10 Ways to Save Money While Traveling

We’ve all been there- you want to travel so badly, you finally save up and book that trip you’ve been dying to take (that was way more affordable that you realized with my help!) but your departure date is rapidly approaching and you’re finding yourself with maybe not as much expendable income as you’d like in order to truly and fully enjoy your vacation.

It’s the WORST- but here are some tips and tricks to not only avoid finding yourself in that situation, but also to save money while  you’re away so that you’re not coming home flat broke either and utilizing your finances in the most efficient ways possible.

1. Prioritize and BUDGET. I don’t mean “oh, I project I’ll spend maybe x amount….” no sis. I mean BUDGET. SPECIFICALLY. For example, I took a trip to LA last year for my birthday with my boyfriend. There are certain things that I KNEW that I wanted to do that cost money- monetary amounts that could be found online and kept track of for the most realistic budget I could possibly create to be hit with as few surprise financial kicks in the ass as possible which, let’s be real, is far from unheard of on vacation. I researched a specific restaurant I wanted to go to and looked at menu prices to budget for that. I went through the motions of purchasing tickets for disneyland without actually slapping a card down because taxes and fees are real, people.

Do this for EVERYTHING you possibly can online. GO all the way to the end of the purchasing/booking process because what shows as $350 may end up being a gross total of over $400 and that extra $50 can be a big deal. This is what I mean by budgeting as specifically as possible to avoid any surprises.

yikes. I have no idea why the bags were that expensive (spirit airlines, covering both ways) but we'll get into that.

Like I said I traveled with my boyfriend, so most purchases that we were able we made together and used venmo, etc. to briefly explain the columns.

I know the number will seem scary at first, especially depending on where you're going and what you plan to do! I promise, it's a whole lot more manageable than it seems because not only do you have time to save up for these things, but depending on how far in advance you book you can also make some of these purchases, especially the smaller ones that you could use a segment of a paycheck for, out of the way. That way, by the time you actually reach the destination, you have little to worry about financially besides the day to day stuff. I re-worked this finance mapper so that it was cohesive and easier to understand for the purpose of this blog post, but I would cross out or put a check mark next to every purchase that was made in advance as well as update the total to stay fully on top of where I'm at.

2. Set up a savings account to begin building up some money specifically for your trip! I use Qapital and Albert. 

Qapital is especially great to use because you can set rules for it to follow in order to make deposits from your bank account to put into savings, and  you can add a savings goal to reach- I recommend at least $100 more than the budget you created for #1. The rules are kind of cool too- for example, you can opt to save a percentage (that you control) of your paycheck every pay day, save every time you take an uber or post an instagram (!), or follow the round up rule. You can set a specific $ amount, and qapital will round up that amount on each purchase you make and put it into savings. For example, if you set the rule to $1, on a $10 purchase you’d spend $11 and that dollar would go into your savings. This doesn’t seem like much, but builds up VERY quickly! If you set up the app using my referral link (hyperlinked to the beginning of this paragraph), we both get a free $5 😇 If that doesn’t work, just download the app and use referral code 3t43925

Albert is another good app, just not as comprehensive as qapital. Albert does have an interactive genius feature though, which makes this app is good for general financial tracking and education. Albert has a feature called ‘smart savings’, which once activated and connected to your bank account will follow your financial trends and see, typically once a week, how much you can afford to put into savings and automatically set it aside for you. 

3. Don’t rent a car if possible! The amount of money that you’d spend on a car rental, gas, insurance, etc. can oftentimes be balanced out, if not beat, by perhaps spending a bit more to stay closer to the area/city you’re most interested in seeing and simply walking, ubering, taking public transportation or a combination of all three.

Be aware of your location! If you must rent a car, however, I would recommend using ZipCar or Turo, particularly if you are under the age of 25. Even with Turo charging a young driver fee, it typically ends up cheaper than any other option ...and if a “young” driver, literally more accessible than any other option. And by that I mean accessible, period. It’s kind of like airbnb for cars. It also gives you the option to choose from many add-ons, such as three separate levels of insurance as well as gas options. Mileage on each car differs, especially depending on the length of the trip, so definitely pay attention to that, as well as the type of car. If you’re not comfortable driving manual or stick, don’t accidentally book a car that is manual or stick shift. This has almost happened to me.

Additionally, if you do rent a car, use apps like waze or gasbuddy to find the cheapest gas prices around you as opposed to the closest and potentially more expensive option.

4. These next three tips/suggestions are all about food, of course!

Food is a massive, and understandable moneysuck  while on vacation- but it doesn’t have to be. Assuming you aren’t staying at an all-inclusive resort, UTILIZE WHATEVER AMENITIES YOU MAY HAVE. If you can find a room with a mini fridge (typically pretty standard), excellent. A MICROWAVE? You’ve struck gold. Of course, that’s really only referring to hotel rooms- typically airbnbs will have a kitchen/kitchen area or space for usage which is seriously striking gold, because then you have the option to even whip yourself up some pasta, for example. It is so easy to save so much money by doing this.

You do not need to eat out for every single meal every single day! I promise you will not be missing out on any essential cultural experiences if you eat some granola and yogurt before heading out, run back to your room to make yourself a sandwich or two for lunch one day, or heat up some leftovers/make something super simple and easy (like, again, pasta, easy mac, etc) before hitting the town for the evening. Honestly, going to your neighborhood grocery store and shopping like a local is probably the best local experience you could ask for. While you’re there, grab snacks.

