Summer is just around the bend! Whoohoo! Hopefully, for you, that means a vacation is in the works right now!
My husband and I are already planning our summer vacation. Well, when I say my husband and me, I really mean I’m planning it and he’s approving it.
We’ll be going to Florida during peak season so it’s panning out to be pretty expensive. Sometimes you can’t avoid planning your vacations during an expensive time.
We are going to a wedding of a close friend and decided we’ll tack on a few extra days for vacation since we’ll already be near the beach.
Another super expensive time to travel for us is our Anniversary. When everyone was telling us to get ready for marriage, they forgot to mention that June weddings are only cool in movies where the characters are rich.
June is peak season for almost every travel destination, which means, if we want to travel during that time, we may be facing serious price inflation.
So naturally, I have adopted a few travel planning hacks that help us keep the cost down. In this post, you’ll learn about the very tricks I use and hopefully by the time you’re done reading them, you’ll be able to implement them into your planning routine.
Payroll Perks
This travel tip is my favorite! It has saved my husband and I, as well as our family members, hundreds of dollars!
Depending on what payroll company your job uses, you may already have access to 50% off hotels, exclusive discounts on rental cars, amusement park tickets, movie tickets and more!
There are two major Payroll companies and I’ve benefited from both of their employee discount programs.
Okay, so let’s break this down a little, shall we?
Payroll Company 1: This company offered (at the time that we had them) discounts through LifeMart. I’m not specifically saying who they are because I’m not completely sure I can, but their name has three capital letters 😉.
Sidenote: If you’re a member of the Golden Key Honor Society you have access to LifeMart as well!
Payroll Company 2: This company is the one my job currently uses for payroll. They are the biggest payroll company and start with the letter P. They offer their benefits through Working Advantage.
So what do you do with that info? The next time you get paid, check your pay stub or ask your HR Rep which payroll company you have and if your company is enrolled in their discount programs.
If you’re company isn’t enrolled, encourage HR to do so because these programs also offer things like concierge services, counseling and more!
Anytime I’m playing a trip, whether local or for a few days somewhere beachy, I use the search engine on the discount site to compare prices and usually end up booking right from their website.
I’ve saved hundreds between movie tickets for date nights, hotels for vacations and staycations and on rental cars.
It’s worth finding out from HR if you’re company has this benefit.
Now, for tip #2!
Loyalty Programs
So this may seem super easy and you may be saying, “Duh, of course loyalty programs help you save money!” Or, you may be saying the opposite, “Signing up for those is pointless and they hardly save you money.”
Well, if you said the second statement, you may not know the true benefits. With loyalty programs, you’re not only saving money but creating a better travelling experience!
Before I get into how they help you have a better travel experience, here’s how it saves you money. When you join a loyalty program, each time you stay on a particular brand’s property or fly with their airline, you’re racking up points.
Depending on how much you travel, it may take a while to reap the blessings. However, if you’re going to stay on that hotel’s property, why not get points for doing it?
It’s just silly to not sign up for their rewards if you’re using their product. You’re going to spend the money anyway, why not get some of it back in rewards, despite how long it takes?
When you’re a loyalty member, depending on the brand, you often save money on your purchase. You type in your member number and you’ll more than likely watch the price per night go down for a hotel.
Whenever I’m booking with a new airline, hotel brand or rental car company, I always sign up for their loyalty program as long as it’s not attached to a credit card application process.
Now, how does this improve your travel experience? Glad you asked! Being a member of particular brands could get you the following:
- Free wifi
- Early check-in
- Late check-out
- Better rooms
- Free flights (usually after so many miles)
- Free rooms (usually after so many stays)
- Priority locations
- Free upgrades
- 2nd traveler for free (if you’ve cruised with a particular line before)
- Virtual check-in
- Express check-in
- Virtual keys
I have taken advantage of many of the perks listed here and I can tell you, they enhanced every trip!
I surprised my husband with a staycation for his birthday and the hotel we stayed in put us on the member floor with a corner suite and a cityview just because we were members.
There are even greater rewards the more you stay and the higher your status is with the brand.
Right now, we’re just beginner-level members with most brands we choose to use for travel and the perks have been worth our email addresses being on their lists.
Last tip, but certainly not the least bit insignificant…
Breakfast Anyone?
That’s right! Breakfast is a major determinant for whether or not we stay at a hotel.
My husband and I always work out a budget for food when we plan our trips. One meal we try to avoid paying for, breakfast.
We love staying at hotels that offer complimentary breakfast. We get a free meal to start each day of our vacation and snacks for later. Yes, I said snacks!
We always grab an extra orange, or yogurt or both to munch on later before heading out or back to our room.
Some hotels even leave yogurt, grain bars and fruit out for the taking throughout the day.
*Super tip: If you stay throughout the week (typically Sunday-Thursday) some hotels that offer breakfast also provide dinner in the evening. Just call and ask the front desk if they’ll be offering dinner during your stay. That’s potentially two meals you could be saving on, per day!
Now, you may be thinking these meals are only offered at low-end family-suite hotels. I’d have to say, that isn’t true. My husband and I don’t stay anywhere that isn’t up to par.
Some of the hotels we’ve stayed in that offered breakfast have been just as nice as the 4-star hotels in the area that didn’t provide breakfast.
We don’t mind staying in family-suite hotels that have a bedroom, sofa bed and small kitchen layout. The kitchen is always a plus because if we feel like cooking we can save money on meals that way too.
If you’re not particularly fond of staying in places where families often stay, then this tip isn’t the best for you. But, if you’re a Loyalty Member at a particular hotel, you may get complimentary breakfast anyway!
Well, those are just 3 ways we save hundreds and maximize our experiences when we travel. I love traveling, saving money and sharing how I did it so I look forward to meeting you right here on the blog to tell you more!
Until next time!
P.S. let me know in the comments if these tips worked for you or if you have some you’d like us to share!
