How to Save Money on Your Next Vacation

Be flexible with your travel plans, reserve your lodging and flights in advance, and think about taking your next vacation during the off-season to save money. Save money on food by organizing your meals and bringing snacks, and on activities by searching for freebies, city passes, and internet deals. Make a specific savings plan to meet all of your expenses and establish a thorough budget for the trip.

Travel may be costly, whether it’s because of rising gas prices when driving or rising hotel and airline rates due to increased demand for travel.

However, it need not be as expensive as you may believe. People frequently spend more money than they ought to just by making mistakes that aren’t immediately apparent. Additionally, some people wind up wasting time, which is as annoying if time is money.

Knowing the common money mistakes can held you save money. But that’s not all. We’ve also outlined 8 ways to save money on travel below:

1. Pack light

There are more reasons to pack light besides avoiding checked baggage fees. You can move more easily and avoid feeling like you have to pay for a cab when you have a light luggage or backpack.

How can one pack light, then? Pack clothing that is easy to wash in a sink. Choose garments that you can mix and match and look for products that dry quickly. Avoid packing four pairs of shoes in your backpack by sticking to basic pieces that complement almost every ensemble.

Additionally, NerdWallet suggests the 10-$10 Rule, which can help you avoid taking products you might not need and avoids packing “just-in-case” items. Plus, packing light means you won’t be tempted to pay for souvenirs — because limited capacity in your suitcase or backpack will deter your urges.

2. Shop at local grocery stores

Visiting local markets can be an adventure on its own. As grocery stores embrace local items and high-quality hot foods, a trip to a local market can allow you to uncover different types of foods that you wouldn’t necessarily come across at home. Often, it’s cheaper than equivalent-quality food at a waiter service restaurant (and you’ll avoid paying tax and tip).

Cities like Los Angeles are embracing grocery store tourism both through high-end shops that are hardly cheap, like Erewhon, to affordable, cultural markets like Mexican market Mercado González (which is just south of Los Angeles in Costa Mesa, Calif.).

Plus, having food on hand means you’ll likely save money, as you’ll be less tempted to buy the stale, overpriced muffin from the hotel cafe just because you were hungry.

3. Pack snacks

If you can’t visit a local market, packing snacks from home is the next best thing. Prioritize protein-heavy items like jerky and protein bars, which can fill you up — without filling up too much space in your luggage.

Annoyingly, many protein-forward items require refrigeration, such as deli meats or Egglife egg white wraps. But on the bright side, neither requires any sort of cooking. As long as you have a mini-fridge, those items are good ones even if you don’t have a full hotel kitchen (which isn’t necessarily a money-saver anyway).

Read Also: The Best Vacation Spots for Foodies

Bottled water can also shape up to be a considerable expense when you’re on the go. Assuming you have access to a clean water source, pack your canteen, and consider a portable water bottle that can collapse to fit in your pocket.

4. Get yourself into the airport lounge

One of the greatest places to eat when traveling is in airport lounges. Lounge access is a benefit of many high-end travel credit cards, usually via the Priority Pass lounge membership program. Food quality ranges by lounge, but you can usually expect light snacks like fruit, chips, cookies and coffee. Complete buffet lunches are occasionally served in the pricier lounges.

Large banks operate some of the world’s greatest airport lounges. Among these are the Capital One lounges, which provide Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Cardholders with unrestricted, free entry. In addition to the AmEx Centurion Lounges, there are Chase lounges.

Beyond food, lounges can provide Wi-Fi speeds typically faster than what’s offered in the airport. In addition, some lounges offer showers, exercise rooms or massages. Get to the airport early to maximize the amenities.

5. Arrive early

Give yourself enough time to be at the airport early. If you’re running late, you could panic and call an expensive taxi rather than using public transit, which is usually far less expensive. Additionally, you might discover that ridesharing costs might be higher for airport travels at specific hours. You can avoid surge pricing if you have more time.

Avoid the last-minute hassle of rebooking a flight due to your tardiness.

6. Get TSA PreCheck or Global Entry membership fees reimbursed

You can apply for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck to get past airport crowds more quickly. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security offers both kinds of Trusted Traveler programs.

You can use accelerated lanes, which usually feature shorter, faster lineups because passengers aren’t required to take off their laptops, belts, or jackets, if you’re approved. In March 2025, 99% of TSA PreCheck travelers waited less than five minutes, according to TSA data.

7. Take advantage of credit card free night certificates

Free hotel night certificates are offered by certain hotel credit cards, even ones with annual fees under $100. It might be wise to get one of these cards in order to save money with a complimentary night stay, provided that the value of your hotel room exceeds the annual fee of the credit card—which it very easily does.

Additionally, these cards usually come with added perks like elite status, which enhances your stay, and bonus points, which might get you free or at least discounted stays in the future.

8. Book hotel rooms on points

Speaking of bonus points, it’s almost always a good idea to spend your hotel points rather than save them. Booking rooms on points versus cash is certainly a smart way to avoid dipping into your cash savings for a vacation, but there are a few other benefits:

You may avoid resort fees: Resort fees (those extra charges that hotels impose to cover additional amenity usages like pools and Wi-Fi) are irritating, and they can sometimes run north of $50 per night. Thankfully, some hotel loyalty programs, including Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt, don’t charge them for rooms booked on points.

You might get extra discounts: For stays booked on points, you might unlock additional discounts for staying longer. For example, you receive the lowest point-value night free for every five consecutive nights stayed at a Marriott property funded with Marriott Bonvoy points. Hilton has a similar policy where members with at least Silver Elite membership receive the fifth night free when booking on points.

Finally

Travel expenses can mount up. When other costs are taken into account, your vacation may not be as inexpensive as that slick flight deal may have made you think. Once you’re on the road, vacation expenses might quickly surpass your original spending plan.

Whether it’s for this trip or your next, using these tips to save money on travel can allow you to spend more where you need to.