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If you’re honest with yourself, it’s possible to enjoy your travels on a budget. Many tips sound good in theory, but depending on your travel style, they will make your hard-earned trip seem like something other than an actual vacation. If you’re looking for the best ways to save while traveling this summer, these helpful tips are a great source of inspiration.
Ways to Save While Traveling This Summer
Flight, accommodation, food, ground transportation, and activities are the main costs to consider for your journey. These recommendations help offset those price tags so you can freely experience a new place without constantly watching your wallet.
1. Reward Credit Cards
For the financially responsible, many credit cards offer travel reward points that can pay for a roundtrip flight to your preferred destination, hotel, or transportation costs. The key is not carrying a balance, or the interest fees will cancel out any savings you might earn. NerdWallet has a list of popular credit cards with travel rewards.
Make sure your card doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee. Always pay in the local currency to avoid dynamic currency conversion, where you’re charged a higher exchange fee.
2. Food
One of the best parts of travel is getting to experience first-hand another culture’s food. However, eating out two or three times daily adds to your vacation. Decide how much you want to eat out and supplement your other meals with groceries from a low-cost local grocery store.
In addition, packing as many non-perishable snacks as possible will help you avoid buying overpriced food at the airport or easily accessible tourist trap restaurants.
3. Transportation
If traveling domestically, consider driving, taking a bus, or taking a train; or if flying, plan ahead. Expedia’s 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report shared that travelers should book domestic airfare 28 days before departure and international airfare 60 days before departure. In addition, the report highlighted that the cheapest day to book flights is Sunday.
If your flight arrives during the day, consider taking the bus or train to your accommodation. Many well-connected cities have services right up to the airport’s doors, so it’s easy to come and go and barely touch your budget.
4. Activities
Walking tours are a great way to learn about a city, and with so many kinds of walking tours, you could learn about the history, art, or food, for example. Many walking tours are free, or they ask for a donation at the end. Other activities like historical sites or museums have days where they’re free or often bundled into a package that the city’s tourism office or another company offers at a discount. Searching for how many things you’d like to do and comparing prices will help you save as you design your exploration.
These are a few ways to save while traveling this summer. What time of year you travel can also impact how much you spend on your journey. Consider traveling off-season, before or after the high season. Ultimately, you can save up more money to accommodate your needs or figure out where you can compromise in your adventures.
The author’s content and opinions have not been pre-reviewed, approved or endorsed by Discover.
