I love to travel…love it. Unfortunately, I am not in a place financially where I can take all the trips I want to so I have to keep my eye on cheap flights and book the best deals I can and find ways to keep everything budget friendly so I can afford more than one trip.
Here are the top 3 ways I keep prepping and packing for a trip cheap.
Carry On
Carry on always. I hate to check a bag so I do anything possible to make all my vacation essentials fit into a carry on and tote bag. EVERYTHING possible for a few reasons.
- 1. I’m cheap. I don’t want to pay $25-55 each way to check a bag they could possibly lose
- 2. I hate worrying that they will break something or lose my bag
- 3. I hate waiting for my bag
- 4. I would rather spend that money on something fun
Something to keep in mind for airlines like Spirit, Frontier or the economy seats on AA & United is the carry on bag fee. If they are going to charge you $30+ both ways for a bag think of that price in comparison to a flight that allows a free carry on but is slightly more!
The money you save by not checking a bag can be spent on an excursion, an awesome souvenir or even a massage, don’t waste it because you had to pack those 3 extra pairs of shoes you don’t actually need. Check out Helene In Between’s post about why she always takes a carry on!
The Way Around Liquids
You do not need to purchase travel size things every time you travel. That can add up. Use makeup wipes, break sunscreen into smaller containers (this is better anyway because then you can keep one with you at all times) Break down what you already have into smaller 3 oz bottles. You can buy a pack of the travel size bottles with a bag for under $10 one time and use them every time. Pour your shampoo, conditioner, blah blah blah into those bottles. I re-use my small Lush containers for travel. It works perfectly!
Why? Because it is a slippery slope once you go out and start buying travel size items for your trip. Its starts with “I need a 3 oz toothpaste” and ends with ” I just spent $78 at Target for travel stuff” I know that life believe me.
But I need a new _______
Nope. Actually you don’t. You just want it. I used to buy dresses specifically for the girls trips I used to take and all these new outfits and swimsuits every single time and then I realized if I am going on a trip to a beach I can wear my summer clothes from home. Most of us already have more than 2 swimsuits unless they get ruined or don’t fit anymore. We do not need to buy a new one for every trip. No one cares. I promise you. They aren’t cheap. Buying brand new clothes to wear on a trip? Nope. No gracias. I know this doesn’t apply to every trip sometimes you might actually need to buy something specific but if not then don’t waste the money.
Check out Pinterest for great ways to re-purpose clothes you already have. If you have a bf/husband steal a couple of his shirts and make a dress or a cute top with it. Free and cute!
These seem so simple but they all add up and add expense to trips that we don’t need. If you are a budget traveler, or saving for a trip keep these in mind. Save the money you would spend for all of that for your trip or keep it in the bank for the next trip!
Do you have any other small ways that you pack/prep for vacation affordably?
Carry ons always! I can fit my whole wardrobe into a carry on so I'm never concerned. I wish I could fit more liquids because I like/need mini-bottles of liquor for flights. But I can always buy them once inside the airport.
Totally agree with most of these except the bathing suit one. I buy a new bathing suit every summer, but not for every trip! A lot of mine are mix and match though, so maybe not a whole suit, but a top or bottom. I never understand why people spend so much on travel size stuff- if you're staying in a hotel, you can get 1/2 the stuff for free! And hell yes to carry-on only- no fees, and no lost baggage!
i'm not gonna lie, part of the fun for me is buying new clothes and swimsuits haha. but i try and only buy things that i will wear after the vacation, and not just for the vacation. and yes to carry on only… screw checking a bag! my main reason is i seriously hate waiting at baggage claim haha. people are really rude there and it makes me want to hit them with my bag, except i can't get to my damn bag because they stand in front of me. rude.