Money Saving Travel Tips
This post is sponsored by Pilot Flying J, but all opinions are my own.
I am such a penny pincher. In fact, I can squeeze two pennies together so tightly that they cry new pennies. I’m just kidding, I’m not that bad, but I am pretty bad. I’m always looking for ways to cut costs. When you’re on a tight budget, that’s just the way it is. I’ve learned some pretty creative ways to save money, even when on vacation. By saving money on some things, you can use the money for the fun and exciting things.
My family is planning a trip this summer to go see a family member get married. The money saving planning has already begun. Let me share with you what I am working on.
The first thing you can save money on is how you’re getting there. If you have a large family, flying is not usually the most cost-effective option. Driving isn’t the fastest, or the most fun with little kids, but it’s a great way to cut the cost of transporting your family. Especially if you have a good economic car that gets great gas mileage.
Where you’re staying is probably the second biggest cost of a trip. If you’re heading somewhere near family, seeing if you can stay with them is a good option to help save money and reconnect with your family. If you are going with a group of people, look into renting a house or a place together to share the costs. Our family is renting a big house out for the whole 4 or 5 days we’re there. Each family is being assigned a room and given assignments. Which brings me to my next point, food.
Feeding a family is not ever cheap. Three meals a day plus snacks and drinks on a trip gets very costly very fast. Our family is sharing in the cost by getting a house with a fully functional kitchen. Last time we did this; each family was in charge of a meal. Buying in bulk for 1 meal was cheaper than buying food for every meal.
Packing in your own food is a great way to cut costs too. Fancy restaurants and happy meals add up very fast. If you try to get a hotel room with a mini-fridge and a microwave, you can do wonders. I always pack things like sandwiches, for lunch. I also like to grab portable things like Easy Mac and Cheese, Cup-o-Noodles, or microwavable soups. Each is inexpensive, portable, doesn’t need to be refrigerated and can easily be made with a microwave and water.
What do you do to save money while you’re on the road, though? When making a pit stop, stop at a place where you can get everything you need in one place. One stop shopping is the best and a huge time saver on trips. It’s a waste of money to drive around a town stopping at several places to find everything your family needs.
When you need gas, the kids are hungry, and everyone needs a potty break, stopping in at the nearest Pilot Flying J is an easy way to stock up and take care of all the family’s necessities.
Has the family been driving too long and needs a break? Stop in and stretch your legs while letting the kids play some games for a while in the game room. Is snack food no longer working? You can stop in at a Pilot Flying J and feed the whole family a home cooked meal.
Did your baby have a diaper blow-out? Pilot Flying J has that covered too with their recently updated shower facilities. Are the kids tired of the movies you brought? Download new ones for the rest of the trip at a Digiboo kiosk.
With many great amenities, from Wi-Fi, Showers, Gas, home cooked meals, laundry, games, movies or snacks, you can find whatever you need to make your family’s travel experience a good one.
I can’t wait for our family vacation this summer. If you’re traveling this summer too, be sure to check out one of the 650 Pilot Flying J retail locations along the way. You can find a location near you here.
Vacationing on a budget is totally possible. We pack up our own food to take with us too to save that money to do other activities.
I’ve never been to a Pilot Flying J before. They sure seem to be stocked up on all the essenntials that you need for a road trip though!
We have a Flying J close to us. It is a great rest stop area. I had no idea they have showers. We like to bring as much food as we can when we go on a trip.
I like to look for deals on flights. You can find great last minute sales. Getting a house is a great way to save money on vacation.
I don’t really go on many vacations, but most of the tips you shared here are ones I have used in the past for sure!
These are all great tips. I don’t get to travel much though. If I do go somewhere, I’m always up for saving money. I try to save when I can.
My husband and I are on a tighter budget this year because we just had a wedding and moved into a new place. We still love to travel, though – these are gonna be some really useful tips for us!
Traveling can get so expensive. We usually fly when heading to the US. If we ever drive I will have to check out Pilot Flying J.
Boy oh boy… do I remember traveling with my big family. Usually it’s just my husband and me now but quite often we have the grandkids with us when we travel. We’re still always looking for good ways to save money while on the road.
Flying J truck stops have made a lot of improvement! Love these tips, I do the same when we travel with friends splitting meals and getting places with kitchens!
Whenever we go on a road trip we keep an eye out for Flying J locations off the highway- they just have all the comforts and amenities we need to refresh and recharge!
I’m still a penny pincher when we’re traveling, so we make a budget ahead of time and stick to it. My big kids are in charge of our “per diem” and helping us stay on track. I love that Pilot has laundry available–that is super helpful!
I had no idea Flying J had so many family friendly amenities! When traveling we try and bring our own food – saves a ton of money!
We have traveled a lot this year and stopped at Pilot while traveling they have everything. We also save money on vacations with buying groceries and making stuff ourself! It really saves big time!
WONDERFUL tips for summer travels! Thank you so much for sharing!!