5 Real-World Budget Travel Tips

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We’ve all been there, day-dreaming about a vacation, but with no motivation to plan or pay for one more stressful thing. Whether we like it or not: vacations can very quickly snowball into a huge amount of stress and financial strain. In order to avoid both of those things – here are 5 tips to help you budget travel like a pro and cut down on stress!

1. Visualize Your Trip

One of the biggest reasons people get stressed while planning for vacations is that they don’t decide what type of vacation/traveling they want to be doing (or not doing). Different types of trips require different packing needs. Seems obvious right..? In reality, we’ve all made the mistake of packing our entire closet for a fictional idea of what our vacation will be? So let’s talk about an example: Last year I went to Italy with my hubs. When you read that last sentence.. did you imagine laying on the beach and riding on the back of a Vespa? {Lizzie McGuire style obviously} Or did you imagine hiking the 4-hour in-and-out Path of the Gods trail along the Amalfi coast and conquering a few epic peaks in the Italian Alps?

While we certainly mixed in different aspects of both types of trips- we couldn’t have if we didn’t plan ahead for what we wanted to take advantage of. I can honestly say I don’t feel like I missed out on anything because I packed beachwear, hiking gear, and a few cute dinner outfits, (that sometimes doubled as swim cover-ups) all in my carry-on backpack.

2. Pack Light- You’re Not a Fashion Blogger

It’s been our experience that you can combine different vibes in one trip. The ‘lounge on a beach’ vibe, hiking/physically challenging outings, and cultural immersion are all possible – IF you pack right. Again, I bring back the example of the Italy trip – for two weeks we lived out of backpacks. That’s not possible without careful planning and even on that trip – we didn’t do it perfectly. Vegas/Arizona was the trip where I truly learned the value of packing light. The highlights of the trip did NOT require me to pack heavy – just to pack smart. You can have fancy clothes, hiking clothes, and GoPro gear– while also never worrying about your bag arriving with you to your destination! ( These are the BEST backpacking packs that we both use! Mens / Womens)

Eye-masks for example. They have SO many uses and are highly underrated for trips in my opinion. Need a moment to decompress from the inevitable stress of being in a foreign country? Eyemask {On a train or alone in your hotel room not looking at your phone is best, not on a public bench like a crazy person.. Whatever floats your boat and doesn’t get your bag stolen though!} Crazy jet lag and different time zones? Eyemask. Have a headache and some light sensitivity? Eyemask. Would like to ignore your traveling companions for a spell? Eyemask – and headphones. Our favorite neck pillow/eye-mask set here. 

The extended metaphor of the eye-mask rounding out my way of saying: try to focus on everything serving double + triple duty when you’re trying to pack light. Adding checked bags can make your flight up to $300 more expensive sometimes! For budget travel- this is very much possible to avoid.

Click here for a shoppable list of my favorite comfy athleisure wear!

3. Research the Climate

Another big travel stressor is not having appropriate weather-related clothing. Let’s explore an example: Visiting Iceland.

• The average temperature for Iceland in October is 4.8 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit). So you need layers that will keep you warm in colder and warmer conditions. An average is simply that- the highs and the lows giving you a roundabout number. Assuming you’ll be fine if you pack for 40-degree weather is a mistake. Hats, gloves, and thick socks are necessities if you’d like to enjoy iceberg sightings and the northern lights.
• In the middle of June which is the peak season for Iceland- there are only about 3 hours of nightfall. Let me repeat that. 3 hours. If you don’t think you can sleep in the daylight (I know I couldn’t), then get an eye-mask and some sleep aids to make sure you can be rested for a full day of activities. Being exhausted from not sleeping well is not going to put you in the adventurous spirit you need to truly enjoy the beauty of Iceland!

You catch the drift at this point: More preparation = more comfort and enjoyment.

4. Shop Your Stay

I’m sure you’ve seen a million travel bloggers talk about the resorts they stay at, the AirBnBs, etc. This can be one of the priciest points of your trip and as a realist about budget travel, remember your goals for the trip. Tip #1 will let you know if the place you stay matters! If you’re specifically going to a resort to be at the resort all day, taking advantage of those amenities, (spa, the full-service bar at the beach, all-inclusive, etc), you may need something more upscale. When focused on the adventures you’re going to have away from your hotel- compare prices. Airbnb, local hotels, hostels, etc. can all be great budget travel options.

When Ev and I travel, we do typically love to get an Airbnb, but we’re not 100% committed to it. The goal is to stay flexible and stay in line with our vision for the trip! To get $55 off of your first Airbnb, follow our link here!

5. Cashback and Credit Card Points

Before I got married, I pretty much operated my finances off of my debit card. After getting married, Ev showed me the ropes of Rewards Credit Cards: We run everything off of our credit card to gain points. It’s actually pretty amazing how fast it all stacks up when all of your daily living expenses are run through it. { Please use responsibly! } Our flights roundtrip to Aruba for our honeymoon, Vegas and New York were all ‘free’ as reward purchases for using our Chase rewards card.

If you’re wondering what card we have – Chase Bank has treated us well with the ‘Freedom Unlimited’ card! Another way to use the points is to redeem them for Amazon gift cards. This is how Ev and I purchased our high-quality backpacking gear for the Italy trip! I highly recommend looking into a rewards card! Our rewards card gives us $1.50 in cashback rewards for every $100, which is one weekly grocery trip for us – earning us about $84 a year. 

Another way to maximize your budget for travel is to book rental cars, hotels, and excursions ahead of time. Ibotta, Rakuten ( what used to be Ebates), and Swagbucks are the most user-friendly options from testing them out personally. Ibotta especially has really great cashback deals and in the app- you can upload your receipts before you ever leave the Kroger parking lot! My personal favorite money-saving hack is Wikibuy so be on the lookout for a post coming soon on how to use it!

We know.. it seems like a LOT of work.

Overall, the goal of sharing tips like these is to help the normal busy folks! As two busy working professionals, each of these tips has become part of our routine at home and have saved us a lot of crunch time stress before trips. If you need help remembering the links to the money-saving sites or finding that $55 travel credit with AirBnb – click the Pinterest Icon and save this post to come back to while planning!

Related Posts:

Micro Adventures During Quarantine

How to Save Money for Travel: Hard Truths

10 Great Books to Inspire Your Travels

Thanks for sharing!