5 Tips for Saving Money on Vacation

Have you started thinking about what you’ll do for vacation this year?

If your family is like ours, you need to start planning about now.

My husband has to request time off early to ensure he can get it.

When I say vacations, I should clarify. We don’t take multiple vacations every year, but he has to schedule his time off. And when you are lucky enough to get as much time as he does (it must be used and cannot be carried over), you really have to think about how to use it. 

We usually plan one traditional vacation as well as several weeks at my parents in Maine or long weekend trips to D.C. or Boston. For us, we need to look at cost, time of year and whether it’s feasible with a 3-year-old and a newborn (after March).

I know a lot of families have the same conversations. 

From working in the travel industry, I've learned ways to save on vacation.

Here are five tips:

1. Plan early and be flexible.

If you’re the type of family who wants to head to a resort, out of the country or on a cruise this summer, think ahead. A prime example: WAVE season for cruises. It’s when the industry offers some of its best deals. So, even if you’re considering cruising in the fall, some of the best promotions of the year are available now for the rest of 2012. 

Being flexible means booking where the deal is. Places with amazing deals right now are the Riviera Maya in Mexico, European Tours or Costa Rica.

You can save hundreds of dollars, get resort or shipboard credits and/or get cheaper flights.

• Here’s another tip: Booking everything in one bundle usually is cheaper. 

2. Rent directly from the owner.

There are a lot of websites that offer rental homes. And renting directly from owners cuts your costs because they are not paying a management company to get business.

Having a home or condo rental means you will also have access to a kitchen, which saves $$$$ instead of eating out every meal. If you’re not into cooking on your vacation, but you still want the room of a house, you can save by eating out for lunch instead of dinner.

Rental homes are surprisingly affordable and can often beat or match the price at a hotel or resort.

3. Buy tickets in bundles.

It can add up to take kids to Boston, New York or any other city. But one of the things we have found incredibly useful is the ability to buy a pass that either allows entry into multiple venues or offers significantly discounted tickets at multiple venues like aquariums, museums and even Fenway Park (with the Boston Pass).

Check the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau website for information or links to purchase passes. You can usually choose to buy for one day or several days. We used the Boston Pass last year, and it saved us a lot of money in admissions.

4. Consider farm stays.

All throughout Europe are very charming, family-friendly farm-stay options. These are usually apartments in a renovated barn, mill or part of the main house. And they run HALF the cost of a European hotel room.

They make a great home base if you plan on exploring from one location. We have stayed at farms all over Europe, and we have loved every single one.

Our last stay was on a cherry farm in Germany. Our two-bedroom apartment was in a renovated barn with kitchen, bathroom and incredible views of the orchard. It was about 35 Euros/night. We had access to the orchards, where we picked our weight in fresh cherries, got to watch the making of cherry liqueur and had access to a washer and dryer. It was a bit further from town, but I took a bus all over, from a stop directly in front of the enclosed courtyard. What we saved in lodging, we splurged on sightseeing.

5. Use your points.

I know a lot of people have kicked the credit card habit. But a lot of people haven’t. USE YOUR POINTS. (We also happen to get points on our debit card too, so use these too).

Points can be used for admission tickets, car rentals, airfares and hotels. Sometimes points can be used to “partial pay” for travel items. With my parents' Capitol One card, they can book a hotel for part points/part cash. It significantly reduces the cost of a hotel room and allows them to use up whatever points they have.

On our last trip I cashed in points for four Sea World tickets. We have used them for car rentals, a character breakfast at Disney World and airfare. Points can really stretch a budget.

Everyone vacations differently, but these tips can help any vacationer stretch a budget.