66 MEGA SAVING TIPS SO WE CAN ALL TRAVEL SOONER

We all need more money for travel and I reckon the best way to get it is to save!

Let’s all start saving even more pennies and make our holidays come around faster.

Our fave instagram families, travellers and friends have shared their best saving tips – and there’s a few from me too. Thank you to everyone who sent tips in!

If you have any secret saving tips that aren’t listed here please let me know and I’ll add them.

Happy saving!

TAX TIME:

@mumpacktravel I over-estimate my income for the year ahead so I am taxed at a higher rateand then when tax time comes around I get a nice fat refund that I wouldn’t have saved otherwise. On my last one I got a very nice surprise. I haven’t done two years worth, so I’m hoping for some $$$ when I do them now we’re back in Australia.

SPENDING:

@macs_explore My biggest tip would be prioritising. We don’t buy fancy cars or other things. We put the extra money we make into our “travel account”

@travel.with.meraki You can save big on the small things. Not spending money every day on little things like coffee can add up to big bucks

TRAVEL SAVINGS ACCOUNTS:

@talesforgypsies Have a savings account and set up a weekly/fortnightly or monthly direct debit. Make lunches and have weekly meal plans so you don’t overspend on groceries. And leave the card at home!

@carotte_21 Every day I put $5 away and at the end of the year I have enough for a very nice holiday.

@theviewfromoverhere We have an adventure fund where we put all our space change and it collects several hundred dollars a year to use for adventuring.

 

Save save save and all this will be yours! Photo @wanderlust.crew

CREDIT CARDS:

@alittleatlarge we save our airline points and put all our big expenses through our credit card linked to our points too. Travelling is a bit easier without the big ticket item of flights. I’m always scouring deals too.

@4_for_travel Getting a travel oriented credit card. We put all the monthly expenses on one single credit card We keep it with a $0 bank and so fare we’ve got two free nights at Hyatt Hotels and four tickets to Vietnam for next April. The card also gives us the privilege of Avis Preferred and the use of Premier Lounges at some airports.

@wheretopeanut In line with saving is my travel rewards credit card points. It helps me get tons off on flights/flights for frees I charge everything I would need to buy anyway and just pay it off.

JUST BE TIGHT (and value your $$$):

@boyeatsworld We save by chopping out all the little luxuries and living frugally so we can enjoy our travels

@the.next.tank.of.gas use all your leftovers to make meals and and save money. We don’t have cable TV, we just watch Netflix.  Trade clothes with friends to change up your wardrobe. Don’t leave water running and turn off the lights when you’re not in the room.

@rebeltravelfamily Stop buying all kinds of fancy chemical bathroom shiz – like shower gels and body lotions. Use olive oil to moisturise your skin. Use the small bits you can take from hotels (soap bars, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc.). I think I have accumulated toothbrush collection to cover us for a year. Some of them are only useful for painting,  some of them are really good. Just don’t tell your dentist.

@yasmine_hamdi In our family everyone gets one Christmas present so we can put that money towards making memories.

@wingin_it_rtw Live frugally, of course, but also traveling frugally means you don’t need as much money as you might think to see the world.

@adventure.baby we budget a lot at home so we can splurge when we travel, we live frugally.

@traveltheworldfamily Don’t spend it if you don’t need it! Unless it is a roof over our head or healthy food on the table it doesn’t get spent.

@christineeking Try not to splurge on material items

@thatmumwifetravel.life not going to the shops is how I save.

@oftravelsandtales I don’t usually buy expensive stuff while I’m at home, and only things that are necessary

 

NO MORE FANCY DINNERS

@wanderlustandlife We just stop doing anything like going out for dinner etc when we are saving. The end goal is definitely worth it.

@globetrottinggrommets we cut back on going out for dinner and lunches and buying anything non-essential

USE YOUR MIND POWER

@livinthecheylyfe whenever I am tempted to spend I ask myself what that amount could buy overseas. My main temptation AND motivator is food so I pack food for myself as much as I can when we are out and about and think “This could buy gelato in Italy or this is our entrance to the Baths in Budapest.” That puts it into perspective and (almost) always works for me.I also enjoy collecting change and seeing how much it adds up to when a trip approaches. I think creating a specific travel savings account has helped me not to touch the money as well. Any holiday money goes straight there.

LEECH OFF PARENTS (I AM DOING THIS RGHT NOW)

@nessa3530 budget budget budget also back with the parents to help save

[FROM EVIE: Please note this is not the easiest and is hard for everyone especially the parents who have everything in its place and then you return to their perfect home and mess it all up. BE WARNED but the pain is worth the pennies].

WHEN TRAVELING

@poppys_pretty_planet When I am booking accommodation overseas i always think about how much time will I really be spending in this hotel room? We were in Vietnam recently and I was booking accommodation on Cat Ba Island, nearly everything was booked out. Had the choice of $180 a night in a nice resort or $50 a night in a homestay. Took the homestay. Yep the bathroom was smelly and the curtains were dusty but in the end we were only there to sleep and with the money we saved we had an awesome day our cruising Halong Bay.

www.wanderlust.crew take a loaf of bread and some peanut butter or nutella and make the kids lunches when you’re on the go. You’ll save lots of money on meals.

