How to Travel for Free or Cheap! (21 Secrets)

Dreaming of a getaway?  Make your next vacation a reality with these secrets for How To Travel For Free or Cheap!

Then… don’t leave home without reading these genius Hotel Hacks that everyone should know!

How to Travel for Free or Cheap

Who doesn’t love a free trip?

Our family LOVES to travel, but it can be a bit pricey, so I’ve compiled a list of our favorite tried and true tips, tricks and Budget Travel Hacks for How to Travel for Free or Cheap!

These easy budget travel hacks and Frugal Travel Tips will help you slash the cost of your next trip, and have you on the road (or in the air) again in no time.

Making those epic vacation dreams come true on a budget is always a good idea!

So are you ready to start saving and planning??

These are my top tips for how to budget for a dream vacation…

Related: 35 Southwest Airlines Hacks (Tips To Know Before You Fly)

#1. Save BIG on Airfare with FREE or Discounted Airline Tickets!

If you want to learn how to travel for free or cheap, one of the first things you need to do is lower the cost of airfare.  After all, flying on the cheap is always the very best way to fly, right?

I’ve personally used these tips on so many flights to get free (or nearly free airfare!)

Start earning free and discounted airfare for yourself with these easy tips…

35 Southwest Airlines Hacks (Tips To Know Before You Fly)

Whether you fly a little or a lot, travel like a pro with these clever Southwest Airlines Hacks!

25 American Airlines Flight Hacks

These tips will help you avoid unnecessary fees, save money, and score some of the best perks available!

23 Delta Airlines Travel Hacks

Use these savvy travel hacking techniques to get the cheapest Delta flights, here’s everything you need to know.

#2. Then Get More FREE Airfare & Hotel Nights with Travel Hacking!

This is another one of my FAVORITE tricks to score several free hotel nights and free roundtrip flights!

Are you wondering how to get FREE hotel nights + serious cash back on every purchase to help pay for your next vacation?  Credit card hacking is one of the EASIEST tricks to travel for FREE!

I’ve flown from Phoenix to Washington D.C. for $12 using points (seriously), I’ve flown from Phoenix to California for $11 using points, and have stayed 7 nights FREE in Rome using points!

If you’ve been dreaming of an adventure getaway, or a relaxing tropical beach with sand in your toes… you’ll love credit card hacking!  Traveling is always fun, but it’s so much MORE fun when it’s free!

How Does Travel Hacking Work?

• Apply for a travel hacking credit card
• Meet the Minimum Spend to earn your Sign-up Bonus
• Pay your card off in full each month
• Use your cash back bonus for FREE hotel nights, rental cars, or flights!

How to Make Minimum Spend on Credit Card

To get the sign-up bonus, you’ll need to make the minimum spend on your new card within the specified time frame.  It’s easier than you think!  Following is what I charge on my card until my minimum spend is met…

• Auto Maintenance
• Cell Phone Bill
• Charitable Giving
• Gas
• Gifts
• Groceries
• Electricity Bill
• Home Repairs
• Medical Appointments or Prescriptions
• Restaurants
• Subscriptions (Netflix, Spotify, etc)
• Water Bill

Double the Rewards When Your Spouse Applies, Too!

Want even MORE rewards?  Don’t forget that your spouse can apply for a card too!  My husband and I both apply for cards so we can get DOUBLE the FREE hotel nights, both get FREE flights, and both get BIG Cash Back Signup Bonuses!

What Your Frugal Friends Are Saying About Travel Hacking Credit Cards…

Jamie writes: “Get a credit card that offers points or cash for travel. Use that card to pay monthly bills and then pay it off before interest is charged. Use those points to get free hotel stays.”

Kate writes: “We use a credit card for all of our monthly expenses (excluding utilities which will not bill to a CC without a fee). We pay the bill in full every month (meaning we have to track our spending on a weekly basis to make sure we are not overspending). This nets us several thousand more points every year!”

Rick writes: “I like to use credit cards that reward you with frequent flier miles, then I exchange those for miles on whatever airline I need.”

Meghan writes: “Before we went to Oahu, we took out a travel credit card that had a promo for free miles if you spent money within the first 3 months.  We just charged our airfare and Airbnb to that card and the points were enough to cover the entire fee of our rental car plus a kayaking excursion!”

Tiffany writes: “We travel for free using credit cards and their points systems.  We just came home from visiting Maui a few days ago!! Loved Hawaii!  We spent $3k for 4 people for 9 days (food, drinks, souvenirs and excursions)  We saved $12k by travel hacking.  Southwest flights free, Hyatt regency resort free and 9 day car rental free.  Travel hack and see the world!”

#3. Join Hotel Loyalty Programs BEFORE You Book Your Stay

If you’re not camping or using an RV, paying for a hotel is likely one of your biggest vacation expense.

Hotels are definitely my biggest vacation expense each year, so I want to share with you my top tip for how to rack up Free Hotel Nights!

I regularly earn points staying at IHG, Marriott, and Choice Hotels, then cash in my points for Free Hotel Nights!

