A picture of Italy to highlight the question of how to save money on your vacation.

How To Save Money? 3 Easy Tips to Save on your Vacation

Updated August 19, 2024

How to save money? It is a question that all of us are answering these days. But where do I start? And do I have to cut out everything just to save? For example, do I have to stop taking vacations? That is an interesting question. Depending on your economic situation, you might have to. However, for many of us, it might be a matter of making a few adjustments. Yes, you still might be able to have a beautiful vacation by using three easy tips. It could save you literally hundreds of dollars! What are these tips? See below.

How To Save Money? 3 Easy Vacation Tips

Travel in Low Season – This one is a biggie! You could literally save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your vacation. The reason is that during low season, many places lower their prices greatly just to get people to come. Case in point, some years ago, my wife and I went to Florence Italy. We rented an apartment at an olive farm which was cozy and rustic. Normally in high season (summer), this place goes for upwards of 300 Euros at night. However, because we went in November, we paid 50 Euros a night! We stayed there for about two weeks. The savings was huge!

However, you might be thinking, “what’s the catch?” And there is a catch and that is weather. Obviously, November in Italy is not as warm as summer in Italy. But November in Italy is much warmer then November in Canada, where we are from. Most days were between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius which is still very warm and pleasant. You also might get some rain during this time of year. However, rain is still better than snow which starts in November for many parts of Canada. So, you can get a deal, if you are willing to sacrifice a little bit on conveniences like ideal weather.

Cook Your Own Meals if Possible – This is another money saver. When we usually go on vacation, we try to get a place that has some sort of kitchenette or hot plate. Now you might be thinking, “I am on vacation and I do not want to cook” and that’s fair. However, food costs can be very expensive if you are eating out every day. You could easily spend between $100-$200 per day on food. However, if you go to the grocery store and cook most of your meals, you can drastically reduce your food budget. There have been vacations where we spend less than $30 per day on food! It is a huge savings. Also, we find it pretty neat to look at grocery stores in other countries and see what they have to offer. It is an interesting cultural experience that saves you money.

Find Free Activities if Possible – This can be a challenge to find but there are options out there. For example, when we went to London, we went to the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The National Gallery and the Science Museum. Why? Because they were all free! Imagine going to some of the best Museums on planet earth and not having to pay. Talk about savings! However, most places are not like London. So you have to look at other alternatives such as walking through parks, self guided walking tours, flea markets to name a few things. It might be tricky but if you can find a few free things to do, it definitely helps the pocket book.

Conclusion

How to save money? As seen saving money does not mean absolute austerity. However, it does mean that you have to plan well and at times make some sacrifices of conveniences. However, if you are able to implement the three tips above, you still can have a wonderful vacation but you will be saving lots of money doing it. Now that is what I call a win win situation!

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