How To Travel on a Budget 💸 tips/tricks for saving, finding cheap flights & more

Summary

In this engaging video, the host, Carter, shares valuable tips and personal strategies for budget travel. The discussion covers determining travel styles, prioritizing expenses, and leveraging credit card rewards. Carter also dives into practical aspects like booking flights and hotels using platforms like Expedia and Google Flights, finding free activities, and utilizing tools like SeatGuru for comfort. The video is a treasure trove for those looking to make the most of their travel experiences without breaking the bank.

Takeaways

• 🎉 The video is about budget travel tips and tricks shared by the host, Carter.
• 🧳 It emphasizes the importance of determining your travel style and priorities before planning a trip.
• 🤔 The host suggests discussing with your travel partner to align on where you want to spend or save money during the trip.
• 🏨 Mid-range hotels and flights are often preferred to balance cost and convenience.
• 🍽 The host doesn't prioritize spending a lot on food, preferring to allocate more budget to flights, hotels, and entertainment.
• 💳 The benefits of travel credit cards are highlighted, such as free checked bags, flight points, and lounge access.
• 🌐 Websites like Rakuten, Expedia, and Hotel Tonight are recommended for booking flights, hotels, and finding discounts.
• 💰 The video discusses various strategies for saving money on trips, including using cashback sites and avoiding booking seats in advance.
• 🗓 Being flexible with travel dates can lead to significant savings on flights.
• 📋 The host uses a spreadsheet to track and manage travel budgets, emphasizing the importance of planning and saving for trips.
• 🏞 The script mentions the enjoyment of finding free or low-cost activities and the flexibility to indulge in certain areas like food during trips.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is about traveling on a budget, sharing tips and tricks for cost-effective travel.

Who is the host of the video?

The host of the video is Carter, who discusses topics related to life in your 20s, personal finance, and traveling.

Why is Carter excited about this video?

Carter is excited about this video because they have been planning it for a while and are passionate about showing that travel can be done on a budget.

What are some of the key aspects Carter discusses for budget travel?

Carter discusses determining travel style, using travel credit cards, booking flights and hotels mid-range, finding free and inexpensive activities, and using budget spreadsheets for planning.

What does Carter suggest for finding affordable flights?

Carter suggests using Google Flights to find the cheapest flights, being flexible with travel dates, and considering different airlines to find the best prices.

How does Carter recommend finding hotels for a trip?

Carter recommends using Expedia for hotel bookings due to its features like map view, price matching, and the ability to pay later.

What is Carter's approach to saving money on food while traveling?

Carter suggests not spending a lot on food, opting for fast food or sandwiches, and doing a grocery run for snacks to avoid expensive restaurant meals.

How does Carter use a budget spreadsheet for travel?

Carter uses a budget spreadsheet to track savings, expenses, and to ensure they have enough funds for a trip by working backwards from the total cost.

What is Carter's opinion on using credit cards for travel expenses?

Carter is cautious about putting travel expenses on credit cards due to the risk of accumulating consumer debt and prefers to pay off balances in full each month.

How does Carter handle the budgeting for souvenirs during trips?

Carter uses gift cards for souvenirs to set a limit on spending and to avoid overspending in this category.

What advice does Carter give for finding activities and saving on attractions?

Carter advises using websites like Groupon for discounted activities, visiting free attractions, and balancing free and paid activities during the trip.

Outlines

00:00

🎉 Introduction to Budget Travel Tips

The speaker, Carter, welcomes viewers to a channel focused on life in your 20s and introduces a video about budget travel. Carter shares their passion for personal finance and traveling, emphasizing the possibility of traveling affordably. The video will cover various tips and tricks for budget-conscious travel, including planning a trip, budgeting, and maximizing enjoyment without overspending. Carter's approach to travel prioritizes experiences over luxury, showcasing that fun can be had on a budget and that travel can be tailored to individual financial priorities.

05:01

🤔 Determining Your Travel Style and Budgeting

Carter discusses the importance of identifying one's travel style and priorities when planning a trip, especially when traveling with a partner or friend. They suggest discussing where to allocate the budget, using personal examples of preferences for mid-range hotels and flights. Carter also recommends considering the purpose of the trip to adjust spending accordingly, and emphasizes the significance of understanding individual and trip-specific travel styles for effective budgeting.

10:02

💳 Utilizing Travel Credit Cards and Saving Strategies

The paragraph delves into additional money-saving strategies for travel, such as using travel credit cards for free checked bags and accumulating points for flights. Carter mentions websites like Rakuten for cash back and the benefits of receiving airline marketing emails for deals. They also discuss the use of last-minute booking sites like Hotel Tonight and Rumor for discounted rates, and share personal preferences for saving for trips, including working backward from the cost of flights and hotels to determine the budget.

