Ways To Save Money On Vacation

If you’re interested in trying to save money on a family vacation, you’ve come to the right blog!

We have taken some fantastic vacations over the years and we did it while on a budget. You see…frugality has always been a lifestyle for us, but that never meant that we couldn’t or didn’t have fun!

Being frugal is what allowed us to experience wonderful vacations and enjoy some of the best destinations in the country.

So, if you want to know some of my best tips on frugal ways to save a ton of money while on vacation and have plenty of fun, I’ll let you in on our secret!  All you have to do is read on!

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you buy a suggested product, I will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.  For more information, see my disclosure page.

23 Easy Ways To Save Money On Vacation

Establish a vacation budget

The best way to save money on a vacation is to plan for it.  If you know you’re going to want to take a vacation, start budgeting for it as soon as you can by deciding on your destination and how much money you think you’ll be able to save by then.

Include “vacation” as one of your line items in your budget. Then, you’ll put money towards it the same if it were a bill. 

If you can, I would suggest opening up a separate bank account just for this purpose.  That way, it gets the money out of your main account and it will ensure that it won’t be absorb or used for other things.

Another way would be to take the amount out in cash, every payday and put it away in a safe place.

pay cash

You’ve heard the old saying “cash is king” and that’s the honest truth! As I said above, when you’re making your budget each month, cash is how you want to pay for this vacation.  Say ‘No’ to credit as it’s been proven, that when you use credit, you don’t feel the pain of purchasing and it almost always leads to spending more than you can afford.

Stick to cash and you won’t have this vacation follow you home in the form of debt.

travel during ‘off’ season

There are many destinations that are highly traveled to during certain times of the year.  We all know that beaches are crowded in the summer months while the mountains tend to be the most favorite choice in the winter months.  You can bet that plane fares, hotels & restaurants will capitalize on this…and why shouldn’t they! It’s their opportunity make money!

So, when we wanted to take an Alaskan cruise for our June wedding anniversary, several years back, we priced the cruise in June and WOW!! We were a little surprised at the cost!  So what we did was price the same cruise during “off” season, in September.  We saved over $3,000 by waiting 3 months and had the best time, ever! It was cheaper AND much less crowded on the ship, as well as the destination ports.

fly midweek

Book at least 3 weeks in advance and book midweek. 

Generally, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best weekdays to fly. Thursday is a bit more expensive but still reasonable. Saturday is usually the cheapest weekend day to fly. That does not mean you cannot find great flight prices on the other days of the week. It just means your odds of finding cheap airfare on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays are higher than the rest of the week.

The worst days to fly are Sunday, Monday, and Friday. Those days have the most demand causing flight prices to be more expensive.

drive instead of flying

If you’re taking a fairly short trip, driving is by far, the cheapest way to go…even with our current gas prices. When you’re planning a longer trip, it may not be that economical, but if you’re traveling as a family, driving would most likely be the cheaper way to go.

Do some research so you can determine which option would best for you and your budget. Here’s a great article from GoBankingRates.com to help you determine which option is more cost effective.

use coupons/promo codes

Groupon and sites like it offer discounts and deals on entertainment, restaurants and tons of attractions. Look for deals in your travel destination so you’re not paying full price for admission everywhere you go. Also, be sure to read the fine print on deals to make sure there are no exclusions to consider.

You can also visit the websites of the places you’re planning on visiting and see if they are offering any coupons or promo codes. Many restaurants will provide website visitors with coupons that can take 15 percent to 20 percent off the total bill. 

It’s also common for RV parks to offer either a free night or a reduction of price for the per/night cost if you stay 7 nights instead of 6 nights or less.

negotiate pricing

Rather than accept online prices at face value, use them as a starting point when booking hotel rooms. Once you know the online prices, call the hotel directly and request a price reduction.

Many major chains also have hotel room booking apps. Often time, these apps will offer exclusive deals and discounts that aren’t even offered on their websites. 

Airlines and rental car companies may not be as flexible, so you might not have as much luck negotiating with them. But like I always say…it never hurts to ask.

ask for discounts

Whether you’re booking a hotel, an RV park, renting a car or buying theme park tickets…ask what discounts they offer. If you’re a veteran, a first responder, military, police or a senior citizen, many places will give a 5-10% discount on your total cost. 

