After last year, who isn’t ready for a relaxing vacation? I know I am. I love vacations. I also love to save money. That may sound mutually exclusive but it doesn’t have to be. Over the years, on my vacations, I’ve found 5 easy ways to save money while on vacation. I’m happy to share them with you. After all, saving money means we can go on more vacations, right?
5 Easy Ways to Save Money on Your Next Vacation
These easy ways to save money on vacation aren’t rocket science. Anyone can do them! Ready? Let’s get started.
- Plan Ways to Save Money on Food. Food costs can add up quickly when you eat out 3 times a day. Save money on food with these methods:
- Pack Snacks. Fussy, hungry children are no fun. It’s easy to give in to whining and stop at a convenience store or over-priced airport shop to pick up food. Packing your own snacks means the kids eat healthier. For the younger kids, finger foods such as cheerios or sliced fruit is easy for little hands to handle.
Make homemade “dippers” using pretzels and peanut or almond butter. Make trail mix. If you’re taking a road trip, water bottles are good choices. Pick up a 24 pack for the cost of 3 bottles at a convenience store and keep them in a cooler or take reusable water bottles to fill along the way. - Plan to Spend the Night at Hotels with Free Breakfasts. Most of these hotels include a decent selection of goodies, from convenience options like cereal, oatmeal, pastries, fruit, and yogurt to full breakfast options of sausage and biscuits, waffles, eggs, and more.
- Pack a Picnic Lunch. Stop by a grocery store where ever you are staying and pick up your favorite sandwich fixings (or whatever you’d enjoy.) Allow the kids to pick a park or site to eat. This is still one of my kids’ favorite travel memories from their childhood and saved me a ton of money too.
- Choose a Hotel Room with a Small Fridge and Microwave. Store leftovers from meals, sodas, water, and fruit in the fridge so that snacks are always accessible. Carry microwave popcorn for a quick snack or reheat leftovers in the microwave.
- Eating breakfast at the hotel and packing a picnic lunch meant we only had to purchase dinner each day.
- Have a Late Lunch instead of dinner. Dinner menu prices often begin at 4 or 4:30. Some restaurants have early bird specials between 3 and 5 PM. Plan your main meal around this time and have a light snack later in the evening.
2. Plan Ways to Save Money on Lodging. This is such a big expense. Here’s some easy ways to cut costs.
- If you are staying for several days or a week, look into a cottage, cabin, or AirBNB rental. The benefits include more space and more perks-many include a kitchen, a grill, and sometimes accessories like bikes.
- Consider renting a larger house, cabin, or AirBNB with another family. This works well if you enjoy vacationing with extended family or good friends.
- Plan Your Vacation During the Off-Season. If you choose to vacation during the off-season, lodging rates can be as much as 50% less.
3. Plan Ways to Save Money on Attractions. There are plenty of free and low-cost activities if you know where to look.
- Ask locals for some of the favorite area attractions they visit with their family. Whenever I stop at a rest area, gas station, restaurant, or area attraction, I often strike up a conversation with one of the employees. They are usually happy to suggest a “must try” restaurant or favorite place they take their children. I often find tons of hidden gems in the area that I probably wouldn’t find online.
- Stay off the Beaten Path. Take the back roads to your destination and allow each family member to choose a place to visit along the way. We’ve had a great time finding free excursions this way. We’ve seen sites ranging from the Chain of Rocks Bridge along classic Route 66 to a Recycling Exhibit-featuring the toilet slide-at a college in Birmingham.
- Check the Websites of Local Attractions for Free and Low-Cost Days or Hours. When the kids were younger and tired after a few hours at an attraction, this was a huge saving! Many zoos, water parks, amusement parks, and children’s museums offer this option.
4. Plan Ways to Save Money on Souvenirs. I know this can be easier said than done.
- Limit the kids to one souvenir apiece. Give them a price range and allow them to choose the item they want.
- Purchase a Souvenir Cup. Drinks at theme parks and attractions are notoriously expensive. Many sites offer a Souvenir Cup for a fixed price. These usually include low cost (around $1) or free refills during the entire stay, which adds up to considerable savings.
