Episode: 361 - Travel Smart: Mastering Budget Friendly Vacations
Are you a wanderlust at heart, dreaming of exploring new destinations but worried about the cost? Travel can be expensive, but with some smart planning, it's entirely possible to embark on exciting adventures without emptying your wallet. Here are some creative ways to travel more affordably.
Plan and Save Early
Treat your vacation like a monthly bill by automating small savings. Start a vacation fund early, and involve the family in the process. Kids can contribute by starting a lemonade stand or organizing a garage sale with old toys, putting the earnings towards souvenirs and exciting tours.
Leverage Brand Loyalty
If you consistently fly with the same airline or stay at a certain hotel chain, make sure to enroll in their loyalty programs. Accumulating points or rewards can lead to discounts or complimentary stays and flights.
Set a Daily Budget
Create a daily spending limit for activities, meals, and treats. This will help keep your spending in check so that you don't blow your budget early in the trip.
Pre-Book for Discounts
Look for discounted tickets and offers in advance on sites like Groupon or local tourism websites. This can save you money on attractions, tours, and museums.
Use Free Itinerary Apps
Take advantage of free online tools like Roadtrippers, Visit a City, or Rome2Rio, which help you build travel plans and estimate costs. For road trips, consider using Gas Buddy to estimate fuel expenses along your route.
Balance Free and Paid Activities
Mix your schedule with both free and paid activities. Spend a day hiking or relaxing on the beach, and splurge on a tour or experience the next day.
Pack Your Own Fun
Bring along a picnic kit, games, or snorkeling gear to enhance your downtime. It's a great way to enjoy yourself without spending extra. And remember the essentials—like sunscreen—to avoid those inflated prices at tourist spots.
Seek Local Gems
Avoid tourist traps by researching local blogs or threads for inexpensive hidden gems. You'll often find more authentic experiences at a lower cost.
Limit Souvenirs
Rather than buying numerous souvenirs, set a limit and stick to meaningful keepsakes. DIY options like photos or a travel journal can be more personal. You might consider a small sticker for your suitcase or a refrigerator magnet as a memory of your journey.
Cook Your Own Meals
Choose accommodations with kitchen facilities so you can prepare at least one meal a day. Making breakfast or lunch at home saves money for other activities and experiences.
Gift Experiences Instead of Items
Before leaving for your trip, consider asking for experience-based gifts for birthdays or holidays, such as vouchers for activities or excursions.
Check for Local Passes
Many cities offer multi-day attraction passes or have special deals for city tours and museum days. Plan your trip around these opportunities to maximize your savings.
Track Spending
Keep an eye on your spending using a simple tracking app to ensure you stay on budget while enjoying your trip.
With these tips in mind, what adventures are calling your name? Where will your travels take you next? Embrace the thrill of exploration without the financial stress, and discover the world with an adventurous yet frugal spirit!
Resources
The Totally Awesome Debt Freedom Planner https://www.debtfreedad.com/planner
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Transcript
Kati Hatfield:
Do you love to travel and explore? I know I do. I've actually spent over 16 years in the travel industry and it was so much fun helping others plan great trips all across the globe and getting to go on multiple trips through my work or business whether it's meeting sales goals or going for training sessions and it was paid for. Typically, travel isn't usually cheap or free. Stay tuned to hear some creative ways to travel without breaking your budget. Thank you for listening to the Debt-Free Dad podcast, where we help everyday, normal people like you take control of your finances and live a happier, less stressful life.
Kati Hatfield:
I'm Katie, your host for today's episode, and I've been on my journey to debt freedom for seven years now, and in that time I've paid off over $226,725 in student loans, car loans, medical bills and credit card debt all on a single income. Now you're probably thinking seven years, katie. You probably haven't gotten to go on any fun trips that whole time, since you're paying off so much debt. Oh, but I have, and while a few trips were ones that I earned through work, I have definitely had to plan budget and pay for most of my vacations. I've gone on a week-long Bahamas cruise with my family, several girls, getaways for long weekends and my annual birthday trip every winter, which is a gift to myself, to help me get out of cold Wisconsin and thaw out.
