Everyone gets bit by the travel bug now and again. It’s only natural to want to explore the world beyond our own local place in it. Experiencing a new culture, or even a new city, can be a fun and exciting way to broaden your experiences and gather stories you’ll want to share with your family and friends. Traveling can be very expensive but, fortunately, there are almost as many ways to travel affordably as there are destinations to discover.
So, whether you’ve set your sights on exploring a new state or a new country, we’ve assembled a collection of affordable traveling tips and tactics to help you get the most out of your travel budget.
Plan ahead
The sooner you start planning your trip the more opportunities you’ll give yourself to save money. Prices for everything from flights and hotels to rental cars tend to rise as your travel dates approach. By starting your planning early, you can often set alerts that will let you know when prices drop.
Be flexible
You’ll increase your opportunities for saving money on your flights and hotels if you are flexible with your departure and return dates. Departing or returning on a Tuesday, for example, is generally much less expensive than doing so on a Friday or Sunday.
The same is true of the time of year you choose to travel in. For many destinations, summer is the peak season and, therefore, the most expensive. If you can wait until the off season to take your trip, you’ll find cheaper flights and hotels much more easily.
Choose cheaper destinations and attractions
If you’re traveling on a budget, you might consider staying on the outskirts of your destination rather than in the heart of it. This also has the added benefit of allowing you to enjoy a more authentic experience through interacting with locals, eating genuine local food and avoiding the highly trafficked tourist traps.
Avoid high-cost tours
Before online travel web sites came along, as well as the plethora of guidebooks that are now available, the best way to explore a new city was to join an organized tour. But now, with so much information readily available, you can have just as much fun exploring a new city on your own, often at a fraction of the cost.
If you really want an expert guide to lead you, many major cities offer free walking tours, led by a local. It’s a great way to get a ton of information about your destination, all completely free of charge, although gratuities are welcomed.
Put technology to work for you
Many web sites use cookies to track your browsing activity to determine what prices you’ve been offered for flights, hotels, etc. This allows them to feed you increasingly expensive fares, often giving you the false impression that you can’t find less expensive fares. Using a private browser window can greatly reduce their ability to track your activity. Even better, a VPN can eliminate cookie tracking completely.
Use discount web sites and other online resources
You can take advantage of scores of web sites offering discounted air fares, as well as hotel and rental car rates. Some web sites specialize in air fares, like Google Flights, while others, like Kayak, Skyscanner and Hopper, include hotels and rental cars. There are also web sites, such as Airbnb and VRBO, that specialize in lodging beyond hotels and resorts (one caveat on these sites is that they can also include very expensive and exclusive accommodations, so choose wisely).
Redeem credit card rewards points
If you use a credit card that offers benefits like rewards points, such as the Vivid Rewards Card from California Bank & Trust, booking travel gives you a great opportunity to reduce your costs by redeeming your rewards points and other credit card travel benefits. You’ll need to spend enough on the card in order to accumulate enough points before you make a travel redemption.
Many credit cards feature welcome bonuses that jump start your point accumulation. The Vivid Rewards Card, for example, offers double rewards points for the first 12 months, up to 30,000 points.
Book. Explore. Repeat.
Keep in mind when budgeting for your trip that traveling doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, with some advance planning it can be very affordable to get out and explore the world. Once you begin employing the tips and tactics offered here, you may find yourself taking more trips than you ever imagined.