Most budget-friendly travel advice glamorizes staycations or more affordable destinations. But with the right plan in place, you don’t have to make tradeoffs to afford a big vacation. As seasoned travelers, my family of four knows exactly how to snatch the best deals on airfare and accommodations.
From a monthlong trip hopping trains across Europe to all-inclusive resorts in an island paradise, we’ve done it all thanks to my notoriously meticulous planning and semineurotic persistence.
What’s our secret? It’s all about timing. Knowing when to book and the best times to visit — plus timing credit card purchases to save even more. Read on to learn how we manage to see the world on a budget, and how you can use our vacation planning timeline to help you do the same.
For a significant trip, it’s best to lay the groundwork about a year in advance. Shorter stateside jaunts can be planned in as little as six months, but you’ll get the best deals on popular international destinations if you plan a year in advance.
This is especially true if you’re taking a cruise, going to a popular amusement park during the holidays, attending an international festival or celebration, or visiting a national park during peak season. And destination weddings may require bookings up to 18 months or more in advance.
Part of travel planning involves plenty of research about the destination. I try to figure out when peak tourism season is in that part of the world, then stagger my visit a month before or after. In the travel world, this is usually referred to as “shoulder season.”
Why stick to the shoulder?
Not only will you avoid crowds and seasonal surge pricing, but you’ll also enjoy lower airfares and cheaper hotel rooms. But pay attention to other factors when planning a trip, especially if you’re not familiar with your destination. You won’t get much value from your vacation if bad weather strands you in the hotel or holiday closures spoil all your plans.
This is the timeline I follow to find the best deals and book vacations for our family of four. Your mileage may vary on this advice depending on the destination.
About a year before a potential vacation, I scout the location to determine the best season to visit. I’ll also calculate costs and build a budget. In some cases, I’ll start a sinking fund where I squirrel away a set amount in savings every month to cover travel.
If you have your heart set on a certain themed accommodation or a specific experience like a safari or cruise, consider booking now. Depending on the cancellation policy, you may still be able to pivot if plans change.
Want to use credit card rewards to save more? Sometimes, I’ll ditch my usual credit card for a card with travel perks so I can start earning points a year or more in advance. This lets us earn travel rewards for our family’s normal living expenses.
If you’re going abroad, pull out your passport and check the expiration date. Planning for passport delays has been a seriously smart financial move for our family since kids’ passports expire more quickly than adults’.
Costs for expedited passports can add up, especially if you have to travel to a passport center that services urgent travel requests. You can learn more about passport eligibility and renewal timelines on the US Department of State website.
Now is also a good time to make sure you have a credit card that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee. These fees — which usually cost 3% of any transaction made in a foreign currency — can add up quickly.
If you want to get through airport lines a lot quicker with TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, you should also start gathering the documents you need. The TSA PreCheck suggests applying at least 60 days before you plan to travel, but the process for Global Entry can take much longer, up to six months. Some of the best travel credit cards‘ can sometimes include an application fee credit for these programs.
Now is when the rubber meets the road for booking a hotel or other accommodation, especially for international destinations or for a large group. In general, you’ll find the best balance between room availability and rate by booking during this window.
If you’re flying internationally or during the holidays, it’s also time to think about securing your airline ticket. The sweet spot between the best fare and enduring a flight with three layovers can usually be found anywhere from four to six months before peak travel dates.
Even when we’re traveling domestically, I start setting alerts for flights so I can watch for patterns in airfare costs. Generally, airfare will be cheaper when you fly Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
Still tracking deals for domestic flights? Set a hard deadline for purchasing tickets and put it on the calendar so you don’t forget. And if you’re traveling but leaving pets behind, now is when I call to book boarding because our preferred kennel fills up fast.
This is also the best time to secure any special stays, such as a luxury Airbnb or other short-term rental. Options dwindle dramatically at three months out and if I delay, I’ll face having to stay farther away from the destination than we’d prefer.
It’s last call for booking a seat on a domestic flight. After this point, you’re likely to pay a premium to get a spot. If you’ve been waiting to accumulate credit card rewards, don’t put it off any longer. Some in-demand flights will start to fill up six to eight weeks before the travel date. Your best chance of getting seats together is booking economy.
Three months before travel, I flesh out an itinerary with input from the whole family. This includes activities, museums, sightseeing, restaurants and any specific day trips we want to take.
Dining hotspots fill up fast, so if you’re eager to grab a coveted table at a buzzworthy local eatery, grab a reservation now.
If you didn’t earn enough credit card rewards to cover a flight, now is also a good time to consider redeeming your rewards for a gift card. The redemption rate will likely be less than if you use points to book a flight, but using a gift card for a restaurant or activity can still help you save on your trip.
So you’ve booked airfare and accommodations. What’s left to do? Start scouting deals on activities, starting with any CityPass that might get you a discount on multiple bucket list items.
These passes can really pay off but you have to read the fine print. We’ve saved hundreds visiting amusement parks, aquariums, museums and more by carefully scheduling our activities to maximize the discounts.
Planning to rent a car? This is always a careful calculus between how walkable a destination is, public transportation and our ambitious itinerary. But if I am going to spring for a set of wheels on vacation, now is when I start shopping.
While it’s tempting to get the standard vehicle at the lowest rate, I always consider whether we’ll need a car with clearance for difficult terrain or a luxury car for a longer day trip. Our recent trip to rural Vermont during mud season made me grateful I upgraded to an all-wheel drive car.
You can avoid the upsell for car insurance at the rental counter if you book your rental car using a credit card that includes coverage against damage and theft. It comes in two forms — secondary and primary. If it’s secondary coverage, your personal insurance will still be necessary as it’ll payout first if needed. Primary insurance is rare and coveted as it pays out before your own personal insurance.
Check your health records and stop by your local clinic or pharmacy to get any immunizations you might need. One of the most costly mistakes we’ve made on vacation is to get sick and spend all the time exploring the four walls of a hotel or Airbnb room.
If I have any big ticket items like hiking boots, electronics for the flight or swimsuits to buy, I’ll usually scoop them up now because it gives me plenty of time to return or resize as needed before we leave.
Don’t forget to check your credit card offers as you’re shopping for your supplies. Getting a few bucks back as a statement credit for a purchase you already planned can add a little extra spending money to your budget.
Because most of the major components of the trip are already planned and paid for, I’m usually focused on making packing lists, doing laundry and securing our home in the week or two before departure.
However, it’s wise to do one last check and confirm any bookings you’ve made. Occasionally, I’ll discover I scheduled an activity or a dining experience for the wrong day. With a week or two notice I may not be able to reschedule but I can usually cancel without financial penalty.
If we’re saving money on eating out by staying at an Airbnb or a hotel room with a kitchen, I’ll make a menu and a shopping list ahead of time so we don’t end up at the grocery store straight off the flight feeling hungry and overwhelmed.
With careful planning, you’ll arrive and realize you’re ready to relax without the fear of missing out or having bills hanging over your head.
However, if the point of your vacation is simply to soak up sunshine or solitude, you may want to leave most of your vacation to chance and happy circumstance.
As I discovered on a recent trip to Maui when I resisted scheduling every spare minute, sometimes the best vacations happen when you’re not expecting anything, and those moments are worth their weight in gold.
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