Kati Hatfield:
I will admit, a chunk of my old debt came from several big, expensive vacations that I took in the last 25 years, and since I couldn't actually afford them, I simply charged everything to my credit cards, but I think I have actually paid them all off now. Everything to my credit cards, but I think I have actually paid them all off now. Finally, and I have learned so much on my journey that I now budget for my trips ahead of time, so pretty much everything is paid off before I ever step foot on a plane or a cruise ship, and I've planned for food, rental cars, uber rides, hotel stays and all the other expenses. This is huge, because now I can simply just enjoy the vacation and relax, not worrying about the credit card bill that's going to come shortly after the suntan fades. So I wanted to share some great tips to help you travel for less.
Kati Hatfield:
So before you go, you definitely want to plan smart. Number one set a fun fund early Treat vacation like it's a monthly bill. Automate saving a small amount each week or every paycheck, and get the family involved. The kids could do a lemonade stand or a garage sale with their old toys to put away some money for souvenirs and tours that they're excited about. Number two take advantage of brand loyalty to earn and use rewards. If you tend to fly the same airline every time you travel or stay at a particular brand of hotels, you can rack up points and rewards which you can use to get discounted rates or even free flights and hotel. Number three create a daily fun budget. Set a per day cap on spending for outings, food, treats. It just helps avoid blowing it all early or going overboard. Number four pre-book your deals. Booking discounted tickets in advance for attractions, tours or museums on Groupon, buy a Tour or other local tourism sites will help you save. Five use free itinerary apps. There's plenty of tools online, like Road Trippers, visit a City or Roam to Rio, which can help you build activity plans and estimate your travel costs. If you're taking a road trip, you can even estimate your gas expenses along your route by using GasBuddy Jumping.
Kati Hatfield:
To number six mix it up Free and paid activities. You can balance your days, like doing a beach day or hike one day and then splurge on a tour for the next. Number seven pack your own fun. Bring a picnic, kit games, snorkeling gear, a Bluetooth speaker to enhance downtime without spending extra. And don't forget the essentials like sunscreen. I once had to pay $33 for some at the airport in Mexico. I have never forgot it again.
Kati Hatfield:
Number eight skip the tourist traps. If you can find some local blogs or Reddit threads for cheap hidden gems, you can skip the overpriced hot spots. Number nine set a souvenir limit. Stick to one meaningful item or do a DIY souvenir like photos, pressed flowers, handwritten travel journal entries. Instead of getting a t-shirt or a stuffed animal in every destination, I love to get a sticker of the destination to go on my suitcase, plus something small and easy to pack on the trip home, like a refrigerator magnet or a Christmas ornament to remember my travels.
Kati Hatfield:
Number 10, cook one meal a day. Choose some lodging with a kitchen or a fridge and make breakfast or lunch at home to save money for activities throughout your trip. These are some creative hacks. Number 11, gift yourself activities Before you go on vacation. Ask for birthday or holiday gifts in the form of experiences or excursions instead of stuff. Hop on and hop off city tours or museum free days. Plan around those, but note there might be crowds, so make reservations ahead of time, if possible. Number 13, track as you go. Use a simple spending tracker or app to stay on top of your budget while still enjoying yourself. So let me ask you which tips are you looking forward to implementing on your next trip? Where are you looking to travel next? Comment on today's episode and give us some of your best ways to save on vacation.
Brad Nelson:
Now listen if you're ready to break free from living paycheck to paycheck which, if you're listening, I hope you are. You want to reduce financial stress. You want to build savings. You want to finally pay off debt for good, but you're not sure where to get started. Don't worry, we've got you covered here at Debt Free Dad. Simplify my Money is sent each Sunday to your email. We make it easy and Simplify my Money. It's your step-by-step roadmap to better financial control, and you're also going to learn easy to follow strategies to manage your money effectively. You're going to get stress-free money decisions that will help you simplify your financial life with proven tips that actually work. You're also going to gain the tools and the confidence to tackle your financial goals head on. You can sign up for Simplify my Money by clicking the link at the top of the show notes. Thanks for joining us on today's show and we will see you guys on the next episode.