15:03

🛫 Flexible Travel Dates and Seat Selection Tips

Carter provides tips on saving money by being flexible with travel dates and using tools like Google Flights to find the cheapest flights. They advise against paying extra for seat selection, suggesting that it's often unnecessary and can be done for free during check-in. The speaker also shares a personal strategy for planning a hypothetical trip to Boston, emphasizing the cost savings of flying on non-peak days and using credit card points wisely.

20:04

🏨 Booking Hotels and Activities on a Budget

This section covers the process of booking affordable hotels through Expedia, considering location and amenities, and the potential savings of calling hotels directly for price matching. Carter discusses the importance of planning activities and balancing free and paid attractions, using resources like TripAdvisor and Groupon. They also mention the use of student IDs for discounts and the enjoyment of simple, cost-effective travel activities like exploring cities on foot.

25:05

🍎 Food Budgeting and Snack Strategies for Travel

Carter talks about their relaxed approach to food budgets during travel, treating eating out as a special indulgence compared to their usual habits at home. They suggest grocery runs for snacks to avoid high costs at restaurants and share the idea of intuitive spending within a set budget. The paragraph also touches on the use of gift cards for souvenirs to control spending in that category and the strategy of using short-term savings for travel expenses.

30:05

📊 The Travel Budget Spreadsheet and Disney Trip Example

The final paragraph introduces Carter's method of tracking travel expenses using a customized budget spreadsheet, which they use to plan and save for trips like a Disney vacation. They explain how they use the spreadsheet to work backward from total trip costs, factor in savings and gift cards, and determine how much more money is needed before the trip. Carter also discusses the strategy of using gift cards for souvenirs to avoid overspending and how they split trip costs with their travel partner.

📹 Conclusion and Future Video Suggestions

Carter concludes the video by summarizing the key points about budget travel and invites viewers to subscribe for more lifestyle and personal finance content. They express openness to creating more videos on related topics, such as booking business trips, if there is viewer interest. The speaker also encourages viewers to share any questions or comments, promising to respond to all inquiries.

Keywords

💡Budget Travel

Budget travel refers to the practice of planning and taking trips in a cost-effective manner. It is the central theme of the video, emphasizing the importance of managing finances while enjoying travel experiences. The script discusses various tips and tricks for budgeting, such as choosing mid-range flights and hotels, and finding free or low-cost activities.

💡Travel Style

Travel style is the personal preference for how one likes to travel, which can influence budgeting decisions. In the script, the concept is introduced to highlight the need for understanding individual or group preferences, such as the importance of location for a hotel or the desire for a particular type of experience, which can affect where one chooses to allocate their budget.

💡Credit Card Points

Credit card points are rewards typically earned by using a travel credit card for purchases, which can be redeemed for flights, hotel stays, or other travel-related expenses. The script mentions the benefits of using a travel credit card for accumulating points to reduce the cost of flights, a strategy that contributes to the overall budget travel approach.

💡Layover

A layover is a stop at an intermediate point during a journey, usually involving a change of flights. The script discusses the trade-off between choosing flights with layovers to save money versus non-stop flights that may be more convenient but potentially more expensive, which is a common consideration in budget travel.

💡Price Matching

Price matching is a business practice where a retailer agrees to match the price of a competitor for the same product or service. In the context of the script, the presenter mentions calling hotels to request price matching with online booking platforms like Expedia, as a way to potentially save money on accommodation.

💡Travel Credit Card

A travel credit card is a type of credit card that offers rewards, such as points or miles, which are specifically geared towards travelers. The script emphasizes the advantages of having a travel credit card for earning free checked bags, points for flights, and lounge access, all of which can contribute to more affordable travel.

💡Short-term Savings Account

A short-term savings account is a financial account designed for storing money for immediate or short-term needs, as opposed to long-term investments. The script discusses setting up a short-term savings account specifically for travel funds, allowing for dedicated and accessible savings for upcoming trips.

💡Itinerary

An itinerary is a planned sequence of events or activities for a journey or trip. The script mentions creating an itinerary as part of the travel planning process, which helps in organizing and budgeting for activities, ensuring a mix of free and paid experiences.

💡Travel Hacks

Travel hacks refer to clever tips or tricks that can make traveling more efficient, enjoyable, or affordable. The script provides several travel hacks, such as avoiding touristy areas for meals to save money, and using cashback websites or travel credit cards to reduce costs.

💡Solo Trip

A solo trip is a journey taken alone, without companions. The script briefly touches on the idea of solo travel, suggesting it as a way to spend time with oneself and highlighting that the focus should be on the experience rather than the budget constraints.

💡Business Travel

Business travel refers to trips taken for professional or work-related purposes. The script contrasts personal travel with business travel, mentioning that business trips require a stricter budgeting approach due to potential fluctuations in income from work, such as content creation.

Highlights

Introduction to a budget travel video by Carter, focusing on personal finance and travel tips.

Emphasizing the importance of determining your travel style and priorities for budgeting.

