10 Ways To Make Your Travel Budget Go Further (Without Compromising Your Fun!)

Limited travel funds? Here are 10 tried and true ways to make your travel budget go further while still having a great vacation!

So here I am planning our next vacation – a road trip for spring break – and I’m looking at the increasing prices for EVERYTHING and shaking my head.

Our money definitely isn’t going as far as it did just a year ago. 

I’m having to budget more for gas and the rental car, hotel prices are increasing and don’t even get me started about food prices!

So how do I plan for a great vacation while watching our budget?

There are ways to cut costs that don’t make you feel like you’re missing out on a great time.

Here are 10 ways I save us money and make our travel budget go further – hopefully these ideas will help you too!

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1. Find Accommodations Centrally Located To Your Planned Activities

Find a hotel or rental that is centrally located to everything you want to do in a particular area. You can use this as a home base without having to change locations every day or two. 

When I planned our two-week road trip thru Scotland, I booked reservations at a beautiful rental property within a 2 or 3-hour drive of the things we wanted to see and do for the week.

While staying in West Calder for example, we were able to drive two hours south to Hadrian’s Wall, and thirty minutes to Rosslyn Chapel. On another day, we drove a half hour east to Edinburgh and spent the entire day exploring the city.

It may take a little extra drive time, but avoiding extra accommodation fees can make a huge difference.

Related: Isle of Skye – 11 Most Beautiful Places to Visit on the Trotternish Loop

2. Minimize Your Eating Out

Along with transportation, food is one of the biggest expenses of traveling.

Try and bring breakfast and lunch with you and only eat out for dinner rather than eating out for all three meals (or more) a day.

When traveling, we often stop at a grocery store and grab simple on-the-go breakfast items like granola or protein bars, coffee to make with our travel French Press, and sandwich fixings for a quick but sustaining lunch.

Then we treat ourselves to dinner at a local eatery. This way we don’t have the guilt of spending quite so much money throughout the day, and are able to control our diet better as well.

When traveling, it’s so easy (and tempting) to just run into a restaurant or to a food truck and grab food. While perhaps convenient, the cost adds up.

Try to limit eating out to just once a day.

3. Book a Rental Instead of a Hotel

Consider staying at a rental property thru a company like Vacation Rentals By Owner – VRBO.

Rental properties have more room to spread out than a hotel room for those much needed quiet down-time moments in between hectic sight-seeing excursions.

And often when staying multiple days at one place, you can end up saving money with multiple night discounts and cleaning fees you’re only paying for once.

Rentals also have kitchens where you save money by cooking your meals rather than eating out. 

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “I’m on vacation! I don’t want to cook!”

Trust me, I’m with ya.

But….depending on who you’re traveling with, use it as an opportunity to try something different.

If traveling with friends, have each person take a different evening to make dinner and enjoy a home-cooked meal you DIDN’T have to prepare.

If traveling with older kids, give them a chance to make dinner. It can even be something as simple as hot dogs and mac n cheese. While you may have to oversee the production, you’re teaching the kids to become responsible, allowing them to do something nice for you, AND it gives them a feeling of being part of the family team by contributing to the experience.

VRBO rentals include everything from small mountain cabins to sail boats and large houses that sleep 20 people or more!

It’s fun way to have new experiences and make great memories!

4. Look to stay at places where breakfast is included

Nowadays it’s easy to find budget hotels that offer free or discounted breakfasts as an added incentive to book your reservation with them.

While not all hotel breakfasts are created equal, usually you can find something to eat or grab-and-go that will help you to save money on your food budget.

Bed & Breakfasts are another great option.

Usually breakfast is included in the price of your stay. You get to enjoy the comforts of home without being at home. And if they get great reviews by other travelers -chances are their breakfasts are great too!

5. Look for discounts on tickets or entry fees

If you’re visiting national parks that charge an entry fee, consider buying an America the Beautiful Pass.

For $80 you gain entrance to any national park for one year verses paying the $30 per vehicle entry fee every time you visit a new park.

Also, look at booking tours or excursions online where you can often find discounts by booking direct.

I’ve booked several tours where we’ve saved $1 or $2 per person by booking online directly through the operator’s website.

Every little bit helps and it does add up!

6. Join travel booking sites that give you discounts

Consider making hotel reservations through mobile apps if you don’t already.

