Travel budget hacks?

Question

Hey all! I miss traveling overseas SO much, but with the up/down economy, I don't have the $ to hop a plane at any time. What creative ways have you found to be able to travel without going into major debt? Thx!

User · Answer

Hello! We all know how traveling can be expensive, but there are many ways of offsetting those costs. “Travel hacking” is worth looking into. The generally idea is using credit card rewards to travel at low/no cost. For flights, it helps to have a flexible schedule. Traveling on a Wednesday or Thursday is usually cheaper than the other days of the week. Google flights and the app Hopper are great resources on finding cheap flights. If you’re willing to stay in a hostel, hostelworlds.com has a great selection of hostels all around the world with many reviews. Hope this information was useful. Good luck to you with your future travels!

Trisha Styles · Answer

Traveling in groups always seems cheaper to me! That way you can divide things such as food/hotels!

Anonymous · Answer

Check out the economy before booking! I went to Argentina last year and didn't realize how cheap it would be. Months before heading that way, the economy plummeted and while this isn't ideal for people living their, my it definitely helped my wallet!

Ashley Stoyanov · Answer

I love using the Hopper app to track flights!

Kimberly Mc · Answer

If your preference is business class - I use www.topbusinessclass.com to get the best price on business/first class tickets. Sometimes you can't earn frequent flyer miles on the trips they book for you, but I'm okay with not getting those if the air fare is a steal!

Anonymous · Answer

Hi there! I recently went on a trip with my fiancé to Australia and the Philippines. The way I was able to save money on this big trip was to apply for a credit card that offered a lot of perks and points every time we spent on it. My logic here is that we are spending that much money anyway and having it on a credit card that provided points back is essentially getting money back to apply towards a trip (Or anything else).

I booked all of our travel on it on the first three months, got the sign up bonus (60,000 points) and was able to apply that towards one of the flights on the trip. The trip was supposed to cost around $4.3K (flights and hotels alone) but because of the points, we were able to bring it down to $3K. I used the points  we earned to pay for his flight and I have a mileage account that allowed me to use  my points to pay for my flight. 
I started getting super conscious about having mileage accounts and just earning points in general because of this experience.

MsDiedre1 · Answer

Hi! Depending on where you live, there may be some staycation treasures within a matter of miles. Research B&Bs, mid-range resorts, and vacation rentals to find some great deals. For nearby treats like  spa visits, activities, and special events check Groupon, LivingSocial, and Woot! You can also make it a group vacation and save on  room rates and fees, find places that have kitchens to allow you to bring your own foods and save on dining out for meals like breakfast and lunch then indulge in a nice dinner on some evenings.

Maggie B · Answer

I slowly save money over time!  There are many apps out there that can help with that.  I started with an Acorns investment account for round-up investments and small contributions that I can pull from as needed for travel.  I also recently added an Acorns debit card that I have tied to my direct deposit from work, and I only use that card when I'm traveling.

Amortentsia519 · Answer

This is a great question, and while a lot of the hacks you read on the internet aren't real (there is no 'sweet spot' of when to buy flights anymore), you can use a few strategies and tools to help.
•First, use a travel agent! Many times a travel agent is specialized in a destination and can offer insider tips.  Travel agents can also leverage their corporate discounts on great hotels and flights to get you better deals.
• If you know when you want to travel, but aren't too set on where, head to Google Flights and put in your departure city and dates.  You can explore the map for fares to different destinations. 
•If you can plan ahead, consider traveling on a group expedition. G Adventures and Whoa Travel are 2 that offer female friendly group travel programs. The whole itinerary is set up, and you can make payments over time. Make a list of your dream destinations, join their mailing lists, and keep an eye out for discounts!
•If you know where you want to go and have a rough idea of when, set upnfare alerts on Google Flights to tell you when the airfare has dropped into a range you can afford.
•Do research on the economy of the place you want to visit, and make smart choices. For example, taxis in Tokyo are notoriously expensive ($300-500 for a one-way pickup from Narita), but there's a train to the city, or comfortable Limo Bus that stops at/near several hotels in the city for a $25 investment!

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