So before you book your stays, visit the hotel site directly to first sign up for their loyalty program.  Then when booking your stay, login to your account prior to booking, and use your loyalty number if necessary to make sure you’re getting credit for each night stayed.

You’ll earn points for each Hotel stay… points that can add up to Free Hotel Nights! Every rewards program is slightly different, so make sure to familiarize yourself with the specifics of the hotels rewards programs you are using.

Related: 75 Hotel Hacks Everyone Should Know

#4. Then Follow Your Favorite Hotels on Social Media for Exclusive Offers!

Another simple trick is to simply follow your favorite hotel brands on social media, to get updates about exclusive or seasonal offers!

I’ve saved up to 50% off on one of my favorite hotels this way… multiple times!

#5. Or Skip the Hotels and Book an AirBNB or VRBO!

Did you know you can often drastically cut the cost of your trip by staying at an AirBNB or VRBO instead of a hotel?

This is one of my FAVORITE tricks!  Here’s what you need to do…

How to Slash The Cost of Your Next Trip Using VRBO or AirBNB

#6. Slash Your Bill at the Pump with These Gas Hacks!

Planning a road trip?

Start saving on gas now and set the savings aside for your next road trip.  You’ll love spending less to fill up your gas tank both now and while on vacation!

Check out these easy money saving tips and tricks to get started.  Trust me, driving on a dime is really fun!!

How To Save On Gas (Genius Hacks)

#7. Save on Airfare, Bus Fare & Train Tickets with Student Travel Discounts!

Did you know you can score all sorts of discounts just for being a student?

Check this out…

Best Student Discounts for Travel

#8. Take Advantage of Military Travel Discounts

There are so many discounts available if you or a member of your family have served or currently serve in the military.

So make sure you take advantage of any discounts available.

There are so many, including hotel discounts, rental car discounts, and discounts to many of your favorite attractions!

Military Discounts for Travel

#9. Take Advantage of Senior Citizen Discounts for Travel!

Is anyone in your household eligible for Senior Discounts?

Taking advantage of senior discounts when traveling is just plain smart!

So before you book your next vacation, check out this list of the Best Senior Discounts to see if you can score any deals!

#10. Don’t Forget FREE National Park Days!

Our family absolutely LOVES visiting National Parks every year!  And it’s even more fun when it’s free!  So go check out this year’s schedule for Free National Park Days, and start planning your next frugal adventure!

They are beautiful, fun, and frugal, too!

Some of our favorites include the Grand Canyon, Saguaro, Zion Canyon, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite.

Being in Phoenix, I only live 3 1/2 hours from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, so I try to visit at least once every year.  I also love heading 2 hours south to visit Saguaro National Park just outside of Tucson.  What a fun, warm and sunny winter family vacation idea!

#11. Learn How to Eat CHEAP on Vacation

Eating out is always way more fun when you can eat out for free!

There are so many creative ways to save money and eat for free at Restaurants.  Why pay full price when you can eat for free or super cheap?

Use these ways to save money eating out and make one of your next vacation highlights some delicious Free Food!

30 Eat Out Cheap Ideas for Your Next Vacation!

Laura writes: “Bring lots of food, get a hotel with a mini fridge and microwave, pick a hotel that has breakfast included, and choose free parking hotels.”

Cindy writes: “Get the hotel’s free continental breakfast. Carry cases of water in the car trunk. Pack lunches and snacks. Only eat out once per day….and when the kids were little we looked for places kids ate free.”

Danielle writes: “We stay at hotels that provide breakfast. We take fruit, bread and sandwich fixings, and snacks for daily outings. Then have dinner at places that have 2 for $25 meals.”

Letha writes: “Stay where breakfast is included, have a light lunch and modest dinner… carry an ice chest for drinks and snacks.”

Krista writes: “We take our camper on some vacations and make fun and different foods. Or if we are in a hotel, we get one that comes with breakfast and we also get food to have a picnic with. We also buy some food to keep at the hotel for snacks. If there is no fridge, we always bring our cooler and use their ice. We also look for coupons at their grocery store and around town for any food places or nearby activities. We ask which paper of the week has coupons and buy it.”

Kim writes: “If staying at a hotel with free breakfast, I also grab extra fruit and bread.  Most have small peanut butter (and jelly) packages for lunch.  Also bottled water from the buffet.”

#12. Or… Skip the Restaurants All Together!

Food costs can quickly add up when you’re on vacation, so this is one of my favorite ways to save money on a trip!

We like to pack food and snacks from home that we’ve purchased on sale, fill our trunk with water bottles, and hit the grocery store in town where we’re staying.

We either stay somewhere with a Free Breakfast, or pack our own breakfast to eat in the room.  Then we pack snacks and drinks in our cooler for the afternoon.  For dinner we like to hit the local grocery store or grill up something yummy on our portable grill that we try to always take on road trips.

These little tricks have saved SO much money!

Then, rack up the savings when you use these tips for How To Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half on your trip!

