Ingenious Tips to Save Money for Travel

I absolutely LOVED all the responses to saving money for travel on this Instagram post, so I had to compile all the tips into one blog post for everyone to use! There are so many gems that I hadn’t even thought of before!

Saving Money When Not Traveling

Here are some easy tips for when you’re not traveling and can save up over a year or more.

Eat at home. 

This one is a bit of a no brainer, and many people mentioned it as something they consciously do to save for a trip. I would add, you could even make it into a bit of a game. Once you’ve booked your trip and figured out everything you want to do, set aside a budget. Every time you want to eat out during the year, eat at home and put that money into a savings account for your vacation food budget. 

Create a vacation fund.

Speaking of, sometimes it helps to create a whole separate vacation fund for your trip. Figure out how much it’ll be and then break down how much you’ll need to set aside from each paycheck. You can even set up your checking account so that it automatically transfers that amount to a savings account each month.

Look into travel credit cards. 

If you’ve struggled with spending and credit card debt in the past; I obviously do not recommend doing this. However, if you’re used to using cash and a debit card all the time, you’re leaving a lot on the table in terms of points! Every situation is different, so I can’t exactly tell you which card is better than the other. Just look into which card makes the most sense with your budget and spending practices, and remember you want as many points per dollar as you can get. The Points Guy and Nerd Wallet have a lot of great resources to get you started.

Fill out online surveys for airline miles

@shannons.great.adventures pointed out this great tip! If you ever get an email from an airline on filling out one of their surveys, see if they offer airline miles in exchange.

Saving Money When Booking Your Trip

Travel during the shoulder or off season.

Wherever you go, look at what their high season is and then see if you can book your trip the month before or month after. Chances are you’ll still get decent weather but prices will practically plummet across the board. And, I have to say, with how much hotter summers are lately… European spring and fall have been sounding a lot more appealing than European summer!

For those of you with kids in school, I’d look at the possibility of taking them out for a week during the school year to do this instead of waiting until summer break. It’s something you definitely want to talk to your school about and avoid weeks with a lot of tests. But it can be done. 

Figure out how to make your accommodation free.

What if you could take one of the most expensive parts of a trip – the accommodation – and make it the cheapest? Heck, maybe even erase the cost entirely. There are actually a lot of ways to do this. A few of you recommended either Couchsurfing or HomeExchange (ala The Holiday). Another option is petsitting. Trusted Housesitters is what most people I know use. As always, be safe when doing any of this!

Book directly.

It’s always worth checking out a hotel’s site or social media and seeing if you can book directly with them. Often they’ll provide some sort of discount or incentives to do so.

Look into hotel alternatives. 

Serviced apartments, university dorms, houses, BnBs, hostels… sometimes you can save a ton of money by not staying in a typical hotel. Hostels are the obvious alternative, but I know most of us have aged out of wanting to share our room with 5+ other people. Instead look into hostels that offer private rooms. You’re often getting exactly what you’d want from a more basic hotel with a much smaller price tag.

Another great option is looking at universities. When not in term, many will rent out dorm spaces for travelers. And as @mamceuen mentioned in her comment, these rooms often include dining hall breakfasts.

For people traveling in families or bigger groups, look into staying in serviced apartments or houses to save on costs. A house or apartment shared between a group will often be significantly cheaper than everyone booking their own hotel rooms. As a bonus you’ll usually get amenities you won’t find in a normal hotel.

Don’t worry about booking the nicest room.

I know, I know – I’ve seen some of the grandest hotels in the world! I love a beautiful hotel, but realistically, some trips mean I’m literally only in my room to sleep. Is it really worth it to book a gorgeous suite at a 5-star hotel if your itinerary has you out from sun up to sun down every day? See if you can save money and stay at a less expensive hotel. 

Watch prices for things and get price adjustments

@megcareyfuchs had this great tip! Try to book everything as refundable as possible, and keep an eye on price changes. If they get lower before your trip, you can always cancel and rebook or even call the rental place and ask about price adjustments. This can save you a few hundred bucks!

