With our European vacation less than 2 months away, I thought it would be fitting to write a post about how to save on expensive travel! Here are some helpful tips for saving and budgeting while you’re booking your next big trip…

1. Apply for a credit card with miles/travel points

Getting a credit card with miles/points on it was a game changer for my travel addiction! When we started planning our trip, I applied for a Capital One Venture Card and I am so glad I did.

Do some research on a card that will work with your needs, but I found that the Venture Card has great perks! Not only does it have ZERO foreign transaction fees, you are able to use your points to get reimbursed for anything related to travel. Flights, hotels, taxis, you name it! Because of this, I am able to use points to get discounted accommodations AND save money while traveling by not having to pay any unwanted fees.

2. Use Google flights

I recently discovered Google has a flight searching tool (google.com/flights). You are able to search for flights out of any airport, and it shows all of the flights available with pricing.

This tool also shows you when the best time is to buy and alerts you of cheaper options, like picking a different airport or other travel dates. This is a great tool to find the cheapest flights available and see all of your options without having to look at 5 different travel sites.

3. Try Airbnb (or sites like it)

When booking our accommodations for our trip we ended up looking into Airbnb. We wanted to see if there were cheaper options than hotels, and to really immerse ourselves in the local culture by staying in a local’s home. It turns out, we were able to find places for a lot cheaper than hotels that were highly rated by other Airbnb users. While, we did not use this tool for all of our accommodations, it was a great way to save money on the trip so we could use money on actual experiences.

4. Don’t buy flights & accommodations all at once

When planning your next big trip, remember that you don’t have to buy all of your accommodations all at once. A great way to spread out the cost is to book things every month or so, so you are able to pay them off one at a time. For example, for our upcoming trip to Europe, we booked our flights and hotels over the course of 6 months. If you plan your trips ahead of time, you are able to spread out the cost of some of the more expensive items, like long flights.

5. Set a budget and stick to it

The most important thing you need to do if you are trying to save on expenses is setting a budget and sticking to it! When you know how much you want to spend, search for hotels and flight that are within your budget by using the tools listed above. It’s easy to get carried away with spending for a big trip, so remember to set your limits and start saving as soon as possible.

Want more travel tips? Check out my post about what to bring with you when traveling abroad!