5 Money-Saving Travel Tips

Budget travel isn't always easy. Travel can be expensive and you can't always stay within a budget you want to stay in, unless you really compromise, but we all know this. Luckily, there are ways you can save that are easy and you can do all the time. Here are five of my favorite ways to save money on every single trip I take:

Travel in the off-season

Sure, everyone wants to travel in the summer, because the kids are out of school and the weather is nice, but this is also true other places. This means that attractions are open longer, but also there are way more tourists and long lines and higher prices. Shift your travel to the off-season, or at least shoulder season, to save up to half off hotels and airfare, plus save your time by not having to wait in giant queues everywhere you go. Do your research ahead of time to find out when peak season is and avoid that like the plague.

Eat local

I am the first one who wants to go out to eat when I travel, but not everything has to be fancy restaurants. In fact, you don't have to eat in a restaurant at all. I'm not suggesting fast food joints, because no. I pick at least one restaurant I want to eat at a day and then I fill in my meals with places that locals have suggested to me (because they don't make commission from their suggestions and tell you to go to places they truly love), food carts, and foods from the grocery and farmers' markets.

Take public transportation

Most cities have great public transportation, and since you aren't on any sort of schedule, getting places isn't a thing where you have to be there at a particular time (usually), so skip the expensive cabs, ubers and car rentals and take the bus, subway, or even just walk. Both of these options are cheap or free and are even a better way to see your destination, because you get off the main path. 

Look for promo codes and coupons

Attractions and activities can be expensive. I make sure I exhaust all options researching for promo codes and coupons for things I absolutely don't want to miss. A lot of times if you book online, you can get a better deal than gate price, even if it's just a few dollars. If you can't find any deals, hit up a nearby hotel lobby to see if they have coupons. We were able to save a lot of money at a great restaurant in Philly this way. 

Do the free stuff

You'll be surprised by how much free stuff you can see/do in a city if you look for it. Museums with free admission, parks with lots of sculptures and other artwork, building murals, free city tours. We've done all those things and more. 90% of the time it's really fun and something you wouldn't have done if you didn't actually look for it. Look online before you leave and don't forget to ask around when you arrive. 

So, while budget travel may be more work than just booking a trip blindly and then complaining about the prices of everything and then never going on vacation again, it's definitely worth it, and it makes your hard work that much more appreciated.

What are your favorite easy ways to save on travel?

How I Pack Small

As you're reading this, I'm on my first trip of 2022. We'll be gone for 4 days and I challenged myself to pack everything in a small carry-on* I bought for solo trips. I've been carefully choosing our travel wardrobe over the last few weeks. The weather will be a mix of warm, cool, and possibly cold, so I knew I needed to do some strategic planning. 

As always, I chose mix-and-match separates, so we would only need two pair of pants and 4 shirts apiece. I'll also be bringing along pieces to layer, but wearing them on the plane, like my coat and an athletic jacket. Eric will have a cardigan and a coat. We will be doing many outdoor activities, so having the appropriate clothing for the weather is very important.

Here's Eric's selection: an extra pair of pants, 3 short-sleeve shirts, a long-sleeve shirt, and an undershirt for layering. Not shown: 4 pair of socks and 5 pair of underwear (I always like to have one extra). The underwear are in the teal packing cube with mine that you can see at the top of the picture.

My selection: pajamas (joggers and a t-shirt), a pair of stretchy jeggings, 3 short-sleeve tops, and a long-sleeve top that can layer over everything else if need-be. Not shown, 5 pair of underwear and a bra.

I rolled and packed everything into a big packing cube and then filled in the weird spaces around the frame in the bottom of the bag with socks and my pajamas. This gives us a flat packing surface.

I've also packed our swim suits and appropriate footwear: flip flops for Eric and PFG deck shoes for me. Both are great for  going down to the lobby, quick trips tot he store, and walking around by the pool. 

I tried to pack my shoes on top, and while they fit, they fit better in the bottom, so I adjusted everything and made sure the bag still zipped closed. It did, and then there was room on top for our glasses case.

My original plan was to get my regular toiletry bag into the main part of the bag, but it turns out it didn't fit at all, even with all the paring down I did and the travel sizes I used. 

