How to Travel on a Budget

Travel & Leisure

  • Author David Smith
  • Published February 20, 2020
  • Word count 604

Traveling isn’t cheap, and there are some well known rules to saving money, like being flexible with travel dates, staying at Airbnbs, using frequent flyer miles and vacations during the off season. But there are also less obvious travel discounts that may have never occurred to you to take advantage of. By maximizing your travel savings, you will be able to enjoy traveling with greater frequency.

Book with a hotel that has just opened

For grand openings, many hotels offer discounted introductory rates to fill up empty rooms. Same is true with an airline’s new routes, which will have tons of available seats and almost always cheaper fares. So the extra steps you take with a little Google investigation can reap huge rewards with travel discounts. Google phrases like, "new hotel Maui" and when you get the results, hit the "news" tab for the latest updates.

Hotel savings and freebies

If you’re staying at a hotel, you can find little ways to save money, which can really add up. Watch those silly in-room refrigerators. Anything taken from these are about quadruple in price from bringing in your own, or going for a walk down the street to a convenience store. Rather than paying $5 or more for bottled water in the room, grab the complimentary bottles in the hotel gym, or bring in your own six-pack.

Most hotels offer free coffee and tea in the lobby, and some type of continental breakfast. More than 30 major hotel chains, however, offer a more robust complimentary breakfast that goes beyond the typical continental. We’re not talking about paltry yogurt and cereal, either. From protein-packed breakfast bowls to freshly made waffles and pancakes, guests can start their day right. In addition to traditional eggs and bacon, there are also a number of healthier options.

Major chains like Marriot offer in-room Wifi for free, and others offer it in lounges, lobbies and shared spaces rather than in guest rooms. Some hotels require you to sign up for a rewards program to gain free internet access.

Hotels rely on their reputation like crazy. They need those 5 stars in digital land to keep their doors open, so that means they need your feedback, so they often like to reward you for it. If your room isn’t ready for check in, housekeeping did not come, neighbors were partying all night or the gym was closed for renovations, they will often comp you. For the inconvenience, you could get anything from a complimentary breakfast to room upgrades to waived fees (like a resort fee). It’s worth the try.

Discount flights and airlines credit cards

If you fly often, you are probably already aware of the perks of being a frequent flier loyalty member such as when you fly at least 25,000 miles with an airline, you generally get free, unlimited upgrades. Waived baggage fees can save an average $50 round-trip and better seat choices are also added bonuses. One of the best cards is Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard with American Airlines. Check out what they are currently offering.

If you don’t fly that often, you can still get some of the same benefits by getting an airline’s credit card with the perk of hefty bonus miles just for signing up. As long as you have the card, you will get free checked bags and priority boarding and, of course, miles for every dollar spent, which is true for all major airline credit cards. Whether you continue to use the card for purchases after three months is up to you, but just having it has advantages.

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