15 Ways to Travel Cheap for Summer Vacation

Your next summer vacation doesn’t have to be a financial burden, not when you know how to minimize costs while maximizing your fun. While there are many tips out there on how to travel cheaply in summer, not all of them are as good as they sound.

Key Takeaways

• To manage your summer vacation budget effectively, break down expenses into distinct categories such as transportation, accommodation, food, activities, and miscellaneous costs. 
• There are numerous ways to save money on summer travel, including using rewards points, opting for less touristy locations, traveling during the week, and considering budget-friendly alternatives like road trips, camping, or staycations. 
• Additionally, exploring last-minute deals, house swaps, or city passes can further stretch your travel budget, allowing you to enjoy more activities and experiences for less.

Planning for the Cost of Summer Travel

The first step to creating a good budget for your next summer vacation is understanding the costs involved. By learning how to organize those costs into unique categories, you’ll have a much easier time making the most of your funds.

Here are some of the most typical costs involved with summer travel:

• Transportation and accommodation. For starters, you’ll have to pay for transportation costs (e.g. plane tickets) to get to your destination and accommodations (e.g. hotels)  so you have a place to stay.
• Food and drinks. You’ll need money for the food and beverages you enjoy on your summer travels. There’s a lot of flexibility here, as you can choose to eat at more affordable places to free up more cash.
• Activities and entertainment. Your costs will also include what you do at the destination, like taking tours or enjoying local entertainment.
• Shopping and souvenirs. Another category you can be flexible with is shopping and souvenirs. Some people shop more than others when going on a summer trip so that you can budget accordingly.
• Miscellaneous costs. Lastly, remember that there will be miscellaneous costs along the way, like tips, taxes, and travel insurance, if you prefer having that.

When you organize your summer travel costs into categories like the ones described above, you’ll have a more detailed budget. Better yet, there is less chance you’ll forget to set aside money for any part of your summer travel plans.

15 Ways To Save Money On Summer Travel

If you’re looking to cut back on your summer travel spending, here are 15 tips you can use:

1. Use Rewards Points and Miles

When was the last time you checked the amount of rewards points and miles that you have? It’s probably been quite a while if you're like most people.

Your upcoming summer travel plans are the perfect excuse to cash those points in! Points and miles can be exchanged for a wide variety of things. For example, you could use them to pay for your travel tickets and hotel stays. Similarly, you can also use them to upgrade your existing reservations for free! For example, using 50,000 airline miles can save you around $500 on round-trip tickets for a domestic flight. If you use hotel points, you could save an additional $150 per night on accommodation. For a weeklong trip, that’s potentially up to $1,550 saved!

2. Zig When Others Zag

Remember this phrase when planning your summer travels: “Zig when others zag.” It generally means that there are plenty of benefits to going off the beaten path and doing things that most other travelers won’t.

As it turns out, it’s also a great way to reduce travel costs.

For example, book your accommodations somewhere away from touristy areas. Or, take public transportation instead of renting a car.

These small decisions can lead to massive savings!

Safety is always the top concern, so do your homework and ask local guides for help if necessary.

3. Set a Good Budget

You must learn to set a good budget to minimize your spending this summer.

A budget is a written plan for how you’ll spend every dollar you have allocated for travel purposes.  Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to set a good travel budget.

You’ll know your budget is good when it is:

• Comprehensive. A good budget is comprehensive, meaning it covers all the bases. In this case, your budget must cover the cost areas mentioned earlier in this article, such as transportation, accommodation, food and beverage, activities, shopping, and miscellaneous costs.
• Realistic. One challenging aspect of preparing a good budget is keeping it realistic. You don’t just want a budget that looks good on paper, you’ll also want one that doesn’t make your summer travels feel restrictive.
• Flexible. Keeping your budget realistic is important, but so is keeping it flexible. That’s because things might not go exactly as planned on your travels, so you must be able to make adjustments to your spending while you’re on the go.
• Documented. A budget should never just be ‘in your head’. Instead, you must have it documented somewhere that’s easily accessible when you need to refer to it. Putting your budget on paper is good, but it’s even better to use budgeting apps or cloud-based spreadsheets instead.
• Research-based. Above all, your budget must be research-based. There’s little excuse to have a travel budget based on assumptions, especially since you can find most of the information you need online.

Setting a good budget with all the qualities described above will create a good foundation for your summer travels!

4. If All Else Fails, Plan a Staycation

Suppose you don’t feel like dealing with all the stress of planning and budgeting for an elaborate summer getaway. In that case, you can opt for a much easier and cheaper staycation instead!

A staycation is pretty straightforward: it means taking a holiday not too far from your home. For example, you could book a hotel room in the city and stay there for a weekend instead of flying out to another state or country.

Staycations are a perfect way to be a tourist in your own city. You can use them to see the attractions that people travel far and wide just to experience, like your local beaches, museums, and everything else.

Not only are staycations more affordable, but they also minimize your travel time and make the overall experience a lot less stressful.

5. Walk, Bike, and Use Public Transportation

Whether you choose to plan your summer vacation near or far, one thing’s for sure: you can cut your travel expenses dramatically by adjusting your transportation plans.

Depending on your vacation destination, you can walk or bike around to see its attractions. Meanwhile, public transportation options like trains and buses can also help you travel further around the area at a fraction of the cost of renting a car or hiring a driver! If you usually rent a car for $50 per day, opting for public transportation instead could save you $350 over a week. Walking or biking not only saves money but also gives you a chance to explore the area more intimately. In addition, you could spend $20 on a weeklong public transit pass, compared to $300-$500 on rental fees and gas.

