One of my favorite things to do is to travel and as we all know it can get very expensive. When you’re traveling not only do you have to take into account the flight and a place to stay, you also have to think of the cost of food and the cost of certain things you want to do that you may have to pay for. If you plan your trip ahead of time and do your research before you go, it might be a lot cheaper and easier than you think. Before every trip, I do a lottttt of research and these are my top 10 tips for planning an affordable vacation.
1. Start saving money
I usually like to take one big trip a year and since I already know in advance I like to start planning early. The average cost of a vacation is about $1,145 per year according to Credit Donkey. If you can save a year in advance you can set aside $23 a week (that’s less than $4 a day!) and in one year that will be $1,196. That should be a reasonable amount of money to travel to most places. I would recommend setting up a new savings account where $23 is deducted from your paycheck and deposited weekly so your not tempted to spend it. Also, here’s a simple way to budget, so you can start setting extra money aside. Another method I like to use is picking up extra hours if it’s available at my job and using the extra money to reach my vacation goals faster.
2. Decide when you want to go
This is an important factor that I think most people don’t think about. The time of year you go can greatly influence the airfare and the cost of staying for most destinations. Festivals, Holidays and peak vacation times will make the trip a little more expensive than usual. For example a trip to Los Angeles, Ca can be as low as a $200 round trip from Boston, MA. The week of July 4th it can be over $600!
The flight probably tripled in price because it’s a holiday and a more popular time to go. Sometimes you need to travel during a certain time and can’t get around the dates or the reason you are traveling in the first place is because of a festival. I get that, but if you are flexible with time and or location it’s worth looking up where to travel and seeing what places you can get the most bang for your buck for certain dates.
3.Payment plans
I’ve come across a couple of websites that will actually let you do a payment plan for traveling if you have enough time leading up to the trip. I used to love using it, especially when I was a college student and It was a little harder to save money. My favorite vacation website that uses payment plans is Cheap Caribbean. You can pay part of the payment upfront and then 21 days before the rest of your money is withdrawn from a debit or credit card account that you choose from.
4.Websites and apps I use
Sky scanner– This website and app lets you compare flights with multiple airlines in one place. It also has a section that tells you the flight deals that are going on at the time. You are also able to look at the year calendar and see what dates are cheaper for your specific trip.
Google flights– This is similar to sky scanner because you can search multiple airlines at once for a cheaper flight and you can get a look at the calendar to see what dates are cheaper if you are flexible.
Hopper– This app is great if you have some time and your months away from booking your trip. You can put in your trip dates and it will let you know if it’s a good time to buy by telling you if you should wait if the flight is expected to go lower or to buy now because the flight prices will go up. Alerts can also be set up so you are notified of the cheaper flights.
Scott’s Cheap Flights– If you are flexible and are always trying to explore new places Scott’s Cheap flights’ free email subscription is for you! About three times a week you get emails with flight deals telling you what airlines the deals are available from, the average price of the flight usually, the weeks the flights are available and how long the deals will probably be good for. Some of the recent deals I’ve seen are a flight from multiple cities including Providence, RI to Bogota, Colombia for $385 and a flight from multiple cities including Boston, MA to Johannesburg, South Africa for $590! Scott also has a subscription service you can pay for which gives you all of the special deals available.
5.Places to stay
I love staying in all-inclusive Resorts! I mean who doesn’t love lounging by the infinity pool with unlimited drinks and eating until your too full to move lol. Sure they’re cool if you’re trying to relax and it’s within your budget, but in my experience, you don’t get the most cultural experience.
My favorite choice is Air BnB. They have all sorts of apartments and homes within every budget from basic to luxury living. You can get a whole house and get to explore the city and feel like you’re a local. Many times the Air BnB’s offer breakfast, jacuzzi’s, pools and so many more options that still make it feel like a hotel. If your traveling to a safe place I’d recommend trying an Air BnB because they’re reasonably priced and you can get a lot more space for a better price than a hotel.
Hotels are still worth exploring because they are sometimes cheaper than an Air BnB depending on what you’re looking for. They also have housekeeping which can be a huge plus if you’re exploring many places and on the go most of the day.
6.Things you can do for free
Almost every trip that I have been on has had free things to do. I don’t know about you, but free is for me! TripAdvisor.com ranks the things to do, and places to see, which usually includes the free sightseeing attractions that are worth visiting. Another cool thing to do that’s pretty cheap is rent a scooter or bike and see the city if they are available where you are.
7.Use weekends and piggyback holidays
I try to travel as often as I can, but if you have a full-time job you are a little restricted in terms of vacation time. Plan your time off around the weekends and around holidays like Columbus day or Veterans day. Since you will already have the day off you’re getting more bang for your buck. If you plan around a weekend that’s 16 more hours of vacation time you have left in your bank. For years I’ve been doing this and it’s definitely the best way to travel, even if flights are a little more expensive. Yes, you could still travel during the week, but you’ll run out of vacation time faster and no one wants to take a vacation and not get paid!
8.Take a local trip
You know that feeling that you need another vacation even though you just came back from an expensive vacation? Mhm me too… I’m always wanting to go somewhere, but my budget doesn’t always allow me. What I try to do is go on a local trip. Living in New England I’m definitely at an advantage. There are a lot of cities nearby that you can visit for a day or stay overnight that’s wayyyy cheaper than actually going away on a vacation far from home. One of the local places that I visited that I highly recommend is Washington DC!
9. Go on a cruise
Cruises are a lot of fun especially if you go with family and friends! They are pretty cost-effective for everyone and if you book soon enough there is a payment plan option. Sometimes there are ports nearby and you’re off the hook paying for the flight! Most cruises stop at different countries and ports which is great to get a little taste of different places. I must admit that it’s also a downfall in my opinion because I’d like to explore the destinations for more than a day. There are days at sea where you are just traveling, but there are plenty of shows and activities going on to keep you entertained.
10.Plan out your trip
This is easily the best tip on the list! Plan out your trip. Look up where you want to go. Look at the options for places to stay. Do some research on where you want to go including the best times to go, the cheapest times to go, where to eat, what to do, etc. This will give you a better idea of what you will spend. It will also be a great way to make some places a priority so you have time to explore them. The vacation goes by so fast I usually don’t get to see all the places I intended to. With that being said leave some room for random exploring and unplanned activities because those are always the best, especially when there’s an event going on that you didn’t know about.
With these tips you’ll definitely be able to travel more often! Be sure to write below if you have any comments or questions :).