8 Effective Money-Saving Tips for Travelling That Can Help You Save Within Just One Year
By: Evie Mason
Tags: Tips, Saving Money, Travel Tips, Money, Traveling

8 Effective Money-Saving Tips for Travelling That Can Help You Save Within Just One Year Evie Mason Nov 20, 2019·6 min read

When you think of travel it’s hard not to think of costs. Because when you remove money from the equation of checking out a new destination, it becomes merely a dream. However, one misconception that many folks harbor about traveling is that it must be a hobby that only the affluent can afford. In truth, you don’t have to be Kim Kardashian to globetrot.

You don’t even need to be working at Google or Microsoft to be able to save for your next summer trip with your family. What you do require though is an iron-strong will and just an average paying job. Wondering how the common man can fly across countries to spend a memorable vacation abroad? Let’s help you chalk out a plan for saving within a year and lend you some money-saving tips for traveling:

1 — Set up a budget and stick to it

Of course, if you have traveling on your mind you must also already have thought about the place you want to visit next summer. Don’t only wonder though, go ahead and calculate all the expenses that you will have to meet. Count on the ticket costs, the money you’ll need for spending before and during the trip, your hotel stay sum, etc.

Once you have a budget in place, look at your current expenditure. Now its time for you to alter your spending and minimize your budget for the current year. How can you do that? Cut out all the expenses that you can avoid and put them into your savings column. Streamline the process by using an Excel sheet or a relevant app.

2 — Stay motivated

You will only be able to actually adhere to a new budget that you set for yourself when you are motivated enough. Several abandon their plans midway because adjusting to their new budget that focuses on saving more and spending less is inconvenient. To keep your enthusiasm fueled, try pasting images of your destination around your house.

If you have children whom you want to teach the skill of saving, talk to them about the fun that comes with traveling to pique their interest. Give them some money-saving tips for traveling too. Encourage them to save more by discussing with them all the ways their travel experience can benefit them. Clue: tell them they can get amazing pictures to post on Instagram!

3 — Live a minimalist lifestyle

Furniture and all the items that go into your home suck up a huge portion of your earnings. You can save money on these things by simply moving toward a more minimalist lifestyle. This means that apart from your basic necessities, nothing else is needed.

This also means that things that you no more need can go out. By selling extra stuff sprinkled around your house, you can make some extra cash too. If you are selling your children’s old clothes, set up a garage sale and invite people from around your neighborhood.

4 — Chop down those bills

Bills, bills everywhere! Here is where you need to make a major compromise. Start by trying to keep the electricity bill as low as possible. Switch off fans, lights, and other electronics that are not in use. No need to keep your room’s heater working when you are not in your room. You can also save on rent by getting room or housemates.

Next, slash down the extra bills. For instance, cancel your gym membership. You can exercise at home or in a park. Oh, also cancel all those useless subscriptions. Honestly, do you have enough time to watch Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming services round the clock? Cancel cable too. If you need at least once show streaming service, try buying a family package with friends.

5 — Save money on routine spending

You don’t have to purchase every expensive product that is out there. From your dishwasher to the body wash you use, cut down expenses wherever you can by choosing cheaper options. Try learning some skills such as doing your own eyebrows so that you can save on beauty services.

For your kids, purchase their school-related stuff from thrift shops when you can. For yourself, try using old items or borrowing from older siblings of yours. You can also buy non-perishable items in bulk when they are in a discount or there are any BOGO deals running. Also, stop spending big sums on entertainment. Limit your social life to cut down expenses.

6 — Spend wisely on special occasions

So, Halloween is coming up but is it necessary for you to buy your kids the most expensive costumes? Try being flexible and buying the cheapest alternative available. You can also be smart and purchase when prices are down. This means, buy for special occasions like Halloween just a day before the festival. Shop keepers reduce prices at the last moment to empty out stock.

The key is to buy when the season is off. Similarly, purchase winter clothing in summer and summer clothing in winter. See if you can repeat your clothes on particular events rather than investing in new ones. If you do buy new clothes, shoes, etc. make sure to buy those which you can wear on your summer trip, so you don’t have to shop once again just before your vacation.

7 — Collect and use coupons

Coupons can save you a huge deal of money whether you are spending on groceries or shopping for your personal belongings. For instance, you can use coupon code for getting a discount on clothing. You can find promo codes on couponing sites like ClothingRIC.com or on the social media channels, and newsletters of your favorite brands.

You can collect paper coupons but online coupons can save you time as well so those are definitely better. This is one of the best money-saving tips for traveling as coupons statistics reveal that coupons can help you save up to $2600 in a year. If you collect a bunch of coupons at once, don’t get tempted to use all. Also, arrange your coupons properly so that you don’t lose track of them.

8 — Earn extra cash

Last but not least, earn extra cash. You can do some freelance work by selling a service. For example, you can try content writing or copywriting. You can also try photography and graphic designing. Whatever you think you have the talent to do. Deposit your entire salary from this side hustle into your savings bank.

That said, don’t forget to open a separate savings account for your travel budget. If you don’t, your money can leak from one account to another easily and you really don’t want that to happen. You can also ask other family members to do the same. The more the money you save, the merrier.

With this, we’re wrapping up our list of money-saving tips for traveling. Which other tips would you want to add to these? Tell us in the comments!