I used to scroll through friends’ glamorous-looking vacation photos and feel a familiar pang, knowing there was no way my family could afford trips like that. But I didn’t want to stew in jealousy, so I decided to figure out how we could travel more on our budget.
I started by prioritizing more local trips
Since some of my favorite travel memories aren’t from far-off places but from day adventures or quick weekend trips, I learned to prioritize them in our calendar. Mini vacations are cheaper — no flights, rental cars, time off work, or dog sitters needed, since we generally bring our dog on these trips or leave her with the neighbor.
We live in Arizona, so we schedule hiking excursions with friends to Sedona’s Red Rocks or other scenic areas at least once every few months. We also visit my parents, who live an hour and a half north of us, enjoying their cooler weather and small-town charm.
However, I don’t want my family to miss out on exploring beyond our little bubble, so my next tactical move was to maximize credit card points.
My friend taught me how to maximize credit card points
I’d earned free flights and hotels before, but my friend showed me I had more to learn.
Over the past two years, I’ve signed up for credit cards when the point offers looked too good to pass up. I often book under my friend’s referral link, so we both earn bonuses. My husband then signs up using mine, and we add each other as authorized users, often for extra points.
I currently have nine credit cards. It sounds intimidating, but it’s manageable as I never add more than one sign-up bonus at a time. Closing cards can ding your credit score, so I phase them out slowly.
Some, though, I’ll keep long-term, like my Sapphire card with its zero foreign transaction fees and great travel partners, and my Southwest card, which allows me to book flights with my Rapid Rewards points and offers one free checked bag for myself and up to eight guests.
Because the Sapphire card’s points can be transferred to Southwest, I was able to combine them and book a flight for my family of five to Washington, D.C., this summer. The flight cost me 130,000 Rapid Rewards points, which is about $1,300. The only thing I paid out of pocket was the $56 in security fees. Then I used 78,914 introductory points from my husband’s new Sapphire Chase card, valued at $788, to pay for half of our five-night hotel stay in Georgetown. In total, I saved around $2000.
One caveat: I always pay my credit cards off monthly. I want to be the one benefiting — not the credit card company.
Booking trips with family and friends makes travel more memorable and affordable
We often split hotels or Airbnbs with family or friends. Sharing costs makes trips more economical and usually more fun. We plan meals together, too, when the place we’re staying has a kitchen, which further cuts costs.
I discovered that when new properties are listed on Airbnb, the first few stays are often discounted to drive more bookings and garner reviews. We’ve stayed in some upgraded places using this tactic. On an upcoming trip to Europe, I found a two-bedroom flat in London’s city center with only a few reviews, offering a better deal at $970 for four nights, while many nearby properties were $1,300 or more.
I search for the best deals on transportation
While in Europe, we plan to take trains to and from a few cities. I was shocked by train costs. That’s how I found Omio, which helped me compare, purchase, and store tickets for train, bus, and ferry trips in one place, saving me time and money.
When traveling, we rely on public transportation if the city is well-connected, only hopping in a rideshare or taxi if we are worn out. If we do need a rental car, I usually check a few companies to find the best deal, as rates can vary significantly.
On a seven-day trip to Maui in 2024, I found the best deal by booking directly with Alamo through my Sapphire rewards program. I secured a Chrysler Pacifica for 48,989 points, which equates to around $490.
I decide when to splurge and when to save
My dad’s vacation rule: splurge on a nice hotel for a few nights, then switch to budget options. Admittedly, I am scarred by that one cockroach-infested motel he booked when I was 11, so I never go too budget. Still, I like his thinking. If we’re traveling to multiple cities, we often take this approach, staying in one nicer place and then offsetting it with something more budget-friendly in the next.
Even with hacks, traveling is an expensive undertaking. Tucking money into a vacation fund every month helps, and staying strategic is key. For me, experiencing new places as a family is worth prioritizing.
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