6. Travel During the Week

Understanding the difference between peak and off-peak travel times can save you a lot of money. Peak times are when most people travel, driving costs for pretty much everything up. However, traveling on weekdays could potentially save you money, as fewer travelers are on the move during those times.

Traveling midweek instead of on the weekend can save you up to 30% on flights and accommodations. For example, if a round-trip flight costs $500 on a Friday, booking it for a Tuesday instead could drop the price to $350, saving you $150. Similarly, midweek hotel rates are often $20-$50 cheaper per night, leading to another $140-$350 in savings over a week.

7. Pay with Travel Rewards

At the beginning of this list, you read that it’s an excellent idea to cash in your miles and points to cut your summer travel costs. Similar to that is paying your way using travel rewards.

For example, some credit cards offer better travel rewards than others. Getting and using one of them during your summer travels could help you lower your costs.

8. Make It a Road Trip

You don’t have to book expensive hotel rooms and plane tickets to enjoy the summer of a lifetime. Instead, you can have a memorable road trip packed with experiences!

Road trips are an excellent way to plan a great summer vacation because every mile driven is part of the experience.

Of course, you’ll want to ensure your motor vehicle is in good shape before you begin your journey. Get it serviced and repaired to prevent it from breaking down halfway through.

You can fund those repairs by getting a quick loan through Simple Fast Loans with just a few required items. With fast processing times and quick payouts, you could get those repairs started with little or no delay!

9. Go Camping

A timeless way to vacation during the summer is to go camping. Not only will that bring you closer to nature and help you hone some basic outdoor skills, but it can also save you a pretty penny on your travel budget!

Taking this option means that you’ll pay significantly less for accommodations, which, as you know, is one of the largest expenses when traveling.

Camping is a classic, budget-friendly option for summer travel. For example, a campsite reservation might cost $30 per night compared to $150 for a hotel. For a weeklong trip, that’s a savings of $840. Plus, cooking your meals over a campfire could save you an additional $200-$300 on food expenses.

10. Rent a KOA with Friends

If you’re still new to camping and prefer a more straightforward option, consider renting a KOA with your friends. Kampgrounds of America (KOA) has campgrounds nationwide where you can stay in a tent, cabin, or RV for the summer with plenty of amenities and activities.

Splitting the cost of a KOA cabin with friends can lead to major savings. For instance, a KOA cabin might cost $150 per night. Split between four friends, that’s only $38 each per night, compared to $150 per person for separate hotel rooms. Over a week, you’d save $786.

11. Couchsurf with Family or Friends

Suppose you don't like staying outdoors in the summer. In that case, another option you can consider to save on accommodation costs is couch surfing with friends and family.

In exchange for them letting you stay on their couch, you could offer to pay them or provide some kind of help. For instance, you could help clean their home, cook for them, or help them in some other way.

Couchsurfing can save you hundreds in accommodation costs. For instance, if you would have spent $100 per night at a hotel, staying with family or friends could save you $700 a week. You might even contribute by cooking meals, costing $50, still saving you $650 overall.

12. Volunteering Vacation

A summer vacation is also an excellent opportunity to help others through volunteering. Some organizations might even cover your food and board, ensuring that you pay very little for your vacation.

While this does involve some social activities with fellow volunteers, you will be spending all your time doing nothing at all. 

Instead, you can spend your time doing things like:

• Helping with wildlife conservation projects.
• Teaching English to communities that need educational support.
• Participating in cleanup efforts, like on dirty beaches or other outdoor areas.

Volunteering is an excellent option for a budget-friendly summer vacation because it ticks all the right boxes. You’ll create memories that’ll last you a lifetime, meet new people, and do some good for the world all at the same time.

13. Scour Last-Minute Deal Sites

Despite volunteering being an option, there’s no shame in wanting to have fun and spend quality time with your friends and family. You can do that in a more budget-friendly way by scouring last-minute deal sites.

Here’s how they work: Businesses that provide transportation (e.g. airlines and bus companies) and accommodations (e.g., hotels) want to make the most money possible. So, instead of having unsold seats or rooms, they offer last-minute deals to buyers at a lower cost.

You can find and grab these last-minute deals on popular travel sites like Expedia and Booking.com, but you have to be quick. Finding a last-minute deal can lead to savings of 30-50% off the regular price. For instance, booking a hotel room at $100 per night instead of $200 could save you $700 over a week.

Many travelers use this as a strategy to save money on their summer vacations, so there’s lots of competition for those deals!

14. House Swap

If you have friends or family living elsewhere, you can also arrange to swap houses with them.

That arrangement works exactly as it sounds: you’ll stay in their house for the summer, while they will come over and stay in yours. Not only does that enable both of you to travel to a different location for the summer, but it also ensures you don’t have to pay anyone to watch your house for you.

15. Use City Passes

Last but not least, you can protect your summer travel budget by using city passes. These are specially designed passes aimed at travelers who want to experience everything a city has to offer at much lower prices. Sometimes, city passes give you access to public transportation and attractions like museums. 

A city pass can save you up to 50% on entry fees for popular attractions. For example, if the total cost of individual tickets is $200, a $100 city pass could save you $100.

Maximize Your Summer Budget

Learning how to travel cheaply in summer will take a bit of time and effort. Still, it’s worth every penny as it can help you save loads on your travel budget. Better yet, you can do the same for every future summer vacation you plan!

Just remember the 15 tips described above and use the ones that fit your plans the best. That way, you’ll maximize your summer fun while minimizing your spending!

Note: The content provided in this article is for informational purposes only. Contact your financial advisor regarding your specific financial situation.