My family and I have been on several vacations. I love to save money and be frugal where I can. Today I’m going to share with you my top 13 Ways to Save Money.
1. Book with Air BnB.
My favorite way to save money is through Air BnB! It’s the first place I go to when I start planning a vacation. You can get great deals for condos, cabins, houses, and rooms. Not only can you find great prices, but you can usually prepare your own meals, saving you even more money from eating out every meal. Check out my post to learn more about Air BnB. You can also get a $55 referral credit if you use this link!!
2. Set a Budget
Setting a budget can be the best way to plan your vacation. Plan how much you are willing to spend for your vacation and make your budget around that. Research where you going to stay, what you will do, and what you will eat. Then plan your expenses. You will also need to consider gas expenses or other transportation.
3. Use Groupon for Discounts on Activities
One of the best ways to save money is to find discounts through Groupon for Activities, restaurants, and food. I’ve used Groupon for all three! You can check out my post on Groupon for more information.
4. Use a Travel Rewards Credit Card.
I did quite a bit of research on the perfect credit card to give me rewards for our travels. Hands down, the best one is Venture through Capital One. Here are some of the benefits:
- Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, every day – plus 10X miles on thousands of hotels through January 2020
- Earn 50,000 bonus miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
One of the best ways for me to earn rewards is to pay my electric and cell phone bill on my credit card, then pay them off on the next bill. Make sure to use your credit card responsibly.
5. Book hotels that provide rewards.
Is there a hotel chain you usually choose to stay? Most chains have rewards programs that provide a free stay after you book a certain amount of days. There are also discounts available and other specials. We use Marriot rewards.
6. Drive to your vacation.
If at all possible drive it will save you lots of money especially if you are vacationing with a family. Plane tickets can get very expensive with 4 or more family members.
7. Share your vacation.
You can rent a large home and go on vacation with family or friends, splitting the costs between you. You can also save money by taking turns cooking meals.
8. Have a side hustle.
Make some money by selling your unused clothes and other things on eBay or Facebook Market. Use Swagbucks to make money online with surveys or watching videos. Get paid for shopping using Ebates, this one is my favorite. You can learn more with this post. Use electronic coupons with Ibotta. You can babysit or pet sit for friends or family. I’ve used all of these methods for saving extra money and made enough to book a vacation home!
9. Pack snacks, drinks, and lunch.
If you’re going on a road trip pack snacks, drinks, and lunch. You can save quite a bit if you pack snacks and lunch for everyone. Quick stops and even fast-food restaurants can get expensive fast if you’re feeding a family. You can also pack snacks or lunch if you’re visiting a place that allows you to bring outside food. We all know that the food is even more overpriced at the Zoo or amusement parks.
10. Search online for coupons and other discounts.
If you are visiting the zoo, a museum, or an amusement park go to their website and look for days that are discounted or coupons. When we went to Galveston, I found an awesome discount for a Mommy and me day.
11. Join a Facebook group.
There are all kinds of facebook groups for vacation planning. I’m currently in several Disney groups since I’m planning a Disney vacation for my family. I’ve found some awesome tips for Disney World in my group. You can ask questions and get advice, so I highly recommend finding a group. The Secret Disney Group, Smart Moms Plan Disney Dining, The Mouse For Less Disney Travel Discounts Savings and Planning
12. Set up a Travel savings account/fund
Every payday set aside a certain amount of money for your vacation fund. You can put it into savings, or start a whole new account. The main point is to move it from checking, so it is not so easy to spend.
Want to Save $1,000 in 3 months? Sign up for our newsletter and get my free Travel Savings Plan. It shows you how to save weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly.
Get Your Free Travel Savings Plan Printable!
13. Cut Expenses
Look at your expenses and see if there is anything you can cut. Do you have memberships you never use, monthly subscriptions, an expensive cable bill? Do you eat out too much or buy specialty coffees before work. Cut those expenses! Make coffee at home, cook at home, bring your lunch to work. You would be surprised how much money you can save. Bonus, if you move that money out of checking into your travel fund, you won’t have it to spend!
Conclusion
I hope you found this post helpful for planning your next vacation. Tell me how you save money on vacation? Do you do lots of planning before each trip? I would love to hear from you in the comments!
Check out some of my vacations where I saved money for my family!
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