39 Tips That'll Save You Hundreds on Your Next Trip

Want to not spend any money on your lodgings? Explore CouchSurfing.org, a volunteer-based network in which you can crash on someone's couch for free. It's a great little community that may enrich your travel experience, because your couch-surfing pal might show you some of the local sights. What better way to view the city than through the eyes of a local?

Bonus: you might even make a lifelong friend!

19. Show Your Loyalty

Becoming a loyal member of a hotel chain will get you lots of benefits, such as discounted prices, better service, and the ability to collect reward points toward a free hotel stay. And if you play your "I'm a loyal member" card and negotiate, then you can even get a full refund on your money when you cancel your stay. I've had to do that a couple times and saved a ton of money in doing so.

Some of the more famous hotel reward programs include Starwood Preferred Guest, Priority Club, and Hilton HHonors. And there is good news for those who prefer independent hotels. Turns out, there is a growing trend of boutique hotels grouping together to form their own loyalty programs; check out Stash Hotel Rewards and Voila Hotel Rewards.

20. Craigslist

Check out the local Craigslist for short-term vacation rentals, but be careful! People who don't their homework can end up forking over cash to a scammer for a vacation rental and not seeing any of it back. Read these safety tips by Craigslist, and try to have a friend check out the place before you send them money.

21. Hostels

Trim off travel costs by staying at a hostel, and spend about $15 to $35 a night. A popular place to find hostels is hihostels.com. Hostels have evolved from their traditional image, and some of the choices on the website even include private rooms for couples, families, or groups of friends.

If you're a first-timer, then be sure to prep yourself before the trip by remembering to bring things like shower slippers and ear plugs.

22. Negotiate Hotel Rates

Don't just call it a night at any price. If you're refraining from making reservations before your trip, then try to negotiate a lower rate for your room when you pull in for the evening. You'll find the most success at accommodations with several noticeable open spaces in the parking lot.

23. Boutique Hotels

Boutique hotels can offer a great price, but be sure to do your research properly, because they can be just as costly and swanky as the higher-end chain hotels. You can check out Orbitz for boutique hotels such as Tablet Hotels, or you can comb through Google search results on your own by using the search terms "boutique hotel [insert city]." Be sure to check out Trip Advisor reviews to see what other people are saying, and if it's in another language, then use Google Translate!

24. Quote Your Price

You can try your luck and opt to blind book on sites like Priceline.com and Hotwire.com and pay for a room in an unknown hotel. The risk is, you won't be able to cancel or change your reservation after you find out which hotel it is.

Do some digging around on betterbidding.com or hoteldealsrevealed.com to see if there are any tips for improving your chances of getting the right hotel. These are forums focused on how to "game" Priceline and Hotwire sites.

25. Sign on to the Computer for Pretrip Activity Savings

Now I assume hope you regularly research prices of flights and hotels before booking, but what about activities? Along with the added perk of looking for reviews to determine whether a particular stop is a tourist trap or worth the money, you can also save money booking "big-ticket" items. Museums, theme parks, and other destinations often offer discounts for activities prebooked online because so many people don't do this and are willing to shell out more cash at the door.

Don't be this person, and thoroughly research your destination and activities. In addition to checking out the tourism board, my favorite place to stop is the website of the local paper or city magazine. Periodicals geared toward locals usually have reviews of newer places and upcoming events — sometimes even discounts, too!

26. Investigate Travel Insurance

You'll be charged anywhere from four to eight percent of the cost of your trip for insurance, but considering what's at stake, the extra money may be worth it to protect your investment and buy you piece of mind.

27. Get a Cheaper, Well-Researched Hotel Room

Using websites like Priceline could get you half-priced hotel rooms. That being said, shop smart! Playing up the best features with professional photos is the name of any hotel's aesthetics game, but stave off disappointment (and final sticker shock) by asking yourself these questions before booking a room.

28. Consider a Travel Package

You may consider buying a travel package, even if you don't really need it, because they often cost less than airfare alone.

29. Want to Do Good? Plan a Volunteer Vacation

Offering a great way to see and experience a different culture, a volunteer vacation can be an especially fulfilling way to spend time off. The concept's not for everyone — no four-star hotels or five-course meals, and there's service work involved, making it less of a "break" — but it can be an affordable way to travel somewhere exotic and truly experience the other location separate from the confines of any resort. Here's a helpful planning guide.

30. Travel Stateside on the Cheap by Setting Fare Alerts

Airfare sales usually happen early in the week, while increases are usually put into place at the end of the week. Because there's no magic day when the best prices occur, it's best to sign up for email price alerts on all the travel sites that you use. Make sure to check up on your hotel before you book too!

31. Eat Like a Local

Avoid expensive tourist traps by asking locals for their recommendations, and save money by ordering area specialties.

32. Can't Afford It? Postpone and Staycation Instead

If the best deals you find are still too pricey, then opt for a local vacation for now and postpone bigger travel plans for the location's off-season. Instead, use up some of that hard-earned PTO and take a fabulous staycation in your own city.

33. Stay in Neighboring Cities

There's a trend of travelers booking lodgings in the neighboring town of the actual city they are planning to tour. By doing so, you can save up to 40 percent off the usual rate.

But of course there are downsides to that strategy. Staying outside the tourist attractions will mean more time commuting, and you may have to rent a car if there isn't a good local public transportation system. Calculate those costs to see if staying in a neighboring city is worth it.

34. Find the Cheapest Gas for Your Road Trip

A road trip may cost less money than flying, but filling and refilling your tank still isn't cheap. Utilize websites like autos.msn or gasbuddy.com, which track the prices of gas and sort by zip code, in order to find the cheapest place to pump while you're on the road. 

35. Redeem Miles Over the Phone

It's more effective to book travel with mileage points over the phone than online because for most airlines, you don't always get access to full inventory of award seats online.

36. Take Care of Your Car

Prepare your car for the road by inflating the tires with air. Filling them up will ultimately save you money on gas. Keeping your lead foot to a minimum will also help you get the most mileage from your tank of gas, and you're less likely to be stuck with a pricey speeding ticket.

37. Estimate Gas Costs Before You Go

When you're budgeting for your excursion, you must consider the inevitable cost of gas. Try using the AAA Fuel Cost Calculator to calculate the cost of your trip. The tool generates its calculations with average regional gas prices and the details you enter, including your starting city, destination, and your vehicle's make, year, and model. Because it uses regional prices, the calculation should be looked at as an estimate, but AAA does update the prices daily.

38. Pack a Cooler

Bring a full cooler along for the ride to save money and your waistline from too much fast food. But you'll need more than a bag of pretzels to get you by. Take ingredients to make sandwiches, containers with cut-up vegetables, fruit that doesn't require refrigeration (like bananas), and plenty of water.

39. Keep Your Receipts

When traveling with friends, it can be tedious to split every expense. If your group doesn't want to bother with exact numbers until the trip is over, then simply designate someone to hold on to all the receipts. That person should write down the name of the friend who paid to make it easier to calculate who owes what at the trip's end.

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