The Easiest Ways to Cut Travel Expenses

It's no surprise that traveling is one luxury a lot of people can't afford, especially this time of year, but sometimes it just can't be helped. While cutting corners can be extremely stressful, you need to make your trip the cheapest it possibly can be without diminishing the experience or stressing everyone out in the process. I've narrowed down all my favorite ways to keep my expenses low while on the road to help you stop the extensive spending when you have to travel.

Pack multiple water bottles.

By filling a large cooler with four or so spare bottles full of water with ice inside (or as many is adequate for the number of people involved in your trip), you can eliminate the need to stop for drinks and limit stops to only rest areas and gas stops. If you don't have water bottles, you can pick them up from Everything's a Dollar for less than the price of one drink stop at a gas station.

Keep expenses to a minimum.

When dining out becomes unavoidable, keep the expenses low by splitting meals. My boyfriend and I will often split a pizza or take part in a pick-two deal. By keeping costs low, you can afford to dine out occasionally or even put the money you save towards enjoying fun events happening at your destination.

This tip could also come in handy when choosing your hotel. Use reputable travel sites that allow you to see all the prices available for hotels where you're staying, so you're sure you're getting the best deal possible. You may even want to consider using something like AirBnB instead, as it usually is a far cheaper option than staying in a hotel.

Enjoy the scenery.

If you find yourself having too many gaps in your schedule and not enough spare money to fill them, why not take an adventure in the town. Even if you're only traveling back to your hometown, it can be fun to experience it like a tourist, seeing it with fresh eyes. You could explore local parks or any state or national parks that might be in the area; or you could just go for a pleasant drive around the area and enjoy the scenery.

This sounds like a hassle; why bother?

Cutting corners everywhere you can when traveling helps ensure that you have enough money to do all the memory-making, great activities in which you want to be sure you take part. The more money you save, the more you have to spend on things like museums, restaurants, plays, and even souvenirs. It can definitely be worth your while.

Budgeting Tips

If you're not great at making a budget or sticking to it, it's OK, not everyone is. If that's the case for you, you will just need to compensate for it by providing yourself with safety nets. For example, if you bank with Wells Fargo, you can set up goals in your savings account to make sure your money stays allotted for what you had it in mind for it. Another great way to help yourself stay on budget is using cash. Give yourself a certain amount of cash to get you through the day and put whatever you save in an envelope. Then, when you're ready to spend what you've saved on something fun, it's all in one place and ready to use. This idea works wonders, as people tend to be less likely to overspend when using cash if they're used to predominately using their card to pay for things.

Traveling can be expensive, but it doesn't have to break the bank. If you plan in advance, you can save yourself a lot of money and a lot of stress. These tips are easily adaptable to all family sizes, tastes, and preferences. Travel safe, my friends.