If you are starting to plan for a vacation I have a lot of great ideas tips and tricks to help get you there. Looking for some ways to save up for your vacation, and save money while you are on vacation, then you have definitely come to the right place. I have created a list of my top ways to save money on vacation. These are tips to help you save money easily and successfully both before you head out on vacation and during your trip. Using these tips and tools you can begin to save for a vacation that you will still enjoy, but will not break the bank. Below are some resources and also just some helpful tips to help prepare for vacation in a budget friendly way.

1) 52 week savings challenge…..One of the top ways that I began saving for my trip is to begin the 52 week savings challenge in January. I have posted this savings challenge in a previous blog posting if you would like to check it out. 52 WEEK MONEY CHALLENGE When I start the savings challenge every year I begin to save small amounts at a time each week throughout the year, and at the end of the year this add up to over $1,300.00. So with the savings plan I advise to start at the beginning of the year and then by summertime or whenever you plan your vacation you will have a good amount accumulated. My advice to you is follow these other steps when planning for your vacation, and if you do you may not need to use much of the saved money that is even better. You will have it for backup or for the special experiences and splurges while there if necessary and any of the additional not used is an added bonus that can remain in your savings for the future.

2) Hotel Rewards Programs…… We prefer to use Marriott rewards, they are my favorite hotel rewards program! Marriott is our favorite hotel brand for so many reasons, but the biggest reason is the Marriott rewards program and the variety of different hotels they have to offer. From the cheaper Fairfield or Spring Hill, to the super nice more expensive Renaissance hotels. The Renaissance hotels are by far my favorite due to my rather expensive taste ( as my husband would say) but also because I can stay there for free whenever I earn enough Marriott rewards points through hotel stays, or credit card purchases with the Marriott rewards card. I do not encourage credit cards but if you can use and pay off the card just for the points earned it can be worth it. This is where you can go to sign up for Marriott rewards program, and Just to be clear I earn nothing for mentioning Marriott rewards. Marriott rewards just happens to be the program we use for free hotel stays and is our preferred brand.

Marriott Rewards

Choice hotel rewards

Hotels.com Rewards

IHG Rewards

Hilton Rewards

3) Apps and surveys…..make extra money doing surveys and activities throughout the year to help fund your trip. One of the best ways to do this is to visit these blogs I have created and set up accounts and begin saving. If you can create a PayPal account for the money you earn and save this separate from any other funds it is easier to make sure you do not spend it throughout the year on other things. Also many survey companies and apps allow you to redeem for restaurant and other retailer gift cards which you can begin to save for your trip. Gas cards, Wal-Mart, restaurants all of these can be extremely helpful on vacation for things you may discover you need or for food, which of course you need to eat. Breakfast is often included at some of the hotels so make sure you look for a hotel where breakfast is included, there are also some that have a kitchen that includes pans, dishes a fridge and basically everything you need to prepare a quick meal for your family, which we all know is far cheaper than restaurants as well.

APPS TO HELP YOU MAKE MONEY AND SAVE MONEY

ONLINE SURVEY SITES THAT REALLY PAY

4) Rental car rewards programs…. I have not yet found a favorite rental car rewards program because most often on vacation we drive our own vehicle. When you fly however it is often necessary to rent a car and so using a rewards program just makes sense. We rented from hertz on our last vacation and have set up a hertz rewards account which you can accumulate points towards free rentals. I have found that even if you do not quickly earn these rentals it is still helpful to have an account, that way if you ever need rentals because at some point as long as points do not expire you will benefit from the discount or free rental offered. As I said above with Marriott rewards I earn nothing from suggesting these websites to you they are just the ones I currently use to earn points and a good place to start.

Hertz Rewards

National Rewards

Alamo Rewards

Budget Rewards

Enterprise Rewards

5) Plan your trip…..Research where you have planned to go and make sure you know the local restaurants and attractions nearby. This will help you to begin to find other deals and budget friendly ways to save on your trip. You can research discounted or free parking in the local area which can save you a lot. This will help you know which restaurants to pick when you have earned survey money to stretch your budget the most.

6) Budget tips for flying…..Find out where you want to travel and choose the off-season for that location which will ensure that flights will be easier to obtain and typically cheaper. Make sure you plan ahead by choosing flights months in advance, as soon as you know where you are planning to go start researching flights then. The closer you get to the date the higher the prices tend to be. Checking a bag has become expensive over the last few years if you can travel on just a carry on bag and a personal item (there are size restrictions on these so be sure to research this ahead of time) This will help you to save on the additional costs of checking a bag and you can typically travel with just this amount of luggage easily. Lastly if you travel often an Airline Frequent flier program could be really beneficial in saving you money and helping you to earn free flights for the future. Below are some Frequent Flier programs for some of the top airlines that [people use in the U.S. for airline travel.

Delta Rewards

United Rewards

Southwest Rewards

American Airlines Rewards

Jet blue Rewards

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