My husband is a retired first responder and we always ask when booking anything. Not all places do this, buy we have found that there are more that do than not.  It NEVER hurts to ask.

check cancellation policies

There’s nothing worse than booking and paying for your hotel or campsite and then having life happen, as it so often does, only to have to cancel.

You need to be aware of cancellation policies. Most will give a full refund if you cancel at least 7 days before arrival, but never assume.

look for cheaper hotels

We went to Biloxi, MS a few years ago to see Tom Jones. He’s been one of my favorites since I was a little kid.

He was playing at the Beau Rivage Resort. As you can imagine, the hotel rooms are beautiful and luxurious AND they came with a hefty price tag!   We could have gone ahead & sprang for a $200+/night room, but being the frugalista that I am, we decided to book a smaller hotel that was across the street from the Beau for half the price!

We only needed the room for sleeping so why spend the extra money? On the night of the concert, we walked over to the Beau, had a wonderful dinner, attended a fabulous concert, walked back to our less expensive hotel room and went to sleep.

I might add that our hotel was very nice & clean AND came with continental breakfast.  See next tip…

go for hotels with free breakfast

Many hotels offer a free breakfast, also known as a continental breakfast. This checks off one less meal you have to pay for during the day.

stay at airbnb’s

I’ve never stayed at an Airbnb before but I have done a little research. It all comes down to what kind of experience/amenities you’re looking for. You can save quite a bit of money going with an Airbnb because they don’t have the overhead that a hotel has. They can also offer you more space and amenities.

There are pro’s & con’s to just about everything so I’ll let you do your own research. To get you started, here’s a great article from Travelfreak.com on this subject…Airbnb vs. Hotels: Which one is better (& cheaper). Check it out & you decide!

pack light

Avoid baggage fees and pack light and tight! Most airlines will allow you to bring on board one carry-on bag and one personal item, like a purse.

It is possible to get a week’s worth of clothing in one carry on if you pack very strategically. Not only will that make traveling so much easier, it will save you a ton of money on checked bag fees! 

My best tip would be to roll your clothes. Roll shirts, jeans, shorts, etc. This will allow you to get the most of your limited bag space. 

Check with the airline website to see the rules/restrictions on what you can or can’t have in your carry on as well as the amount of liquid items (toiletries) that you can carry.  

If you need some packing tips, check out YouTube for tons of How To videos on packing a carry on.

pack spare clothes in carryon

If you absolutely have to check a bag, don’t forget to pack a change of clothes…underwear included…in your carry on. Luggage gets lost. People miss flights and sometimes your luggage gets to your destination before you do.

Packing an extra set of clothes will keep you from having to go searching for a clothing store before you’re reunited with your luggage.  

go camping

This can be a super cheap way to vacation, especially if you already have an RV and/or camping gear or know someone who does.

This has been our favorite way to vacation for several years, now.  We’ve had a few RVs over the last 30 years or so. It was the way we like to vacation when our kids were young and it’s still fun even though it’s just the two of us.

The average hotel room right now is on the rise and expected to rise at double-digit rate in 2022 and 2023.

According to Bloomberg.com, “In 2019 you could get a room at the Breakers, a five-star resort in Palm Beach, for $350 a night in June—proof that, once upon a time, Florida’s unbearable summer humidity made for outstanding deals. Not anymore! You’ll now find that summer prices have quadrupled, with entry-level rooms going for $1,450.”

Compare that to $50 – $75/night at an RV park/resort and you’ll see why camping has become a great vacation option. State parks are even way cheaper than that. These prices are for RV camping. Tent camping, which doesn’t require a 30-50 amp plugs are an even cheaper option.

So your cost would be your campsite, your food and the cost to drive to your destination. Most RV parks have some great amenities (i.e. swimming pools) and offer fun, free activities for the whole family!

  

eat lunch out/not dinner

Plan for your ‘nice’ meal to be at lunch instead of dinner. Most restaurants have lunch dishes similar or identical to dinner dishes for a little cheaper. 

use public transportation

When you go to larger cities, most have great public transportation available that won’t cost hardly anything.

One of our favorite cities to visit is San Antonio, Texas. We have a preferred RV park that we like to stay at but it’s a little ways from the San Antonio Riverwalk. Parking, in that area is very hard to come by and it’s a pain to take our truck. So, there is a bus stop right outside the RV park that has bus pick ups every 15 minutes.