The significance of discussing travel priorities with your partner to ensure a well-planned trip.

Carter's personal travel style preferences, including mid-range hotels and flights.

Tips on saving money on food during trips by opting for fast food or sandwiches.

The strategy of finding free and inexpensive activities to maximize budget travel.

Using a visual approach to planning trips, which helps in understanding the budgeting process.

The benefits of travel credit cards for frequent travelers, including free checked bags and points.

Recommendation of websites like Rakuten for earning cash back on travel bookings.

Advantages of receiving airline marketing emails for staying updated on low-fare opportunities.

Carter's method of saving for trips using a short-term savings account instead of credit cards.

The strategy of working backwards when planning a trip, starting with researching flights and hotels.

Importance of being flexible with travel dates to find the best deals on flights.

Using tools like Google Flights to track and find the cheapest flights.

Carter's preference for Expedia in finding hotels and the benefits of booking directly with hotels for potential discounts.

The approach to balancing free and paid activities during a trip for an enriching experience.

Using social media and travel websites for recommendations on restaurants and attractions.

Carter's budgeting method using a spreadsheet to track and manage travel expenses.

The practice of intuitive budgeting for food during trips, allowing for flexibility in spending.

Tips on saving money by buying snacks from grocery stores to avoid expensive in-trip purchases.

Final thoughts on sticking to a travel budget and the importance of enjoying the trip planning process.

Transcripts

hello everybody what is up welcome back

to my channel welcome to a video that I

am so excited about I've been planning

it for a while

what are my curtain bangs doing they

literally have a mind of their own right

now accumulating all of my tips and

tricks for you guys and today we're

going to talk all about traveling on a

budget how to travel on a budget tips

and tricks that I have and all that jazz

you guys know I first of all if you guys

are new here hi hello my name is Carter

I talk all about getting through life in

your 20s unfiltered and some of my

biggest passions in life are personal

finance but also traveling and I feel

like one of my missions here on YouTube

is to show that you can travel on a

budget take a weekend trip and really

make the most of it because it's one

about who you're with or if you're on a

solo trip

it's all about spending time with

yourself but also

you can have so much fun on a budget and

there's so many like inexpensive and

free things to do on trips and I just

like love showcasing that in our travel

videos and really realizing that we all

have different money priorities when it

comes to travel and we're all going to

prioritize different things so I'm gonna

split this video up into a few parts

it's just gonna be kind of like tips and

tricks that I have that we're going to

kind of go through the process of

planning like a fake trip together so

you guys can see how I do it because I

personally am a very visual person and

so I like seeing people do things and

then third we are going to go through my

budget spreadsheet that I have for

travel so you guys can kind of see how

we budgeted out so grab a drink grab a

coffee a tea a glass of wine if it's the

evening we're just gonna hang out

Pretend We're in a coffee shop you know

chatting about trips and I'm giving you

all of my tips and tricks and I'm so

excited so without further Ado let's

jump into it

so the first tip that I have for you is

to determine your travel style and let's

say you're going on a trip with your

partner since I do a lot of my traveling

with Matt my boyfriend

I think it's really important to sit

down when planning a trip I have the

vibe for the trip and if it's let's say

one of your first few trips with your

partner or a friend figure out where

their priorities lie important when it

comes to budgeting for a trip to just

kind of know where you want to put your

money and every trip is going to be

different you know you don't even need

to figure out your general travel style

but also just the style for that trip

right you could plan two totally

different trips depending on like the

occasion if you're doing like let's say

a quick getaway to New York City for the

weekend that's on a budget that might be

different than let's say going to

celebrate your anniversary or an

engagement or like your baby moon

somewhere right they're like kind of two

different Vibes so for us for example

things that are important to us are you

know having a hotel that's in like

walkable distance from attractions if we

don't have our car with us and that has

good reviews but like it's not like the

highest end Hotel will be kind of like a

good mid-range Hotel same goes for

flights right like we don't typically

pick the cheapest cheapest flight

because if you live in Canada or Ottawa

or somewhere with a smaller airport you

know that it usually involves a really

long layover

so we kind of do the mid-range flight

mid-range hotel and then we typically

just do some faster food or like

sandwiches and stuff so we don't love to

spend a ton of money on food we'd rather

put that into our flights and hotel and

then entertainment we kind of do 50 50.