I like using Booking.com because while they have rates comparable to other sites, I can usually save an additional 10% on my reservations by booking thru their mobile app.

Also, many travel reservation companies like Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others offer some kind of reward program for their users that generally increase the more you book with them over time.

Case in point, I just booked a place in Hilo, Hawaii for a trip this summer where I saved $68 between my loyal member rewards and booking thru the mobile app -a discount that didn’t show up anywhere else. (Believe me, I looked!)

FYI – Hotels.com also offers a 10% discount to teachers, military, government employees and first responders -which is great because public servants definitely need vacations!

7. Use credit cards with rewards or cash back

I love saving money when I spend money!

There are several credit card companies that offer rewards on travel-related expenses, including rental cars, hotel stays, and restaurants. These are a great way to boost your travel budget.

I also have a credit card that gives me 2% cash back on any purchases I make via contactless pay and 1% on all other transactions. This cash back, (it ends up being anywhere from $20-30/month) I add directly to our travel fund. And I pay the balance each month so I don’t incur any finance charges.

In 12 months, that can add up to more than $240! That can be a one night stay in a budget hotel that I feel like we’re getting for free just for using a card for purchases I would normally make anyway.

Like I said, it adds up!

8. consider looking at renting an RV vs a rental car

If you’re road-tripping, consider renting an RV rather than a car.

With an RV you can stay at campgrounds where the nightly rate is often less expensive than most hotel stays, especially if you’re traveling with more than 2 adults. Hotels (even budget ones) are now charging additional fees for the 3^rd and 4^th person in the room. And if you have to get 2 hotel rooms…it can get pricey quick!

We’ve rented RVs in the past that comfortably sleep up to 8 people. With that much room, we’re not tripping over one another as we tend to do in a small hotel room and we can make our own meals which helps save money too.

Depending on the length of time, location, and distance you’re traveling, an RV can be a cheaper option than renting a car, staying in hotels, and eating out every day.

Run the numbers and see where you end up. 

And if you’ve never driven an RV before -no worries! A 23-foot C-class RV with a cab-over bunk is really no different than driving a van. And the RV rental company will make sure you’re comfortable driving it before sending you off the lot!

9. Avoid Baggage Fees When Flying

If your travel plans include flights, try to book with an airline that includes the cost of baggage. 

Now I know it’s tempting to grab that $59 budget airfare, but if you’re not traveling with just a free personal item and have to pay $75 per carry-on each way, are you really saving money?

We like flying with Southwest Airlines because they usually have comparable rates AND you get TWO free checked bags in addition to a free carry-on and personal item. This makes traveling with the family a little cheaper when you don’t have hundreds of dollars you’re having to spend on baggage fees.

And since we usually fly to our road trip starting point, it also allows us to bring non-clothing items with us that we can use on our trip, preventing us from having to purchase them once we land at our destination.

Items like collapsible coolers that can fold-up and fit in a suitcase (to keep food & drinks cold while driving). And personal blankets and pillows – a must have on road trips. Sleeping away from home is just a little easier with your favorite pillow!

To find out what else we pack for our road trips, check out my list of 25 Road Trip Essentials!

10. Buy your alcohol before arriving at your destination

I’ve read other lists of how to save money while traveling that tell you to eliminate the alcohol.

I’m not going to do that.

I’m not gonna lie, some days it’s how I keep my sanity.

There are times after driving and exploring all day with my family that I love nothing better than being able to take a hot shower and relax for a few minutes with a glass of my favorite wine- especially if there’s an amazing view to take in too.

I hate spending money to buy from the mini-bar (if there’s one) or having to head down to the hotel bar for a glass that costs me as much as a bottle at home!

So if you like your relaxing moments too, save money and buy your concoction of choice before arriving at your destination.

I’m sure some of these suggestions and ideas you may already know and use. But maybe there’s one or two that are new and you can use on your next trip.

After all, traveling doesn’t have to break the bank and if you can stretch your travel budget out a bit and save yourself some money…then go for it and while you’re out there, embrace your inner dragonfly!

Planning a trip abroad soon? You need to check out these Top 10 Tips For Traveling Abroad before you go!

Do you have a suggestion that isn’t listed here? I’d love to hear it! Leave a comment below so we can all benefit!