When it’s safe to do so, there’s no doubt that many people will want to travel again. Some people will want to travel as far as possible, while others will be excited to see family again. Regardless of your plans, it’s safe to say that everyone would love to save money on travel. But, is it possible to keep your costs down without sacrificing all the fun? It really depends on what you’re willing to do. Here are 8 easy ways to save money on travel.
- Be Flexible with Your Schedule
- Choose Cheap Destinations
- Sign Up for Every Mailing List
- Join Loyalty Programs
- Use Credit Cards for Every Purchase
- Avoid Buying Junk
- Use Public Transportation
- Look for Free Things to Do
Be Flexible with Your Schedule
Without a doubt, being flexible with your schedule is the easiest way to save money. Every destination has a low/off-season, so your costs will be lower if you travel during that time. Not only will airfare typically be cheaper, but so will hotels. For example, travelling to Europe is typically less expensive from September-November compared to June-August.
The day of the week and the time you depart can also make a difference. Most travellers prefer to fly between Friday-Monday. If you’re able to fly out between Tuesday-Thursday, you could see some savings. If you’re able to fly mid-day instead of taking the first or last flight out, you could also save some money since not many people want to fly in the afternoon.
Choose Cheap Destinations
The reality is that some locations are much more expensive than others. A trip to London will likely cost you more compared to Budapest. Bali might be on your bucket list, but if you want to keep your costs down, heading to Thailand or Vietnam can be more affordable.
One key thing to get over is the cost of airfare. Although your flight to Southeast Asia may cost you double what you’ll pay to get to Europe, your daily expenses might be much lower in Asia. For those who can travel for long periods, choosing cheap destinations can really make your dollars stretch.
Sign Up for Every Mailing List
Every airline, hotel, tour operator, and travel website has a mailing list for which you can sign up for. You might have avoided it in the past because you don’t want to receive even more emails than you already get, but this is how you can find deals. Anyone who works in the travel space will always alert their loyal followers about any discounts. That information gets sent via the mailing list, which is why you want to sign up. Now, you might find out about these deals later on your own, but if you’re on the mailing list, you’ll be one of the first.
Join Loyalty Programs
It’s always in your best interest to join every loyalty program available. Similar to mailing lists, loyalty programs will give their members first notice of any deals. With loyalty programs, many of them also offer exclusive discounts or perks. For example, whenever Marriott Bonvoy has a sale, they give their members up to an additional 5% off. Once you earn status with loyalty programs, you can get extral perks such as free breakfast, seat selection, increased earn rates, free lounge access and more. Just about every loyalty program is free to join, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.
Use Credit Cards for Every Purchase
Travel or cash back credit cards can help you save money on your next trip if you use them effectively. With cash back credit cards, you earn some cash back on every purchase you make. If you set aside that money earned for your travels, it’s an easy way to offset your expenses.
Using travel credit cards can be incredibly valuable if you get one that’s co-branded with your loyalty program of choice. It’s easy to rack up those points when you’re earning them on every purchase. Don’t forget about the welcome bonuses that come with new credit cards. Take the American Express Business Platinum Canada card as an example; you can get up to 75,000 points when you sign up. Always check to see what offers are available at any given time. Some deals are worth signing up for right away.
Avoid Buying Junk
Hands up if you’ve bought a souvenir when you were travelling, thinking it would look great in your home, but now it just collects dust somewhere? I used to buy a tourist book from every city I visited to read about the history later. Unfortunately, most of them are still sitting unopened, in their original packaging.
If you can avoid buying random junk when you’re travelling, you’ll save a decent amount of money. I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy any souvenirs, but do you really need that rug or lantern that you found at a market?
Use Public Transportation
Every major city in the world likely has a decent public transportation network. If you learn to navigate it, it’ll be much cheaper than using taxis, ridesharing apps, or private drivers. Admittedly, trying to figure out how to get to where you need to go in a foreign country can be intimidating, so you don’t want until the last second to do it. Before you depart, do your research so you’ll know exactly how to use buses, trains, and subways. You’ll also want to find out what your cheapest options are. While an unlimited pass can be handy, it might be cheaper to buy individual tickets if you think you’ll only be taking a few trips.
Look for Free Things to Do
Another thing you’ll want to research before you depart is the free things to do. Many museums and art galleries are free to enter. Sometimes Even if they’re not free every day, they often have one free day a month, so timing may work out for you, or You can move to Arizona for the Taco festival which is free of cost. Parks and neighbourhoods don’t charge an admission fee, and they’re usually worth exploring. There are also quite a few cities that offer free walking tours. It’s advised that you tip, but considering you’re getting a guided tour for a few hours, giving a few dollars is worth it.
Final Thoughts
As you’ve quickly learned, saving money on travel can be relatively easy, and it doesn’t even require you to adjust much. No one expects you to follow every tip listed here, but even using 2-3 of these tips can help you save big. Happy travels!