we love to find a lot of free things to

do and then also like inexpensive little

hacks for like museums and stuff so I

think it's super important to first of

all sit down when you're in the

beginning stages of planning a trip like

let's say you know your partner is like

hey I really want to go to Boston for a

weekend then you guys can sit down and

you kind of say okay where do we want to

spend money where do we not really care

to spend money and you know what do we

want to do is there a reason we're going

on the trip right like let's say You're

going to

a Red Sox game that's really expensive

you might spend less on your hotel Etc

so I think even for every trip it's

really important to sit down and discuss

your travel style and where you want to

spend money because it's constantly

changing obviously the next is to figure

out where you want to go that's an

important one and then of course like

looking for flights hotels planning

activities which we're all gonna do

we're all gonna do as if like we're all

like together like a little big happy

family when we book our little fake trip

favorite thing to talk about is

additional ways to save money on trips

obviously you know you budget for a trip

most times right and you have you know

your budget you stick with so that

you're not going into consumerism debt

or

spending a lot more money than you

anticipate and you have an idea of how

much you can spend but there's also just

extra little ways that you can save

money as well so the first would you

guys know I'm a big fan of is travel

credit cards I feel like you guys have a

lot more in the US but in Canada I do

really think if you travel at least once

or twice a year a travel credit card can

be really worth it even with an annual

fee because one you get free checked

bags which that adds up pretty quick for

example my credit card Matt and I both

each get a checked bag which that's like

a hundred dollars each way that we're

getting for free obviously a no-brainer

is you get points for flights I mean

Matt and I barely pay for our flights

anymore to be honest

and then of course things like lounge

access if you travel frequently lounge

access coming through credit card

actually saves you a ton of money since

food and beverages at the airport are so

expensive you can also book through

websites like racketon which I just want

to also put a disclaimer that nothing in

this video is sponsored unless I like

say I have an affiliate with them but

this video is not sponsored by anybody

these are just websites that I know and

love myself things like Expedia I'm

pretty sure you get three percent cash

back if you just book through racketon

which things like racketon are awesome

because you literally just click a link

and then you get three percent cash back

you were gonna book the trip anyways

right and then this is like kind of

controversial because I feel like people

hate marketing emails but I actually

love getting Airline marketing emails

especially for like the low fare

Airlines and obviously once again it

kind of comes down to priorities but

Matt and I have had some really great

experiences flying low fare Airlines

like Frontier and so I actually love

having their marketing emails on because

most times

we'll be kind of thinking like oh we

want to go on a trip for the next few

months and then we'll get like an e

we'll get like an email saying like oh

29 flight and that kind of like gets the

gears going to plan a trip so it might

be controversial but I actually love

having marketing emails from flights and

then some random websites that I just

wanted to mention that I really like and

have used before hotel tonight is a

really great way to get last minute

trips hotels will like post their rooms

they have available like really cheap

usually like 50 off like that they're

trying to fill at the last minute so if

you're taking like maybe a last minute

trip or you have like a bunch of credit

card points to use and you have the

capacity and the flexibility to travel

last minute like on a weekend hotel

tonight is a really great website

um there's also rumor which I've never

used rumor myself but I've heard a lot

of great reviews it's basically a

website that has discounted hotel stays

it's kind of like a Marketplace for

hotel rooms for um people who can't make

the reservation but it's non-refundable

so let's say you were like planning a

trip and then your room's not refundable

and you couldn't go you can post it on

Rumor for a discounted price and people

can take your reservation I wanted to

touch on how we save our trips because I

actually put a little question box up on

my Instagram just kind of wanting to

know what you guys wanted out of this

video and a lot of you guys asked how we

saved for trips so I'll kind of get into

that a little bit more in the budget

spreadsheet part of this video but I say

this in almost every Finance video but I

think there's multiple right ways to do

things that are of course wrong ways but

there's always multiple right ways to do

things so this is just what works for us

I feel like there's two main ways that

you can book a trip you can work

backwards or forwards we personally like

to work backwards when it comes to a

trip and what I mean by that is we will

kind of scout out our flight our hotel

our activities Etc kind of add it all up

and then that's kind of how much we need

to have saved we could always work

forwards in the sense you could start

with a specific budget you have in mind

and then find things that accommodate

that budget say you kind of wanted the

challenge of like going to New York City

for a weekend for a thousand dollars for

two people you could like kind of work

around that budget and find like the

cheapest flight the cheapest hotel Etc

but what we do is we have like a general

sense of our budget for a trip but we

will kind of start looking into hotels

and flights Etc see how much it's going

to cost us and then build a budget from

there I did get a few questions asking

if we like put it on a credit card and

then pay it off after

[Music]