Not only is eating in your hotel room more relaxing, but the food will also taste much better when you know how much money you’re saving!

#13. Never Pay Full Price for Attractions

Check out CityPass or Groupon for the city you’ll be visiting to save BIG at popular local attractions.

You just may be able to score discounted tickets to things like Disneyland, Disney World, Universal Studios, SeaWorld, LegoLand, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Space Needle, Busch Gardens, Zoos, Museums and so much more.

#14. Keep a Vacation Savings Jar Visible, & Watch It Grow All Year Long

One of the best parts of any vacation is the anticipation and dreaming that happens before you even leave home.

What better way to make your vacation dreams come true than by watching your very own Vacation Money Jar fill up before your eyes!  When it comes time to take off on your trip, you won’t regret that you’ve been pinching those pennies and stashing them away in your vacation fund!

Want to grow your vacation dreams faster?  Consider trying some of these…

27 Side Hustle Ideas to Pay For Your Next Vacation!

#15. Use These Rental Car Hacks to Save BIG

Why pay full price for a rental car if you can score a sweet deal?  There are so many creative ways to save money on rental cars, that paying full price will quickly become a thing of the past!

Start saving money now with these easy rental car travel hacks…

21 Ways to Save Money on Rental Cars

#16. Stay Energized on Your Trip with FREE & Cheap Coffee

Vacations are always way more fun when you feel refreshed and energized.

There’s no need to skip your favorite coffee beverage while your on vacation… it’s fun to splurge when you can get it for free!

Use these hacks to score deals on coffee and start enjoying free coffee on your next vacation.  Think of free coffee as a necessary ingredient to your vacation fun!

There will be caffeinated smiles all around!

20 Starbucks Money Saving Hacks

22 Ways To Score Free Food at Panera (and Coffee!)

Now that I’ve shared my easy tips for how to travel for free or cheap, it’s time for you to start dreaming about where you’re going to go next.

Half the fun of any vacation is dreaming about your vacation before you even leave home!

5 More Budget Friendly Travel Tips

Kate said: “My husband usually has to travel for a month or more every year. Before he goes, I usually make his arrangements so that he stays in a hotel owned by a property of our choice. If that is not possible, I sign him up for the hotel’s “reward” program before he goes.

This works to our advantage in several ways: he gets better perks, rooms, and amenities because he is a “valued” customer before he arrives and he earns points that we can trade in for future stays or gift cards to retailers, restaurants, and even gas & groceries. His yearly trip usually nets us a couple of free weekends and one week at a moderately priced hotel with free breakfasts and sometimes evening appetizers.

Additionally, we use a credit card for all of our monthly expenses (excluding utilities which will not bill to a CC without a fee). We pay the bill in full every month (meaning we have to track our spending on a weekly basis to make sure we are not overspending). This nets us several thousand more points every year.”

Last year, between points turned in for restaurant gift cards, gas, retailers, and free lodging, we took a one week vacation for our family of three, in addition to two “romantic getaway” weekends for Mom & Dad only, for less than $100 total.

Christine said: “We plan our vacations typically for the time period after Spring Break but before Summer Break OR right after the kids return to school but before the Fall Break.

This makes it easier to travel as the lines and traffic are not crazy, the weather fits in that it still feels like summer (though not too hot or too cold). But the best thing is, the airline rates tend to be at their lowest. They jack up prices when everyone travels.

We have done this for Cape Cod visits as well as Hawaii and it has always been the most economical, the beaches were more secluded, and traffic considerably less heavy.”

Lauren said: “For our trip to Disneyland we stayed with Marriott, so we earned points towards free nights.  We also picked up gift cards at our grocery store to earn gas points when the store was offering 4 times points.  We then used the gift cards to pay for park tickets and food on our trip.”

Robin said: “I always save money by taking my own food. I make sure I stay in a hotel that has a mini fridge and microwave and a free breakfast. Then at home before the trip (days earlier) I will set up a menu with snacks excluding breakfast. I will cook the meals and freeze them.

Then when we get to the hotel we can still have our home cooked meals with out spending money. You can wash out the reusable containers and stack them inside one another. Also we take our own water bottles that we can refill. I always buy a gallon jug from the store to re-fill the water bottles.”

Lyza said: “I have a few things I do but the most important is to research all available avenues of “getting there”. Doing this has saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars the past few years. It is how I rode Amtrak for the 1st time too. And did you know that 2 kids age 15 and younger ride at half price with a full fare adult? Love that! Or that you can check up to 3 bags (50 lbs each) per ticketed passenger gratis?

This saved me almost $1,000 when we took our vacation to Chicago between the difference in airline fair versus train fair and not having to pay for all of those baggage fees at the airport.”

What To Do On Vacation

Next, start planning your next vacation right now with these 101 Frugal Travel Tips and destination guides for every bucket list trip imaginable!  Whether it’s Rome, the Beach, National Parks or a fun City Trip… I’ve got you covered!

101 Frugal Travel Tips

So do you have any favorite tips for How to Travel for Free or Cheap?

Share with us in the comments below!