Here’s How Being an Adventurous Traveler Saves Me Money

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Travel can be costly, but your next trip doesn’t have to break the bank. Keep reading to learn how being flexible on your destination could save you money. 

Travel is a major “fun” purchase I prioritize when I budget how to spend my money. As a frequent traveler, I know how expensive travel costs can quickly add up if you’re not careful. But one hack has helped me reduce my spending: Being an adventurous traveler helps me keep more money in my bank account as I explore more of the world. Find out how.

How I prepare financially before taking a trip

When traveling, I spend much of my time exploring new-to-me international destinations. As you might imagine, airfare and other travel costs can be expensive. Therefore, I like to be prepared financially before departing for my trip so I don’t come home and feel regret.

I set money aside in my savings account throughout the year to pay for future trips. I treat my travel fund savings like a must-pay bill and stash extra cash away every two weeks. Doing this helps ease the strain when paying my credit card bill after returning from vacation.

While saving up before taking a vacation is a great personal finance strategy, it doesn’t hurt to look for ways to get a better deal on travel expenses. The more money you save, the more you can travel. My favorite way to save money on travel is by booking airfare deals.

Flight deals help me decide where I travel

While I sometimes have a preferred destination in mind, that’s often not the case. Instead, I keep alert to airfare deals throughout the year. These deals serve as inspiration. There have been many instances where a flight deal encouraged me to visit somewhere new.

The best deal I’ve probably ever booked was a $221 roundtrip flight to Santiago, Chile. I booked the deal and started planning my trip. I had an incredible 10-day adventure exploring multiple parts of the country with a friend of mine. That airfare deal helped make the trip more possible because I had a meager travel budget at that time in my life.

Being an adventurous traveler has many benefits. Since you’re likely more open to new experiences, you may get to see and do more than the average traveler. But it can also help you save money on travel costs, which could make it possible to see more of the world.

Could this strategy help you save money on travel?

This strategy could work for you if you love a good deal. But it’s worth noting that this strategy isn’t ideal for everyone. If you have specific destinations you’re looking to travel to or prefer to revisit the same place year after year, that’s OK. Do what is comfortable and best for you.

This “hack” works best for someone with a more flexible schedule. Typically, airfare deals are valid during set times of the year or on specific days. If you have limited flexibility with your vacation schedule, you’ll likely find fewer deals that meet your scheduling needs.

How to find airfare deals

If you have flexibility, investing in an airfare deal subscription could help you score cheap flights. Here are several flight deal services to explore. Paid services like this have saved me thousands of dollars.

You can use tools like Google Flights to find affordable flights if you have a less flexible schedule. You can search “Anywhere” as the destination to find the cheapest destinations to fly to based on your desired travel dates. I’ve also used this tool to find cheap flights.

Travel savings opportunities can make a difference

As you plan your next vacation, look for ways to save money. If you feel daring, why not visit somewhere new? If a fantastic flight deal to a new destination is available, you could save hundreds of dollars on airfare costs. This could help you stretch your vacation budget further.

Travel can be expensive, but there are opportunities to save. One final tip: Consider paying with a travel credit card to earn valuable rewards when making travel bookings. Check out our list of the best travel rewards credit cards to learn more about how to earn travel rewards.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Natasha Gabrielle has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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