Traveling can be an expensive hobby, cutting costs here and there will make a huge difference during your trip. Saving money and putting in the time to do research beforehand can make your vacation into the trip of a lifetime...
Finding the right airfare:
For most of you, the thought of sitting in front of a computer for hours searching tons of websites for that perfect itinerary sounds miserable. I, on the other hand, love it. When we are planning or even thinking about a new trip,
I can spend many hours searching for frequent flyer deals or finding that once in a lifetime deal. My favorite website to use is the Google ITA Matrix. It searches across tons of different airlines, with the exception of Southwest. The major Travel sites such as Expedia, Orbitz or Priceline are great for package deals but they will not search nearly as many airline as the matrix will. You can really tailor the Matrix to fit your perfect itinerary and find that great deal to help keep the costs down.
My second tip for airline tickets is frequent flier miles. It’s free to open an account! Do it! Even if you don’t travel often, the points will add up over time. There are even ways to earn miles without flying. Bored at work? Try doing some surveys. Love online shopping?…who doesn’t. Go through the airlines shopping portals to earn x amount of points per dollar spent. And for the food lovers like us, Most US airlines have a dining program that can earn you points when eating out. But the holy grail of miles earning is the mighty credit card (we will go more into that another time)
My final thought on airline tickets. Don’t always assume round trip tickets are the cheapest or best option. Look at booking one ways tickets on multiple airlines to maximize savings.
Hotels/Hostels:
Being the budget travelers that we are, staying in hotels can be the death of our wallets. It’s hard to score a great deal on a hotel, especially in the U.S. While abroad we choose hostels 99% of the time. Trust us when we say hostels are not bad, my mother still thinks hostels are more like roach motels, most of them are modern and newly renovated. HostelWorld is our go to site for hostel booking.
If you must stay at a hotel, the major online travel sites such as Expedia, Hotels.com or Kayak can be really handy. For last minute stays you can try the app Hotel tonight. If you don’t mind not know the exact location of your stay, the “name your own price “selection on Priceline can save you a bunch of money. Again, sign up for the free frequent traveler accounts through hotels, even if you don’t accrue enough miles, your booking process will easier as all of your information will be saved for the future.
Airbnb, the new king in town for lodging. Use it if you can, prices are low and locations can be awesome. Live like a local while on vacation. While most hotels are boxed into similar areas, the upside for Airbnb is that your location options are endless.
Car Rentals:
Whenever possible we try not to rent cars. They can become a huge liability and the thought of having to worry about my cars safety when I’m out and about drives me nuts. During our visit to Costa Rica, we had no choice but to get one. My main point I will try to drive across here (no pun intended) is to read the fine print. Even if your credit card or car insurance back home covers all you need, some countries will require you to purchase their insurance no matter what. This will unfortunately drive your costs up, but knowing beforehand will allow you to plan better.
As most of you already know, Uber and Lyft are excellent choices. If your travels allow, sign up for them and save yourself some money and hassle. Sign up here and receive a free ride on Uber or Lyft!
While Traveling:
We have learned our lessons the hard way. We love food and booze. That’s half the reason why we travel. But if you want to eat out and drink every night, you can expect to cut your trip in half. It adds up way too quickly. I’m pretty sure if we didn’t eat so much in Europe, our trip would have lasted a few extra weeks. Eat like the locals! Do you go out to dinner every night at home? I doubt it. Go find a market, grab some food and cook it back at your place. If your lodging doesn’t have a kitchen, go find some local street food or small vendors to eat at. Hitting the hottest restaurants every night is a wallet killer (unless you have a fat wallet, in that case go crazy!).
Please leave a comment if you have any questions.
-Anthony & Amy
For most of you, the thought of sitting in front of a computer for hours searching tons of websites for that perfect itinerary sounds miserable. I, on the other hand, love it. When we are planning or even thinking about a new trip,
I can spend many hours searching for frequent flyer deals or finding that once in a lifetime deal. My favorite website to use is the Google ITA Matrix. It searches across tons of different airlines, with the exception of Southwest. The major Travel sites such as Expedia, Orbitz or Priceline are great for package deals but they will not search nearly as many airline as the matrix will. You can really tailor the Matrix to fit your perfect itinerary and find that great deal to help keep the costs down.
My second tip for airline tickets is frequent flier miles. It’s free to open an account! Do it! Even if you don’t travel often, the points will add up over time. There are even ways to earn miles without flying. Bored at work? Try doing some surveys. Love online shopping?…who doesn’t. Go through the airlines shopping portals to earn x amount of points per dollar spent. And for the food lovers like us, Most US airlines have a dining program that can earn you points when eating out. But the holy grail of miles earning is the mighty credit card (we will go more into that another time)
My final thought on airline tickets. Don’t always assume round trip tickets are the cheapest or best option. Look at booking one ways tickets on multiple airlines to maximize savings.
Hotels/Hostels:
Being the budget travelers that we are, staying in hotels can be the death of our wallets. It’s hard to score a great deal on a hotel, especially in the U.S. While abroad we choose hostels 99% of the time. Trust us when we say hostels are not bad, my mother still thinks hostels are more like roach motels, most of them are modern and newly renovated. HostelWorld is our go to site for hostel booking.
If you must stay at a hotel, the major online travel sites such as Expedia, Hotels.com or Kayak can be really handy. For last minute stays you can try the app Hotel tonight. If you don’t mind not know the exact location of your stay, the “name your own price “selection on Priceline can save you a bunch of money. Again, sign up for the free frequent traveler accounts through hotels, even if you don’t accrue enough miles, your booking process will easier as all of your information will be saved for the future.
Airbnb, the new king in town for lodging. Use it if you can, prices are low and locations can be awesome. Live like a local while on vacation. While most hotels are boxed into similar areas, the upside for Airbnb is that your location options are endless.
Car Rentals:
Whenever possible we try not to rent cars. They can become a huge liability and the thought of having to worry about my cars safety when I’m out and about drives me nuts. During our visit to Costa Rica, we had no choice but to get one. My main point I will try to drive across here (no pun intended) is to read the fine print. Even if your credit card or car insurance back home covers all you need, some countries will require you to purchase their insurance no matter what. This will unfortunately drive your costs up, but knowing beforehand will allow you to plan better.
As most of you already know, Uber and Lyft are excellent choices. If your travels allow, sign up for them and save yourself some money and hassle. Sign up here and receive a free ride on Uber or Lyft!
While Traveling:
We have learned our lessons the hard way. We love food and booze. That’s half the reason why we travel. But if you want to eat out and drink every night, you can expect to cut your trip in half. It adds up way too quickly. I’m pretty sure if we didn’t eat so much in Europe, our trip would have lasted a few extra weeks. Eat like the locals! Do you go out to dinner every night at home? I doubt it. Go find a market, grab some food and cook it back at your place. If your lodging doesn’t have a kitchen, go find some local street food or small vendors to eat at. Hitting the hottest restaurants every night is a wallet killer (unless you have a fat wallet, in that case go crazy!).
Please leave a comment if you have any questions.
-Anthony & Amy
