Ways to Save on Your Next Adventure

"Roam far and wander wide." ~ Unknown

"Oh the places you'll go." ~ Dr. Suess

Traveling brings me so much joy. When I speak of my next travel adventure I often hear "where are you going now?" Thankfully my husband Andrew enjoys traveling just as much as I do. We are blessed that we have the ability to travel, and because we have been on a decent amount of trips together we have learned ways to save when planning our trips. This post is going to be letting y'all in on the different ways we save when planning our trips. Let's get to it.

Once we've decided on our destination we think transportation. How are we getting there? We first decide if the location is a drivable distance or would we need to fly. If it is drivable (and if the price of gas isn't too steep) we opt for driving rather than flying, and that can save quite a bit. If our destination is better suited for flying, the first thing we do is compare different airline costs through Kayak.com. Kayak has a nifty calendar on their website which shows the cheapest dates to fly, for example it's cheaper to fly on Monday rather than Sunday. Kayak also shows you what flight times for that airline cost the least. A lot of dollars can be saved choosing the right flight, like choosing direct flights, booking morning departures, and flying to and from international airports. Booking as early as you can will also save on cost, Andrew and I tend to book flights 3-6 months in advance of big trips. Once we've analyzed each flight in our spreadsheet, we then decide based on price and time. Andrew and I prefer to fly with Delta, but we have also flown Southwest, and other airlines when it has saved us money to do so.

After deciding on transportation, it is time to decide where you will be staying. These two things are what can make or break your wallet during vacation planning. When deciding where to stay I like to compare the cost of hotels vs. Airbnbs. A majority of the time I feel hotels are less expensive than Airbnbs, because of the added cleaning fees that are tacked onto a stay at an Airbnb. (One time I saw a cleaning fee of around $300 on Airbnb! Like excuse me, what?) Sometimes though, a nice Airbnb can be cheaper. On our last beach trip we found an Airbnb that was on average $100 cheaper than the available hotels. You can also save money on Airbnbs if you travel with friends to split the cost. Trivago.com, Expedia.com, and Booking.com are great websites for price comparing hotels. For Airbnbs I generally just filter my price range during my search. I compare the hotel and Airbnb to select the best deal. I factor in the experience and quality of the place when making my bookings.

It is also smart to plan your vacations on off seasons for wherever you are going. That tends to lower hotel prices and flights. If you know you are going somewhere that may be busier in the summer, visit in the fall. Also try to avoid vacations around major holidays. Prices then are crazy expensive. Take things like this into consideration for bigger savings.

Another potentially costly aspect of travel is activities and eating out during your trip. It can be difficult to limit your excursions. After all, that is part of the experience! This is where I stress the importance of saving money, and setting some aside for your trips. Allocate a certain amount of money strictly for these things. If you find ways to save on hotel, flights, etc. during your planning process this gives you more money to spend on activities. And of course you can always find activities that do not cost anything where you visit and do those. Pinterest and Google will become your friend during that part of vacation planning.

Other helpful hints:

• If you are flying and your airline gives you the option of a free carry on bag, try and fit everything you need into it so you don't have to pay for boarding extra bags. I have never in my life had to pay for my bags and I am an over packer, so if I can do it, you can too!

• Wear your bulkier clothes on the plane to give more room in your suitcase.

• When gathering prices on Airbnb, Trivago and Booking.com make sure to select the stays to identify the total cost. Cleaning fees, destination taxes, resort fees, etc. are not always mentioned in the list price and can surprise you upon checkout.

• Having a Midwestern husband who doesn't mind driving long distances helps increase our driving radius. And enjoy the car rides! A lot of laughs, tangents, and experiences happen on the ride. (The husband wrote this one.)

• Flying into larger airports saves money compared to flying into a smaller airport. (ex. flying through Atlanta, Ga can cost less than flying into Columbus, Ga)