The start of summer sends most of us dreaming of travels far and wide…at least until our bank balance swiftly snaps us back to reality. Or…maybe not.
As the blogger who loves being the bearer of budget-friendly news, I was delighted to discover 3 easy travel tips that really DO save you money. Oh, and I promise they don’t involve camping out of your car, or the overrated “staycation” that quickly turns into a week of boring chores and a bad case of facebook envy.
- Travel During Off-Peak Seasons
No, I’m not suggesting you try to take a ski vacation in August, or go to a beach resort at the peak of their hurricane season (although, that could be pretty exciting). I’m talking about traveling to destinations during certain months considered “off-peak” by regular tourist standards, but are perfectly good times to visit. By traveling off-season, sometimes you can save more that 50% on airfare, lodging and food, not to mention the added bonus of less crowds and more availability. Just being flexible by a week, a day, or even the hour can get you a substantial amount of savings on your summer travels. Marriot offers a great infographic showing the best off-season travel spots broken up by month.
- Go All-Inclusive
In the past, just mentioning the all-inclusive vacation to me would bring up horrifying images of group conga lines and over-cooked buffet food. But, I soon discovered that the all-inclusive vacation of the past is now the up-and-coming way to experience some of the world’s most luxurious resorts on a budget. Plus, having your vacation planned for you is a pretty great perk. Check out these search pages on Travelocity and Tripadvisor for an easy way to find/compare vacation packages and all-inclusives.
- Pack Like a Pro
One of the worst “surprise” budget breakers when traveling is finding out that you’ll have to pay an extra fee for your checked baggage. The good news is, there are easy ways to avoid this.
- Underpack – pack lighter than you think you should because, I promise, you don’t need all those extra clothes. It’s usually cheaper to get something cleaned than paying the overweight or extra bag fee.
- Get a great backpack or a wearable vest-luggage you can find online to help cut down what needs to be checked. Skyscanner features a recent review of the most popular wearable luggage.
- Check the weight rules of your airline ahead of time and weigh your bags at home. This gives you time to pick and choose what you really need to bring.
One last, but important tip. Before you shop online for your travels, be sure to take a few seconds to add Gumdrop to your browser. Gumdrop will automatically give you savings alerts from the sites you shop, instantly apply savings at checkout, and send Goodshop’s donation directly to your cause. Get Gumdrop FREE!
