How to Save Money to Travel: Little Ways to Save Every Day

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Recently, I launched my Reader’s Survey. One thing that was pretty unanimous with everyone who participated was that they wanted to know more about ways we save money to travel. Ask and you shall receive, my friend! I’ve compiled a list of all the little things we do to save money for travel that make a big difference.

I’ve tried every budgeting and money saving hack in the books. I’ve tracked my expenses, I’ve created the spreadsheets, nothing really seems to stick. And here’s why: I need flexibility. Jason and I were both lucky enough to inherit the “saver” gene, so we don’t need external accountability to save money. We do, however, need reassurance that we are successfully saving.

Instead of making a budget, we have an open discussion about how many times we went out this month and how much we spent at each place. From there we decide how much we can spend. We try not to spend more than a $200 per month on going out, but having the flexibility to discuss the circumstances and change our spending as needed works best for us.

So we’ve given up on the whole budget thing.

At the end of every month, we do a quick check in. We know how much we make every month, we check the credit card statements (which we pay off every month in full) and make sure that the amount we make is more than the amount we spend. If it isn’t, we adjust for next month. We decide to go out less or to spend less when we are out. Or we look for free things to do instead. For us, flexibility is key.

This can only work if we are consciously making the decision to save all the time. It’s not about coupons or discount hotels, it’s about making smart decisions with where your money is going. Thinking things through before swiping your credit card.

Where can I go for free?

If you want to save money for travel, don’t spend it all while you’re at home. You don’t have to stay at home watching Netflix in order to save money, you just have to find the places that you can visit for free!

We live in a city where there are lots of free attractions, it’s one of the things I love most about St. Louis. We can visit the Art Museum, the History Museum, the Gateway Arch Museum, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, and the Zoo, along with many, many, many other places, all for free. That means a full night of exploring our city without spending a dime. Do a search to see where you can visit for free in your home town and plan at least one of those every week!

If you love what I’m saying about all those free things to do in St. Louis, you should check out my list of 17 Completely Free things for Adults to do in St. Louis.

Is Drinking a Part of the Experience?

One of the easiest ways to save money is to skip the drinks. I am always the first to say “YES!” to a cocktail. Some people are “foodies,” but I am a cocktail aficionado. When we travel or explore our own city, I love to try the local cocktails. You will never get judgement from me for drinking one too many. That being said, drinking is the single quickest way to turn a casual night out into a budget draining nightmare.

So when you go out, ask yourself: “Is drinking part of the experience?” By that I mean, are you there to drink? If you are, awesome! Order yourself another!

If you’re there to eat, enjoy your food. If you’re there to watch a baseball game, watch the game. And if you’re there to explore a museum, explore. But in all of those circumstances, drinking is just a “bonus.” Cutting drinking at that moment will allow you to save money for the instances where your sole reason for being out is grabbing a drink. It will also help you to avoid drinking a Jack & Coke when you’re really craving an Old Fashioned.

How Much is the Mark Up?

So you’re out having a good time at dinner or at a baseball game or at a museum, and you see something you really want to try. You’re about to say “to hell with Kelly’s ideas, I really want to try that!” Another thing we do to save while we’re out is to ask, “just how much are they marking this up?”

Mark-ups are a part of business. Everyone has to do it. But when you are about to buy that $8 Budweiser at a baseball game, take one second to think about how far that $8 could get you at a grocery store. In this specific example, you could buy an entire six-pack of Budweiser for the same price, and you could get it anywhere. Is it worth it? Probably not.

I love this new canned cocktail trend, and last week we went to an event in St. Louis that was sponsored by a company that makes canned cocktails. YUM. A four-pack of these canned cocktails costs $13, an expense which is well worth their value to me. At the event, they were selling these exact same canned cocktails for $8. For the cost of Jason and I both grabbing one of those drinks, we could have four of them at home, and still have some money left. These were local products for me, so I could get them at any other time. And at any other time, they would taste the exact same. So at that moment, it was not worth it. But had we been in a new city or tasting something that was limited, it might have been worth the extra expense.

Will I Need Water?

We always bring a water bottle when we go out. Everywhere. We’re big fans of Nalgenes because their loop top makes them easy to hook onto almost anything, making them more convenient to lug around. Why have a water bottle with you? Well, for one, it means you don’t have to spend money on water, which can have some crazy mark ups depending on where you are.

