You can find cheap flights and cheap hotels. But if you want really cheap travel, you’ve got to learn from the experts.
The first four winners of CheapTickets’ Show us your Cheap contest are experts when it comes to cheap travel, so we wanted to share their strategies with you.
For Cynthia and Steve from San Diego, CA, cheap travel means saving money on food and strategically booking train tickets through Europe.
"I was able to save money by having unlimited train passes, booking trips between countries at night so I could sleep on the train, and eating light during the day so that I could afford a nicer meal at night."
Mary Ann and Thomas from Canandaigua, NY, also watch their food budget.
"To save money on traveling, we would skip breakfast and eat a late lunch, saving the leftovers for later. We always requested water instead of soda with meals, and I price checked every online sale! With these small savings, we had money for great trips, lots of fun and many memories."
Karen, Willem and Isabelle from New York City save money by picking a warm-weather destination that has a cheap airfare. Then, they look for cheap hotels with great amenities.
"We picked our accommodations by searching online for something affordable with amenities, such as a kitchen. Dining in helps keep costs low and provides relaxing and enjoyable family time. We ended up staying in a fabulous, low-key resort. The resort provided –- FREE of charge –- fishing poles, snorkel gear, canoes, kayaks and unlimited videos/DVDs. It was fantastic."
Carol and Anthony from San Marco, CA, are very intentional about how they choose to spend their money when they travel.
"In order to stay cheap, we make sure to stay at
timeshares with full kitchens. That way we can we prepare our own
meals. With
the money we save on eating out, we get to enjoy different activities
like ziplining in Kaui, submarine tours in Maui, ferry rides to Molokai
and snorkel tours."
Do you have cheap travel tips of your own? We’d like to hear them! Enter the Share your cheap contest for a chance to win two airline tickets.
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