Discount Travel Secret: Groupon Discounts Hi Reader, Something JP and I bought recently was a Groupon bundle for a local entertainment center that included an escape room for 2 + an appetizer for $36. When we lived in California, most escape rooms would make us buy out the room if it was just the 2 of us, so it would cost about $100-$110 for us to do an escape room. Being in Ohio now, most escape rooms are about $30-$35 per person and we don't have to buy out rooms, so it costs nearly half of...
11 days ago • 2 min read
Discount Travel Secret: Vision Boards & Bucket Lists Hi Reader, Have you made your travel vision board or bucket list for 2026 yet? We make one every year and cover how to do it in-depth inside the Discount Travel Secrets Insider Series. I personally recommend making a nice graphic on Canva (it's free), so you can make it your desktop or phone background, or making a Pinterest board. Our 2025 travel bucket list included: Frankenmuth, Michigan 3-5 new to us National Parks Ohio Amish Country...
18 days ago • 1 min read
Discount Travel Secret: Priority Wine Pass Hi Reader, Today I want to share with you one of my favorite partners that I work with, the Priority Wine Pass, because if you have any trips coming up in California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, or Texas, this little pass will save you so much money. The wineries you can visit with this pass offer 2 for 1 tastings, complimentary reserve tastings, and other perks, just for being a wine pass holder. In as little as 3 wine tastings this pass will more...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Discount Travel Secrets: Winter Is Coming Hi Reader, This week’s newsletter is all about enjoying winter without spending a ton of money. I know winter can be a tricky season. It is easy to stay inside, watch movies, and hibernate until spring. But there are so many cheap and even completely free ways to get out of the house and enjoy the season. For example, here in Dayton, the University of Dayton hosts an annual event called Christmas on Campus. It is totally free, and it is huge. Kids can...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Discount Travel Secrets: The Ultimate Road Trip Planner Hi Reader, One thing people always ask me is how I stay organized when we travel. Honestly, the answer is very simple. I use spreadsheets for everything. I have spreadsheets for every part of life, and it is the only way I can keep my brain calm when planning big trips. So I finally put together the one I use for our road trips and decided to share it. It is called The Road Trip Planner, and it is completely free. I use this exact...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Discount Travel Secrets: Are You Ready For Black Friday? Hi Reader, Next week is basically the Super Bowl kick-off of travel deals. We’ve got Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and the big one for all of us Travel Tuesday. This is honestly one of the best times of the entire year to save serious money on next year’s vacations. And the easiest way to take advantage of these sales is to start thinking now about the trips you want to take in 2026. When you already know what you...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Discount Travel Secrets: Free Giveaway From GPSmyCity! Hi Reader, I have something really fun (and totally free) for you this week! I’m partnering with GPSmyCity, an app that lets you explore destinations around the world through self guided walking tours. It is perfect for anyone who wants the structure of a tour without being rushed, herded, or paying high prices for a guide. You just pick the city, choose a route, and explore at your own pace with turn by turn directions so you never get...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Discount Travel Secrets: America250 is here! Hi Reader, I was planning to wait until the new year to talk about this, but since some celebrations are already starting, I figured why not get a head start? You’ve probably started to hear bits and pieces about America250, but if not, here’s the quick version: next year marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and there’s going to be a huge nationwide celebration leading up to July 4th, 2026. Funny enough,...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Discount Travel Secrets: Epic US Road Trips On A Budget Hi Reader, I’m so excited to share this week’s new post with you, our American Southwest Road Trip Itinerary! This one’s extra special because it was actually our honeymoon road trip over 5 years ago. We originally planned for four weeks on the road, but after three weeks, places started to close down and we had to head home early. Since then, we’ve revisited a lot of the destinations we missed, especially in Utah and Arizona, and...
2 months ago • 3 min read