Great vacations aren’t cheap, right? Hotels. Travelling. Car rental. Spending money. It can easily add up to thousands. But, is that the only way of doing things?

Well, there’s ways to approach your next vacation so that you spend far less than you expect. In fact, you could even be vacationing for the rest of your life, for a fraction of what you’ve spent in the past!

How to Get More Bang for Your Vacation Buck

Image from Flickr

Let’s talk through some tactics:

Get Travel Related Credit Cards

By making the most of sign up bonuses. Plus, also spending on cards to collect air miles. Well, even just by spending your regular amounts of money, you could build up many thousands of miles over several months.

So first of all, it’s worth noting that all US airlines have branded cards. And just by signing up for one of these, you can get tens of thousands of miles immediately. And if you then add multiple users, the bonus you receive can be many times more!

Flexibility is Your Friend

If you’re inflexible regarding when you fly and who you fly with, the whole experience could cost you a lot more than it needs to. Even just a small change to your travel plans can save you vast amounts of money. So keep your options open, if possible.

One great idea is to fly midweek rather than at the weekend. Or rather than flying direct, try to tolerate stops on your flight. It’s frustrating, but the savings may well make the frustration worthwhile for you.

Off Season

This isn’t always practical. And that’s especially true if you’re arranging vacations around the school year. But consider flying just before, or after, peak season. This means you still benefit from great weather, but save an absolute ton on flights.

Plus, your destination (and flight) will be less packed, which might be something you enjoy.

Be Creative

Why are the most popular destinations so expensive? Because of the demand! Paris is always going to be pricey to get to. But you can still get that wonderful continental feel to a place, without necessarily going all the way to the romance capital of the world. What about Athens instead? Actually, for obvious reasons, Greece is cheap to travel to right now. Or even consider somewhere further afield like Agadir in Morocco.

And then once you’ve made it to Europe, you can travel by train to where you want to be. It’s more hassle, but that might save you loads.

How to Save on Lodgings

It’s understandable that you have a budget in mind, but if you scrimp too much on your vacation, you might eventually end up sleeping on a bench!  That’s certainly not what we’re talking about here.

Hotels are comfortable, but they can also be very expensive and impersonal.  Every room’s the same.  The food bill can quickly add up, and to the staff, you’re just another customer out of hundreds.

So why not consider an option that saves you money, is a lot more fun, and a lot more personalized?  Renting a villa or cottage can give you a great place all to yourself.  Plus, you can prepare food rather than having to eat out all the time.  And, it’s often right in the heart of the community.  If you find somewhere you love, you could end up going back there year after year!