6 Ways to Travel Smart on a Budget

24 Comments 3 min read
home decor, baby cubby, nursery decor
One of our goals as a team (that’s Spencer and I) this 2017 was to travel more.
We want to set aside money and organize our savings so that we can budget for those long trips. This blogpost will cover some of the ways that we plan on taking an airplane across the world on as little money as we can!
home organization, world map poster, world map
utah blogger, popular bloggers, popular influencers
HOW TO TRAVEL ON A BUDGET
1. Get an app, email, or notification system that will tell you about price drops. I talked about Pomelo Travel in a post last year. This is is an email system you can sign up for free, or sign up for $3 a month for more notifications, telling you about the BEST flight prices and mistake airfares. I also wrote a little about the app Hopper that allows you to set your preferred trip dates and price range. When the flights fall under those categories, you are notified!
2. Get yourself a miles card. This is a credit card that earns you “miles” towards free flights. *DISCLAIMER: please only take my advice to get a credit card if you can handle it responsibly. Credit card holders can go into major debt if they do not pay their purchases off immediately.* Spence and I currently own the DiscoverIt Miles. We loved it the first year! It offers 1.5x points per purchase, and at the end of the year, our points doubled. It earned us a free round trip ticket to NYC for NYFW. I wrote about NYFW as well! It is important to know that one point does not equal one mile. Make sure you understand the milage system of each card. These are a great way to build your credit while also gaining miles at the same time, though.
 
3. Get out of town. If you are going to Europe, go to as many spots as you can during your trip! Going to Hawaii? Island hop while you can!
 
4. Get a scale and a small bag. Avoid overage charges on checked bags by scaling them beforehand. A good rule is to always go 7 pounds lighter than the maximum weight allowed (usually 50 lbs). This is so that you have room to carry home anything you may collect on your trip. Want to avoid the stow-away fee?! Pack even lighter and just take a carry-on. You are allowed one carryon bag and one under-the-seat bag (like a purse) for no extra charges on most flights.
 
5. Get a room. Hotels are made to be luxurious. Luxury costs money. Hostels are going to be cheap because they trade comfort for just covering the bare necessities. Want something in the middle? AirBnB (and other house rental services) will have a competitive price. They don’t want you to go to a hotel or hostel. They’ll provide the comfort a hostel lacks, and will be at a more affordable price than hotels.
6. Get a map to hang in your house. This magnetic board with a world map on it is perfect for Spence and I to organize our travel thoughts on! We love to put magnets on the board in the locations we want to visit. A newer idea we thought about would be to put a different color of magnets on places we have already been! This narrows down to where we truly want to visit, prioritizing the places that should go first according to our budget.
utah blogger, influencer, lauryn hock
balayage, map of the world, wall photos

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24 Comments
  • Nataly Schma
    January 17, 2017

    So many good tips here! I am downloading that app now! xo, Nataly

  • Ruthie Ridley
    January 17, 2017

    Love these tips and that beautiful wall art!! XO

  • Anna E. Fox
    January 17, 2017

    Such great tips, thanks for sharing!

  • Maggie
    January 17, 2017

    What a great goal! Wonderful tips for traveling!

    Maggie
    http://www.polishedclosets.com

    • lauryncakes
      January 20, 2017

      Thank you! You can never go wrong with wanting to travel!

  • Nina
    January 17, 2017

    Great tips! I am really hoping to travel more this year.

    xx Nina
    http://www.theHSSfeed.com

  • Laura B @ Walking in Memphis in High Heels
    January 17, 2017

    Such great tips. I love traveling but it can get pricey. Love that magnetic board!

    • lauryncakes
      January 20, 2017

      It really can get pricey! Thank goodness for technology!

  • Bella B
    January 17, 2017

    This are awesome tips!! I am planning on doing way for trips this year.

  • Jessica Sheppard
    January 18, 2017

    I didn't know about those app options! Definitely need to try that out! Thanks for the tips. xoxo

  • Natasha
    January 18, 2017

    i LOVE the idea of getting a map!!!!!

  • Maggie Zemanek
    January 18, 2017

    That board is super super cute!! Love your tips, too!

    http://www.maggiealamode.com

  • Shani Ogden
    January 23, 2017

    I had no idea about those apps! I love to get a great deal but that can be so time consuming. These apps would definitely save me some time and money. Win!

  • Shari Wargo Stamps
    March 14, 2017

    Such great ideas, I didn't know about the app!

  • Ronald Gagnon
    June 20, 2017

    We had no idea such a thing as this app existed….we just came back from Disneyworld..left from Alberta, Canada . We had almost three weeks of hell to have the whole trip and itinerary booked

  • Linda Linneman
    July 15, 2017

    I would love to travel. I have several places on my bucket list. I am on a budget so this information will really help me. Thank you so much for sharing