What Travel Tip Has Saved You the Most Money?

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Travel can get expensive quickly, especially when you factor in flights, accommodation, transportation, food, and activities. I’m always looking for practical ways to stretch my budget without sacrificing the overall experience.

I’m curious to know: what is the single best travel tip that has saved you the most money over the years? Was it booking flights at a certain time, staying in a particular type of accommodation, using public transportation, traveling during the off-season, packing differently, or something else entirely?

I’d love to hear real examples of strategies that actually worked for you and made a noticeable difference to your travel budget. Whether you’re a frequent traveler or someone who only takes a few trips a year, your advice could be really helpful.

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Being a member of THS :rofl:

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I am all about loyalty programs and discounted gift cards. It takes a bit of planning and organization but I treat it like a game to maximize my rewards. I am able to fund a few weekend theatre trips a year this way. Covering my train, hotel, food and show tickets.

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Great topic!! We just explored multiple options for renting a car for one week in the US for a housesit we accepted in Oregon, US in July. We reserved ultimately via T-Mobile (our cell plan carrier) as their price was the cheapest BY FAR at $500 all in (both of us as drivers included). We checked the following: Capital One Venture credit card options, Amazon Prime, Amazon Visa, Budget w Loyalty program, Costco, Hertz w Loyalty program. We saw as high as $750 for the week. Do not accept the rental car company insurance as long as the credit card you use covers you (ours does, Capital One Visa) or your primary car insurance carrier. I considered asking to borrow the HO’s car but decided against it. :smiley:

If you want roadside assistance (lock out, flat, out of gas, dead battery, etc.) while traveling the US, we used to have AAA for many years at about $99/yr. This covers you for any car you are present in (owner, passenger, rental car, etc.). We switched to Allstate Motor Club adding onto our regular auto policy for $68/yr.

As @MaggieUU mentioned, I like loyalty programs too. My most used are: Chipotle, Potbelly’s (both semi fast-food), and the grocery store programs (Jewel, Tony’s Market, Albertsons, Safeway). The grocery store ones can save SOOOO much money but it is definitely a pain in the butt and takes time and patience and an app on your phone. Otherwise the best grocery prices are at ALDI and Trader Joe’s.

As for Pharmacy stuff - when we travel outside of the US to Mexico (probably others too) you can get your prescription drugs over the counter so much cheaper. Name brands for some, generic for others. Use a large chain store name, not the generic only pharmacies to get name brand options at the highest quality.

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Aside from @Oztravels mention of avoided travel accommodation costs :wink: then our top three cost savings would be

  • Near-zero “home” housing costs. We have been full-time housesitters for 3+ years and plan to relocate internationally so switched “home” property for a storage locker. While not suitable for many housesitters then this has saved us a whole lot
  • Booking key travel, especially international flights, well ahead of travel dates. For us, a key aspect of video calls is an assessment of pet parent commitment to their travel plans. We travel extensively, for seven consecutive months in 2025, with no checked suitcases. We use airlines for which our carry-on luggage and personal item have no charges.
  • Affordable cellphone usage. We avoid high-cost mobile/cell-phone plans. For the last few years, we have completed many housesits in UK and across various Schengen countries. Our eSIM of choice is Mobimatter - 1-year 40GB eSIM (UK, Schengen + USA) for $40 (less discounts), being a tiny fraction of roaming charges of conventional telecoms firms
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My public library. I enjoy reading travel books and any books about the place I am visiting, fiction and nonfiction. At my library, Harris County Public Library Houston TX, I can check out books, ebooks, audio books, and music too! Free

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We travel full-time & some of the tips that help maximise our budget include - using Skyscanner searches for flexible dates so you can travel on the cheapest day of the month; non refundable flights with zero add ons as they are always worthwhile even if 1 in 10 cancelled &/or you then add a bag or seat later; picnics, coffee flasks and sandwiches :sandwich: on excursions, travel days, hikes, city breaks as it saves us a fortune but you still have all the adventures; loyalty to trip dot com and booking dot com for passes, upgrades, special deals on hotels, flights, cars & lounges; street food & lokantas for fab local food at a fraction of restaurant prices; and then genuinely our THS membership saves a fortune on accommodation & bills as we move around. #whatareyours

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In U.K. if you travel by train you can get 2 for 1 entry to many popular tourist attractions. By showing a voucher code and your train tickets.

This has saved us a lot over the years .

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Hi @jainnorton :slightly_smiling_face:

For us, the single biggest money-saving tip has been travelling in shoulder season whenever possible.

After 14+ years of full-time travel, we’ve found that one decision often creates a chain reaction of savings. Flights are usually cheaper, accommodation costs less, attractions are less crowded, and you’re often not paying peak-season prices for everything else.

We’ve also learned to focus on the big-ticket expenses first. Many travellers spend a lot of effort saving a few dollars here and there, but changing a travel date by a week, choosing shoulder season, or staying longer in one place can save hundreds, sometimes thousands.

Housesitting has certainly saved us a fortune on accommodation over the years, but if I had to recommend one money-saving strategy that almost any traveller can use, it would be shoulder-season travel.

