Do you wish you could travel more? We’re here to give you 10 easy ways to save money and prioritize travel this year!
Being able to travel and see the world is something we will never take for granted. We’ve traveled pretty consistently over the last 4 years, and we’ve had to figure out ways to afford our travel lifestyle too. Here are 10 things we’ve done to cut back on spending and save more for travel.
#1. Plan Trips Well in Advance
While last minute, spontaneous trips can be fun, they can also be more expensive. Planning your trips well in advance can help you save some money. Google Flights and Hopper are great ways to track flight prices, helping you book the cheapest flights.
Read More: How to Plan Your Dream Trip
#2. Utilize Travel Credit Cards
Travel credit cards are a great way to earn free travel. When using these cards strategically, you can book rental cars, flights, and hotels with points and miles you have earned. The biggest rule we have when it comes to these credit cards is no extra spending. That means we only use these cards for everyday purchases like groceries and gas, not for buying additional things we can’t afford. These credit cards often come with incredibly high interest rates of 20-27%. We recommend paying off your balance monthly to avoid any interest payments. For more details on travel credit cards and a beginner’s guide to points and miles, check out our blog post here.
Read More: A Beginner’s Guide to Points and Miles + Our Favorite Travel Credit Cards
#3. Travel in the Off Season
Travel is often more expensive during the holiday season as well as spring and summer breaks. Research the destination you’re planning to visit to see the most popular travel months.
#4. Airbnbs >>> Hotels
Airbnb is a great option if you’re looking to save money while traveling. When looking up Airbnbs for your trip, make sure the search results are set to show the total before taxes. This way, you can see the total price with all the added cleaning fees and service fees. Always compare the nightly rate of an Airbnb to local hotel rates before booking, but Airbnb stays often provide more than hotels. For a full list of Airbnb pros and cons, check out our earlier post here.
Read More: Is an Airbnb Stay Right for You?
#5. Have a Travel Fund Savings Account
Having a separate savings account that is used solely for travel is a great way to prioritize travel. Set an amount to be automatically deposited from each paycheck and keep it separate from your regular savings account.
#6. Cancel Your Netflix Subscription
Okay maybe not Netflix, but cancel any subscriptions you can live without-Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, YouTube Premium, Spotify Premium, etc. Rocket Money is a useful app that helps you track all of your subscriptions, so you can easily cancel any you’ve forgotten about.
#7. Take a Day Trip
Whether you’re counting down the days until your next big trip, or you’re just looking to get away, day trips are a fun option. Get up early and drive to a nearby city or state and spend the day exploring. At the end of the day, head back home to save yourself the expense of spending the night somewhere.
#8. Meal Plan
Meal planning for the week makes its easier to avoid eating out. Browse Pinterest for some new recipe ideas and plan out your meals for the week. Bonus points if you delete DoorDash (another monthly subscription you could cancel)and other food delivery services from your phone.
While traveling, we still continue to meal plan. We try to find Airbnbs with a kitchen or basic cooking items, so we can avoid the extra expense of eating out on our trips. Eating out can add up quickly.
#9. Redefine Date Night
This one is for couples-redefine date night. Date night doesn’t have to be a pricey dinner or activity. Some ideas include:
- take a walk around your city
- skip the drinks
- go out for dessert instead of a meal
- play a board game
- pack a picnic and go watch the sunset
- stay home and cook a meal together
#10. The 24 Hour Rule
This one is really simple. If there is something you’d really like to buy that is not a necessity, wait 24 hours before making the purchase. After 24 hours if you still feel like you have to have it, go for it.
Just because you’re saving for a trip doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy life in between the trips. Making small changes can really add up in the long run. We hope these 10 easy ways to save money help you prioritize travel this year!