We buy an all day bus pass for $2.75 each and it drops us off (and picks us up) right at the Riverwalk. We don’t have to spend any gas or look for parking!  

look for free entertainment

If you’re looking for fun but don’t have much to spend, you’re in luck! Fun doesn’t have to be expensive!

There are tons of museums, galleries, and sites that have free days and there are some that are free all of the time!  Did you know that the Smithsonian in Washington DC is one of those!

Some other ideas for fun things to do that are free are:

• Take a walking tour of the town you’re in! (Explore)
• Visit the beach or a lake
• Take a picnic to a park
• Check out local festivals or markets
• Art galleries
• Tour a state capital
• Go hiking
• Check out the local Chamber of Commerce for free/cheap events happening in town.

Our quaint, little town has FREE concerts every Saturday evening in July, referred to as ‘Hot Nights, Cool Tunes’, where there’s a different band each night.  It’s a fun evening where the streets of downtown are blocked off to traffic and everyone brings their lawn chairs. This has been going on for over 10 years, now and has grown to be a pretty popular event. They’ve even added a car show! It’s a super fun time and it’s all FREE!

shop around for souvenirs

Souvenirs are a BIG budget buster, but I understand that sometimes you just want to take something home to remember your trip. Instead of buying them at pricey airports, resorts/hotels or the high trafficked tourist attractions, hit up shops that are off of the beaten path or even flea markets! 

You can sometimes find t-shirts and unique gifts for a fraction of the cost and no one would be the wiser or care where they came from! 

We found this to be true about 4 years ago when we went to Orlando for a blogging convention. I found that the closer we were to Disney World, the higher the cost on just about everything. When we got further away, we were able to buy t-shirts for the grands at about half of what they cost closer to the theme park.

drink at home/hotel before going out

Sometimes, we just want to enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail before dinner, but we all know that when you go out for drinks, whether at a restaurant or a bar, you’re going to pay a huge price for it! Sometimes, one glass of wine will cost more than if you go buy the bottle at your local liquor store.

In the restaurant industry, there’s no business with higher margins than alcohol. This is because the markup on alcoholic beverages is much higher than on food. Most alcohol has a profit margin of 60-70%.

So…if you want to imbibe (drink) but don’t want to pay exhorbitant prices, buy your favorite bottle and drink prior to going out!

pack your own lunch/snacks

Whether you’re going to the airport or traveling in a car, take food with you!! This probably should be the number one tip on ways to save money on vacation since food can be one of the highest expenses.

Some of my best memories as a child were when we traveled from Texas to Florida to see my grandparents. We would stop at roadside rest areas for bathroom breaks & lunch. My parents would pack an ice chest with lunch meat, mayo, bread, chips, cookies & soft drinks!  We’d make our sandwiches at the picnic tables and have the best lunches!

We also did this when we took our own family to Disney World, several years ago. Food inside the theme park was crazy expensive, so we went out to our car and made lunch in the parking lot.

With a family of 5, it was so much cheaper than stopping for fast food or restaurants and it still is!

do a staycation

If you want a vacation but are super limited on funds, try a staycation! I did a whole post on how to have a fabulous time on a super tight budget, all while staying close to home. 

check out this post:  Budget Friendly Staycation Ideas Close To Home

 

include fun in your budget

We all know not everything is free or cheap on vacation. When you do your vacation budget, try to include some spending money for fun! If you have a little more cash available in your vacation budget, here are a few more ideas:

• Go on an excursion/tour
• Theme parks…Sea World, Six Flags, etc.
• Water Parks 
• Local Zoos
• Attend plays or concerts 

The best way to find things to do is to either talk to the locals or search “fun thing to do around me” and see what comes up!

A final word…

It’s ultimately up to you to decide what kind of vacation you’re looking for. You might implement of few of these money saving strategies or several of them…depending on what type of vacation you’re looking for and how much money you have to spend.  The bottom line is there are so many ways you can save money and still have a fantastic, memorable vacation. I know this because it’s exactly what we have done for years and will continue to do!

So…before you pull that credit card out, do a little research & planning, get creative and make the most of your hard earned money! You’ll be glad you did!

Do you have any tips for how to save money on vacation and still have a blast ? Please share in the comments below.

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