has breakfast included. It’s typically a money saver and more convenient.
- Look for City Pass in that area: City Pass bundles 4 or so local popular attractions at a discounted price. You have to consider if these are attractions that you were already planning to see and if this is worth it for your family. For us, it is often worth it and saves a good bit of money! Here is New York City Pass as an example.
- Under 2 flies free: With United, Delta, Southwest, and many other airlines, you are not required to purchase a plane ticket for a child under 2 years old. The child can fly as a lap child. If you’re lucky, they have extra seats for them. You often need to provide proof of age with a birth certificate.
- Get the earliest non-stop flight or the latest non-stop flight. We fly Southwest and it’s common that the non-stop flight is the most affordable. It is also more convenient because who wants to switch planes?! When we take the earliest flight, we are also less likely to get delayed or canceled.
- Fly to a city with good public transportation (in a safe area of course) to avoid car rental. For example, if you go to New York City, you don’t need to rent a car. You ride the subway or Uber or utilize local means of transportation.
- Visit friends and family. If you travel to visit friends and family, you can often stay with them which is a huge savings on hotels. You also may not need to rent a car if staying with family.
- Check your benefits through your work. Sometimes you get discounts on hotels and car rentals.
- OR drive instead of fly. Then you don’t have to rent a car. This is typically more affordable, especially if you have a large family.
- Use a travel agent. Did you know travel agents are FREE?! I did not always know this. When I was a child, I thought if you had a travel agent, you were rich and fancy. Travel agents can be SO helpful in planning trips, especially if you don’t know the area. You can provide them a budget and they work with you to find the best options. They sometimes have a list of local restaurants and activities as well!
- Check out Groupon for events or hotels in the city you are traveling to. Always read the reviews. I’ve found some great deals in the past.
- Use your credit card rewards. I have a Southwest credit card and I LOVE IT! I use my points for flights but you can also use them for other things like hotels. A friend of mine has a Hyatt credit card so they always get free hotel rooms!
- Split meals. If you don’t have a kitchen, you are typically buying all your meals. If you split meals, you can save money, try more things, and not worry about having to store your leftovers somewhere.
- Rent a place with a kitchen. If you have a kitchen, then you can cook some meals to save money on restaurants. If you have multiple families on your trip, each one can cook one meal during the vacation.
- Bring your own meals. This one sounds silly, but hear me out. If you are driving to a big beach vacation with the whole family, have everyone bring a meal (red beans, jambalaya, spaghetti, etc). No one really wants to cook on vacation anyway. Or taking turns cooking is another great idea.
- Military discount. If you or someone you are traveling with is military, you may qualify for discounts on hotel rooms or tickets to attractions. For example, Disney World offers a significant discount if you have someone in your party who is military. It’s not the easiest process but it is definitely worth it. Also, not everyone knows, under 3 years old is free admission to Disney.
- Senior citizen discount: many places offer discounts for those over a certain age. Be sure to ask about this discount as well.
We don’t always use all of these. Sometimes we splurge, but when we save money in one area of traveling, it allows us more flexibility to do fun and fancy things too. Life is all about balance and so is travel.
Share your travel money-saving hacks with me! Peace, love, and savings!
