With all of this winter weather, even here in the South, we are all dreaming of a warm, summer vacation or spring break. Can it get here quick enough? Some say they can’t afford to travel but with some planning and picking a good location, traveling on a budget is possible.
All of our travel is by car or “road trips” with the exception of a cruise about once a year. So far 13 days is the longest, but whether it’s 13 days or 3, planning is needed in all areas.
Maybe you are thinking of a week at Disney as a grand vacation. Cha-ching is the first thing you think of. Most everything about Disney can be expensive, but there’s a way to do it on a budget. Watch for a post later on this subject. We stayed at an official Disney Hotel next to Disney Springs recently.
When planning a trip, think about what fits for your family. What do you enjoy? How far are you willing to travel? How many are going? Kids or no kids? Have you ever done a staycation? I’m fortunate to live in this area and there are so many activities and events.
Look for coupons and discounts on tickets. These could be offered through the Visitor Center (which is always a good place to start planning), local retailers, or the venue itself. Many times there could be other offers with the ticket – a free drink, discounts at other places, or a second day admission if entering after a certain time.
Hotels may have discount cards or coupons at the front desk, or ask about them. Some attractions or restaurants close to the hotel may offer a discount if you show your room key. There are so many websites for hotels, food and tickets, even airlines such as Expedia, Travelocity, Groupon, Restaurant.com, and Hotwire. Even the hotel website may have extra offers such as a package deal – stay a night and get discount tickets.
If you can travel during the off season, or as I heard it called recently “shoulder season” or at the last minute, you can often find better deals.
Overnight accommodations and food are normally the biggest expense for us. For some, it could be the fuel but we have a great VW Diesel Wagon which gets us about 45 – 53 MPG so unless it’s one of our 2 week long trips, fuel isn’t much of a factor.
What kind of accommodations do you like? We don’t look for a lot of things which a lot of “family travelers” might such as a pool or game room. If we are in an area for a couple nights, we love a bed & breakfast. It has such a homey feel and the breakfast are always great. The hosts are usually better about giving you local history and some of those out of the way spots to check out.
If we are just getting from point A to point B, or for one night, there’s several hotel chains which are usually reliable. Most of these will also offer some type of rewards such as after staying a few nights you might earn a free stay. They may even offer additonal points for a stay, a snack and water upon check-in, or an upgrade of your room if available. Most offer breakfast so there’s one meal you don’t have to buy. Make sure you sign up for their rewards program.
Food is a way to save along the way so you can splurge on a special meal. We love to eat and always love to find local restaurants which serve local foods. You may associate certain foods with an area you are visiting. We had to have a steak while in Fort Worth, beignets in New Orleans, and TexMex in San Antonio.
A way to save at a nicer restaurant is by going for lunch. Most of the same options are usually available but maybe in a smaller portion, which is usually enough, and at a lower price. And with a heavier lunch, a lighter dinner might be needed. An appetizer can make a meal, or we also share a lot of meals.
We aren’t really fast food eaters but Chick Fil-A can be a quick and safe stop. You know it’s always gonna be good.
Always have snacks and drinks, especially water, with you. We always have a cooler in the car. This can be a huge savings as most places you stop a bottle of water can be $3 and if you watch for a sale, you can buy a whole case for this. These bottles can be refilled along the way too.
Even places like Walt Disney World will refill your bottle at some of their food vendors.
Snacks in the car will prevent so many of the fast food stops, or running in when you stop for gas. Check where you are going to see if you are allowed to bring in outside food and drinks. Tuck a few things into a backpack. How many times has an energy bar or a bag of goldfish saved you or your child? Many theme parks have a picnic area too. Most meals will cost at least $10 a person, and that’s on the very low side in your major theme parks.
I would rather have a more snacky lunch in these places, and splurge on a nicer dinner.
