Top 6 Ways to Cut Your Travel Costs

Booking a trip is a very exciting and often stressful task. It’s important to keep your eye on the prize, which is the trip itself, but also employ a variety of travel hacks and tips that will help you to save money. Just think, all those savings can be put aside for your next holiday or be put to use elsewhere in your life. But what are the best ways to cut travel costs? Here we’ll take a look at six must-use tips.

Get the Best Price on Flights

Flights are a great place to start when it comes to cutting travel costs. There are online tools that are designed to help you search available flights, compare prices, and even plan multi-city flights all at the lowest price possible. You can also use basic tips like flying mid-week rather than on the weekends, booking the red-eye flight, and choosing non-direct flights. There is no reason to over-pay these days, even with inflation.

Travel in the Shoulder Season

Here’s one of the most effective ways to cut your travel costs, and pretty substantially at that. Traveling during the shoulder season, which means the off-season or non-peak season will save you a lot of money. The crowds will be less, attractions can be cheaper, accommodations easier to book, and even flights are easier to find. 

The downside of the shoulder season is that it may not be the ideal weather in that destination. It comes down to the region and climate.

Find Cheap and Free Things to Do and See

This tip applies mainly to city-based travel, as there tends to be more variety when it comes to cheap and free things to do and see. Look into what festivals or fairs may be happening, discount days at museums and galleries, lower prices based on the day of the week or time of day, self-guided tours, and more. This tip requires a bit of creativity but can pay off in a big way.

Use Travel Loyalty Rewards/Points

For those who travel often, it makes sense to enroll in travel loyalty programs that offer points and rewards. These can be cashed in or redeemed to help bring down the cost of travel. Many people end up with so many rewards they can get free flights, free nights in a hotel, a cheap car rental, and more.

Be sure to compare the different programs so you can pick the one that makes the most sense for your lifestyle and the type of travel you do, and that offers the most bang for the buck.

Make Lunch Your Big Meal of the Day

Not staying at an all-inclusive resort where meals and snacks are included in the price? That means your budget can be blown out of the water if you’re not careful, as restaurants can vary greatly in terms of pricing. 

A good tip is to switch things up and make lunch your big meal of the day instead of dinner. The lunch menu tends to be much cheaper than a dinner menu, yet you’ll still get a huge array of options. At dinner, you can look for lighter fare options that will be easier on the wallet.

Skip the Car Rental and Use Public Transit

Another big travel-related expense is car rentals. These can be shockingly expensive, especially if you look outside the compact car category. A money-saving tip is to use public transit instead. This can include buses, trains, trams, subways, and so forth. If needed, you can always get a cab or a ride-share service, but keep in mind these will be more expensive than public transit.

Cost Savings Is More Than Possible When Traveling

All of these tips show you just how many different ways you can save on travel costs, making travel a more budget-friendly adventure.