How To Save Money On Your Summer Family Vacation
Amidst rising prices on pretty much everything you can think of these days, how are you planning to save money on your family vacation this summer? Are you planning to stay home in favor of a staycation or will you chance it and have fun while saving money? Let’s take a look at how you can keep costs down while creating fun memories this summer!
Plan Ahead
Granted airline tickets are on the rise but not if you plan ahead. I have several trips planned through the end of the year and we just got back from Florida this week. I found that the closer you get to your intended departure date, the higher your airline fare. However, if you plan at least 3 weeks out, then you’ll save major moolah! The only way you’ll save while closer to your departure date is to take advantage of those last minute trips on travel websites such as Expedia and Travelocity.
Compare Local Hotels and Ask for Ongoing Specials
Decide where you want to go, your preferred amenities and you’re set to go. Once you do that, call the hotels and ask about their ongoing specials, switch your dates if needed to get the specials. At the resort we were quoted $129 a night but we also qualified for the rate of $109 per night if we took a different room as they were on a special. And for goodness sakes USE YOUR AAA discounts and check to see if there is an employer based discount and/or discount based on your credit card company’s reward program.
Ask for Rental Car Specials
Enterprise has a wonderful weekend rate which gets you 50% off their regular rate if you rent from Friday to Monday on most cars. Hotwire also sends frequent email updates on rental rates in your chosen city so be sure to sign up to get the inside scoop. I’ve seen as low as $12.99 for rentals in Orlando,FL per Hotwire.
Ditch The Car Rental
If you’re like me, don’t even bother with the rental. Why? Unless there is a real need to rent a car I don’t bother with it because it’s just an additional unnecessary expense. Our resort had 4 restaurants, Red Door Spa, gym, 4 pools, and a shuttle to the mall, beach and airport.
There were a few times that we wished we’d rented a car but it didn’t take away from our vacation as our family members drove up to see us even thought they were about an hour away. I also make sure that wherever we stay that it has an abundance of amenities that keep me occupied such that I won’t need to get a rental car and explore the area. And, if you get cool with the shuttle drivers they’ll let you know when they are leaving the property and drop you off somewhere local and then pick you up on their way back as a favor to you.
Ask for a Small Fridge-Microwave Combination
In this situation we did two things. We went to the local supermarket and got lots of fruit, snacks and veggies so that the only meal we really paid for was dinner. Then the next day we were able to heat up leftovers put in the fridge from the night before using the microwave.
Now, we could have gotten a room decked out with a full kitchen and sink but the extra cost exceeded the savings we got by just asking for a small fridge-microwave combo (think the ones you got in college) to be brought up to the room. The hotel food was so frikkin good that I had to resist eating there every meal. This saved us quite a bit of money.
Check Your Final Bill
This is very important. We found quite a few charges we hadn’t made or agreed to on the final bill and requested for them to be removed. Much of how you save money on your trip revolves around your power and ability to ask for these discounts or to have unnecessary charges removed from your bill. This is also important when booking your reservations. If you know that you will not use the gym but there’s a charge for using the facility then ask that it be removed.
Again, the power of asking saves you money. They’d rather have you pay for the room than lose your business because of miscellaneous fees they know that most guests just pay anyway because they are too afraid to ask what they are and for them to be removed. This is your money, act like it!
Staycations are great, and I recommend them if your budget is tight but you can still travel at last year’s rates if you plan carefully, research your discounts and utilize your ability to save even more by asking!
What are your summer travel tips? How are you saving money on your vacations this summer?
About the Author: Girls Just Wanna Have Funds is for the woman that wants to take charge of her personal finances. We value budgeting, investing, frugality and remain mindful of our spending habits. Move over and make way for women who are in control of their financial destinies and not afraid to say it. We're armed with a positive net worth and not afraid to flaunt it while breaking financial ceilings one stiletto at a time!
