Travel Budgeting

Smart Ways To Save Money

Why shouldn't you be able to enjoy quality trips and also benefit from cheap vacation ideas.

Below, you'll find frugal budget tip advice on traveling that will put a smile on your face while fattening up your pocketbook at the same time.

Vacationing can definitely wear a hole in your pocket fast. This especially holds true if you don't plan ahead for your vacation. Many people have made this mistake, including us, by deciding to take a vacation without giving too much thought to proper planning and all its costs.

Many years ago, our family learned the hard way after coming back from a Florida vacation that ended up costing us significantly more than we thought it would - ouch! Lesson learned. Over time, we learned to be savvier and put together effective travel budgeting methods that we'd like to share with you.

Travel Budgeting - Planning Ahead To Save Money

We've also found that travel budgeting is essential for your trip planning and having a better overall vacation. The key is to start developing your vacation spending plans in advance so you can save the money needed for your trip.

First, you'll want to figure out the amount that you can afford to spend on your vacation also factoring in the number of days you'll be on your trip and budget for the following:

• Lodging
• Transportation - Airfare, train, or gasoline (if driving)
• Rental car
• Tolls and parking
• Activities
• Shopping - Pre-vacation and on your trip
• Food - groceries, snacks, restaurants
• Tips

Travel Budgeting - Lodging

Did we still eat out once in a while? Of course. But even then, there are ways you can save money. We asked the locals for the most affordable places they regularly eat out at. Locals are not going to regularly dine at places that charge premium tourist prices.

By the way, be careful who you speak to. Avoid locals that are in the tourist circuit (hotel workers, realtors, etc) because they'll promote their establishments and cross promote others. For example, to get an objective opinion, we asked some local construction workers where they dine out.

Cheap Traveling Modes - Air, Train, Car

We took a train trip to Toronto and it was fantastic. No driving, beautiful scenery and very reasonable fares. We've also traveled by car to various destinations that don't require more than 6 hours of driving and saved a great deal of cash.

When traveling by air, we've found great deals on the internet (Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, Expedia.com) by hunting for bargain vacation packages that include air, lodging, and/or rental car. And don't forget charter vacation packages such as applevacations.com where you can save a great deal of money.

Other Travel Budgeting Tips

• Travel Off Season

  If you travel during peak season, you'll also pay peak prices. By traveling off-peak, you can save up to 40% off regular prices. You'll also enjoy fewer crowds. We traveled to Florida off peak in October and cut our vacation expenses almost in half. By the way, the weather was nice - sunny in the high 80's.

• Rental Cars

  If you need to rent a car for your vacation, shop carefully. Decide which size car will work for you. Rental car companies many times will push for upgrades, citing it's just a few more dollars a day. Well that will add up for you and you'll likely spend more money on gas for the larger car.

  When booking your rental car, ask what the bottom line cost will be, including all taxes and fees. If you want someone other than yourself to also drive the car, ask if you'll have to pay an additional fee to add a second driver. Adding a second driver can cost on average $5.00 to $10.00 per day. You can ask if they offer discounts such as senior citizen, AAA, AARP, credit union, etc.

  It's a good idea to check in advance with your auto insurance company to see what coverage you have for rental cars. This is important because rental car companies like to push their own insurance coverage on you when many times you're covered by your own auto policy. They make a great deal of money on this and the rental car insurance coverage can add up to some pretty substantial additional cash out of your pocket.

  Also, many credit card companies will pay for rental car damage or theft when you pay for the rental with that card, but the coverage may be secondary to your own policy. So, ask your credit card company what they cover, if it’s primary or secondary coverage and what kind of vehicles are covered.

• Entertainment Book

  If you'll be vacationing for a few days or more, buy an entertainment book at enteratinment.com for the city you’re staying at. You'll have an entire book filled with restaurant and activity discounts.

• All Inclusive Vacations

  Many times, you can find great deals on all inclusives which usually include lodging, meals, drinks, entertainment and activities. All inclusive's vary by what they include in their package, so you will want to read the literature for the resort closely to determine what's included and what will require an additional charge.

• Airport Food

  If you’re flying to your destination, you may want to eat before you get to the airport because you'll end up paying premium pricing at the airport for food.

Happy and Safe travels!!