um

that's how I got myself at a consumerism

debt Growing Up So for me personally I

don't feel comfortable doing that but we

never put anything on a credit card that

we couldn't pay off in full that month I

personally would not do that just

because credit card interest rates are

so high that I feel like putting a trip

on a credit card and then just paying

off chunks every month is just

I personally just wouldn't go on a trip

I couldn't afford but that is just our

mentality I had Consumer Debt for so

long because I was just like traveling

in University and like tapping my credit

card so for us personally we're not

comfortable doing that I would try and

avoid it as much as I could but that

brings me to my next point which is to

have a short-term savings account for

travel if you're someone who likes to

book last minute trips or kind of have

like a bit more of like an impulsive

tendency to go on a trip which is

totally fine as long as you prepare

yourself for it so

um I did get questions about where our

vacation money was stored we just have

it in a like Bank savings account

controversial again but I think a tfsa

should just be used for retirement and

you shouldn't pull from it unless you

absolutely have to I know people put

like their house Savings in there and

um car savings and trip savings and

that's totally fine because you can pull

from a tfsa but I personally view a tfsa

why am I getting work emails on the

weekend

um I try and do a tfsa for retirement

only and I'd rather lose out a little

bit of interest and have the money

accessible in my bank account but once

again that just comes down to personal

preference

it's really bothering me today yeah for

us a short-term savings method works the

best so I just kind of I'm always

putting a little bit of money into that

vacation account

and then obviously when it comes time to

book the trip

the great thing is that most times the

only thing you need to pre-book is your

flight so typically if we're planning a

trip which I'll show you guys how we do

that after like I said because we

typically book our hotels through like

Expedia and stuff you don't pay until

you get there so I feel like the only

thing you really need to have money for

upfront is like your flight and that's

why it's really nice to have a

short-term savings account because you

can you know have some money in there

like let's say like a thousand or two

thousand dollars if you know you're

gonna go on a trip this year that way

you can kind of book your flight

whenever and not have to worry about

like oh do I have the money to pay off

my credit card Etc I think you kind of

have it in your account

and then obviously once the trip is over

we just start replenishing it again

because I get questions too about like

business versus personal travel I follow

the exact same process since most of our

trips are classified as a business

expense now or a business trip I follow

the same process if anything I'm

honestly a lot stricter when it comes to

business trips because when you're

booking a trip on your personal side and

you have like a steady paycheck from

like your nine to five you know that

you'll be able to save for that trip but

something like

content creation you know I haven't

gotten paid in seven weeks so I have to

be very very strict in strategic when

booking trips because sometimes I just

don't get paid for a few months at a

time okay and then I wanted to share

just like a few like really random tips

that I have for you guys that didn't

like really fall into a category and

then I'll take you guys through the

process of like planning a little fake

trip so the first is

um we don't really prioritize like fancy

sit-down meals it's just like not our

Vibe it's not what we prioritize

spending money on but one recommendation

I have if you're going somewhere

touristy like New York City or like a

big city Boston Chicago is we try and

not eat in super touristy areas because

the cost seems to be a bit more

expensive so I think the rule of thumb

is like walking five to ten blocks away

from the touristy area to find somewhere

to eat so you know walking a few blocks

away from Times Square to find something

to eat or find a touristy more

residential area to eat so we found that

going over to Brooklyn was a little bit

cheaper than eating right in the city

stuff like that this is just a random

tip that doesn't really apply to like

saving money I guess it's more like

saving vacation time at work but

traveling on like federal holiday

weekends sometimes your flight will be a

little bit more expensive but you don't

have to take as many vacation days off

of work which is like a fun tip I guess

seat Guru is a website I really

recommend it helps you pick out the

comfiest seat on the plane please do not

pay for your seat ahead of time okay I

feel like that's the biggest scam the

airlines do is like when you go to book

your flight and they're like you can

book your seat now for twenty dollars

and I'm like but you'll just do it for

me free when I check in for the flight

the day before so I don't know we like

never pick our seats ahead of time at

all unless it's like a work trip because

then I can like like if I'm going from a

corporate job I travel for my corporate

job sometimes and I will do it because

like they'll pay for it but uh yeah I

just never pick my seat ahead of time I

don't know easy way to say like 40 bucks

if you're traveling two people let's say

all right I'm sure there's some people

watching this that are visual like me so

I thought it'd be really helpful if we

planned like a little fake trip together

so you guys could kind of see my process

and I feel like this is just an easier

way to explain how we do our flights and

our hotel so let's say we want to go to

Boston for a weekend we're gonna go from

Friday to Monday one of my biggest tips

is if you have a job that allows you to

do so is being flexible on your travel

dates I know this is not possible for

all jobs like teachers Etc who maybe

don't get a ton of time off during the

school year but being flexible on your

travel dates can save you a lot of money

and that is where Matt and I start is we

typically will look and see when it's

the cheapest to fly and then we will

request our time off and we will plan

our trip around whenever it's cheapest

to fly we don't really ever go into a

trip with like specific dates in mind

unless it's like an anniversary trip or

something we'll typically look see when

flights are the cheapest and like yeah

okay we pretty much exclusively book

flights or look for flights through

Google flights one you can set alerts to

get the cheapest price two you can see

different airlines all at once and three

you can see the cheapest time to fly

within like a month or two window and

I'll show you guys how to do it so like

I said let's pretend we're gonna go to

Boston so we're gonna type in

Boston

and we're gonna put obviously I'll just

do one person for now to make it easier

we're gonna click search

and we're gonna go like this and let's

say we have we usually have like a month

in mind so let's say we want to go in

August or September

the great thing about Google Calendar is

you can see the different prices for

different days now this is just the

cheapest flight however so it might

include a really long layover as you

guys can see the flights are relatively

the same for most of these days 397 418

I obviously wouldn't travel on this day

because it's 471. let's look at

September

397 and all it has that okay so let's

say we are going to travel let's do the

15th to the 18th for example 397.

