Discount Travel Secret:
Things We're Doing This Year To Save Money On Travel

Hi Reader,

So last week's survey was conclusively, inconclusive 😂

There was an even split, so I will continue sharing discount travel secrets from both angles:

• how to travel better for less on epic bucket list vacations
• how to found lesser-known hidden gem vacation destinations/attractions that are just naturally cheaper

So in that spirit, I thought I'd give a little bit of a run-down of some basic money saving things we're doing when planning for vacations this year.

1 - We have a timeshare with the bare minimum amount of points needed to buy-in and we're always playing catch up, using the previous years' points before they expire.

They told us we'd get 7-10 nights a year out of those points, but when I look in the reservation system & I convert the points to that actual cash price, we actually get 25 nights a year if we don't blow our points like idiots 😂

So basically, every month I just check to see what the last minute availability is (because the points become dirt cheap) & I'll book whatever works with our schedule to do little weekend getaways about 4-5 hours from home.

But I also have family in Florida, so if by the end of the year there are still points to use, I'll just go resort hop around Orlando for as long as it takes to use up the points.

Worst case scenario, like last year, we let friends/family use the points at cost so they can save money on their trips or use them as gifts.

2 - My brother is getting married this Summer in Lake Placid, which is notoriously expensive for lodging because there's just not much available.

I researched every possible option back in December to see what is the most cost effective stay & we ultimately booked 2 nights at a Hilton boutique hotel with a friends & family discount that wasn't available anymore even a week later.

It's still pricier than what we would normally spend, but it's half the price of what the rest of my family is spending to go so 💁🏻‍♀️

I still check back every so often to see if anything else changes/comes up.

3 - For all other trips, we're looking at nearby weekend getaway type of destinations where we could either do a unique stay at an affordable campground (cabin, yurt, etc), cash in rewards points at a cheaper level Hilton like Hampton Inn or Tru, and do cheap activities.

Some things we're looking at - Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Holiday World, Hocking Hills, extended family trips where we can share costs of a larger cabin or rental, French Lick, Amish Country, and I'm sure there's others that I'm forgetting.

4 - For activities, I always check Groupon to see if there are any good deals on anything & for attractions/tours I check Viator for deals.

5 - Also, don't sleep on day trips!

We go down to Cincinnati or up to Columbus or out to rural areas with historic downtowns and browse antique shops, find cute diners, etc, and those are so much fun!

I hope this helped brainstorm some ideas for trips you might want to take this year!

See you next week,

Eva and JP 💎

P.S. Ready to plan your next trip?

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