Economy Class Tips: Basic Money Saving Tips For Travelers

1. Start planning early. You’ll have the time to scope out the best deals and research the best ways to save money for your chosen destination. For a basic guide to buying the cheapest airline tickets online, you can check out How To Find a Good Airfare on the Web at About.com. Try calling the hotel directly to get the lowest possible room rate and tap into any property-specific packages.

2. Try to be flexible about your travel dates. You might be able to score some last minute bargains if you’re flexible on your dates…traveling during shoulder vs. peak seasons, traveling mid-week to leisure destinations, for example. Check out LastMinuteTravel.com to search for deals. Flexibility can do wonders for keeping your personal budget under control.

3. Stay close to home. As a general rule, the closer you stay to your home base, the less expensive travel costs will be…no matter how high the price of a gallon of gas!

4. Plan your meals. Opt for a slightly more expensive hotel room with a kitchen or kitchenette if you’re willing to cook your own meals while on vacation. Otherwise, at least ask for a room with a refrigerator — one that allows you to keep some (non-mini-bar) drinks and snacks.

5. Take advantage of discounts. The local Entertainment Book can be a great source of coupons and bargains to stretch your vacation budget. If you have a membership at a museum or zoo, see if you can get free reciprocal admission at your destination. Also check with the local chamber of commerce or tourism board to see if they have any special offers.

Business Class Tips: Do Your Research and Be Prepared!

1. Check out your local travel center. If you’re a member of an organization that has a travel center, start by checking it out. You’ll find travel centers at AAA, Costco, Sam’s Club, and the AARP. These travel centers can quote you rates for airfare, hotels, cruises and travel packages; they can give you information about the destinations you’re interested in, and provide you with maps and local details.

2. Find out what travel perks your credit cards offer. For example, while most credit cards offer car-rental insurance, some credit cards also offer varying forms of travel insurance. You may also get discount or reward bonuses by making certain purchases with your credit card. Check with your individual card issuer for protections and deals specific to your card. You should also check the deals available to all American Express, Mastercard, and Visa cardholders. If you’re going abroad, Capital One and Discover are the only major issuers that don’t charge any foreign transaction fees (but note that your Discover card might not be accepted at many places abroad).

3. Leave some stuff at home. You don’t want to be stuck throwing out, or paying to mail home, stuff you can’t bring with you on the plane. Before you fly, check the TSA’s list of permitted and prohibited items.

4. Minimize your time at the airport. Find out about any airport delays at the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center. This will prevent you from waiting (and paying dearly for) long hours at the airport…in the form of $4.00 coffees and $10.00 sandwiches.

First Class Tips: Get Creative to Get that last Dollar of Savings

1. Think outside the box! About.com’s Budget Travel section has some creative ideas on saving money, such as swapping or renting a home.

Mint Tip: BudgetTravel.com and Bankrate.com both have some good money saving tips for reducing expenses in all categories.

2. Pack lightly and carefully. Experts always advise packing lightly, for good reason. You’ll find that it does impact your vacation budget in more ways than one. The airlines have new lower baggage limits and have increased fees for extra bags. Pack according to the expected weather conditions at your destination so you’re not caught having to purchase raincoats or swimsuits during your trip. You can get a forecast at Weather.com. Here are more ideas for packing lightly.

3. Last tip: learn about tipping “rules”. If you’re headed for a foreign destination, keep in mind what the locals will be expecting! Travel & Leisure has a great guide to tipping in other countries.

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The first step is to think about budgeting your money ahead of time, based on what you’re most hoping to get out of the trip.

1. Visualize that Vacation Photo Album

Think about what’s going in the scrapbook at the end of this trip — and then plan your vacation budget around those images.

• Pictures of you and your loved one holding umbrella drinks poolside?
• Snaps of the kids in front of national monuments or in national parks?
• Or images of your family admiring your newborn?

Once you know what’s most important about the trip to you — relaxation, adventure and learning, family connection — you’re ready to plan for a vacation budget that will help deliver the experiences you’re looking for.

2. Start with the Scenic View

Start with the big picture of the expenses you’ll need to cover in your travel budget. Many are obvious, like transportation to and from your vacation spot, lodging, food, and entertainment. But here are some common expenses which are easy (but hazardous) to forget:

• Expenses before your trip: New luggage? New clothes?
• Home expenses during your trip: House sitting? Pet care?
• Transportation during your trip: Rental car? Public transport? Ferries?
• Common post-trip costs: Photo developing? Shipping souvenirs?

About.com has a handy travel expense worksheet to help you total your travel costs.

3. Meet the Locals

Understand the costs of the key experiences you’re looking forward to.

• If you’re visiting a big theme park, go online to find typical admission costs.
• If you’re traveling to try a famous restaurant, what does Zagat say is the typical tab for two?
• If you’re looking forward to sailing, scuba diving or snorkeling every day at your resort, what do they charge for these extras?

Check out our next post on vacation budgeting for smart ways to save on these big ticket items.

Mint tip: Keep it simple. Just look for details on the 3-4 experiences that are going to be most expensive. You can use your previous travel expenses to estimate a realistic vacation budget for the rest. Just search the Transactions Page in your Mint account using the dates of your last trip, the Travel category, or specific hotel, airlines, etc. for a quick snapshot of what you spent.

4. Choose the Right Road

At this point, most travelers find that their wants exceed their wallet. If you need to make trade-offs, keep in mind the goals you’ve established in Step 1. For example:

• If your primary objective is to visit family, you might be able to stay with them and not pay for lodging. Just plan on buying the clan a nice meal out to thank them for putting you up.

• If your days are going to be packed from morning to night, definitely go for the budget hotel as you won’t be doing much more than sleeping there.

• If you’re intent on seeing every museum and monument in a big city, it may be wise to stay downtown (costing you more) where public transportation is available (saving you rental car and gasoline expenses).

• If your goal is to relax and unwind poolside, on the greens, or in the spa, you might allocate a larger part of your personal budget to pay for a luxurious hotel … but check for packages that include resort activities!

5. Watch the Weather…and Adapt

At this point, you’ve got a realistic travel budget based on your goals, and you’ve made your trade-offs. Your last pre-trip step is to figure out how you’ll keep track of how your actual expenses are mapping to that budget. One option is to add your budget, and track your costs, in the travel journal you’ll keep.

Mint tip: Set up Budgets by category for the month that you’re traveling, and ask for email or SMS text messages when you exceed any of them. You’ll be on top of your spending without having to keep receipts throughout your trip.

By tracking your expenditures as they happen, you can adjust your spending during your trip. If hotel costs turn out to be higher than you expected, for example, you can compensate by spending less on food. Eat at less expensive restaurants, or buy some groceries and have your breakfast on your hotel room balcony and some lunches at a local park.

That’s your roadmap for a great trip — including some great and meaningful adventures, without the stress or surprises of overspending and post-trip regrets.

Have another suggestion for our readers? Are you planning a summer get away using Mint.com? A pair of Mint t-shirts to anyone sending us a postcard from their trip! We’ll be at 280 Hope Street, Mountain View, CA 94041 this summer, building out new features for you while you’re away.

 
 
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