Dreaming of an affordable summer vacation? You’re not alone.
The Vacationer estimated that more than 200 million U.S. adults took a summer vacation in 2023. It’s no surprise. After months of hard work and hustle, a summer getaway is the perfect opportunity to rest and recover.
But traveler beware: summer is a peak adventure time, so your annual trip to the beach may come with an inflated price tag. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to save money without missing out on all the fun.
1. Prioritize Free or Cheap Activities.
As you kick off your planning process, try to build your itinerary around activities that are both fun and affordable.
If you’re someone who loves the outdoors, find an affordable state park to visit. You might also be surprised by how many national parks have free admission with the only fee being for parking.
Or if you’re craving a trip to the beach, plan your vacation around free activities like reading, sunbathing, and swimming. To keep the kids active and entertained, create a scavenger hunt — find a shell, a bird feather, a person in a yellow sunhat — or bring a soccer ball from home.
If you’d rather explore an urban hub, take a trip to a city with lots of free museums, public attractions, and street fairs. A self-guided walking tour — many cities have apps that make this super easy — is an affordable way to explore a new place.
For inspiration, check out the free events and sites in places like Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, or Chicago. While these cities tend to have a high cost of living, their amazing amenities are definitely worth a look.
Make sure your child brings their student ID if they have one. They might be eligible for free or discounted admission at some attractions, regardless of the location.
2. Bargain-Hunt Boldly.
Don’t get discouraged if you have your heart set on an experience that’s more expensive. There are plenty of creative ways to keep costs down.
If you take a few minutes to visit an attraction’s official website, you can often find insider details and special discounts. Certain venues offer free admission during non-peak hours, like Tuesday mornings or Sunday evenings.
You may also find that certain groups — kids, students, seniors, individuals with disabilities — can get discounted tickets or special perks.
As an additional measure, make sure to check websites like Groupon or tools like Honey to find promotions and discount codes on a variety of travel purchases.
3. Find cheap places to go in the summer.
We all know that summer is a popular travel time, but peak timing will vary by destination. Depending on where you’ll travel, factors like climate, local events, and holidays can play a huge role in the price you can expect to pay.
Before booking, research the most popular times to visit your destination, and try to book just outside of that window, during shoulder season. For many summer vacationers, this can mean traveling as early as May or as late as September.
Consider making a destination swap, too. If Paris is too expensive, somewhere like Montreal can give you the same vibe with a more modest price tag. Swap Costa Rica for Belize instead. Or if you want a cheap summer vacation in the U.S., Fire Island, N.Y., is a good destination dupe for Cape Cod.
4. Set a Hard Spending Limit.
Budgeting doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but it’s essential to understand how much travel you can afford. Before booking anything, take a hard look at your checking and savings accounts. With a little arithmetic, you can determine the amount that you can comfortably put toward a vacation.
Start with that number as your total travel budget, and from there, subtract the expected costs for your transportation, accommodations, activities, and meals. Anything that’s left over can be used as “treat yourself” money that you can spend on day-to-day purchases once you’re officially on vacation.
5. Know Your “Nice-to-Haves” versus “Need-to-Haves.”
Every traveler has different priorities, and understanding what matters most to you will ensure that your trip lives up to your expectations.
One trick I use is making a list of the travel experiences that I value the most. My main priorities are at the top, while my non-essentials are toward the bottom.
My list usually looks something like this:
- Quality time with others
- Great local food
- Unique attractions
- Clean, comfortable accommodations
- Strong arts scene
- Options for outdoor recreation
- Shopping
- Vibrant nightlife
- High-end dining options
- “Luxury” amenities
This simple exercise makes it much easier to choose what to splurge on versus where to scale back. In my case, I might choose to spend a little extra on a group outing, but I’ll cut costs by booking a basic economy plane ticket.
Understanding my travel priorities helps me feel less guilty about saying “no” to certain opportunities for the sake of my budget.
6. Pick your travel companions wisely.
Aligning a trip with your personal budget is one thing, but trying to get someone else on board is a different challenge all together. Whether you’re traveling with family, friends, or a significant other, be forthcoming about your budget for the trip.
If possible, seek out travel companions who have similar priorities to you. That way, you won’t feel pressured to spend money on experiences that don’t fall within your budget.
Saying “no thanks” to your loved ones can be tough, but perspective matters. After all, if someone makes you feel bad about taking an affordable summer vacation, are they really a good travel companion?
7. Keep track of your costs.
You’ve created your budget, booked your tickets, found a great travel group (or decided to go solo), and created an itinerary that won’t break the bank. Now, you can just kick back and enjoy, right? Not quite.
It’s easy to plan a cheap summer vacation on paper, but when you’re on the road, those itinerary items are likely to change. The same can be true with your travel budget.
Keep an eye on where your money goes throughout the trip. If you end up indulging a little more one day, try to keep it simple the next. After all, a good travel budget should be flexible, not a rulebook.
8. Protect yourself and your financial investment.
No matter your vacation budget or travel goals, your safety should always come first. It’s worth spending a little extra for a sense of security, especially if you’re far from home.
This includes booking the hotel in a nicer part of town or paying for an Uber instead of walking alone at night. But it also includes travel insurance.
The right travel insurance plan can reimburse you if you have to cancel your trip, meaning you’ll get your money back instead of losing it on a trip you never took. Your plan can also cover the costs of a medical emergency, so you don’t have to come up with the cash out of pocket if you get sick or hurt while traveling.
Travel insurance is more affordable than you might think, and it’s certainly going to be less than the money you’d lose if you didn’t have coverage and something unexpected happens.
You weigh risk versus reward, saving money with not being so cheap that nothing is fun, choosing to do one activity over another even if you think they’d both be fun, cost versus convenience.
One place you don’t need to compromise is travel insurance. Our licensed agents can help you find the right plan that fits your budget so that you can enjoy a full and safe summer trip. Contact an agent today or get a quick quote on your own.
