We all look forward to summer, right? It’s the perfect time to travel to new places and hang out with family and friends. However, it can get super expensive to go on vacation, especially if you’re traveling with kids. So … here are some easy ways to save money when planning your next summer travel.
Use Discounts Whenever You Can
There’s no need to pay full price for many things these days, including travel. Watch out for deals. If you’re part of a club like AAA, include your membership information when you buy or book your travel. You’ll be surprised at how many discounts you can find if you think about it. Even your insurance company or bank may offer discounts.
Here are some other ideas:
- Start with a program like Ebates where you can earn cash back on your travel-related purchases.
- Save up your airline points if you have them and use the points to book flights.
- Stay at an Airbnb instead of a traditional hotel
Ask around to see if someone you know has enjoyed a discount on your destination, and where they found it. Watch for coupons, and look online. You can sign up for travel mailing lists depending on where you’re going, and recipients of the mailing list usually get deals that are not available to anyone else.
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Vacation Close to Home
You don’t have to fly to a faraway destination to have a great summer vacation. Check out your state’s travel website or even your parks and recreation communities.
Whether you have great sight-seeing close to where you live or thrilling amusement parks, staying close to home can save you a ton of money. You can also think about activities like camping, or renting a hotel that’s in another city but within a few hours driving distance.
Here’re some budget-friendly destination ideas within the U.S. See if any are close to you!
Book Accommodation That Comes With a Fridge
If you plan to stay in a hotel, rent a room with a fridge. Typically, your Airbnb accommodations will come with more “home-like” features, including access to a fridge.
This step alone can save you a significant amount of money.
- Pack a cooler full of items like water, fruit, and carrot sticks before you leave for your destination
- Take a trip to the local grocery store and stock up on all the basics.
Having a fridge means that instead of eating every meal in a restaurant, you can easily store items for breakfast and lunch there.
Food such as cheese, fruit, and vegetables keep well in a fridge. Even if you decide to eat one meal per day at a restaurant, you’ll save a lot of money. And besides, you can bring your leftovers home from the restaurant and have somewhere to store them for a later snack.
Visit Friends or Family
Do you really have to travel to a place where you don’t know anyone? This may be your goal sometimes (😊), but you’ll save money if you stay with friends or relatives. Since you won’t be spending money on a hotel, you can put the savings towards cool outdoor activities, or save it up for something else.
You’ll want to choose friends or family that you know well and get along with. You don’t want to end up overstaying your welcome at an acquaintance’s home or have someone offended when you leave their house frequently without them during your stay at their home.
Go with All-Inclusive Vacations
All-inclusive resort prices may scare you at first glance, but these holidays can often save you money in the long run.
Check out sites like bookit.com or Costco Travel for amazing deals.
Compare the total cost of the flight, lodging, food, and other entertainment on another type of vacation and then see how it looks beside the all-inclusive. You may find that it’s worth the time to find out more about all-inclusive holidays, as you’ll likely not have to put out any additional money for the rest of the trip.
It’s always fun to go on summer vacation but it can also be financially daunting. With a bit of planning, however, you can find an affordable summer vacation to remember!
