Tips for Saving Money on U.S. Vacations

A vacation is more expensive now than it was a decade ago, but there are also some great ways to save money today that I had never heard of ten years ago. If you are planning to travel within the United States in the future, here are some money-saving tips you’ll want to know.

The first step to any vacation is getting there? Are you going to fly or drive? If you are planning to fly be sure to start looking for tickets well in advance. If you can be flexible on your vacation dates you have a better chance of saving money as well. You should check airfares daily, my husband is great at this. I am not. If you are like me, you may want to talk to a travel agent. They can let you know if your tickets go on sale.

Buying airfare is a little like gambling these days and my best advice is, don’t make a panic purchase. On a recent vacation to Hawaii my dad made a panic purchase and spent $400 more than I did on two plane tickets because he heard a rumor they were going up. My sister on the other hand saved hundreds on tickets to Santiago, Chile through a travel agent because the agent alerted them to a 48 hour sale.

Your other option is driving. If you have the time, road tripping it can save you money and allow you to see some great things. Gas prices are high, but if you have a family it will still be much less than airfare for all of you. It will also save you from having to rent a car or pay for public transportation once you get there. The obvious money-saving tip is choose a fuel-efficient vehicle and choose a direct route, but you may want to use the drive as a sight-seeing opportunity and that is certainly not a bad thing.

Next you have to figure out where are you going to stay. Aside from maybe camping, one of the cheapest options I have found is renting an apartment or condominium. Not only does it give you more space than a hotel room, but it has a refrigerator and stove. Those two things can save you a lot of money on food. Grab a gallon of milk and box of cereal and you will save at least ten dollars per person each day just on breakfast. You can also get stuff for making sandwiches for your lunch and save even more. I know eating in isn’t as fun as going out, but restaurants can be very hard on a budget. If you want to eat out, plan for it — go somewhere you will really enjoy rather than the first place you come across.

As for activities, there are a variety of ways to save money. Look for free or cheap activities and many places offer coupon books that might be useful. You can also look for package deals, many cities offer several activities over a few days for a lower price than visiting them separately. Just make sure you will use it fully so you don’t end up paying for more than you used.

Good planning goes a long way in saving money while on vacation and that goes for anywhere you visit across the nation.

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