Tips for Saving Money while Traveling
It’s almost Spring and that means that many of you will be traveling! Here a couple tips I put together that have saved our family money in the past. If you have any other tips for saving money while traveling, be sure to share them with us!
1. Travel Off-Season:
Traveling off-season can save you lots of money. Prices can be dramatically less at hotels during the off-season. The crowds are also smaller making it easier for you to see attractions.
2. Accommodations:
Staying at a Town Next Door – Sometimes smaller towns close to where you are going have hotels that are much less expensive. If you don’t mind driving an extra 15 minutes or so then you can save money to spend elsewhere! Also, make sure when making accommodations that you use a website like Expedia or Hotwire. Plus, if you have a 2011 Entertainment book, there is a coupon for a $20 rebate on any stay when you book through Hotwire. You can also look into using vacation homes. A great website to refer to is: www.vrbo.com. This is great for larger families or groups of families traveling together!
3. Eating:
This one is always hard for me! I hate cooking, especially while on vacation. I try to plan ahead so we know exactly how much money we will need for eating. If you can try to figure out where you will be and eat before you actually go out, you can save a ton of money. If you are like me and don’t want the hassle, then make sure to check out Restaurant.com and see what deals you can snag in your destination. You can save over half when using these certificates!
4. Groupon:
Groupon is another way to save money on traveling and entertainment. You can get Groupon deals to towns you are visiting to get half off or more on meals, shows, entertainment and more.
5. Get Paid to Shop for your vacation:
Make sure when shopping for your vacation you shop through Ebates or ShopatHome. You can use the money you make to buy souvenirs or gas money. You also get a $5 Credit in your account just for signing up! These cash back sites add up quickly and can save you substantially!
6. Age, Student and Membership Discounts:
Many attractions like theme parks, museums and restaurants have discounts for seniors, children or students. If you are traveling, remember to take your ID and membership cards (e.g. AAA card) with you that might qualify you for these!
7. Military:
If you are military, like us, then there are many deals and discounts to look out for! Sometimes on my website I highlight deals that I come across. We were able to go to Disney World a couple years ago, fairly cheap because my husband is in the service!
8. Blogs:
Look for blogs that specialize in your destination. When we went to Disney World, I followed Mouse Savers daily!
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9. Airfare:
We usually drive to our destinations but if we were to fly, we would use our Skymiles that have accrued from American Express. This can save you hundreds!! We are currently saving our Skymiles to take a trip to Hawaii!
10. Friends & Family:
Talk with friends and family and find out their past experiences and advice! Our family is currently planning a trip for this summer and found out some information about a “would have been destination.” I’m so glad we asked around because the information saved us from going somewhere that would have been non-family friendly, if you know what I mean 😉
If anyone has any great tips or advice, please share in the comments sections!
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here
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