Also, be aware of the wider scale hotel amenities! Maybe it’s worth it for you to spend the extra $10 a day for breakfast, or it could even be complimentary! Pay attention to what your accommodations offer you. Along that vein, are there laundry facilities? An iron and ironing board? These factors could also affect what you pack and potentially help you pack less and avoid having to check anything.

5. Eat like a local! In conjunction with that, and honestly  the real tip here, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU’RE HUNGRY TO BEGIN SCOUTING FOR FOOD. Lit rally cannot stress that enough. Odds are, you’ll be in a highly populated, touristy area because duh, what else did you travel to see besides the stuff that other people travel there to see?

Ok, yes, I understand that there are caveats to this. But hear me out. You’re in Paris, just spent the past two hours taking pictures by the eiffel tower and you found yourself walking to champs elysees because you’re in PARIS and it’s a beautiful Parisian day goddamnit. So ya get there and come on, you can’t go to champs elysees without climbing to the top of the Arc De Triomphe. Like what’s the point. So you climb all the way to the top, you may even decide to take the elevator, I don’t know you. And you get there, and the view is breathtaking, and you’re looking out on the French horizon and you realize…….you’re fucking starving.

So you go back down and at this point, ya gotta eat. In the excitement of all of your French adventures, you left those snacks you so conveniently bought at the grocery store home and you definitely are not down to wait the potential half hour metro ride back to your accommodations. This now means that you are stuck on one of the most popular tourist attraction streets in Paris, hungry, with no choice but to humor the ridiculously inflated tourist prices for food. I mean, 15 euros for a crepe??? A SINGLE CREPE??? I’ll eat my left arm, thanks. This aaalllll could have been avoided by keeping in mind that you are a human being that gets hungry- plan ahead. 

6. This tip is for pre-trip planning, and can be kinda tied in with #1 & 2! That is, don’t eat so lavishly at home when you’re planning for a trip. For a few weeks or months (yikes) beforehand, stock up on cheap, long lasting grocery items in order to seriously cut back on eating out. I’m talking eat like a college student. We all know how much that adds up.

Something effective that I have done is if I’m about to order food, I stop and seriously think about it. Can I really, seriously not stomach some ramen, or make myself some chicken, or anything else tonight? After a long, heavy sigh i typically realize the answer is actually yeah, I probably can. So instead of spending $15 on delivery, I take that $15 that I was more than ready to spend it on food and pop it into my travel savings account instead.

7. This is something that’s kinda debated, but I’m here to share my own personal opinion on the matter- don’t buy stuff there!!! It 9/10 ends up being a waste because while travel sizes are small, they’re typically big enough for a week or two of usage. So if you only need these items for a few days, that either ends up being money in the trash or extra items in your suitcase at the end of the day anyway to take home and ignore because you have the full size of everything at hand anyway.

INVEST IN TRAVEL SIZE BOTTLES. You can literally get them at the dollar store. That way, you can load them up with products that you may need that you already have, the space is already accounted for, and nothing goes to waste. I’ve used travel bottles for everything from perfume, to facial toner, to literally anything else that you can fit in there. Be sure to grab a spray nozzle or two just in case!

8. Good god, don’t check a bag if at all possible. This is the travel tip that is nearest and dearest to my heart because it is the answer to almost every travel woe in the book. Wanna save money (8/10)? Don’t check a bag. Want to save time (potentially hours) and stress at the airport? Don’t check a bag. Don’t want to lose your luggage or risk damage to any of your belongings in any way? Don’t. Check. A BAG. I’m telling you. If you heed NONE of my other advice please just. This is the one.

Sometimes you do have to pay for a carry on, but it’s typically much less expensive than checking a bag, and personal items are pretty much always free. Please, please be aware of your airlines baggage restrictions in accordance with your flight class- honestly, I would advise checking that out before even booking. Let’s say a United Airlines flight is $143 roundtrip, basic economy domestic, and a JetBlue flight is $160. Obviously, you’re going to gravitate towards the cheaper fare, right?

But then you remember what Tat told you.

So you look into baggage fees and turns out, United has a carry on bag fee of $25 AND you’re not allowed a carry on- you must check it. JetBlue, on the other hand, includes a free carry on, free personal item, the most legroom in coach of any airline, free snacks, drinks AND wifi??? Now what’s looking better, that dusty $168 flight in which you have to relinquish control on your possessions, cram into a tiny seat and pay for the air you breathe? No. You’re gonna save the $8 and get SO MUCH MORE. 

If possible, shove everything you need into a duffel bag and a smaller backpack (should be able to get away with that) and call it a day. See my packing post for tips on how I, me, overpacker extraordinaire, fits all of my shit into one carry on and personal item! 

9. To reiterate the main point from the previous tip, honestly- always check airline benefits. Can't stress this one enough either. Just re-read everything I stated above. You’re welcome.

10. Finally, take food and a refillable water bottle with you to the airport. Actually, take that water bottle everywhere tbh. Water is free. Just make sure the water bottle is empty when entering the airport/going through security! Too many people don’t realize that you CAN take food through airport security, just be sure to brush up with your airports specific policies on it if there are any. You will save so much money by bringing your own food, snacks and beverages to the with you!

Side note: if concerned about the water quality of the destination you’re visiting, you could always invest in iodine tablets if that’s something you think will be worth it! This 50-pill bottle on Amazon is enough to treat 25 quarts of water and costs less than $8.

And that's it! Hopefully I had at least one tip in here that you hadn't considered and found helpful. If you have any travel tips you'd like to share that I didn't include, please leave a comment! You can never know too many ways to save money 😉https://app.albrt.co/ShGKWibQ22