:paw_prints: :heart:

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I agree with @MTBer, what a great topic and some great advice too.

i thought I’d drop in a couple a forum discussions which may also help. :slight_smile:

Tips finding affordable accommodation
Finding the best value flights

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Did not know about this; thank you!

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My main strategies/habits:

— To ensure availability, book car & hotel early; book cancellable/refundable, & directly with the provider as a general rule (often cheapest, & avoids hassles later.) However, continue to regularly(!) re-check rates & special offers every couple weeks for your chosen providers*, up to the week of travel & even a couple days before your reservation date. If their rates drop, rebook at the lower rates & then cancel original reservation (do it by phone if necessary, although usually I can self-serve online.) Particularly with rental cars, rates can drop significantly as travel dates approach, if they haven’t sold out their inventory. (I saved $800+ on car rental in Kauai in December doing this, more than once.)

*Check competitors too, but often I’ve chosen my companies for loyalty perks that add value/amenities that would cost $$ elsewhere.

— car/accommodations in shoulder seasons & on weekdays is cheaper, if you have flexibility. (Although the opposite can be true in metro areas with lots of business travel.)

— if possible, consider renting cars in-town vs from the airport location. (Avoids extra fees & higher rates.) In the UK I often take a train from the airport to a town enroute to my first destination, & rent a car near that arrival station. Sometimes I can even do a one-way rental with drop-off to my final destination/leaving point/the airport, with minimal or no convenience fee.

— Travel/trip insurance is greatly discounted if purchased for a term (up to annual) vs per trip. (Be sure to check terms, maximums, coverage, & max days you can be out of your home country in one go for coverage to be valid. Check multiple companies & their reviews.)

— Choose your travel credit cards for the perks & savings you know you’ll use. Free Global Entry, airline credits, status with favored hotel chains, lounge access, free checked bags, & airline miles that convert to free flights/upgrades are some of mine, that all save me money.

— Petsitting — of course!!!

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@Oztravels Yes, and I like to add: this is only for people who can be respectful and are willing to have open communication with others. Preferably enjoys being with people ánd animals/pets.

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We use internationally (UK and USA) Groupon.com also for theatre and events. And Socialdeal.nl in The Netherlands. Be aware to check on Google maps first how the location looks like, as the promotional photo is not always a sincere reflection of the venue.

Now we use ai a lot, claude and ChatGPT for interesting websites locally.

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I find the best flights on skiplagged - a platform that finds loopholes in airfare pricing, including (if you’re traveling with carry on) multi-stop tickets with your destination as a hidden city, which is cheaper than booking direct.

I love Libby app and Borrowbox for books - you can sign up with your library card and get library loans delivered to your kindle, just as a physical book from a library.

When I’m not using THS I love Flatio & Spotahome & Idealista for accommodation, and want to try Outsite.

Claude cowork makes excellent interactive itineraries for any criteria and any budget; I did this recently for a trip to Glasgow and there were so many iconic, free activities to enjoy!

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Credit card points - Hands Down !!! I’ve not paid for a flight in years and will be using points for hotel stays in Japan (not a sitting trip) in a few weeks.

I only spend organically meaning that I don’t buy anything I wouldn’t normally buy just to get points (e.g. I pay health insurance, home insuance, utilities, all bills, groceries, etc.) so the points are, indeed, free as I also fully pay off my cc bills each cycle.

Unfortunately, this is only possible with US based ccs from what I’ve heard ?

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Home Exchange! After all, our home would sit empty while we travel, so why not trade homes with some like-minded people? It feels sort of like THS, but no pets (usually). There is also a points system, so you can collect points rather than trading homes reciprocally.

Between THS and Home Exchange, we hardly ever pay for lodging.

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@toreishi Sounds great! Happy for you and enjoy your travels! (I am not aware of anything similar outside USA)

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@STH Thanks for sharing. I will Google /AI this and see how far this will bring us!

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I’m not sure whether this counts as a money-saving travel tip, but it probably fits under ‘general travel tips’.

Sometimes, especially when we’re in a busy city, I simply want a break. No city sounds, no fast food, no constant noise, and preferably a better chance of finding clean toilets.

What we often do is visit a relatively expensive hotel, such as the Ritz or Hilton, and order a cup of tea or coffee, or perhaps a light lunch. Then we sit there for a while, relax, and read on our e-readers.

A little anecdote from Chicago: normally, when you’re sitting somewhere with plenty of empty seats around, people don’t choose the seat right next to you. At least, that’s usually our experience.

But while we were taking one of these little breaks from city life in the lobby of a Hilton hotel, it happened three times. Three :face_with_hand_over_mouth::flushed_face:Different people came and sat very close to us, 2 sort of started friendly conversations, and eventually revealed that they wanted to tell us about Hilton membership programmes. 1 person didn’t say anything and just left when we continued reading.

Once I realised what was happening, it became quite an interesting experience. The first time, I was surprised, because people generally don’t sit that close when there’s plenty of space. Now I recognise the approach, and honestly, I wish them all the best. They’re simply people trying to make a living.

As for us, we’ll stick to the coffee, the occasional light lunch or dinner, and the peaceful break from the city.

And yes, we really do love the coffee.