Try to stay where parking is free.

For those driving, always try booking accommodation where you know parking is free. That $15-50 USD per day adds up quickly.

Save Money by Looking for Deals

Who doesn’t love good, old fashioned coupons, discounts, and freebies? Here are ways you can find them for travel.

Look into apps or websites that offer coupons.

The key here is to check what’s happening locally. Groupon is a great start since you can set your destination and look through options there. Eventbrite is another good one since a lot of businesses use it to sell tickets for their events. Otherwise, check the local tourism board’s site and social media to see what kind of events are going on and if there are participating businesses with discounts.

Utilize the local public library. 

Public libraries are such a great part of any community, and that goes for the places you visit too. Quite a few of you noted that many libraries will have various discounts and coupons for visitors, so it’s worth stopping in. Not to mention, many libraries are worth seeing just for their beauty alone!

Plan your itinerary around free days at museums.

If you have a few museums planned for your visit, check their free days and plan your itinerary with that in mind. They’re often randomly through the week, on certain days of the month, or even after hours.

When in college towns, look for brochures meant for students.

@overthere9 had this great tip! If you’re ever in a college town, see where you can pick up the little brochures and guides meant for students. There are often lots of BOGO coupons in them.

Always check for that review discount. 

Once in a while a newer business will have this posted by their register or on the receipt. If you leave a Google Maps or Tripadvisor review, you’ll get anywhere from 5-10% off on your bill. It takes maybe 2 minutes, so unless you had an awful time, why not?

Have cash on hand. 

This is getting rarer and rarer as many businesses don’t even take physical bills anymore. However, it’s always worth having some cash on hand just in case. Mom and pop restaurants usually prefer it and some smaller businesses will give a small discount if you pay this way. Heck, if you’re roadtripping, you can save as much as 20¢ a gallon on gas if you pay in cash.

Always look up free tours when planning. 

Almost every destination has some form of free walking tours if you just Google it. Of course, you want to also remember to bring some cash as a tip, but it’ll still be less expensive than booking one of the paid tours online. 

Another option from @donnatd9, who’s a licensed guide herself, is free audio tours! She mentioned a ton of great apps from GPS My City to Citymapper to my good friend, Rick Steves’ Audio Europe.

“Volunteer” to stay behind on flights.

Have you ever been asked to give up your seat on a flight? Whether it’s a prompt when checking in or at the gate over the loudspeaker, this happens a lot. If you have a day or two to spare, it’s worth checking the highest amount offered and “volunteering” to stay behind for the next available flight. It’s not guaranteed you’ll get it, and you do still have to go all the way to your gate to know if you’ve been picked or not. But, hey, why not take a few hundred in airline dollars to stay up to a day or two? If you have to stay overnight, they’ll even put you up in a hotel and give you meal coupons as well.

See if your museum membership has reciprocity with other museums.

A tip from @docderr is for anyone who has a museum membership at home. They often have reciprocity with other museums, which means you’ll get “free” entrance. This isn’t necessarily publicized or obvious, so it’s worth calling and asking about it if you don’t see something right away.

Look into bulk passes. 

Most destinations have some sort of general tourist card that gives you access to museums, exhibits, public transport, and other major attractions. They’re not inexpensive but if you have a lot of places on their list, you’ll wind up saving a ton of money in the long run. It’s worth doing a bit of math to see if it’s worth it for you!

Save Money by Looking for Alternatives

Plan fuel stops in less expensive areas.

This is specific for roadtrippers – check out where gas will be cheaper and fill up your tank there instead of waiting and getting stuck paying much more expensive prices. We made sure to avoid this on our recent Route 66 filming and filled up all our tanks in Arizona before we crossed into California! GasBuddy is a great app for figuring out the best prices and where to stop.

Pick public transportation.

As a New Yorker, I’m a big fan of public transportation. If you can figure it out wherever you’re traveling, you’ll save a ton of money not using taxis or rideshares. Not to mention, in some cities getting public transport from the airport is faster than using a taxi.

