10+ effortless ways to save money on travel

You could be in the office, or you could be wandering through this charming village, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, along Germany's Romantic Road. ©AlonzoWright

Ah, it’s just another blissful day at the office. Mary has packed her second tuna fish sandwich this week, Bob's cackle is echoing across three conference rooms, and you’ve got back-to-back meetings all day. Naturally, your mind starts to drift and before you know it, you're daydreaming about your next vacation. You can almost see yourself swinging your afternoons away in that hammock, trailing your toe through the sugary sand, your worries a million miles away. And then reality creeps back in. You start thinking, “I have too many bills to take a vacation right now,” “everything is so expensive,” and of course, “can I even afford to take the whole family?’

I’ll be honest, I don’t like to talk about money when it comes to travel. It’s value that I find most important. I’m one of those people who knows incredible food is found in places ranging from a family farm down a lonely dirt road in Viñales, to the Michelin-starred restaurants in San Sebastian. Both are exceptional experiences that are worth no more or less than the other. But I also know that not everyone thinks the same way I do. There are about three main reasons the majority of people think they can’t travel, and money is one of them (you can find the other two here).

So I put together a list of 10+ effortless ways to save money on travel, both before and during your trip. And speaking of ways to save money, Manifesting Travel was named a top Austin, TX, travel expert by Redfin. Check out the article we were featured in:

10 Most Affordable Austin Suburbs to Live In.

Remember, you can’t afford not to take a vacation, your mental health and happiness depend on it. And while we’re at it, start making a plan to finally ask your boss for that raise. We both know you deserve it.

Scored a flight from Vegas to New Orleans for $89+tax using Google Flights. How's that for saving money on travel? ©AlonzoWright

1. Stay flexible

Set up a Google Flights alert for destinations you’d like to travel to and let them do the work. Don’t have a particular destination in mind? Even better. Use the “explore” feature on Google Travel. Just plug in your home airport, the month or months you’re willing to travel, and the duration of your trip. Move the map around and you’ll be served up dozens of destinations at various price points. Are you a CapitalOne credit card holder? You can set up flight alerts with them too. Staying flexible allows you to book when the prices drop. One thing to note, you'll have to head to Southwest Airlines for their deals, they're not on Google Flights.