I’ve been on quite a few domestic travel adventures over the last year or so and in that time I have had to put a LOT of my Budget Friendly tips and tricks to use to reduce the cost of my adventures. Especially where the Little is concerned because everything I do is x’s 2 (or MORE) when she tags along!
In one of my classes I taught this year I spoke a little about travel and showed people who they can travel where in a normal circumstance they would NOT be able to even consider planning a vacation do to limited or NO Funds to do so. In this post I will share those same nuggets to help you think outside of the box and actually create some memories with your loved ones. Hell, or yourself. SOLO Trips are super fun too!
I’m based in the Bay Area, CA and in the last year I have been to Dallas, Shrevport, Tampa, Orlando, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Los Angeles, to name a few places. A couple of cities more than once… For Instance- I JUST got back from Houston for the 2nd time in a year…
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are planning travel to help you keep your out of pocket costs as LOW as possible!
Plan in advance when at all possible if you are a budgeting Plan ahead type person. Traditionally this will always result in better rates on air fare for example.
If travel is something that’s not even up for discussion due to lack of funds then you will benefit from being a motivated by price traveler, which is the category I fall under. Meaning, If your schedule permits you plan trips based around ridiculously LOW priced travel deals on Air Fare Tickets, Hotels, etc. that pop up sporadically ( Jet Blue Cheeps, the Expedia 90% OFF Deals, etc.)
Sign up for alerts on routes that you plan on or travel regularly. I use Airfare WatchDog! Simply set your alerts to notify when when the best deals come up for you and they will notify you! Some other sites where you can find cheap flights are CheapOAir, Hotwire, & Expedia to name a few.
Frugal Tips when Flying:
* Pack your OWN In-Flight Snacks
*Carry a Portable Water Bottle- airports have filtered water machines you can fill up at once you get past TSA Screening!
*Pack Light (Avoid paying for unnecessary extra baggage)
Lodging while traveling can eat up a chunk of your travel budget for sure! I am a fanatic of Air BnB ( get familiar with the benefits here in a previous post) especially when you travel as a family or with groups. how this will SAVE you money- when you sign-up you’ll get $40 OFF your 1st stay. Then refer your friends using your referral link and earn credits to use toward future stays. Get discounts on traditional Hotels using sites like Hotels.com, Travelocity, Booking.com, and Trip Advisor is always a good resource when planning travel as far as reviews, tips, and deals. Most of the previous mentioned sites have offers often so make sure you create an account an opt in to receive emails alerting you of current offers and/or promo codes!
A few money-saving tips for use while traveling
Dining– Hold on to any rewards you may have earned for FREE food or Coffee like at Starbucks, or McDonald’s. Also one of my Favorite things to do is to use Food Delivery Services like DoorDash, UberEats (Use my code: EATS-047VT for $20 in Credit when you try ’em), Delivery.com. Use the links above to get a FREE credit for each app when you sign up and try them out! Speaking of Referral Credits, Promote YOUR REFERRAL LINKS in these apps and save them! I suggest you collect credits at all times, but especially when you are planning a trip. Most apps have a “share this, get that perk” so use them! Earn Credits to redeem on your vacation and reduce the cost of dining.
Transportation– while traveling, getting to and fro is one MORE expense that needs to be considered, I have some tips to help you out with that as well!
Ride Share is becoming more and more popular these days. If you won’t be doing a great deal of driving at your destination and staying pretty much in the same general vicinity this is my fave option. You only pay for the rides you NEED to take. And if its a GROUP TRIP you can simply split the tab in the app! You want to go ahead and download the app and be prepared to order your ride when you arrive. Of course NEW Users get a FREE Credit to try LYFT or UBER. AND you know what I’m about to say… REFER friends to use them. You will earn a ride credits when they sign up.
Entertainment -Save money on outings excursions by using some of my go to discount sites are, Groupon, Living Social, Travel Zoo, Gold Star
Each one of these site will save you an average of 50% on things like Restaurants, Beauty Services, Kid/Family Fun, Concerts Theater etc!!! And when you subscribe they often send promotions and coupons for additional Savings!
These are just a few of the tips and tricks I personally use and wanted to share with you to help hitting the road become more realistic for those of you who need to adhere to a strict budget! Hope this helps…
-Tricie ☺
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