| Money-Saving Tips | Packing | Eating Out | Transportation | Accommodations | Tourism | Technology |
You booked the cheapest flight, researched hotel versus Airbnb prices and saved up your credit card points to score even more discounts. But the savings don’t have to stop once you’re sipping pina coladas and kicking up your heels.
These are some under-the-radar travel tips for saving while on your next vacay.
Money-Saving Tips
1. Travel During the Shoulder Season
Book your next trip between the peak and off-peak seasons and watch your travel expenses seriously go down! Traveling during shoulder season is full of perks: crowds are gone, flight fares drop and it’s easier to find great deals at hotels and restaurants. Traveling during October, November and early December is full of advantages, too.
2. Find Free WiFi Whenever Possible
Libraries and many fast food establishments offer free WiFi, as do hotels, particularly if you’re part of their loyalty program. Search for free WiFi near you, or see if your cable company offers WiFi as part of your package.
You can also check with your mobile provider to see if it allows you to tether, that is, share your mobile connection with your other devices. Another great solution? Take along a portable WiFi router so that you can share a single paid connection with your whole family.
We Suggest: Secure Travel Wi-Fi Router ($39.90)
3. Ask About Freebies
Although you don’t want to seem weird asking for free stuff every place you go, it’s perfectly acceptable when you get to a hotel to inquire about any benefits they can offer you, whether it’s a room upgrade or a free breakfast. Also, many museums have pay-what-you-wish options (just ask!). I admit I’m not great at this, but at the very least, it’s perfectly acceptable to bargain a bit at flea markets and fairs.
4. Earn Free Perks
Remember, joining an airline credit card gets you free access to the airport club and extra miles just for signing up. Many of these clubs offer free refreshments, snacks and sometimes showers — super nice when you’ve been traveling all day.
5. Take Advantage of Your Status
Members of the military, seniors and those celebrating birthdays … are just a few of the groups who can score freebies and discounts all around the country. Check for discounts through your credit card company or memberships with organizations like AAA.
Packing Tips
6. Take a Reusable Water Bottle for Quick Refills
As long as you’re someplace with safe drinking water, don’t buy bottles of the stuff. Instead, bring along a collapsible water bottle and fill it whenever you can.
I’m talking after you clear security at the airport, at the hotel gym before you head out for the day, or at a museum or theater with a water fountain. Literally whenever. Find out what to pack and what not with these useful packing tips provided by travel experts.
We Suggest: Vapur Collapsible Flexible Water Bottle ($9.15)
7. Pack an Extra Outfit in Your Carry-On
There’s almost nothing worse than your luggage getting lost or delayed. According to Statista.com, in 2021, “5.1 mishandled baggage reports were filed per 1,000 passengers on domestic flights,” with Allegiant Air having the lowest rate of mishandled bags.
So, while the propensity for your luggage being lost is rather low, it happens. That’s where packing an extra set of clothes will ensure you’re not feeling completely hopeless. You’ll feel fresher and your vacation will continue, mostly stress-free, until your luggage arrives.
8. Expect the Unexpected
Although you want to keep your baggage costs down, pack a few basic supplies like aspirin, pain relievers, heartburn, diarrhea and nausea medicines, motion sickness pills, bandages, and first-aid ointment. Toss in a poncho from the dollar store and a few Ziploc bags while you’re at it.
We Recommend: Mini First Aid Kit ($12.49)
9. Pick-Up Your Checked Bags Before Everyone Else
According to gate agents, the later you check in to your flight, the more likely it is your bag will be first at baggage claim. This is because your bags will be in the last bag cart, which will make them the last on the aircraft and the first off the aircraft at your destination.
Another tip is to always politely ask the counter agent if you can gate-check your bag. If you plan to try this, just make sure your bag is OK to make it through security first.
10. Get a Digital Luggage Scale
Airlines have become increasingly strict about how much checked luggage can weigh. And if you’re anything like us, it’s a real challenge to stay under that limit. Some luggage comes with built-in scales, but if yours doesn’t, then the easiest way to avoid additional fees is to ensure your luggage remains under the weight limit with a handy portable scale.
We Recommend: Digital Luggage Scale ($11.99)
11. Avoid Washing Multiple Loads of Laundry
You’ve packed light, so you won’t get charged luggage fees at the airport. Good job. But you’re also planning on doing laundry while on the road. Before you spend too much money with the hotel’s laundry services or at a laundromat, remember fabric spray is an easy way to refresh and unwrinkle garments, so you can skip doing another load. While this doesn’t take the place of fresh, clean clothes, it’ll hopefully get you one more wear out of an outfit.
We Suggest: Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus ($1.69)
Tips for Eating Out
12. Dine Out Only Sometimes
This one comes from my in-laws, who were big travelers during and after my father-in-law’s years in the military. They prefer to eat out for lunch as opposed to dinner. Not only does that give them the opportunity to take a rest from all the walking and sightseeing, but prices tend to be substantially lower. For cheap drinks, download the app, Happy Hour Finder.
13. Don’t Eat at the Hotel Restaurant
Sure, it might be convenient to walk downstairs from your room and get a made-to-order breakfast or dinner, but you’ll pay for that convenience. Instead, scout out the neighborhood beforehand, and learn what great choices are just around the corner. Eating like a local often means better food at a better price.