- Find the discount store or clearance section at the attraction. Most sites have a section devoted to clearance items with reasonable prices. At Disney World, I found t-shirts for as low as $7.99 and shelves of 4 or 5 items for $20. This is a considerable saving from the pricing in their shops. Almost every major attraction or theme park has a clearance section.
5. Contact the Local Tourism Board or the State Convention Board before Your Stay. Ask for free materials regarding “must-visit” sites. Most of the time they are happy to send a thick book containing interesting sites from around the state or from around the area. I like to mark the ones we might be interested in based on three criteria; location, cost, and “fun factor.”
I hope our time-tested ideas inspire you to plan the vacation of your dreams. What is your favorite money-saving tip to use when traveling?
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yes, yes and yes! I want to go on vacay, but we always say we can’t afford it. These tips will help me convince my hubs! Thanks! – Erin Kennedy
We are planning a trip to a state park for Spring Break. it has a kitchen so we can make some quick meals and only eat out for dinner.
These are great tips for saving money on your next vacation. I always ask the locals for recommendations.
Some great tips that I always try to stick with although I do like trying the local food. Also try to walk a lot of places, its nice to see the different scenery and free
Thanks for the great tips on saving money while traveling. We always try to stay at places that offer a breakfast. Taking snacks is a great idea too. Thanks!
-Shonee
I travel a lot and these are wonderful tips to save some $$$ on vacations!! Great ideas!!
We always try to stay at hotels that offer free breakfasts. Having to pay for meals while on vacation can get really expensive.
You and my husband would get along well. He always says “stay at the hotel with the free breakfast” LOL
Great tips! We are taking a trip next month, so I will definitely use these tips to save on my vacation.
These are such great tips. We have yet to take a family vacation because we always thought it would be so expensive. Maybe I should rethink that.
These are great ideas! I always try to book hotels that have free breakfasts, parking and wifi! It is also a great idea to check out local attractions and yes, a lot of them can be free or lower cost!
You make some good points here.
I like finding ways to save.
such useful good tips! i always look for hostel with free breakfast. if not i’d camp anywhere. i always bring a tent!
We always pack snacks and try to purchase cereal for breakfast to have in room. We also use our museum recriprocity to get discounts and free entry.
Hotels with a free breakfast are a must. I wish we traveled and went on vacation more than we do, hopefully in the future. I’ll save these tips !
These are great tips. Often times, vacations can get to be pretty expensive. We always check ahead for coupons, and days that are cheaper like you mentioned.
It is crazy but you are right that the little things add up savings like a hotel with free breakfast. I need to ask the locals more, thanks for the tips
Wonderful tips! We don’t go on many vacations but in the coming years we’ve made a pledge to go on some family vacations. So I”ll remember these points!
These are great tips for traveling with family. We always try to stay at hotels with free breakfast, it saves so much money for us
These are all wonderful ideas. I always try to pack snacks and look for hotels that offer a free breakfast. It really does cut down on the amount of money I spend on vacations.
These are great ways to save on your next vacation!! I always plan my vacations way in advance to get the best deals on hotels and usually bring my own food to eat for breakfast and lunch.
These are great ideas. We get a military discount usually when we decide to travel. It does help save!
Great tips to use when planning the next trip. I really like asking locals for recommendations.
I totally need to give this a try – I could do with saving a penny or two towards our next holiday. x
I love these ideas!! When we travel with the kids the costs add up fast so we look to save any way possible.
These are some awesome ideas. I know that sticking to a budget helped us immensely. We were in debt and slowly but surely worked out way out of it.
Great tips! I always hear people complain that they can’t travel or do fun stuff because it is so expensive. There are always ways to cut corners and save money. You just have to do a little more planning.
My kids LOVE hotels with free breakfast! I love your #2 suggestion. I’m from a tourist town and we were always happy to give people who asked the ‘insider tips’ about where the best places to go were.
Great tips! I’ve used the staying at hotels that offer free breakfasts a lot in the past. A few years ago, my husband and I moved cross country with our dogs, so we had to find places that had free breakfasts AND that were dog friendly. It saves so much money and time!
We don’t book a hotel unless it comes with a free breakfast. We mostly stay on military bases when we travel and they all always offer free breakfast.