A Millennial’s Guide to Affordable Travel

While traveling has become a beautiful reality for some, others are struggling with making travel affordable. For those trying to make ends meet in this world of rising prices and stagnant paychecks, affordable travel is nothing more than a fantasy.

Whether it is for Facebook bragging rights, to visit family, or to appease the wanderlust, there is a certain longing within us to be free. Free from the monotony of our daily routines and roaming in the world searching for new destinations and timeless memories.

But let’s face it:

Traveling does not come free or easy to most of us!

We work hard for our money and we want to make the most out of every penny we earn.

Thankfully, we don’t have to travel broke.

Instead, we can practice making travel affordable and indulge in our dream vacations while still maintaining a healthy bank account.

Here are my tips for making travel affordable:

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Table of Contents

Maximizing Your Budgeting

When it comes to affordable travel, you can start by maximizing your budget. The good news is that there are a few ways you can go about doing this.

Start a Travel Savings Account

You are on your dream vacation.

The last thing you want is to be worrying about the huge credit card bill you’re racking up!

Think of this as having a prepaid vacation of your choosing.

Just have to set aside a small portion of your paycheck and put it in a savings account.

When you have enough, then it is time to pack up and go!

Use Cash Back Credit Cards to Help with your Travel Expenses

My second tip for affordable travel is to use cash back credit cards.

Cash back credit cards give you a percentage back in cash for purchases you make with the card.
They do have their pros and cons but you can certainly use them for your advantage.
One downside to remember is they generally charge a higher interest rate than traditional credit cards.
So, if you are one who keeps a balance at the end of your credit card statement, the cash back you earn towards your travel budget is never worth the interest you’re paying.
By combining my previous tip with this one, you can not only earn cash back but pay off your balance within one month and avoid having the interest accumulate on you.

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Maximizing Your Travel

Another way you can focus on making travel affordable is to maximize your travel plans. Roadtips and key scheduling are your best friends to saving some cash 🙂

Gas Up and Go

Even though it can feel like it takes forever to get to where you’re heading when you’re on a road trip, it can be a fun-filled adventure as long as you have your travel itinerary planned ahead.

More than likely, there will be plenty of things to see en-route if you just know where to look!

When it comes to making travel affordable, this will definitely save you a few bucks on airline tickets.

Take Advantage of Cheap Airfare Promotions

Finding a great deal on airfare usually involves timing, travel flexibility and a bit of research.
However, once you see the savings, you’ll probably find the effort worth it.
Airlines like Southwest Airlines, JetBlue or WOW Air throws in Flash Sales throughout the year.

This is a great way to book some affordable travel so stick with it 🙂

Be Loyal to an Airline

If you find an airline you like, stick with it!
Most will offer loyalty programs where you can earn points through flights, hotel stays, and car rentals to use towards your next flight.
I personally use American Airlines and even though I don’t fly very often I’ve already had one free flight!

Pick the Right Season to Travel

Airfare to your favorite travel destinations is usually cheaper when you travel off-season.

Sorry! Blame it on the unavoidable effects of supply and demand in economics 😉

The same logic applies to hotel rates.

According to Frommer’s Travel, Caribbean off-season usually starts mid-April to mid-December. Of course, this varies from hotel to hotel. But during this time, hotels usually slash their winter rates in favor of their summer-time vacationers.

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Maximizing Your Stay

Choosing an Affordable Travel Destination

Travel costs typically include airfare, hotel, food, and transportation.

Are you thinking of vacationing on the white sands of Maui, Hawaii?

Why not try an all-inclusive vacation package on one of the resorts on the Caribbean if you are on a budget?

With the same cost as the airfare to Hawaii, you can have an all-inclusive stay in a luxurious hotel in the tropical Caribbean, airfare included.

Stay with Family or Friends

Do you want to cut cost on hotel stays?

A ridiculously easy way to benefit from affordable travel is to consider staying with friends or family members in a city you’re visiting.

This might not be a viable option for some, but I personally saved quite a bit on hotel stays when I stayed with a fellow sister while visiting Japan and with family in Mallorca.