Beyond just saving on taxis, public buses or ferries will often use similar routes as tour buses or harbor cruises. For example, it’s well known that the Staten Island Ferry in NYC will bring you by the Statue of Liberty for free. And Bus 11 in London will take you by some of the city’s historic landmarks – all for a flat fee of £1.75 (Adults). Just see if you can find something similar.

Look for souvenirs outside of gift shops.

A lot of you had such incredible ideas on alternative spots for souvenirs! One great option many of you mentioned were secondhand stores or local pharmacies and grocery stores. A particularly ingenious option came from @hollonhome – shop around local hardware stores. In addition to typical hardware, many of them will also carry more unique housewares and gift items! You’ll feel like a local and bring home something you’ll use regularly and remind you of your trip.

Saving Money on Food & Drinks

The big one to save money on! So many tips were about how to avoid overspending on food and drinks while traveling, and I’ve got to say – some of them were very clever.

Always bring a refillable water bottle. 

Beyond saving on plastic use, more and more places around the world have some sort of free water station or fountain where you can always refill your water bottle. Why pay $2+ USD every time you need to be hydrated when you can just refill for free? And if you’re worried about not being able to access a free refill station, get a water bottle with a filter system, like Brita or Lifestraw, so you can fill up at any sink. 

Try not to buy anything at the airport – the mark up is insane. 

Always try to avoid having to purchase anything once you’re inside the airport. The mark-ups are borderline criminal. I always bring some snacks and, of course, the aforementioned water bottle. Double check but as long as there’s no liquid, you should also be able to bring homecooked food in too. Put your food in a tupperware container and then clean it out in the bathroom to save for use during your trip!

In general, bring any snacks or protein bars you want from home. 

Besides the fact that your destination may not stock the exact snacks you prefer, there’s also a good chance you’ll save some money buying it near you versus abroad. Plus, it’ll lighten your load for your return flight.

Make either breakfast or lunch your big meal of the day.

My personal tip is to eat a big breakfast so you’re fueled for the day. The key is to stay at a hotel with a good breakfast buffet. You may even want to make yourself a little sandwich to eat later.

Some of you pointed out that you’re not big breakfast eaters and instead like to make lunch your big meal of the day. Most restaurants have special lunch menus and are generally less expensive than dinner time. 

Take advantage of your hotel amenities. 

Besides what free drinks and tea/coffee may be offered in your room (or the lobby – always check the lobby), the fitness center is another great hotel amenity. Often they have a water refill station and fruit or snacks.

Shop around the local grocery store. 

I love exploring a new destination’s local grocery stores! It’s fun to see what they have that you’re not used to. Plus they’re a great way to stock up on food and save on restaurants. 

Stay somewhere with a kitchen and prepare food there. 

Take the grocery store tip further and stay somewhere with a kitchen so you can make some of your meals in your room. Beyond saving money, sometimes it’s just needed. Remember restaurants’ jobs are to make food delicious. This means they often use a lot of heavier ingredients (and way more butter/oil) than we would making the same meal ourselves. After a week of this, it’s nice to just prepare something much lighter on my own.

Look for happy hour and early bird specials on food.

For when you do eat out, see if your restaurant has some sort of early bird or happy hour special. You get the same food for much less, so why not adjust your eating schedule accordingly? 

See if bakeries or cafes offer half off their pastries when near closing.

Another tip I saw was to visit a bakery or cafe near closing and see if they’re offering half off their pastries for the day. Get yourself dessert for the day or save for breakfast the next morning!

Bring containers and plastic bags for leftovers.

Depending on where you go, they may not offer a to-go option on leftovers. It’s always good to pack a container just in case, and you can save the leftovers for a meal the next day.

Consider DIYing your own happy hour.

I LOVED this idea from @jamieleefloyd! Head to a liquor store to buy local alcohol to keep in your room. Before you go out for dinner or the evening, have your own little happy hour instead of paying for drinks at a bar.

And there you have – some incredibly clever ways to save money for travel! Have any to add? Let me know below!

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