Happy Monday, loves! We are officially in Madrid now making it halfway through our two week trip! Portugal and Spain have treated us rather nicely the last week– I can’t wait to share a couple of travel guides with you all! 🙂 Since I’m traveling away right now, I thought it would be appropriate to share some tips and tricks that’ll help you save some $$$ while on vacation / prepping for vacation!
BEFORE THE TRIP
- Travel during low season: I know this isn’t always possible, but if you’re able to travel somewhere that isn’t during peak season then you’ll save tons of money on hotels and airfare!
- Book in advance: Based on my experience, earlier is not always better since there are some random last minute deals you can score but ideally you should book a trip about 3 months in advance– that’s the sweet spot!
- Travel light: This is a rule I don’t follow at all but if you are able to pack less, you’ll save a ton on baggage fees. Southwest is great and you can check in two bags for free but that’s not the case for most other airlines– especially if you are traveling internationally.
- Do your research: Kayak and Hopper are both great resources to find out whether a certain flight will decrease or increase in price in the future!
- Look into Airbnb or HomeAway: Sometimes, you’ll find that hotels end up being way more expensive (even the mediocre ones! Looking into renting a place may end up being cheaper– especially if you’re splitting it amongst a group! For example, my husband and I along with another couple split an Airbnb during Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona.
DURING THE TRIP
- Look for the word “FREE”: Check to see what’s free in the city you’re visiting! We found that a museum in Madrid is open to the public for FREE from 7-9PM only on certain days and that worked out perfectly for us. It’s the little things that could help you save a ton!
- Groupon is your friend: Are you planning for any activities while you’re on vacation (i.e. skydiving, parasailing, segway tours, etc)? Check out Groupon for their latest deals because you may score a tour for way cheaper than what is listed on the actual website.
- Eat like a local: You don’t have to be fancy for every single meal, every single day. My general rule of thumb is to eat at least one nice dinner and one nice lunch in each city that I visit. For everything else, just Google some restaurants that have good reviews–you can always filter based on your price point! We scored some great 1 euro tapas while I’m Madrid!
- Walk or take local transportation: Uber or taxi rides add up quick. I’ve noticed some things we’ve been to are actually walking distance (anything less than 20 minutes I can do!) and we chose to walk and save on some cab rides. If you’re traveling to anywhere with a metro or subway system, definitely try and do that! It’ll save you a ton.
- Get groceries: If you’re staying at an airbnb, stock up on a few key essentials to make breakfast in the morning– some eggs and toast will do just fine! That’s what we did this morning in Madrid and it turned out quite nicely! Also, it was a nice change to spending a crazy amount of euros on brunch!
Now it’s time to nap and then we are off to see a flamenco show! I’m linking outfit details down below for you guys–chat soon, loves!
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