We are planning a quick weekend getaway. We are
excited for this trip and plan to soak up the last of our "us" time
before we head out on a much longer trip {back to Iowa} in a few short weeks.
As I was packing this morning, I realized that we've learned a thing or two
about traveling the past two years. So, I thought I'd share a few tips on
how we get up and go without killing our wallet!
1. We
always pack snacks!
I love to eat and especially love enjoying local
food when we’re traveling but, let’s be honest, our bank account {and
waistlines} can’t handle eating every meal out while on the road. So, we typically arm ourselves with snacks to
get us through the day to cut down on the meals that we end up eating out. We have found almonds, PB&J, pita chips
and hummus, water, and Starbucks Double Shots do the trick just fine. In addition, we will sometimes pack beer and wine in case we want to enjoy a cocktail at the hotel before heading out in the evening! Finally, we love to share meals when we do
eat out. Again, this saves us money but
also leaves room in our bellies to enjoy local brews or a glass {ok, multiple
glasses!} of wine.
2. Free breakfast!
Of course,
when you’re flying somewhere, rather than driving, it can be hard to lug along a
giant bag of snacks. This is when I
typically try to find a hotel with a continental breakfast. You can get through a morning of exploring by grabbing a yogurt and a few bananas as
you fly out the door. One caveat that I will add, however, is that
we love coffee. We will often grab our free
breakfast to-go, and seek out a local coffee shop to enjoy their brews. And, we collect Starbucks mugs from across
the country so if we can’t find a local joint, we’ll always stop in a
Starbucks!
3. Be Brand Loyal!
Is this a
travel-tip list or my marketing philosophies?
Well, both, I guess! I love
reward programs and am a member of many.
When we fly, we typically fly Delta.
So, I’m pretty brand-loyal there and that translates into my hotel
stays. If we are a member of a reward
program at a hotel that we don’t stay at often, I ensure my points go toward my
Delta miles. However, we have a few favorite hotel chains, and for those we stick with accruing their points that
offer free stays down the road. I also
seek out their promotions that can offer 4x (or more) the points at different
times during the year!
4. I LOVE Groupon Getaway and Living
Social Escapes!
When we
start planning a trip I typically head to Groupon and Living Social to see what
kind of deals they have in the given area.
We have had great luck so far.
Hotels often offer good deals on stays and include vouchers for food and
drinks while you’re there. I love this
because it gives us a chance to head to the bar, grab a drink, and ask the
bartender for local recommendations!
Last year, when we went to
Vancouver, we had a pretty specific budget and no specific plans so I hopped on
Groupon and bought a deal for our hotel and multiple attractions in the
area. The Groupons lead us to cool local
restaurants and different parts of the city that we may not have otherwise sought out. In looking back, this was one of our all-time
favorite trips!
5. Social
Media Rocks!
Again,
what’s with the marketing director appearing in this post? I love to ask for recommendations! I don’t go many places without shooting a
Tweet asking for must-see areas! When
we were planning our trip to Napa, I reached out to our favorite wineries in the Willamette Valley on Twitter for recommendations. I then researched the recommended wineries on Facebook to learn even more, and all that research proved fruitful! We also never underestimate
our friends and family who will point us in the right direction based on
their experiences in a given area!
How’s that for a morning
mind-dump? Balancing our budget, and need
for adventure, can be tricky so we are always looking for more tips on how to
accomplish this task. What do you
recommend?
CHEERS!
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