4 Ways to Save on Summer Travel

By Victoria Robertson on June 9, 2018

It’s no secret that traveling isn’t cheap. In fact, most summer vacations can cost thousands, even for one individual. So how do you balance your budget with your vacation goals?

There are numerous ways to have your cake and eat it too when it comes to traveling. Just because you have vacation goals this summer doesn’t mean that your bank account should stop you from achieving them. There are plenty of ways in which you can balance your checkbook and take that long awaited vacation as well.

With that in mind, here are four ways to save on summer travel.

Photo Via: Pixabay.com

1. Watch airfare trends

Flying to any destination can be an expensive endeavor. Every location is different, but so is every day of the week, month and year. Common sense tells you that traveling around holidays is more expensive due to the demand. But there are more trends when it comes to airfare that you should pay attention to as well.

For instance, if you have the ability to take a last minute trip, airfare costs for same day or next day travel can save you hundreds. By this same token, traveling during certain days of the week will land you better prices when it comes to airfare, as weekends are going to cost more money than weekdays.

They even say that looking at airfare on certain days lower costs due to the traffic to the site. These are all things to keep in mind if you have the ability to play around with your travel dates.

2. Grocery shop

One of the biggest problems with traveling, both in terms of health and finances, is the fact that we eat at restaurants or fast food for nearly every meal of every day. This is a huge cost and turns a week-long trip into something more expensive than it needs to be.

For some, cooking food in a hotel isn’t possible, especially if you aren’t staying in a condo or other location in which a kitchen is accessible. However, if you are staying in a condo, grocery shopping and cooking your own food could save you hundreds for the week.

In addition, if you are staying in a hotel without a kitchen, think of creative ways to put together snacks, sandwiches and other cold foods that don’t need to be heated right in the hotel room. Again, this will at least save you from eating one meal out every day, and that’s a savings of hundreds.

3. Stay with friends

Splitting the cost of your trip is one of the best ways to save money. The more friends you travel with, the more money you save when you go to split the room. While it’s not always ideal to stay with several people in a cramped hotel room, you don’t spend too much time in the room anyway, and when you consider the savings, it’s well worth it.

Also consider the fact that traveling with friends will save in other areas as well, including taxi/uber travel or gas if you’re driving. Again, this might not be ideal or realistic for your situation, but it’s certainly something to consider before embarking on your next vacation.

4. Stick to the necessities

When traveling, sticking to the necessities is nearly impossible. You walk into a souvenir store and walk out with bags of t-shirts and other, unnecessary items. Or you pass an ice cream kiosk and impulsively grab a cone because you’re hungry.

The vacation mindset typically takes over your sensibility and forces you to make purchases you may not have in your everyday life. When you’re traveling on a budget, there isn’t any room for this extravagant spending.

Instead, when preparing for your vacation, set aside a budget for all necessities, and leave behind the extra. Always bring along some cash for emergencies, but be sure that the amount of money you bring with you is limited and/or you stick to a strict, clear budget that prevents you from making purchases that aren’t necessary.

For some, bringing along a set amount of cash and only using that throughout the trip (setting a daily budget etc.) is a great way to ensure you’re saving. That being said, traveling with cash is risky, so a credit card is an option as well so long as you can control your spending and effectively keep track of what you’ve spent versus what you have left to spend.

Traveling isn’t inexpensive, no matter what way you do it. There is always a cost associated with travel, and for some, that greatly limits your travel capabilities.

That being said, using the above four ways to save on summer travel could just be the difference between taking your much-awaited trip and not.

Of course, your budget is your guide when it comes to what you can and can’t afford to do, but keep these tips in mind while budgeting to ensure you go on the vacation that you want and for the right price for your personal situation.

Safe travels!

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