5 Ways to Save Money on Travel
Travelling can be so expensive, but you don’t have to break the bank to head out on a new adventure, because there are ways to keep the cost down and sometimes you have to think outside the box to do it.
To try and help some of you get off on your travels with a few extra pennies in your pocket, here’s 5 ways to save money on travel:
Coach or Minibus Hire
If you are heading off on holiday in a large group, then hiring a coach or minibus may just save you some pennies and it isn’t as hard as you may think to hire one. SMC Coach Hire, for instance, offers vehicles (and drivers) that have 8 to 75 seats and all you need to do to get an idea of pricing is visit their website and submit an enquiry.
Prebook Activities
Prebooking activities can often save you money when compared to buying it on the day. So why not sit everyone down, come up with some “must do” activities and then spend some time hunting for the best deals possible on them.
Look For Free Attractions
The saying “nothing in life is free” isn’t quite true. In fact, all over the place, there are free things to do, from visiting parks and local landmarks to many museums who offer entry. So before you head away why not do some research into the area and see what may be nearby and free.
Travel Off-Peak
If you have to travel by public transport, then aiming to travel off-peak can really make a difference to the overall cost. While buying in advance can save you up to 75% with savings being had right up to the day before travel. Also splitting tickets can make for a saving, if you have to change at a station, see what the price is like to travel A – B and then B – C rather than straight from A – C.
Talk to the Locals
Locals know all the best places to visit, so why not try and strike up a conversation with those who know the area well and see where they suggest heading. After all, if anyone is to know about the hidden gems it will be them.
So there you have 5 ways to save money on travel, but have I missed any important tips you can think of?
*This is a collaborative post.
Fantastic tips! We always look for free activities and also speak to locals about suggestions for places to eat and visit!
Locals really can offer such a great insight, can’t they.
These are all great tips! I discovered pre-booking offer some kind of discounts and we make sure we always go that route. I will try your other suggestions next time. Probably traveling off season would be great. Less crowds, more savings.
It really does make a difference doesn’t it – I’ve found some places even offer more offers when you prebook!
I usually go to hidden gems and free attractions. It’s the memories that counts. I make sure to take a lot of photos!
Most definitely you don’t need to spend a lot it’s about the memories that are made.
You’re right, there’s no need to spend a fortune while travelling. There are always hidden bargains to be had 🙂
Most definitely and they can offer just as much of a good time!
These are some practical tips for saving money on travel. Traveling offseason and also looking for flight deals are some of the main measures we take for optimizing travel costs.
They are some great tips, it is amazing the deals you can find when you go looking.
Traveling can be so expensive. Your tips are awesome and very helpful. Thanks for sharing.
I am so glad you like the tips – I hope they help you out in the long run 🙂
To travel off peak is a great suggestion. It can help you save some money, but it also lets you save on aggravation by not ealing with crowds.
It is amazing how much you can save by just waiting for the next train even when it comes to peak / off peak travel.
I do like to cut costs where I can when I’m traveling. Prebooking and scheduling things out beforehand will help a ton.
It means you know what your going to do and when as well, which for me as well is a big thing.
I like to prebook most stuff. I like to at least have some sort of plan for most days of my vacation, especially with kids that want to know what we’re doing.
I am the same, I have to admit I don’t like not knowing what is going on.
I find that a ton of money goes to FOOD! So any time you can buy your own food or bring, it is helpful (but not always possible). Also plan ahead – booking way ahead of time can save a lot of money.
That is so true! I know some people who do an online food shop like they would at home and have it delivered I think that’s such a good idea.
We always look for free attractions when we travel. Everyone is surprised by how many cool free things we find.
It is crazy all the free things that are out there just to be found.
I often utilise these tips even on my current adventure in Barcelona. I use public transport when necessary but walk most places and love searching for free attractions.
Oh I bet you had an awesome time in Barcelona!
I always book as far in advance as I can to save some money when I travel. I try to research the area and see what free activities are available.
It really is a good tip, it is amazing how much people can save when they plan ahead.
Great tips. I always search the special events calendars for the cities we’re visiting. Sometimes you can find neat festivals, events, concerts, etc. It’s all about maximizing your travel budget without minimizing the experience.
We have some amazing free festivals and events around here so looking out for them is such a good tip!
I love to travel, but expenses definitely do add up quickly! These are excellent tips to help save at least a little bit of money from trips and guidelines I tend to stick with myself.
It really is crazy how quickly it becomes a huge expense if you don’t keep on top of it.
I almost always travel off-peak and tend to not go away in July/ August just because it’s so much more expensive. While I don’t have kids I’m going to take advantage x
I don’t blame you at all, it is such a shame that they up the prices when kids are off.
I love to travel during the off-peak time, that is a big money saver. I’m a planner so I believe in planning in advance.
It really is such a huge difference, it amazing me how much they put up prices at peak times.
Taking a trip soon. These tips will be a big help for me in the money saving department.
I hope you have the most amazing time on your trip 🙂
Great tips here, I agree with travelling off peak and also pre booking in advance if you can as you can save quite a bit x
It is amazing the difference in price, it shocked me when I looked into it more.
What is travel again? I haven’t been more then 90 miles away from my house in over 7 years…
But good tips nonetheless….
You have a good holiday close to home it doesn’t have to be a long way away 🙂
For the most part we do everything you said here. I think the most ideal thing in the world is traveling on off peak times. You can save thousands of dollars. It was well worth it.
It really is amazing how much the cost shifts by, it is such a shame.
Great tips
It’s always good to save (should I say not yo be ripped off)
Most definitely and if you just do things it can be so easy to pay too much.
Learnt this the hard way!!
I’m usually a lot more savvy
Living and learning -its the way to go
These are fabulous tips! I try to travel off peak when I can. It’s tougher when the kids are in school though. I also try to find free stuff to do.
It definitely can be hard to do sometimes, but even if you manage it a small % of the times you’re making a saving over all.
We like to use our jobs association to keep the cost low on our travels. We also pre-book everything.
It is awesome that your job allows you to try and keep travel down.
Traveling out of season is always a plus and booking ahead is saving money and time. Plus you always know you are going to get in to whatever it is you want to see.
Booking ahead often means you have a seat as well which can definitely be a plus too 😉