Best Travel Tips for Saving Money

If you’re not careful, travel expenses can quickly add up and sticker shock can hit you like a slap in the face. After years of traveling for work and on my personal dime, I’ve racked up more than a few tricks and travel tips that have saved me tons of money. Being smart about travel doesn’t mean you have to skimp on comfort though. Follow some of the travel tips below and you’ll be able to stretch that dollar a little bit further next year.

Rewards Programs

This one is a HUGE travel tip. Most hotel chains and airlines offer a free rewards sign up. Make sure you are signed up and have your member ID available whenever you book. The points will add up and potentially get you status which leads to even more perks. In the last year, I think I have maybe paid for 2 hotels and the rest has been covered by points.

In terms of flying, loyalty can pay off big time. If you travel for work, this is a game changer. Depending on what your airport hub is, try to stay loyal to that airline and you will see major returns. For example, I fly out of Minneapolis which is a Delta hub. I currently have over 100,000 points and counting. Depending on how I play my cards, those points could add up to over 7 flights. Sign up for the free rewards programs, you won’t regret it.

Credit Cards

The old adage of not having too many credit cards because it will harm your credit score is false. Most credit scores really don’t fluctuate all that much as long as you pay your bill. Additionally, once you hit the reward on a credit card you can cancel and it doesn’t have a negative impact on your score. So, what does this mean for travel? There is a plethora of travel credit cards that provide an incentive for spending in the first few months. For Chase Sapphire, you can get 60,000 points if you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. That may sound like a lot of money, but if you plan out your big expenses right it can be 100% worth it.

Travel Deal Websites

Ever wonder how your friend got a cheap flight to Europe for under $300? Queue travel websites. My favorite travel website is Scott’s Cheap Flights. Other great options include The Flight Deal and Holiday Pirates. Each of these allows you to sign up for a newsletter that notifies you of different flight deals leaving from different cities. Sometimes these are mistake fares and other times the costs are impacted by current events, etc. Either way, you’re the one that ends up on top! If you’re willing to be flexible, my recommendation would be to jump on a travel deal and then figure out the rest of your trip. Often times the cheapest options involve you being flexible on timing or location. Last year I flew to Copenhagen for $290 in May!!

Link your Rewards Accounts

In addition to signing up for rewards programs, make sure you look into benefits of linking different accounts to each other. Often times, different companies have deals together that end up giving you more bang for your buck. For example, linking your Lyft account to your Delta account gets you 3X miles on the amount of your Lyft to and from the airport. If you spend $30 on a Lyft from the airport to your hotel, you will earn 90 sky miles. This may not sound like a lot, but it honestly adds up.

Accommodations

Saving money on accommodations is actually a lot easier than you might think. Most of us at this point have heard of Airbnb or VRBO. These are great options for saving money if you’re in a big city as they typically run about 50% less than a hotel room AND they often times have a kitchen (bonus!). Other great options for saving money include glampinghub and hipcamp. If you’re more adventurous, these are stellar options to find unique camping sites and fancy glamping. An option that I just learned about that sounds like a great option is vacasa. Vacasa caters more to group travel so check it out if you have a fun getaway planned with friends or you’re planning a family reunion.

Wrap Up

Following these travel tips will give you a leg up when traveling for your next vacation.

Use rewards programs
Check out ways to earn credit card points for travel
Take advantage of travel websites for airline deals
Link your rewards programs
Leverage different accommodation platforms to find the best place to stay