and like I said here you can also track

your prices which is really great and

you can switch on any dates Boston's not

really a great example because there

isn't usually really long layover but as

you guys can see here it pulls the

cheapest flights for you guys with

different airlines

now if you're someone like us who has a

travel credit card you have to weigh the

pros and cons of flying a different

Airline for cheap or using your credit

card points

supporter is the cheapest flight

and oh I love that you can play non-stop

we kind of weigh the pros and cons right

like okay yes using our Air Canada

credit card would get us a lot of points

but let's put us in a situation where we

don't have any points to redeem we would

factor in probably a few different

flights so we would factor in this one

right but keep in mind there's a three

hour layover and it's actually eight

dollars more expensive than the cheaper

flight that's Non-Stop

so we would probably pick this flight

and this is obviously assuming we don't

have any credit card points to use so we

did take into account layovers since we

do fly out of Ottawa which is a really

small tiny shitty airport so now that

we've found an affordable flight I

always look for our hotels on Expedia

which I feel like Expedia is like really

hit or miss for people I personally

really like it but I know like some

people just don't really like it and

obviously if you have a credit card that

is attached to a hotel like the Marriott

bonboy Amex you might book directly

through Marriott

I also think it's worthwhile maybe

posting on your Instagram or asking any

friends that you know what locations are

best to stay in when you're visiting a

new city of course and factor in like do

you want a rental car or not because yes

it might be a little bit cheaper to stay

outside of the city but if you have to

rent a rental car is that going to end

up being the same price as just staying

in the city and having a walkable Hotel

I think hotels too specifically are

something to talk about when you're

traveling with your partner for example

Matt and I will pay a little bit more to

have a hotel that is very Central

because we like to come back and take

breaks throughout the day because we

like to walk a lot of places

so let's type in that's Boston for our

like little fake trip and what days were

we going again the 15th to the 18th it's

really great too because Expedia has a

map view so if you wanted to look at

where these hotels were in terms of like

location in the city you're traveling to

that's super helpful so I typically will

just scan the page first always sort by

recommended not price low to high and

I'll just scan the page and see what the

like approximate cost is like kind of

seems like the three to five hundred

range is pretty typical for downtown

Boston I also love too that you get the

total price here because while you might

think like oh my gosh 500 is not that

bad when you times that by like three or

four nights that you're saying it adds

up really quick

I also don't know why I'm not signed in

right now but I do recommend having an

Expedia account because you sometimes

will get a discount then I'll typically

open a few different hotels that I might

be interested in that are kind of in our

price range or that we'd be like kind of

comfortable spending and the really

great thing about Expedia that I love is

it'll tell you what's close to you in

the area so if you're trying to do

touristy stuff which I really really

love

so and it shows you a little map here

too so I really like this Hilton and

like I mentioned before the great thing

about Expedia is that you can book it

and then pay there so you have the time

to save the money okay so let's say we

decided to book the yotel Boston then I

would go down and see how much the price

was and then I typically will call the

hotel and try and book directly through

them because more times than not if you

say hi there would you price match

Expedia they normally say yes because

they don't want to pay the commission to

Expedia so I'll typically just call and

say hi there like Expedia has a room for

353 a night would you be able to price

match that so I could book directly

through you

and sometimes it has happened to me

occasionally where they'll actually give

me a cheaper price like a little bit of

a discount so I think it's always worth

calling the hotel and seeing if they'll

price match and you can book directly

through them next thing that I do is

plan out activities for food we just

have like a general budget kind of like

a weekly budget like when you're at home

since I kind of know how much we spend

on food since we don't really go to

fancy restaurants or anything but when

it comes to activities that is something

that we enjoy spending our money on and

we would rather stay in like a little

bit of a cheaper hotel and spend more

money on activities

so obviously if it's our first time

going to Boston we probably want to do

museums and stuff so I always look up

things to do in Boston and then I will

open the trip advisor I love TripAdvisor

it's so great and I usually have like a

notion page um like a itinerary for the

trip open as well so I can kind of plan

our trip at the same time

but I'll basically just scroll through

and see what there is to do top

attractions Etc you could also use

something like what's Groupon to get

like discounted

I don't know like cruises sightseeing

tours Etc

and one thing we do or like a rule of

thumb I try and have is half free things

to do and half paid things to do men are

very simple when we travel and we

honestly really could just roam a city

go to coffee shops bookstores thrift

stores Etc and like not pay to do

anything we just are very simple people

when we travel but it is of course fun

to do attractions and whatnot so I

definitely think it just depends on the

kind of people you are perhaps your

sports people who want to go see like I

said a game when you're there

and in that case you might prioritize

paying for that and like going to Fenway

Park whereas for us we're like pretty

