5 Ways to Save Hundreds on Your Next Vacation

Vacation doesn't have to mean spending thousands of dollars. With a little planning, flexibility, travelers can often find meaningful ways to lower the cost of flights, hotels, transportation, and activities.

Here are five strategies to help stretch your travel budget.

Be Flexible With Your Travel Dates

One of the easiest ways to potentially lower your travel costs is to avoid automatically traveling on the busiest days.

If your schedule allows, compare:

• Weekday vs. weekend flights

• Different departure times

• Shoulder-season travel

• Nearby travel dates

• Alternative holiday weekends

Even shifting a trip by a day or two can sometimes make a noticeable difference.

✨Tip✨

Before booking, compare several date combinations instead of choosing the first available itinerary.

Compare More Than Just the Flight

It's easy to focus on airfare and forget about the other costs involved in getting somewhere.

When comparing destination, consider the total trip cost, including:

• Flights

• Hotel

• Rental car

• Food

• Activities

• Parking

• Transportation

A destination with a slightly more expensive flight might actually be cheaper overall if accommodations and activities cost less.

Consider Traveling During the Shoulder Season

You don't always have to visit a destination during its busiest season.

Shoulder season is the period between a destination's peak and off-seasons.

For example:

Summer→Fall

or

Winter→Spring

Traveling during these periods may mea fewer crowds and potentialy lower prices on accommodations and activities.

And bonus: you may get a completely different experience than you would during the peak season.

Look for Travel Benefits and Member Savings

Before booking your next trip, check whether you have access to discounts through your employer or other memberships.

Potential savings can include:

• hotels

• Resorts

• Rental cars

• Attractions

• Cruises

• Vacation packages

• Other travel experiences

For those with CultureMiles benefits, your employee benefits could be worth more than you realize. Before paying full price for your next trip, take a few minutes to see what travel savings are available through your benefit.

Plan Your Vacation Budget Before You Book

One of the easiest ways to overspend is to start booking individual pieces of a vacation without knowing your total budget.

Before you book, determine:

Your total vacation budget

Then divide it into categories:

Having a number in mind makes it easier to decide where to splurge and where to save.

Bonus: Use Your PTO Strategically

Saving money isn't the only way to make your vacation budget go further.

Make your PTO go further, too.

Combining PTO with company holidays and weekends can allow employees to take longer trips without using as many vacation days.

For example:

4 PTO days + a holiday + two weekends = potentially 9 consecutive days away from work.

That can turn a few vacation days into a much bigger opportunity to travel.

Final Thoughts

You don't have to sacrifice the experience to save money.

A little flexibility, research, and strategic planning can help you spend less on the logistics of your trip-and more on the things you'll actually remember.

Travel more. Spend smarter. Make memories.

And before booking your next adventure, don't forget to check your CultureMiles employee travel benefit. You may have access to savings that can help your vacation budget go even further.