If you are staying in a hotel with a refrigerator and microwave, that is even better. Heat up your leftovers or bring a few non-perishable microwave meals or soup. If you are staying several days, consider a kitchen area too. Most hotels offer breakfast, whether complimentary or not. Cereal is always a good option to bring for a quick breakfast.
Most hotels may offer complimentary coffee at any time of day, or there’s a coffee pot in the room. I had a few bad experiences with them so I travel with a small Keurig. I am a coffee-holic so love my coffee, with sugar and Coffee-Mate. It’s great to have a cup of coffee when getting up without having to get dressed and go to the lobby.
When I’ve attended conferences at larger hotels, a cup of regular coffee can cost up to $4 so having the option to run up to my room and have a cup, is wonderful.
Know your costs ahead of time. Are you visiting WDW or Universal? You know the ticket price ahead of time and it can be a lot so plan your budget around these. Do you enjoy wine or drinks with a meal? All of these will add up quickly.
Some people say they budget a certain amount per day for food and stick to it.
Take what you think you might need. I’m usually a traveling medicine chest and always have those “I might need” items. After paying $7.50 for one – yes one – Benadryl tablet on a cruise, they are now always packed. Again, especially with kids as they seem to get sick at the worst times.
See my list below which is for a cruise, but I have lists for all kinds of trips. A bottle of sunscreen might be a lot cheaper at home than a gift shop on the beach.
We are not big shoppers on trips. A souvenir will usually be a Christmas ornament or something I can make into an ornament. Once in a while we get a T-shirt but we aren’t big on buying something just because we’ve been there.
For Christmas our family went to the Dallas area and the big thing was attending a Cowboys game on Christmas Eve. I ordered shirts for all of us to wear to the game ahead of time. Not only were we able to get what we wanted, but had a bigger selection. To me it was a time saver also so we didn’t have to hunt for them when we got there.
Look for free things – FREE is always good. This is where the Visitor Center can come in handy for suggestions and explore the city ahead of time online. Parks are great for walking, playground areas for kids, or local what the city is known for. Pack a picnic lunch or pick up a quick meal and enjoy a few hours outside. Check for free transportation around town too. Parking is another expense you sometimes forget about.
What’s some of your travel or budget tips? Do you have any vacations planned? Well we have another trip to Texas planned. Another trip to Magnolia Market, a record show in Austin for my husband, and a trip to Galveston. Austin and Galveston is new to us so still in the planning stages. Any tips or must sees?
There’s always the idea of saving for the trip too. I try to save all of my change and any $5 bills I get. This is deposited into a separate savings account and you will be amazed how quickly it can add up. A few years ago when I was into couponing big time, and stores were more coupon friendly, I saved enough one year for a cruise. When I got home, any amount from a coupon was deposited into the savings account – even if it was only a dollar.
Here’s my cruise packing list – which needs a little updating but it’s a LONG basic list so you can make it your own.
Best part of travel – making memories with the family.
What’s some of your best or favorite travel memories?
Sounds like you had a fun time and was able to see several different things Interesting to see all your different photos of your trip.
Our goal is always to have fun and see new things.
Traveling on a budget is totally worth it! It’s one of my favorite ways to travel, but I am also known to splurge if need be 🙂
If you don’t splurge once in a while, then I feel like I’m missing something. Such as a great steak in Fort Worth – not cheap, but worth it.
I’d love to go to Texas. I had fed family there but have only had a layover in Houston.
Texas is so big and so many things to do. We usually don’t repeat places too often unless we do different things.
A very very good read and helpful in so many ways. We always go for budget trips and planning well in advance helps with the money and the off time from work. Although I would like to add two contradictory points, one, hotels offer great deals on last minute bookings, and second, an off season travel saves some bucks 🙂
A very very good read and helpful in so many ways. We always go for budget trips and planning well in advance helps with the money and the off time from work. Although I would like to add two contradictory points, one, hotels offer great deals on last minute bookings, and second, an off season travel saves some bucks 🙂
Great points – which we often do. We don’t have young kids so we travel usually during school time. Thanks for pointing that out.
