Travel is an excellent way to get away from life’s routines and experience a bit of adventure. The problem is that many people don’t have the money to travel. If you are on a tight budget, you might find it very hard to afford a vacation. Fortunately, it is possible to explore the world and keep your budget intact. To help you, we have compiled this list of Tips to Save Money on a Trip. These tips will cut costs and help you to travel smarter.
1. Download Free Entertainment for Your Trip at the Library
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If you like to relax on your vacation by curling up with a good book while at the beach or pool or watch a movie on the plane, then you’ll love this tip. You can get free e-books and electronic magazines from most public libraries. Some libraries even offer free digital music and movies. You can download these onto your Kindle or e-reader and have an almost limitless supply of reading material and entertainment for your trip—all for free.
A bonus is that you’ll also have plenty of room in your suitcase as a Kindle takes up very little room in your suitcase.
2. Pack an Empty Water Bottle in Your Carry On
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Buying water at the airport can be very expensive. If you try to pack a full bottle of water in your carry-on luggage, you won’t make it past security. All liquids that go through security must be less than three ounces. So, most travelers end up shelling out $5 for a bottle of Aquafina once they get past security.
What alternative do you have?
An excellent option is to pack an empty bottle. Even though full ones aren’t allowed, empty bottles are just fine. Then, once you get through security, simply find a water fountain and fill up your bottle. If you want to save room in your carry-on, then choose a collapsible water bottle that is specially designed for travel, like the TakeToday Collapsible Water Bottle. It is lightweight and foldable for travel.
Best Insulated Water Bottles
3. Take the Right Credit Card
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Using the right credit card for travel-related purchases can save you a lot of money. One of our favorite cards for travel is the Venture Miles Rewards credit card by Capital One.
When you use this card, you earn two miles for every dollar spent on purchases. The miles can be used as a credit for most travel expenses, including airfare and hotel stays. You can even use it for cruises and cab fare. This card also has no foreign transaction fees, which is perfect for those bucket list trips.
See our Top Credit Cards for Travelers
4. Bring Your Healthy Snacks
If you are traveling by air, you’ll have limited options onboard your flight for snacks. Most airlines offer a bag of pretzels—if even that.
Some airlines offer snack boxes for purchase, but they are costly. Although you can buy snacks at the airport, you’ll have to contend with the same high costs and limited selection.
So, why not skip the expensive airport snacks and bring along your own instead?
Not only will you save money, but you can stay healthy by packing better-for-you treats. GoPicnic offers ready-to-eat meals that are perfect for travel. These boxed meals are healthy and shelf-stable, so there is no need to refrigerate them.
5. Use WiFi
If you are traveling outside of the country and use your cell phone to call home, you’ll likely be surprised with a huge telephone bill. Many people aren’t aware that you can make calls and send texts through WiFi for free.
So, rather than using your phone’s carrier service, download a free calling app, such as Google’s Hangouts or WhatsApp and connect to free WiFi. Then, you can call or text anywhere in the world for free. If you have an iPhone and you are trying to call or text another iPhone user, you can use iMessage or FaceTime for free.