Vacation on a Dime: Hints of a Frugal Traveler

Vacation on a Dime:  Hints of a Frugal Traveler

By Jane Lee Bock

There’s no getting around it all: If you want to travel you will have to spend some money. But you can significantly reduce your travel costs for your trip with just a little planning and a little more ingenuity.

I just took two trips to Florida by driving a friend of the family’s car and dog (down and back) from New York. A lot better than simple couch-surfing, they paid the expenses for the drive down and the flight home, plus they put us up for a week so we could have some down time in the sun. On the way we stopped to see Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, North Carolina. Sure, those deals can be hard to come by, but if you make people aware that you are available for such adventures you just might be lucky enough to get at least a few days away from home when you otherwise wouldn‘t be able to.

If you must fly to your destination you have to seriously scrutinize the airlines website and join some websites that search for deals and send you their best each week. I once got a fare so cheap it cost me more to park the car in the airport lot than the airfare cost for a round trip flight. Also become a frequent flyer club member of any airline you might use to get their deals in your email.

Next, check the “season” for your destination (you can usually find this in an area’s tourism website) and pick either the end of the season or just before it begins to get the best deal. Timing is everything when you need hotel and activities discounts. If you are going to need clothing that you don’t normally wear at your destination, shop thrift stores or end-of-season sales in advance to get cheaper apparel.

As for hotels, they have “frequent guest” programs too. So even if you are selecting the cheapest hotel or motel you can find, look on their website to see if they give special consideration to members of their clubs. You just might get a cool upgrade or a free night just by joining.

Other accommodations can be found by checking unused timeshares (eBay is a good source). People very often cannot use their unit every now and then and will offer it at what they pay for their annual maintenance fee just so they don’t lose money.  You could pay half of what you would pay if you booked it direct.

For your food, shop grocery stores instead of restaurants when you can. If you brown bag your lunch at home there’s no reason you can’t do it on vacation too. Many hotels offer free breakfasts now so make sure you choose one of those. You can always take an apple or other snack from their buffet with you on the road to avoid the urge to stop at a pricey restaurant during the day.

Finally, check your credit card’s rewards program. You may already have points stored up that you could use for a hotel, car, restaurant or even an activity. Don’t let those points go unused. That’s like giving money away and you are too smart for that, right?