content just like walking around

browsing stores

so I'll typically write down fun free

things I want to do like the Freedom

Trail the Boston Public Garden I know

that there's a library there the Boston

Public Library

Etc when it comes to museums and things

we want to do let's say we want to go to

the JFK Museum which I actually kind of

want to go there because I'm a hugely

JFK nerd

we will go to the website either buy

them there or closer to the day I feel

like when we travel during the pandemic

we have to do a lot ahead of time but

now things are pretty like relaxed so

you could buy it now if you like had the

means to do so like I said if you had a

short-term savings account set up for

travel but we usually do one adult and

one student because I have a student ID

for school

and then it'll obviously say like 30

here and I would either like check out

now to reserve our spot or I would kind

of plug that into my budget

and that's how we kind of plan Hotel

flights and activities and then I'll

kind of go through that process build an

itinerary and kind of space out the paid

activities

as much as I try and stay off of tick

tock I do really think that Tick Tock

can be a really great tool when it comes

to planning trips especially like New

York City Boston big cities like that

because when we went to New York City I

would just look up like free or

discounted things to do in New York City

and there's so many tick tocks same goes

for restaurants and coffee shops we will

take recommendations from people usually

like on Instagram for coffee and food

but like I said we don't really spend a

lot on food so it's pretty easy to gauge

our like daily budget

and another thing to keep in mind is

that while it seems that we might be

like strict when we travel like by

having a budget spreadsheet

with the one category we're not strict

in is food and I know it's kind of

ironic because we budget for trips but

we are really big home bodies and when

we're at home we don't really eat out a

lot we eat out once a week and we

usually do like take in or take out or

like ubereats to not eat out a ton when

we're at home and save that for travel

so that's kind of the one category and

yours might be like entertainment or

maybe shopping or something but for us

the one category that we don't really

have a budget for but we're just like

very intuitive and aware of how much

we're spending is food and that's just

because when we're at home we don't

spend a lot on takeout so our trips kind

of feel like a treat for us and we have

for food as well is we will typically do

like a little bit of a grocery run if

we're there for a few days and grab like

granola bars and I don't know Matt

usually gets like apples or something so

that we can have snacks because I feel

like snacks are really pricey on trips

especially if you're flying somewhere

and not driving so yeah one of my tips

is to hit up a grocery store and buy

some snacks maybe even like some

kombuchas or

even like shelters or something to have

because I think drinks at restaurants

are so expensive so that's another tip

that we do as well we even do that when

we go to Disney just like buy some

snacks and bring them with us because

snacks really add up I always get like

so nervous that like I'm forgetting a

really good tip when I film these videos

yeah that's like the one category and I

think everyone's gonna have a different

category where they kind of like indulge

a bit more and you can indulge while

still being intuitive with your money

and aware of your spending it doesn't

mean going Buck Wild it just means

you're giving yourself the flexibility

to treat yourself a little bit more and

for us we like to do that with eating

out the last thing I'm gonna do with you

guys is share my kind of travel budget

spreadsheet just to give you guys an

idea I'm sure there's a ton of like

great apps and other things out there

that you can use to track your spending

um but I actually purchase if you guys

watch my videos I purchased a annual

budget and sadly I can't share what I'm

about to show you guys because I tweaked

the budget that I bought so like

technically it's her prop like I just

can't share that I just don't think that

would be right but feel free to like

take a screenshot or even adjust your

own budget to create a travel page I

just took one of the monthly layouts I

duplicated it and then I kind of tweaked

it for travel

so feel free to take a screenshot and

kind of set it up as your own but I

sadly obviously can't share this because

it technically is a budget template that

I bought and then I kind of customized

it to myself but it'll give you guys an

idea of how we budget for our trip so

I'm going to show you the budget that we

have for our Disney trip because it's a

real budget that we have set up and

hopefully that is a little bit helpful

the budget spreadsheet looks pretty

similar to my monthly budget if you guys

watch those videos but basically this is

how we just track our like saving

spending on trips just to give us a

general idea you guys know I am not like

a down to the dollar budgeter anymore

I'm more of like an intuitive budgeter

and it's just nice to kind of be aware

of like approximately how much a trip is

going to cost us especially if we have

short-term savings for the trip like

let's say the trip is going to cost

three thousand dollars but we only have

two thousand dollars saved we know that

we'll have to save another thousand by

the time we go on the trip but our main

method of saving money is just through

short-term savings so for example for

our Disney trip you could like probably

get into this in a whole another video

but it's a little bit different when it

comes to business versus personal trips

but like I said if anything I think I'm

a little bit more strict when it comes

to business trips because obviously

sometimes you just don't get paid for

weeks on end so that's like a whole

different video I could go into is like

business trips and write-offs and all

that kind of stuff which I feel like you

guys like because every time I talk

about them you want to see more but

