The price of plane tickets and gas has increased exponentially, and unfortunately, it’s just in time for summer travel. Family vacations are rising in prices and consumers are battling other travel-hungry families to get tickets and hit the road or air in time. But summer travel doesn’t have to drain your bank account if you take a few extra steps to keep costs low.
Plan ahead
While you might not be able to think a year in advance, try to think at least a few weeks or a few months. The sooner you plan your trip the sooner you can begin booking hotels, plane tickets, and give yourself more time to hunt for their cheapest prices and best deals.
Set a budget
While this might seem like a no brainer, it can be easier to underestimate the cost of every single part of a trip. Set a travel budget. From plane tickets and gas to the hotel and even how much you spend on meals out. While this still gives you freedom to enjoy your trip without restrictions because of money, it can help you set expectations and even give you more wiggle room for souvenirs or unexpected opportunities on your trip that would cost extra.
Load up on snacks
Although it seems like gas station beef jerky is a must-have for road trip, or that it’s only customary to pay for overpriced McDonald’s coffee at the airport, try to bring as many snacks as you can from home. When you travel with kids it’s especially important to have a variety of snacks on hand that can keep bellies full. One snack here and there likely won’t put you over budget, but if everyone in the family decides to get a buffet of snacks, you’re looking at a much bigger expense than you thought.
Take advantage too of complimentary hotel breakfasts. Although they may not be gourmet dining, taking that extra bagel or muffin with you can hold you or another family member over until lunch time.
Insure your trip
Now that you’ve set a budget, it’s important to stay in it, and nothing is worse than an unexpected illness or accident that sends someone to the doctor or ER. Not to mention, traveling out of state or the country oftentimes means you’re going out of your healthcare network, leaving a trip to the doctor or ER to come completely out of your pocket. Getting travel medical insurance can help protect your pockets.
Travel insurance is also useful if your trip is canceled (which many have been lately). During this summer especially, it’s important to insure your travel so an interruption or cancelation to your trip doesn’t mean you lose your vacation money. Goose Insurance offers both out of state and out of country travel insurance that can help cover emergency room or medical costs and save the money you spent on a trip if it's canceled.
Check for price drops
If you book a hotel or flight and notice a week later the price has dropped, it’s worth calling the airline or hotel to see if you can get a refund for the extra money you spent. Whether you set price drop alerts on your phone using different apps, or set a day throughout the week to check, this can give you more room in your budget or just end up saving you more in the end.
Omar Kaywan is co-founder of Goose Insurance.