SHOP AROUND:

@where_next_familytravels I am a shop around kind of person. Recently I shaved 1/3 off the prices of our flights by simply changing the flight times – same days but different flights. I also found a good deal for some accommodation and just booked it while it was still available. While I am studying I use my student discount to save money on bills and council tax

@underthearenaandco The JAR always works a treat. We do this for fuel money.All spare change goes into the jar.

CUT THINGS OUT:

@littlehiccups My biggest money saver at the moment is living car free. I know its not practical for everyone but we’ve bean able to locate ourselves very centrally in downtown Berkeley and have been car free for almost six years.

BUDGET (OF COURSE)

@travelswithmum My biggest tip is to have a budget and stick with it . Write it down and stick it up on your fridge. Pay money to your utility bill each pay. meal plan and grocery shop to a lit. buy second hand, put spare change in a jar every day and always have a travel goal you are aiming for and take money our each pay towards it.

TRICKY TIPS

@thetravelersees For domestic trips we buy gift cards every week to restaurants and gas stations. Then use them on our road trips It’s like a savings account but harder to steal from.

@gelatotravel Our best saving money trip when we travel is letting the prices dictate where we go. At the beginning of the year we sit down and check out how much it costs to fly everywhere. The sky scanner app is great for that. We put in our airport and pick the destination ‘everywhere’ . If you book in advance you can get some incredible deals, especially to Europe from the US. We don’t pay more that $100 return for a flight. The flights are next to nothing is you book in advance.

@familytimeout I pay penalties into my savings when I do thing like hit the snooze button or if I’m more than five minutes late! Hubs does it too!

@runningwidow Skimming. Every day or week (you set the timescale) you out your bank and wallet to the nearest five or 0. So if your bank is $42 and $3 to take it up to $45 and if your wallet is $42 take the money out to take it down to $40, and add that extra $2 into the bank.

@fortheloveofgherkin i never spend $5 notes. I stash them away instead.

@renay0108 I use Skyscanner for all my flights – it helps me find the cheapest options that I can go into Flight Centre and they will beat the price by $1. So I get the cheap flight and the assurance of dealing with a reputable company.

SHOPPING:

@anexperiencedtourist I looked at what I spent on non essentials when I shopped during the week. Then if I don’t spend on the non-essentials I put the savings – usually $50 – $100 – into my bank account that week.

@inspirefamilytravel Money saving tip: Pre plan your weekly dinners & arrange a shopping list with only the ingredients you need. This will stop any unnecessary spend and makes life easier each day as you know what you are having for dinner.

@travelsandtantrums Don’t buy your electronics, camera gear or suitcases till within 60 days before you leave so you can claim the tax back!

RENT YOUR HOUSE OUT:

@trvelianne We rent out half our house! We put up a tiny kitchen in one bedroom in our basement and converted it into a small (temporary) apartment. We only have two bedrooms and one bathroom for ourselves but it’s okay for a while. My kids are young so they don’t mind sharing bedrooms and the extra money we gain from our tenants is worth it. We couldn’t have travelled as much as we do it it wasn’t for this.

@justsix_backpacks We are going to put our master bedroom and ensuite with own entry way on AirBNB when we get home, plus offer up driveway for a camper van

@mumtraveldiaries we’ve camped several times this year, and AirBNB’d our house while we were away. It’s a win win. We get a great camping holiday and put away some extra $$$ while we are away

BE SELF SUFFICIENT AND DON’T WASTE STUFF

@theblondenomads Our vege garden and chooks help us a lot as our kids just eat so much. So it’s fresh picked cherry tomatoes and eggs all the way. I always make sure at the end of the week I cook an omelette or pizza to use up any leftover food we may have, I hate wasting food.

@beknature Things like growing your own veggies, chooks for eggs, cooking from scratch, drinking cheaper alcohol, buy only what you need so you’re not wasting it opting for the home brands as they are usually great quality products, second hand everything as long as its machine washable or easily cleaned. Home remedies while sick, using less electricity, riding the pushbike wherever possible – every dollar saved is a dollar well earned. I’m with prepaid, have free to air TV, hire new DVDs from our local library, pack mine and my daughters lunch most days, hate buying water too so i always bring a water bottle. I always check fruit trees that i see growing over fences and if I see a car there I knock on the door and ask if we can pick some!

SAVING CHALLENGES:

@welshgirlinspain The one year saving challenge – start off with putting $1 a week into a lockable jar, then on week 2, $2 increasing by one every week. I used this to fund accommodation in Europe

@bring_the_kids set up a separate savings account with automatic deposits from your pay and make sure it’s for travel only. No dipping into it for a new couch.

