You’ve probably read a ton of travel blogs that give you tips on how you can stretch your travel budget. While some tips are actually helpful, a lot of the advice given isn’t practical for the average person.
For those working a 9-to-5 with limited vacation days, traveling in the “off-season” often isn’t realistic. Apps like Google Flights or Skyscanner can help you find deals, but that cheap red-eye flight won’t feel like a bargain when you’re juggling exhausted kids. The truth is, many budget travel tips sound great in theory but don’t actually work for the average traveler who might take one or two vacations per year.
In this post, we’ll offer practical tips that will help you save money on travel in 2025.
Plan Ahead
We planned our Smoky Mountains trip several months in advance and got a great deal on an awesome cabin!
Our best money-saving tip is to plan well in advance—think at least two seasons ahead. If you’re dreaming of a summer road trip, start mapping it out in the winter. Hoping to visit Europe’s magical Christmas markets? Get your plans in motion by summer. Planning ahead not only helps you snag the best deals but also gives you more options and flexibility.
Planning ahead is especially important for those who need to request time off work. Flight and hotel prices differ by the day, so having to adjust your vacation based on your approved time off can cost you. The earlier you put in your request, the more likely you’ll be able to get the exact dates you want off.
Research Flights
Once you’ve determined where you’re going and when you’re going, the next step is to research flights. Again, this is something you’ll want to do several months in advance. Flight prices can change frequently, but it’s a good idea to get an idea of the average price.
When researching flights, you’ll want to pay attention to more than just the price shown, but what’s included with that price. Airlines are getting stingier every day, and things like a free checked bag, carry-on bag, or seat selection aren’t always included in the price. Make sure you pay attention to any extra fees. The airline with the “cheap” flight (think Frontier or Spirit) can often turn out to be more expensive once you add everything up.
Another key factor to consider is flight timing. If a flight to Orlando is a bit cheaper but departs at 5 AM, is the savings really worth dragging your kids out of bed in the middle of the night? Sometimes, a slightly higher fare is worth the convenience and sanity.
To do research, we like to use Google Flights or Expedia. Google Flights is easy to use and provides quick results, but it won’t show you the cost of any extra charges. With Expedia, you can see the price with any extras you might want.
Setup alerts
Google Flights makes it easy to track flight prices.
Once you’ve got an average price for your flight, it’s a good idea to set up price tracking alerts so you get notified whenever the price goes down. Since you’re researching several months in advance, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to score a deal. In both Google Flights and Expedia, there are options to toggle on price notifications, so you’ll get notified whenever prices go down.
Consider location when booking stays
On our most recent DC trip, we stayed in a great hotel in Maryland walking distance to the train station. It saved us a lot of money on our stay and parking fees in the city!
Where you stay can significantly impact your budget, so always factor in location before booking. If you’re visiting New York City, staying in an outer borough like Queens or Brooklyn may be far more affordable than a hotel in Manhattan. Plus, if you’re flying into JFK, you’ll already be in Queens—making it easy to take the subway into the city and save on hotel costs.
If you’re going to a big city, get familiarized with their public transit system. One thing we like to do is book a hotel close to a public transit line. Public transportation is way cheaper than taking taxis and in most cases, will take you everywhere you need to go.
In Google Maps, you can type the location of a city, then hit the nearby button and type in “train station” to see the public transit lines.
If you’re driving to your destination, don’t forget to factor in parking costs. In major cities like Philadelphia and New York, daily parking fees can easily exceed $50, quickly adding up over the course of your stay. Before booking a hotel, always check the overnight parking rates—or see if there are more budget-friendly options nearby.
Book package deals
Booking a travel package—where you bundle your flight, hotel, and rental car through sites like Expedia or Booking—can be a great way to save money. While it depends on your destination, we’ve scored incredible deals this way, like a round-trip flight and a week-long hotel stay in Paris for just $700!
A few years ago, we found a package deal to Paris-non stop round trip flight and week hotel stay for $700 per person!
We prefer using Expedia for this since their search offers plenty of filters and options, making it easy to research hotels, read reviews, and find exactly what we need. We start by entering our travel dates and destination as if booking a package deal to get a sense of the total cost. Then, we narrow our choices down to two or three hotels we’re interested in. After that, we check the hotel, airline, and car rental websites directly to compare prices. Sometimes, booking the package saves us hundreds of dollars, while other times, booking separately is cheaper. It really depends—but it’s always worth checking!
Use shopping portals like Fetch or Rakuten
Shopping portals can help you save by offering cash back on your purchases. We’ve earned hundreds of dollars using Fetch and Rakuten, which both provide cash back on sites like Expedia, Booking, Viator, and other travel platforms. Be sure to check before booking—every little bit adds up!
Download Google Maps offline
Read our post here to learn more about how to use Google Maps offline.
Roaming charges can quickly add up when traveling abroad. To avoid this, we like to use Google Maps in offline mode.
Before our trip, we’ll save key points of interest on Google Maps and download the map for offline use. Throughout our journey, we usually keep our phones in airplane mode, allowing us to navigate without using mobile data.