I have, in the past, just put it in my personal item, but instead, I transferred everything we would need into this smaller Travelon two-part toiletry bag that has one side for liquids and one for non-liquids. Insted of taking up space in my tote that will be mostly my laptop, I came up with a creative solution for making it fit in this small bag. I left it open and slid it right into the front pocket. It added very little to the profile.

This left just enough space for my flat iron, and any last-minute items can go in the free space of the zipper slip pocket. 

So, now you probably want to know what's in my tote. If you've seen my Instagram Stories, you will have seen what's in there, but let's do a little deep dive. (This all fits in that Timbuk2 Scholar tote, which is out of stock right now, but I highly recommend their other bags.)

Here's everything laid out:

• laptop with charging cord & HDMI cable
• chargers and charging cables in blue bag
• bluetooth headphones
• magazines
• backup battery
• snacks!
• wrap to use as a scarf or blanket or sarong
• masks (I will also have hand sanitizer in my bag)
• reusable water bottle

My laptop takes up most of the bag, but I already knew that was going to be the case. I bring it along to do work, check emails, make reservations and watch shows and movies (I can hook it up to the TV with the HDMI cable, so we can all watch it bigger.) After I took this picture, I shoved my wrap down to the bottom of the bag, added a packable bag, in case we bring home anything that we didn't leave with, and resituated my bag of snacks and my bag of popcorn. The space I made with the wrap and laptop bag ensures that none of these things get crushed.

This bag has all the pockets and I love it. The profile is slim and it also has these stow-away backpack straps. Because we'll be on the plane, I wanted to make sure I had KN95 masks with me for all three of us (me, my mom, and Eric). This is a great place to stow them where I can get to them easily at the airport, where we can switch out our cloth masks before we board the plane. 

Also, remember, a lot of airlines, depending on who and where you fly, will not allow passengers to wear cloth masks, so always make sure you have some disposable ones on you. These masks are recyclable, so when you're finished with them, you put them back in the bag and return them to the company. I like the patterns, but you can get solid colors, too.

Like I said, this tote has pockets. My electronics bag goes in the front, for easy access. I'll be able to put pens and any necessary paperwork in the bottom pocket. And my reusable water bottle has a pocket of its own on the side, so it's not taking up valuable inside space, and it's always on hand.

One small bag for the overhead and one smaller bag for under the seat. Now when we deplane, we'll be ready to go right from the gate. We can quickly go pick up our rental car and get out of the airport. Land and leave. That's exactly how I like my trips to go.

Do you have any trips planned for 2022?

*While this bag is out of stock at Travelon, I can recommend this one on Amazon as a substitute. Neither will fit under the middle seat though. 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links that may result in me being monetarily compensated if you make purchases through them. Thanks in advance, as it allows me to keep this blog running. 

Happy New Year 2022

Phew! We made it through another one. Happy New Year to you and your family and friends. Here's to a better year than the last two, including more kindness, self-care, and good times with those you love. I'll be taking this first week of 2022 to reconnect while traveling with my immediate family and I hope you can find some joy in leaving the old year behind and starting a new one with gratitude and optimism. 

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A post shared by Shereen Travels Cheap (@srayle)

If you made resolutions, here's to the motivation to keep them. If you didn't, that's okay, too. The best resolutions I've made have been:

• Be kind.
• Help others as much as you can.
• Tip well. 
• Remember that there is much more to the world than that immediately around you.
• It's okay to say no.
• Be kind. Yes, this is on the list twice on purpose. It can be hard, and it can be especially difficult to remember that everyone is going through something that you can't see, but being kind costs nothing and usually makes you feel good as well. Thinking before you speak or react can go a long way to creating a healthier environment for you and those around you.

So, I hope these help you start your 2022 off right. Get vaccinated and/or boosted and wear a mask, so you don't get sick - or as sick, if you are unfortunate enough to get a breakthrough case - or make others sick. Test often if you're traveling or going to crowded events (even if you're vaccinated), to be safe. And let's have a joyful, healthy, and more normal year. 

Hit me with your resolutions or hopes for the new year in the comments.