At bars or restaurants, it also means we are drinking water to freshen up between bites instead of drinking beer. While every restaurant or bar will provide water if you ask, they’re not always able to fill it up as quickly as I’d like. Having our own water means I never have to wait on someone else for a refill.

Drinking more water while you eat also makes you fuller faster, which means you eat less. That also means you will spend less. We both bring Nalgenes everywhere we go. I highly recommend grabbing one of these:

Can I get Points for this?

There are so many ways that you can get rewards points to save money for travel. Here are just a few of our favorite ways to earn:

Credit Card Rewards

Get a rewards credit card! This one always seems to be on everyone’s money-saving tips. Because it really is the number one way to save money for traveling without doing anything differently. We are signed up for two different credit card rewards programs. Some people will argue that if you have more than one, you’re just diluting your rewards. I get that.

But we use two different cards because our Discover card offers some awesome rewards, but those rewards are only available quarterly. One quarter they might offer 5% cash-back on Gas but another quarter it’s 5% back on Restaurants. We will use this card exclusively on those things during it’s quarter, and we’re each able to get $100 – $200 annually for nothing. Free money. That’s a month’s worth of going out, that’s a night or two in a hotel, that’s a weekend’s rental car. It’s free money that allows us to spend more elsewhere.

We use our Southwest card to pay for everything else. Always. We never carry a balance (and I don’t recommend this card if you plan to do that, because interest rates are sky high!) But as long as you pay it off every month, you’re heavily rewarded with free flights! Since we signed up for our cards in 2015, we haven’t paid for a single flight. Not ever. If you’ve always wanted to travel for free, this is the way to do it!

Rakuten (formerly known as E-Bates)

I’ll say it again: Do not pass up free money! Rakuten, or E-Bates as it is more commonly known, allows you to earn rewards on things you are already buying. They’ve got a web-browser extension that pops up every time you’re about to make a purchase online and “activates” their program for you. It’s seriously so easy. Install it on every device you use, and get a check each month for the shopping you’re already doing. This program is 100% free to use! Learn more or sign up here. If you use my link you get a bonus $25 for signing up. You definitely don’t want to wait on this one!

Loyalty Rewards Programs

Sign up for any free Loyalty Rewards Programs you’re offered at the stores you shop. Many of them can be used with just your phone number or through an app. Again, free money.

Is it Available at the Library?

Never buy a book or rent a movie without first checking in with your local library! Libraries are free to use and are often full of exactly what you’re looking for! If you’re about to hit “rent now for $4.99” on Vudu, check the library first to see if it is available. Or If you’re spending $9.99 per month on an Audible membership, check out the library’s free version, Overdrive. If you’re about to drop $25 on the hardcover version of a new release that you’re sure you’re only going to read once, put it on hold at the library!

It is so, so easy to save money for travel by using the library. It kills me that more people don’t utilize this amazing resource. Support your local library and save some serious money without losing out on anything more than the five minutes it would take you to walk or drive there.

Can I Make this at Home?

Eating meals (or drinking coffee) at home requires a little bit of pre-planning, but the extra work can add up to money saved in the long run! I love a good latte as much as the next person. Lattes are just as much a part of my traveling experience as cocktails are. But if you’re an every-morning coffee person and you’re pulling up to a Starbucks drive-thru on your daily commute and saying “venti drip coffee, please!” Well then, we need to talk.

Do. Not. Pay. Starbucks. Three. Dollars. For. Drip. Coffee.

Seriously. Don’t do it! You’re wasting money and time doing this. Buy a bag of coffee beans at the grocery store, grind it up the night before, set a timer on your coffee pot, and drink your own damn coffee!

If you don’t make your own coffee at home, here’s what you need to get started:

The same goes for meals. Are you buying a $7 cobb salad for lunch? Stop it. Buy your own lettuce, boil your own eggs, eat your own salad. It is too simple to pay someone else to do it for you.

Final Thoughts

All the little things add up. When we are living our daily lives, we often ask ourselves if this will be worth it. Sometimes eating a meal out while we’re at home means not being able to eat one while we’re on vacation. It’s a constant balance we discuss daily. Some things, like trying a new local restaurant, are more valuable to splurge on than say a can of beer at a baseball game that tastes the exact same at home. To save money for travel, we have to work towards it every day, even in the tiniest of ways.

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