Traveling the world and jaunting off to a weekend destination is a thrilling experience that comes with a price tag. Why pay full price when there are plenty of strategies and cheap ways to travel? Save more on your next vacation and trim at least $500 off your travel bill with these pro strategies.
Stay in a convent or monastery
I adored everything about staying in a convent and monastery while traveling through Italy. They’re quiet, safe, clean, and a totally magical place to stay if you don’t mind communal bathrooms and lack of frills. Just make sure to inquire about any rules. Although you don’t need to be religious, some convents and monasteries only allow women, married couples, men, and some even have curfews. Book your room in advance, be patient with their lack of tech savviness, and always get some kind of confirmation. Look for these types of accommodations under “specialty lodging” on TripAdvisor under “Property Type” or God Bless and Good Night.
Check out Costco
You can buy more than groceries and home goods from Costco. Before booking that next all-inclusive, look to Costco Travel to source cheap ways to travel to the Caribbean, Europe, and beyond. However, travel deals are exclusive to Costco Members who reside in the United States. Although you can purchase hotels, cruises, and rental cars individually through Costco Travel, you’ll score the deepest deals with packages.
Only eat out one meal a day
Food is a budget buster when looking for cheap ways to travel. Instead of blowing through your budget on food or eating fast food, opt for the hotel breakfast or fresh fruit and coffee from local street vendors. Skip lunch or graze on more local snacks, pastries, and fruit before an oversized, early dinner. It will save you a bundle, especially if you can find a BYOB option a few blocks from the tourist center. If you eat fruit and veggies from vendors, make sure to rinse everything you eat with a bottle of sealed water. Simple pastries are also a good bet for eating cheaply on the road.
Look for the alternative destination
I’ve completely fallen in love with new destinations that I never knew I wanted to visit. Instead of an expensive resort in St. Petersburg, Florida, we headed out to Jacksonville, Florida instead. We landed a beachfront hotel with a tiki bar and tons of snacks and perks for under $125 a night. You can also find cheap ways to travel in Europe like skipping Paris and Madrid in favor of Lille, France and Nerja, Spain. There are always fabulous alternate destinations to their big city counterparts. Start visiting alternative destinations near home. Some of our favorite places for a weekend getaway are Chattanooga, Savannah, and Charleston.
Fly a low cost carrier
Big airlines like Delta and American may have fantastic credit cards and routes, but low cost carriers are less expensive. Allegiant Air, Sun Country Airlines, and Frontier all offer discounted flights to popular tourist destinations like Florida and the Caribbean. Europe also has their own offering of low-cost carriers like Ryan Air that jet from London to Rome and beyond. Just don’t expect many frills – you’ll pay extra for everything from carry-on bags to first choice of seats. Make sure to plan ahead. Many low cost carriers only fly to certain destinations during specific times of year.
Go Off Season (this one is my favorite cheap ways to travel!)
My family regularly saves well over $500 a trip just by traveling off season. We often hit the beach over New Year’s and look for seashells, explore the beach for shark’s teeth, and swim in the heated indoor hotel pool. It’s also a chance to splurge a little on fancy hotel drinks and snacks. One year we went to DC over New Year’s and scored an incredible vacation rental for $35/night about a 20-minute drive to the National Mall. The Smithsonian properties, including the zoo, all have free admission and the crowds were light and parking easy and cheap to find.
When looking for cheap ways to travel, never assume what should be off-season. Do your research in advance to find out what’s considered off-season in a destination. You may find the best deals immediately after Thanksgiving or a lull right after Memorial Day weekend.
Travel slowly
No one seems to talk much about traveling slow as one of the best cheap ways to travel. My husband and I are both self-employed and spend a month in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico every few years. Renting an Airbnb for a few weeks to a month results in an automatic discount upon booking. We’ve also found buying groceries, taking our time exploring, and just enjoying life with the locals is far less expensive than a condensed three or four day trip where we’re scrambling to fit everything in. Not everyone is full-time self-employed, but growing a side hustle can help you get there. We also met several travelers who were on a short sabbatical or talked their employer into allowing a month of remote work abroad.
Get creative with Airbnb
There are plenty of ways to save with Airbnb that goes overlooked. For starters, you can stay in a single room instead of an entire home to get a bigger discount. Choosing a newly listed rental with a handful of good reviews is also a good tactic before they raise their price to a more competitive rate. Airbnb also offers Airbnb Experiences ranging from tours to at-home cooking classes.
Attend a timeshare seminar
I admit this is my least favorite tactic for cheap ways to travel, but it can result in a free trip. Attending a timeshare presentation in popular tourist destinations from Orlando to Pigeon Forge can result free lodging, meals, and other perks. Just be prepared. You must fulfill all the obligations outlined in the trip, including attending lengthy presentation, or will be billed for your accommodations in full. Timeshare presentations are usually very high-pressure events. Be prepared to say no frequently and bring along a “bad cop” who breaks apart the numbers and refuses to budget.
Barter your services
Travelers looking to get off the beaten path can volunteer alongside local, organic farmers and exchange work for free room and board. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms connects travelers to farms in destinations from the U.S. to Mongolia. Travelers get an enriching, intimate experience without the price tag. Make sure you understand the Visa requirements for the country of choice, and pick a farm that aligns with your interests like bee keeping or making wine.
Snag a reward travel credit card
I love reward travel credit cards and recommend them frequently. About once a year my husband and I look for a few new travel cards to apply to that easily net 50,000 frequent flyer miles, $500 cash-back bonuses and other perks just for using their cards. The strategy has paid for several of our trips in full. Our tactic is to apply to all the same day so the credit card companies are less likely to see multiple pulls of our credit report for travel reward cards. Many travel credit cards come with a $0 annual fee good for one year. Make yourself a Google alert to cancel any credit cards the day they expire and diligently pay off your balance every month.
Combine your favorite strategies to score cheap ways to travel that keep money in your pocket. With a little persistence, you can easily save $500 or more on your next vacation.