Depending on what type of holiday you are taking, it can be quite easy to save some money. Here are some of my favourite tips:
1 – Airmiles, airmiles, airmiles! 🙂 It can be very easy to earn airmiles when you watch the flyers for Safeway, shop while there is spend $100 get 100 and do a few bonus promos and you can basically get back every dollar you spend in travel rewards (plus you have all your groceries) Not only can you book air, hotels and car rentals, you can also purchase gift cards for hotels and events in the area you are heading. Check out their site and take a look before you go, you never know what you can redeem for. There’s even restaurants and store gift cards that you can use to lower your out of pocket costs.
2 – Pack well. Think of what you need to bring, make a list and really plot it out. The less things you forget and need to pick up, the more you save. For kids bring along their favourite snacks etc. to save $$ on expensive treats.
3 – Check out the Entertainment book for the area you’re heading to. Not only can you save on hotels, outings, food etc. there’s also coupons you can use back at home too – a lot are valid cross Canada. Can be well worth the investment when the books are on sale – and 1 buy one get one free for an expensive outing more than pays for the book.
4 – If you’re driving, pay attention to gas prices. Always so much higher on the weekends, fill up accordingly. You can also use your cash rewards from Airmiles for redemption right at the pumps! Same thing with having your vehicle properly maintained. And make sure to have CAA for any emergencies – also great for maps and other info and help.
5 – Ask friends, family – even on Twitter for tips for the area you’re heading to. People know their cities, they know the best restaurants and they can probably pass on some great deals to you. Imagine someone asking you for deals in winnipeg and the wealth of knowledge you could pass on – ask to get the same for your travel destination.
6 – Join rewards programs for the hotel you will be staying at. Most chains now offer all kinds of deals, worth taking a look online and see what you can get. Sign up for the newsletters for places you plan to visit – never know when they will email you a deal.
7Â – Don’t be afraid to ask! Ask for a better price, ask for a deal – for hotels etc. see what kinds of discounts they offer. You never know!
Happy and Safe travels to everyone travelling during Spring Break! What are your favourite tips for saving some money while travelling? Best do’s and don’ts?
My hubby & I are planning a 2 week road trip to California and the states surrounding it. Money saving tips and vacations are my 3 most googled words right now, haha.
I’m trying to stick to a budget but also make sure we have a ton of fun.
Love your ideas! Also, if you are traveling you can check with Expedia.ca or some of those sites for cheap hotel rates, etc. We did that last time we were going to ON and got a nice hotel I had never heard of before for quite a bit less.
Also a great March Break idea for those staying in Winnipeg is to go to the Brandon Winter Fair with your kids. We used to take our kids every year, lots to see and do. If you decide to stay overnight in Brandon, they have very cool horse events (horse jumping, horse and carriage competitions, super dogs) but they can go quite late, so it’s good to stay overnight in town…. but you don’t have to. Walking through the animal pen area, where the animals are in pens and judged, you can walk around and see lots of animals. One year the Alpaca’s owner invited my kids and us into the pen to pet his little herd and now my almost adult kids still talk about that. It’s a reasonably priced getaway. Bring your camera! Enjoy March break everyone!