Five for Friday: 5 ways we cut travel expenses

Primitive camping while hiking on Santa Cruz Island, one of California's Channel Islands

In the spirit of wanting to post here on a more frequent basis, I'm adding a regular post called "Five for Friday", as a way to focus on specific travel-related topics and share some of our past travels in what I hope is a useful way. If you have any suggestions for what you'd like to hear about in future "fives", I'd love to hear them!

So, here are the top five ways we try to keep cash in our pockets when we're out seeing the world...



1. Camping instead of hotels

Some of the best and most beautiful places I’ve stayed have not involved a key card and the only check in was with a park ranger.

They also aren't all necessarily remote. This camping spot (below) at Lake Jennings Campground, a county park in El Cajon, California, is only a 25-minute drive from downtown San Diego.

Car camping- even backpacking- with the right gear, can truly be comfortable.

Camping at El Capitan State Beach, 20 miles north of Santa Barbara

Even in November a barefoot stroll on the beach felt great

We've camped and stayed in park cabins in all seasons and many states with various climates. Some of them were in places popularly thought of as expensive, resort-filled destinations, where it might seem unlikely to find such a thing, including Malibu and Santa Barbara, California, Maui, Hawaii, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

Ocean view cabin at Wai'anapanapa State Park in Hana on Maui (only $90 per night!)

And the gorgeous view

Occasionally there are challenges (yucky restrooms, sketchy people) but my negative camping experiences have been far outweighed by the many pleasant ones. Some parks even have heated cabins and yurts. Here at Arrivals and Departures, we love a good yurt.

Checking into a yurt at Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria in northern Oregon

And an ocean view.

This hostel in Baja Mexico had a sandy tent camping area- about $20 back in 2007

Use of the kitchen and facilities in the main house was included (though we could have opted out to save a few bucks, it seemed well worth it).

Plus, you’re supporting the parks and nature by paying a fee to be there. I’ll take that option over a chain hotel any day.

2. Hostels or inns instead of hotels

But sometimes you can’t camp, nor is it a good idea. Fortunately, these days there are plenty of alternatives thanks to the internet and a strong cohort of people who understand (old school or new school), that just because a place doesn't have a star rating does not mean it can't be nice and clean.



The lovely Carmel River Inn: prices vary- around $100 for a night in January

Since we're a couple, we definitely aren't interested in spending the night in bunk beds in gender-separated rooms. Fortunately, the hostel scene knows that plenty of professional, adult couples will happily snap up private rooms like this awesome corner room we lucked out with on one of our many pleasant stays at San Francisco's Downtown Hostel:



Let’s just say that I’ve stayed in dirtier, smaller hotel rooms and paid twice the money than at some of these gems. Plus, by choosing to stay a hostel or independent inn there’s an increased likelihood that a larger portion of your money is going to directly benefit people who really need it, rather than the heads of a large corporation.

3. Travel during the off-season or shoulder season

Basic economics are the reason it's cheaper to travel when other people are not traveling, explained by the nature of supply and demand and fueled by jacked up prices at peak travel times like holidays, Fridays, and Sundays.

In mid-October Barcelona still has plenty of tourists, but it never felt crowded.

In my experience, traveling to a place when everyone else wants to be there is often a mistake. Everything will be more expensive and competition will be fierce, whether it’s waiting in line for a museum or a popular restaurant, or snagging a hotel room on the beach. Booking in season makes sense if you want to see a particular event, but if it's just about spending a relaxing week at the beach, there’s no reason one particular month is the only time to do it.

Elk grazing in Oregon in March

And last I checked the Grand Canyon doesn't close in the winter. It's just way less crowded (and, in my opinion, even more beautiful).

Scotty enjoying his January 2007 visit to "a big hole in the earth"

In fact, some of the most amazing sights I’ve seen at home in Juneau, Alaska were in the off-season and in the winter. They just weren’t the type of things you can plan.

We’re fortunate in that Scotty and I have jobs that allow us to take time off at variable dates.  Also, we don’t have any kids, allowing us to be gone during the school year (but even if we did, well, let’s just say we have our own ideas about what a really good education should be so we’d probably still travel then).

4. Book travel well in advance

If you know your dates, don't hesitate. There’s really no reason to wait right up until eight to six weeks to purchase plane tickets, particularly if it’s for something you know you don’t want to miss. But that’s exactly what most people do and the airlines bank on it.

This hostel in Sydney's historic neighborhood, The Rocks, sold out for New Year's Eve 2012 in five minutes nine months in advance. Planning so far ahead was well worth it.

Occasionally we’ve gotten some good deals from waiting (usually because of fare sales), but I’ve found that when I search for flights around six months in advance, particularly for holidays, it’s sometimes hundreds of dollars less compared with booking two or three months in advance. Imagining how most people might think can help travelers get ahead of the game.

School starting in the fall makes people think about Christmas and plans are formed then. A return from Winter Break prompts people to plan for Spring Break. After Spring Break, people start making summer plans. It rarely hurts to get ahead of the pack if you can.

Christmastime on the Big Island of Hawaii

I’m not advocating for planning one’s life away, but if flexible and refundable fares are close in price to the non-refundable fares, those are an excellent option for people wary of planning too far in advance. And reserving accommodations which allow cancellations is always a good back up.

Another nice thing about purchasing in advance is that it gives you a chance to absorb a significant part of the cost of a trip before it comes time to drop more money on hotels, transportation, and entertainment.

5. Get creative with meals

Eating out is in sit-down service restaurants can be expensive, but sometimes needlessly so. Since it’s tough to take home leftovers when traveling, Scotty and I split meals if we think it’s going to be a lot of food, or order two or three appetizers for some variety. We also try to find those with decent happy hour offerings using apps like Yelp or Urban Spoon (some are a better deal than others). I pay attention to travel articles and certain blogs, particularly if the author lives in that area and knows the local gems.

Chowing down at the highly praised taco institution, La Supa Rica, in Santa Barbara

Food trucks in San Francisco's business district

When restaurants start to get repetitive, we seek out hot lines popular in natural food stores, food counters, even food trucks. Or, if we’ve taken our own advice above in #1 and 2, we often can grill out or cook for ourselves for a meal or two with locally purchased ingredients.



Plus, checking out local markets and trying local food is a wonderful way to experience a new place.



It all basically boils down to the fact that we’d like to keep traveling as much as possible and if it’s a choice between fancy meals every night and an expensive hotel room or an extra day or two of vacation, it’s a pretty easy decision.

Most of the time, "less" seems to make us happier anyway.