Very useful post for a lot of us who are often constrained in our travel options due to the cost involved. Thank you.
Sometimes it’s a toss up of doing one big trip or place, as opposed to more trips and fun.
Traveling on a budget is possible indeed. You have really awesome tips here. As a single mom, planning is key 🙂
Of course everyone dreams of Disney and Hawaii, but there’s always so many more local and nearby places.
I know it’s possible, but when I travel, I hate to be limited. I want to spend money on whatever I want because I never know if I will be back.
That’s always where a budget helps. Sometimes you have to make a choice, and sometimes I do regret we didn’t get to do something or buy something because of cost, but then I have the memories.
My husband and I love to travel and I’m always on the lookout for tips on how to save money. We save our change all year long and by the time our big vacation rolls around each year, we’ve usually saved enough to cover our food expenses for the entire trip.
It seems harder to save change for me anymore since I use my debit or credit card more but I always like to have cash. Food is a biggie.
These are some great tips and you’re so right: it IS possible to travel on a budget. I always try to watch the spending and find the best deals. We probably should bring our own food, but when I’m on vacation, I don’t want to cook or deal with it, so we eat out. But I always try to find coupons!
I usually never really cook but if we do have a kitchen it’s more of the breakfast and snacks, which always help with the budget. No big meals though. I’m on vacation.
When we try and save money, we always look for hotels with a little kitchenette – that way we save loads on food. I definitely agree with you on that one!
Just having a refrigerator and microwave can help. Even meals like breakfast isn’t cheap.
We’re in the process of planning a vacation, although I haven’t decided where to yet. My budget definitely plays a role in deciding!
Oh that pesky budget can always make the decision. Good luck.
I agree traveling on a budget is definitely possible. It takes longer to save for it but it is worth it in the end because one you don’t have all sorted it afterwards and two you are paying less for something that other people pay full price for.
We share a large meal almost all the time, except if I’m splurging on seafood which my husband doesn’t like. But we do that when home too.
This year, we are planning to explore Tennessee so I am scouting for travel deals that I can book. Traveling on a budget is what we always do.
Where are you thinking about? I would be glad to offer some tips or contacts for you. If in Chattanooga, I’ll treat you to coffee or ice cream.
Really helpful tips on cutting costs while travelling. There are a lot of minor things that we can give up on, the simple luxuries can always be given up on. Thanks for sharing, bookmarking this for future reference.
I think back and so regret no traveling more when our son was young thinking we couldn’t afford it.
I save, save, save for the big trips but those occasional quick road trips are always a favorite. It’s amazing the places you discover driving a couple of hours away from your house and a getaway is a getaway.
And it’s amazing what you may not have visited or done in your hometown. We have so many events here it’s hard to attend everything.
Traveling doesn’t have to break the bank it just takes a little patience to get things in order. Thanks for sharing your experience and tips!
Sometimes it’s just making things a priority. We try not to eat out every meal, or at least have breakfast at the hotel, which always saves a ton of money.
I love that you managed to travel on a budget it is something I really should try and get better at myself. It sounds like you had a most amazing time as well.
If we are paying to stay somewhere I really like rooms with a microwave amd mini fridge. We rarely dine out as its expensive, we eat in the room and pack.
Awesome tips! I also have an old fishbowl which I converted into a spare change jar and I placed it strategically in a small table near the entryway where we put our keys. We empty our pockets of spare change and drop them in that old fishbowl/spare change jar. I was amazed at how much money was in there after a month. Perfect little savings scheme, good enough to cover for meals on our next road trip.
I love to travel and since I’m on a budget, I have to budget every bit of my trips. Your tips are really helpful and hope I can manage to budget my trip this summer.
I may not have an actual budget I stick to, but pretty close. Too easy to overspend and not even realize it.