If you’ve found yourself here, you’re probably deep in travel research, maybe planning an itinerary for your next trip or simply looking for tips and tricks for your first one. Whatever brought you here, I am glad you’ve made it. You should be too, you’re going to save and maybe make, a-lot of money. Making more financial room for Dinners in the Sky like this one in Dubrovnik!
You most likely have heard of these packing tips to cut costs, known to find cheap overnight accommodations at hostels, or even make money during your stay as a house-sitter, or while working with an accredited program like World Packers. There are sooo many hidden secrets travelers can only discover after they’ve traveled, and that is why I’ve decided to share my tricks of the trade so you can make your dollar last the most on your upcoming adventure!
Use What You Have - this is a biggie for me!
While I love having something new for a trip, or the perfect aesthetic outfit for that specific city I’ll be in, that is not always practical. My outfit may not look right that day, I could stain it, the weather could be different than I’d hoped… a million possibilities! Instead, I try to create that energy with what I have. Whenever I do get something new, half the time I return it because I don’t like it anyway. That is, if I remember to go to the Post Office…
Skip the travel size products - use refillables! Why spend 35$ on 12oz of product, and 8 plastic bottles when you have plenty of product right at home. Grab a refillable travel set, or even something that allows for more space like this one for us skincare girlies. You’ll save time, money and space in your carry-on. This way, you never have to go without your holy grail when Target runs out of the mini size. I promise! Super saver hack: if you do need to buy something - say sunscreen - and you don’t want a travel size, purchase this when you get to your destination. We aren’t carrying anything except hand luggage! Who pays to check a bag anymore?
Know Your Privileges - credit cards, rewards programs and memberships all awesome incredible deals for travelers! AARP and AAA can score you great hotel discounts, while some credit cards offer travel credits every year! Besides, who doesn’t want to upgrade to Business or even First Class? Check out more of the rewards programs I use and love but here are some of my favorites.
Credit Cards - Capital One Venture X
Apps - now don’t overload your phone, or you’ll never use all of them. Instead, find ones that practically fit your needs. GetUpside saves me over 300$ a year in gas and groceries, use my referral code Samantha-thd to save .25 cents off each gallon the next time you fill up! Ferryhopper was so helpful during my trips to Greece and Croatia, it made finding the easiest fare a breeze. Skyscanner is how I consistently score flights to Europe under 200$. The list of Apps that can save you money while traveling is constantly growing.
To pre-plan or not to pre-plan - This will depend on your trip, and may be different from your next trip!
Sometimes I prebook certain travel arrangements: car rentals, trains, overnight accommodations. If its a specific event, a 100% guarantee I will be there, or a peak season I will pre-book many of my activities, accommodations, and tickets to point A and B. However, I find that pre-booking in many cases actually costs me money. Delayed flights, missed trains, canceled excursions due to weather? Any one of these can be a travel disaster, especially with a tight-knit itinerary. There is not a minute or dollar to waste!
I have found that in certain locations my overnight accommodations were the same price as if I booked in advance, or they were even cheaper last minute! This way I’m staying in a location I’m sure is safe, is near where I want to be, and I’m not wasting extra time to get to the other end of town because my maps app didn't pinpoint correctly. As far as pre-planning in this department goes, I’m a night before or morning-of kind of girl. But only because that is pre-planned! This allows me to draw from my list of “want to do’s” and can match them up with my energy levels, weather, and all those other factors we can’t calculate beforehand. The days of chasing after refunds and cancellation fees are over. What is meant to be, will be.
What are some of your money saving travel hacks?
Thanks so much for reading. Want to make your dollar last a little longer? Check out how I plan and pack for my next trip on my next blog posts or Instagram!
Gearing up for a road trip? That’s a whole other can of worms…
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