 

HOUSE SITTING, AirBNB, RENT YOUR RV:

@travellinghomebodies Housesit! We save thousands each year by staying in peoples homes and looking after their pets. We’ve even made a free course on how to do it @housesithustle

@jennymarieimagery We housesit and save for overseas trips that way, and when we travel we take a hotplate to cook simple meals.

@murdanie couchsurfing!

Rent our your RV or hire someone else’s – you can earn money and save money with RVShare.

@theviewfromoverhere we stay with family when we are in the States. It saves a ton. When traveling we use couchsurfing (free) or inexpensive AirBNB. House swaps or house sitting is a great way to stay for free too.

@baba_look_at_this We are 1/4 of the way through our family gap year 😁 definitely the biggest money saver is staying with friends and family homes or airbnbs during the year, and having a proper kitchen to prepare kids meals! We have two young kids so we base ourselves in each destination for a month, and take road/day trips out (minimises the need to pack & unpack!) and this gives our host space too.

Having a kitchen and making our own food is a huge saver – and means we can splurge and have nice meals out here and there! For the Airbnb’s we book, we make sure it’s a proper kitchen with stove and not just a kitchenette with a microwave!

USE A TRAVEL AGENT OR SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST PRICE

@thewanderlustlife Stop meeting friends for a coffee or brunch and instead meet up for a walk. Also for big trips I always use a travel agent. For a trip to the US she got our flights, all our accommodation and attraction tickets for less than what I could get flights for. Her industry contacts are invaluable.

CANCEL STUFF YOU DON’T NEED:

 @lifeveganstyle_ we just cancelled our Netflix and started doing more regular weekly shops to stop us getting takeout.

@snowflakespalmtreesandpretzels I find all the little things add up! So cut back in little ways like eating out, Foxtel or Netflix, buying the latest clothes etc all add up to saving a lot each month

@rebeltravelfamily Get rid of or downsize phone plans. You get free WiFi in most public places these days and if you are in AUS, the US or Canada, this may help to save money and beat addiction to screens. 😀 I used to pay 6€/month for mine back home so I wouldn’t save much but I heard what people pay in Australia for the same service and couldn’t believe it.

HANDMADE GIFTS & REPAIRS

@theviewfromoverhere We give small or handmade gifts for Christmas and birthdays and put that extra money into fun family activities while traveling.

@maybrittklaudiussen Make all your birthday and Christmas presents

@the.next.tank.of.gas Have your children make you art instead of buying it.

@byjetpack Haven’t bought clothes for myself in over 10 years. This saves a LOT. And making/repairing/creating things yourself.

FIND FREE THINGS TO DO

@offroaddiscovery there are so many free things to do as a family we rarely pay for entertainment

@carolineharpertravels I put away some money every week

@christinakenneylee We really limit our eating out at restaurants. Means the world when we do that so we can then sneak off for a few days at a nice hotel in the Great Lakes

BOOK ONLINE, RESEARCH & BOOK AHEAD

@bryavictoriapentecost Aside from regular automatic savings from my weekly pay, I book as far ahead as possible to get early bird specials. I booked a week long cruise from New Orleans around the West Caribbean for US$465 per person for September 2018 which gives us plenty of time to save for flights etc and watch for sales. Travelling from Australia I’ve had to be a sale finder due to the cost of airfares and the exchange rate. I also utilise Airbnb and rent a room, this way the cost is significantly cheaper and you get the bonus of a local on hand to give you tips on what’s worth spending your money on and where you can go that’s a cheaper, off the beaten track option.

We always eat breakfast where we stay (usually toast or cereal) and pack snacks for the day out, This limits meals out to lunch and dinner and saves a lot of money. If I’m going somewhere touristy then I prepay as much as possible, book tickets online for a discount etc that way it’s easier to budget when you are actually on holidays because there are less outgoings.

@theviewfromoverhere We do a lot of research ahead of time so we know what things will cost and we are prepared – like how to navigate the underground so we don’t need to get taxis, how much attractions cost and we choose wisely what to see, and where to buy the cheapest food. This makes for a stress-free holiday too.

@familyoffduty look up attractions ahead of time online and buy tickets in advance. You can usually get discounts if you book ahead.

@thekidbucketlist When we’re travelling I love staying at 4 and 5 star hotels where possible. This can wipe away much of our budget if we’re not careful. The key is researching hotels in the key destination I want to visit at least 6 months out then trawling sites like bookings and Expedia until a good deal comes along at one of the hotels we had shortlisted. This has seen us stay at places like the Hollywood Roosevelt for under $300 a night in a suite!

I’ve also found that some Australian hotels will pop up a deal on their websites if you go through the process of booking, exit just before booking and then go back to the home page. This has landed us a number of free upgrades!

 

SELL YOUR SHIZ

@mumpacktravel Sell all your unwanted stuff at markets, or at garage sales on online on Facebook. You can make lots of money from things you no longer need – and be ruthless. Then stop buying things you don’t need!

@mumsgottatravel Have a clean out of the house/garage. It’s amazing what you can find in there and sell online. $5 here, $10 there – it all adds up.