7+ Easy and Feasible Ways to Travel For Less

UPDATED FOR 2024

I love traveling and I have raised my children to enjoy traveling, but it can get expensive fast! With having seven kids, I’ve had to learn quickly how to make traveling less expensive!

Here are five easy ways to save for the next weekend trip or vacation!

1-Ibotta

Ibotta pays you money for doing what you are already doing–grocery shopping!

Ibotta is a free app that you download and then earn money for purchasing items you are already going to buy! You can earn money by purchasing specific items they have (ex. name brand items) or by purchasing items in certain categories (ex. milk, diapers, …).

This is in addition to the money it can save to purchase groceries on your trip instead of eating out every night. You can also use grocery delivery programs, such as Amazon Prime, that offer free delivery to deliver your necessities to your hotel or resort.

2-Use Credit Card Rewards Programs

Many credit cards offer some type of reward. Some offer cashback and others allow you to use your reward money to purchase gift cards at a reduced rate. This will enable you to earn money by doing things you already do (purchase gas, groceries…)!

(Credit cards can be great for rewards programs, but keep in mind that carrying a balance on a credit card makes the rewards programs NOT beneficial! Many credit cards have 25% interest and that is definitely NOT a way to save money!)

3-Open a separate savings account

One of the best ideas I have had, I came upon by accident. I opened a separate savings account at a different bank than what I typically use. I used this account to deposit refund checks, extra cash or coins I happened to have, etc…

Part of what made makes this work for me is that, since it’s at a different bank, I cannot move money to my debit account with a click of a button. The money in the new savings account stays in that account until I make the decision to use it for something (like a vacation)!

4-Buy Gift Cards

Stores such as Sam’s and Target offer gift cards at a reduced rate from their face value. This allows you to purchase gift cards for less than they are actually worth! You might not be able to use gift cards to pay for your entire vacation (or maybe you can), but it will help to make money stretch further!

What I like to do is purchase gift cards from Sam’s. They are available at a reduced rate and then I earn 1% in Sam’s money due to the type of Sam’s membership I have and I earn 1% towards my credit card rewards (see #2 above).

5-Travel During Off-Season

Most locations have an “off-season.” Those times of year may vary depending on where you want to go or what you want to do, so check into off seasons when you plan your next vacation!

Every area has different off-seasons. Florida’s off-season has historically been the fall because it’s hurricane season. So, definitely check into why it is off-season so you are prepared for what you are getting into!

6-Frequent Flyer Programs

If you are going to fly, check into frequent flyer programs! Most airlines offer them and they are definitely worth finding more information out about them to determine if they will benefit you, especially if they are free programs!

7-Local Discounts

Discounts are often available if you know where to look. If you hold an active zoo or museum pass from your local area you can often get into the zoos, aquariums, and museums when you travel at a discounted rate. With having seven kids, our zoo and museum passes paid for themselves after one use!!

Check out programs such as City Pass to find tickets to local attractions at a discounted price! We love seeing various places and doing a wide variety of activities when we travel and City Pass has allowed us to do all we want to do at a cheaper price!

With City Pass you pay one price to do several activities around one city! Many passes included zoos and museums, as well as other activities to pick from! It is definitely worth checking out if you are going to a big city!

CheapTickets is another online program that helps you save money on activites you alreaady plans to do!

You can also check out Ripley’s Believe it or Not online. They offer several discount ticket options to help you see and do more for less!

8-Other Discout Options

You can use online discount sites such as Expedia, Hotels.com, and Kayak. These are great sites to check out what your options are and compare prices. If you can save $10 a night on a ten day trip, that’s a lot of money! It’s definitely worth checking around to find exactly what you want and where you can pay the least for what you want!

Honey is also a good way to save money when you shop online because it will pull up coupon codes for you automatically! You can save money on websites you use everyday.

Plus, don’t forget to save money on things you use every day, such as Amazon!

Bonus:

I don’t only love to travel and find good travel deals, I also love to help families in other ways! I’m a clinical psychologist and mom of seven. I love sharing my best tips and tricks for making life easier and more enjoyable for all!

Check out my book. It’s on Amazon for Kindle and paperback!!

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