How To Save Money on Your Next Vacation
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We all love the idea of saving money while traveling – whether it’s for a business trip or during vacation. With everyone interested in making money off you during vacation, arming yourself with the knowledge of cutting costs for your next travel will do you no harm.
Here, we have provided you with five travel tips on how to save money on your next vacation. Let’s dive in!
1. Be smart with your ticket booking
Have you ever checked the flight ticket from a particular website at a reasonable price, only for you to review later and see that the amount has been doubled? This is one of the gimmicks booking sites use to lure you into making a panic decision. Virtually all airfare booking sites collect your data through cookies. With that, they can track your activities and thus guess your next line of action. This will enable them to raise prices, knowing you are desperate to take your family on vacation.
There are several ways to go smart with your ticket bookings. One of them involves browsing in incognito mode to protect your identity. Alternatively, you can use a VPN that gives you a virtual location that prevents these sites from tracking you down.
Also, from research, booking made during the weekend can save you up to 19% on the cost ticket. This concept emanates from the idea that weekdays are the ideal time for business travel, which is much more essential and generates income compared to vacation meant for fun and relaxation.
Furthermore, some airlines allow you to gather points using their website for booking. After reaching a specific bonus point, they will offer you a discount that will enable you to save money on your ticket booking.
2. Choose Vacation Rentals Home Instead of Hotels
If you are low on budget, you might need to stay off hotels, especially if you are going with a large family. Although a hotel offers you customized services such as 24 hours reception, rook keeping, and meal delivery. However, if you don’t mind becoming your own receptionist, room keepers, and cook, a vacation rental might be your best bet!
Besides having a lower price, another thing that makes vacation rentals more exciting is that you have a whole apartment to yourself instead of being confined in a room or two. From kitchen to the bedroom, restroom, and even library – no wonder vacation homes are called “a second home.” It’s best described as a home away from home!
The only downside is that while hotels are often located in choicest parts of the city and close to tourist centers, vacation rentals may be situated in not too exciting places. But who cares when your goal is to save money while having a memorable time with your family away from home?
3. Go for Homemade Meals
Food can take a considerable chunk of your money while on vacation. A meal from a 5-star hotel sometimes costs five times than homemade meals of the same quality and quantity. Your sure-fire way to save money as a vacationist if you are lodging in a hotel is to book for a room with a mini-fridge. That will help to stack up food that doesn’t need to be cooked.
However, if you are renting a vacation home, you have the luxury of enjoying some lip-smacking homemade meals. You can add to the fun by taking to turn to be the lead chef. You will be surprised at what your teenage kids can come up with. Not only will you save money, but you will also foster healthy relationships within your family.
And did you know? Framer’s market is one great place to shop for groceries directly. Most local stores do cut the price of their food items towards the evening.
4. Travel Off-Season
Traveling in peak periods can shoot your expenses on vacation. Most people schedule their vacation towards festive periods such as Christmas, the New Year, Thanksgiving days, and many more. When you travel off seasons, you will have access to cheaper flights and affordable hotel rooms. Also, as hotel restaurants and tourist centers are getting low sales, they have no choice but to lower their prices. Another attraction of off-season travel is that it puts you in a better position to negotiate on virtually anything, from accommodation to meals to transportation!
5. Be Disciplined with your budget
It’s very easy to shoot beyond your budget while on vacation. You will see a lot of attractive stuff; souvenir, gift items, exotic cuisine, snacks, and other items you can do away with. If you keep granting every “buy-me” request, you will be surprised at how fast it takes you to become a shopaholic.
This doesn’t mean you should deprive yourself and family nice treat while on vacation, but you should know when to say “NO!” to purchase requests and stick to it. It’s called financial discipline!
Did you book your affordable vacation and can’t wait until you leave? Start your travel countdown with the Vacation Countdown App!
Available at the App Store or Google Play Store.