let's just pretend this trip is not a

business trip so let's say for this trip

we have two thousand dollars in

short-term savings set aside for the

trip

this is pretty much Disney exclusive to

have gift cards but it's a really great

way if you are just like learning to

budget especially a trip like Disney

where it's just like very overwhelming

and easy to spend a lot of money

having gift cards is a really great way

to do it and you guys will see here we

specifically use our gift cards for

souvenirs it's just like a great way to

keep us on track because that is the one

category I feel like I can get a little

spannian

so it's nice to have a set amount on a

gift card when it's out it's out and it

really forces me to be very selective

with my souvenirs

I feel like that's even high it's just

because we have some gift cards from

Christmas and if you guys are Disney

people like us or you're traveling soon

we typically will just ask for Disney

gift cards for like Christmas birthdays

holidays Etc from like friends and

family

um and that's a really great way to save

your trip as well like some bonus money

and then I get asked a lot how we split

our trips and basically because most of

our trips are business they have to

obviously go through like my business

credit card and stuff and so I will put

everything on my credit card and then at

the end of the trip Matt will just like

send me half of it so

um typically I have a line here for

maths transfer which depends on the

price of the trip let's just say for

this trip it's let's just say it's like

800 I have no idea we would typically

first like we wouldn't really fill this

part in we would fill all of this in

like I said we like to work backwards

and see how much it's going to cost us

and see how much we have like left to

save for Disney we actually have paid

for some stuff already so I can share

this with you guys so

um we would budget our flight our Uber

uh Disney you do hotel deposits and then

the rest of it so that's why we have it

broken down into two categories uh

coffee shops not really I guess you

could just put coffee

Food Park tickets and then because I

have this template for like General

trips it has some Disney stuff and some

non-disney stuff like obviously you're

not going to a museum at Disney but

you're buying perk tickets and then

souvenirs

uh this is really nice here it's just

like a little thing of things we have to

do I just like that it's all in the same

spot so for example I actually just

booked that so I can scratch that off

and I can scratch that off this is

typically where we start I feel like I'm

working backwards here but this is at

the beginning of a trip when we were

just talking about booking our fake trip

and talking about like you know figuring

out different flights and hotel options

and whatnot

I will typically do the research and

then I'll sit down with Matt and just

say okay here are our three options so

we can fly Air Canada but we have a four

hour layover we could fly WestJet for a

hundred dollars more and it's a direct

flight or we could save

400 and Fly Frontier but it's out of

Syracuse we have to factor in gas and

parking

same thing goes for hotel options right

I'll just write down some different

options here and we'll kind of decide

for that trip specifically what we want

to spend because like I said every trip

is different and then same goes for

activity and entertainment so this is a

really great spot to kind of like

brainstorm a trip and then you can

obviously add them all together you can

like sum them up here and then put them

in your

budget category and this is just where

we track our expenses so I'll show you

guys the kind of an example of working

backwards so let's say flight is 800

hotel's a thousand Hotel deposit was 350

Ubers let's say we plan on spending we

can typically stick to about a hundred

dollars a day so we'll just give

ourselves some wiggle room I mean

Disney's expensive so let's just say 500

for food our park tickets were paid for

by Disney they're inviting us out

they're hosting us which is so exciting

so

when you add all this up you get to

about oh ironically we actually got to

three thousand dollars on the dot that's

kind of funny

um

so we know that between our savings gift

cards and what we have to save up until

the trip it needs to be around three

thousand dollars keep in mind the only

thing you really pay up front for Disney

is a flight and a hotel deposit so

that's really all we had to have up

front was the 800 and 350. but let's say

we have okay we have fifteen hundred

dollars in our savings and we have 250

dollars in gift cards let's say he gave

me I don't know half the money for the

flight

we would know that by the time we go on

the trip we need to have another 850

saved so it's nice that it kind of

formulates that for you and that's

typically how we plan our trips right

we'll take what we have in our savings

we'll take away having gift cards and

then we will each say okay we need to

have 850 saved by the time we go on this

trip split that in half that's 425 each

and then by the time we go on the trip

we'll have that money so that's kind of

how we do the budget for the trip

with that being said that is how we

create a budget stick to a budget and

kind of set up a trip and budget for it

how many times can I say travel trip and

budget in this video but I hope you guys

enjoyed like I said this was a video I

hadn't really seen much of online and I

thought it'd be really fun to talk about

since I love personal finance and I love

travel so I really hope you guys enjoyed

if you did please give it a thumbs up it

lets YouTube know that you enjoyed it

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I would love it if you joined our

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comments and DMS and all that kind of

stuff and yeah if you guys want to see

maybe like a little work day in my life

talking about business and how we book

business trips and how that works let me

know I would love to film that for you

guys but I will talk to you guys next

time bye