Can you believe Christmas is less than two weeks away? The holiday season can be heavy on the wallet. Between travel, gifts, parties, and pot lucks we understand that sometimes your preconceived budget can expand throughout the month. We’re going to share with you some travel times to help you save money when planning a last-minute vacation, or if you want to get ahead of your 2020 travel plans. Spending less on travel gives you a great opportunity to budget in more of that fun stuff while on vacation. You don’t need to win the lottery to enjoy some exotic travel plans.
Let’s get started!
Planning:
Spontaneous traveling can be great, however, usually only if you have time and money readily available. When traveling on a tight budget our first tip is to come up with a plan and stick to it. You don’t need to break the bank to enjoy travel. You don’t need to have an hour-by-hour schedule that you stick to; however, you will need to have somewhat of a guideline to stick to avoid any unnecessary spending. For example, how many days do you want to spend in a certain location? What is the most cost-effective way of travel? Do I know which route I’m taking? You’d be surprised at how planning these questions out can save you money. Leave less to chance by avoiding as many last-minute adjustments and accommodations as possible.
Apps Are Your Friend:
With the rise of the internet, we no longer must flip through individual hotel and airline websites. Websites such as Expedia, Hotels.com, or Kayak make travel plans a breeze. These sites search hundreds upon hundreds of travel locations and give you the best deals and even bundles. You can even figure out your fuel costs for travel by using sites like Gasbuddy! Search Google, iTunes, or Google play for travel aids such as these.
Pack Snacks:
Long road trips mean packing enough snacks to hold you over. Fast-food can get expensive, especially with large families. I am a huge snack packer for all occasions not only for the price factor but for the health aspect as well. This trick also saves time on the road. Packing snacks means fewer pit stops. You’d be surprised how quickly food can cut through your travel budget. Give it a try and bring your own food along for the ride.
Flexibility:
When traveling on a budget, there is one thing you’ll need to be good at… flexibility. Being flexible is important because odds are if you are trying to travel on a budget you may not get the dates, times and locations you prefer. Traveling before, or after the holidays is much cheaper, but also reduces stress greatly. Holiday traffic? No, thank you. Living in a close region to L.A, I know not to even try to get on a freeway on or near a holiday. These are minor adjustments we need to make to make the most out of our tight budgets.
Buy in Advance:
Flights can be so pricey. I always cringe at check-out when all the fees and taxes are added to my already expensive plane ticket. You want to book well in advance, especially return tickets. Going on vacation with no guaranteed return flight can be terrifying. You can book well in advance, even up to a year with some airlines! The sooner the better.
Did you know that the cheapest midweek travel prices are the lowest on a Tuesday? Premiums are usually added to weekend flights and busy travel dates. Another bonus of weekday travel is that you’ll probably encounter much shorter TSA wait times, easy parking, and breeze through the check-in process. Also, the business class is nice, but saving money is even nicer. Opt for the economy; odds are the price increase isn’t worth the benefits, especially if it’s a shorter trip. If you do have to fly on a weekend, you can cut costs by traveling light and not paying for a checked bag.
Shipping Christmas Gifts:
This is a trick I’ve used many times. It’s often cheaper to mail gifts rather than using your baggage space or renting a vehicle to transport gifts. Typically, around the holidays shipping deals start popping up such as free shipping, expedited shipping, or discounted shipping. Consider paying for gift wrapping through a company and having gifts shipped directly to the receiver as opposed to having it shipped to your house, wrapping, then paying to ship or transport.
The holidays can be stressful enough. The cost of holidays alone is enough to make anyone nervous and anxious. Traveling doesn’t need to be made harder than it already is, so implementing cost-effective tips and budget-friendly ideas can save you money as well as the unnecessary holiday stress. We’ve created several other blog postings for our audience to make this holiday season a breeze. Our other topics include minimizing holiday stress, handling grief during the holidays, as well as the best Christmas tech gifts for your loved ones. Be sure to head over to these other topics to ensure your holiday season a great one.
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