Important Ways to Save on Your Post-Pandemic Vacation

As vaccines roll out and travel restrictions are lifted, many families are eager to embark on fun vacations after the shut-downs of the COVID-19 pandemic. We've all been cooped up and left to our own devices at home for a year and a half, so it makes sense that so many of us are ready to skip town for a bit and enjoy ourselves away from home. However, travelers beware; the prices of hotel stays, rental cars, activities, and gasoline have skyrocketed since the days before COVID. Let's talk about some simple ways families and travelers can save on these inflated vacation costs. 

Plan Ahead

I can't stress this enough; whether you're traveling across the nation or just booking a stay at a local resort not far from your home, you'll pay a lot more if you don't plan ahead. I'm talking as far in advance as you can – a few months, if you're able. Advanced planning will ensure the lowest, most reasonable prices for all of your vacation necessities. You may have heard that there's an extreme shortage of rental cars in the U.S. right now – this is all due to the pandemic, and rental cars (especially in tourist towns) can cost upwards of 100 dollars or more daily! The further ahead you reserve a vehicle, the better off you'll be as far as the price. 

Keep an eye out for rental car coupons online, in your inbox, and on sites like Groupon. These are likely few and far between these days, but seek them out nevertheless. Also, if you have points accumulated on a credit card or loyalty program you can put towards a rental car, I would recommend using them on your upcoming trip. The rental car shortage won't be going away anytime soon, and with your other vacation expenses, there are other ways to save. 

Seek Out Competitive Coupons, Promos, and Deals

This seems obvious, but this is actually something many travelers overlook once they have their sights set on a specific resort – or even a specific deal. Not all deals are made equal, so you need to shop around and shop competitively for the best discounted rates on hotel rooms and flights. 

Once again, you should be searching as far ahead as possible. Give yourself a window of time (a week or two) a few months ahead of your trip to scour online for deals. You never know when a new promotion will happen, so I advise looking for the deals for several days in the event that new, better promotions pop up. 

Don't get your sights set on big, brand name resorts if you're trying to stick to a budget. If you're heading to a theme park town, save your cash for where it's needed most; park entry tickets. Don't bother trying to stay in a resort on property unless you don't mind spending a small fortune on your stay, especially now, with hotel rooms in general in such high demand. 

Check websites like Kayak or Groupon for the best hotel promotions, and check on your rewards points for any hotel chains that you might have built up before the pandemic. 

Choose One Vacation Spot

Avoid traveling to multiple places on your trip if you want to save. Doing a cross-country or multi-city trip means more rental cars and hotel stays to organize, which means different rates, various fees that will be tacked on to each purchase, and different strategizing for each location. Unfortunately, if you're looking to keep your vacation as budget friendly as possible, I recommend picking one location and enjoying it to the fullest extent possible. Remember, some activities cost money, and some don't. Seek out beaches, scenic byways and highways, and national parks. These locations are usually extremely inexpensive or absolutely free. 

Get creative when planning your trip so that you can savor one location rather than hop between many. This will save you a significant chunk of cash – and allow you to get to know the place you're visiting on a deeper level. 

Save On Everything You Can

Don't just shop competitively and save on the obvious things, like hotel rooms and car rentals. Save on every single purchase to maximize and stretch your vacation funds. Save on groceries or food by shopping as you would at home with coupons and savings apps. Save on meals by eating out for a select few special meals and eating store-bought food the rest of the time. 

Spend selectively and consider every purchase before buying, and never spend more than you need to on anything. Just because you aren't at home doesn't mean you can't shop with an eye for savings. A big part of shopping critically when out of town is doing your research on the place beforehand. This is another aspect of planning ahead; get to know the area where you'll be staying. Know how far to travel from the tourist zones to save a few bucks on necessities and know what grocery chains in that area offer the best prices.