14. Buy Prepared Foods at a Supermarket
You don’t have to eat out for every meal or spend money on takeout. Local supermarkets have plenty of prepared foods and other ready-to-eat options that you can bring back to your room or eat on a park bench for an impromptu picnic.
15. Pick a Hotel Offering Free Breakfast
If you’re staying at a hotel that offers complimentary breakfast that you can’t get to for whatever reason, be sure to ask the front desk if you can instead opt for a snack or sack lunch. They might say no, but other times, they might give you fruit, bottled water or string cheese. It’s not a lot but it is free.
Transportation Tips
16. Say N-O to GPS in Your Car Rental
A lot of people will get GPS with a car rental, but unless you’re going somewhere without cellular coverage, that GPS is no better than the one on your mobile phone. Skip it and save! Check tip No. 23 for how to use Google Maps without tapping into your data.
17. Be Smart About Gas
If you’re taking a road trip, make sure your car is road-ready before you go, and score cheap gas by using GasBuddy. (Reminder: If you drive 30 minutes to save a few bucks, that’s neither a good use of the gas in your tank nor of your time.)
18. Consider Taking the Bus
Check out the Megabus, a company that operates in America, plus Ontario, Canada, and Europe. Megabus tickets start at $1 each. (That is not a typo.) Another company, FlixBus also has fares that start at a buck for travel in a dozen states and British Columbia. Both offer free WiFi services.
Accommodations Tips
19. Stay at a Cool Hostel
Hostels aren’t just for college backpackers anymore. As a member of Hostelling International, you can get at least 10% off rooms at over 4,000 locations worldwide. We have friends who have used this discount in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago and Austin, Texas, and also in London and Cardiff, Wales.
20. Call the Hotel Directly
You can browse online looking endlessly for the best hotel rates. Or, you can call a hotel you’re interested in staying at directly. They will sometimes offer better rates than what you’re seeing through various travel sites, or even offer upgrades. It’s worth the phone call.
Tourism Tips
21. Check for Reciprocity Deals
So many museums, zoos, science centers, aquariums and other institutions offer a neat perk: Become a member of your local museum/whatever and get free or greatly reduced admission to a bunch of others. In addition, there’s the “Museums On Us” program from Bank of America, which gives free admission to a ton of cultural institutions.
22. Locate Free Activities Where You’re Staying
It’s worthwhile to see what’s free, such as special days at museums, concerts at parks, various tours and outdoor art events. Visit the local tourism offices, which often provide discounts or free passes to locations in their city, and use social media to research fun activities near you.
23. Download the RetailMeNot App
If you haven’t already done so, download the free RetailMeNot app for iPhone or Android, so you can check for nearby deals, including ones at restaurants, while on the road. Plus, you can earn cash back in your pocket when you book with certain airlines, hotels and more.
24. Get the Entertainment Book
That must-see attraction or an interesting new restaurant might have a BOGO or some other money-saving coupon. Go to Entertainment.com and search the region you’re visiting; click on the city name and you’ll be able to see what the book offers. Depending on the time of year, you can find them on sale for $9.99 or less.
25. Look for City Passes
Many things marketed to tourists are rip-offs, but one exception is a city pass. These are available in just about every major city, and the perks are incredible if you plan to stop at all the major attractions. For example, Chicago’s pass includes VIP admission to some of the most popular attractions in the city.
You get to skip the lines and see the best that each attraction has to offer. The pass is good for more than a week, so you don’t have to cram everything into a single day. Best of all, you save over 50% off the cost of regular admission to all those destinations.
26. Skip the Kitschy Souvenirs
You know it, I know it, the person behind the counter at the curio shop knows it. You will never use that snow globe/ashtray/back scratcher with Mickey Mouse’s face on it. Instead, take photos and make an album when you get back.
Our family also likes to find those machines that press pennies (cost 51 cents), which are fun, affordable souvenirs that don’t take up space. If you really want a cute tee from your destination, at least try to get out of the tourist district before you pick one up, or try a local supermarket or drugstore for discounted goods.
We Suggest: Snapfish photo album (starting at $12.99)
27. Use Layovers to Explore a New City
Layovers can be a pain because they extend the travel time while you sit in an airport twiddling your thumbs waiting on your connecting flight. But instead of sitting idle, use that time to explore a new city. Some airports even offer free or discounted tours, depending on the amount of time you have. Check with the airport you’re flying into to see whether they have a Stopover Tour and plan an unexpected excursion into your vacation.
Technology Tips
28. Use Google Map Apps Offline
You can utilize Google Maps even when you don’t have a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. It takes a little advance planning because you’ll need to open the map of the place you’re going while you’re online.
Once you’ve got the map pulled up, type “OK Maps” into the search bar. You can then save the map and reference it whenever. The Google Maps app will also give you driving directions within the saved area when you’re offline, but you can’t get walking or transit directions.
29. Download Movies for Entertainment
Subscription streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ let you download movies to watch offline when you don’t have access to WiFI. Long flights or car rides are made far more enjoyable – especially for little ones – when you have something entertaining to watch to take up that time.
30. Download Google Translate
When you’re visiting an international country that primarily uses a foreign language to communicate, you’ll feel out of sorts with almost everything you want to do. Just download the Google Translate app to take photos of text in a different language and translate its meaning right away. It works in airplane mode, too.
The post 30 Budget-Friendly Tips To Saving More While You’re Traveling appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
