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Planning a trip doesn’t have to mean draining your savings account. When my assistant told me she was preparing to spend the month of June traveling and wanted to do it as affordably as possible, I immediately jumped into travel-hack mode. After years of adventures with my husband Shane, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to save while still enjoying every moment on the road. So I decided to turn our conversation into a post to share our favorite ways to travel smarter — and cheaper! Here are Our Favorite Travel Tools To Save Big:
One of the biggest travel expenses is lodging, but we’ve found an incredible workaround: HomeExchange. It’s a global platform that lets you stay in other people’s homes either by swapping houses (think The Holiday) or by using GuestPoints — the platform’s internal currency.
We’ve used HomeExchange around six times in the past two years and have only needed to exchange our home once. The annual membership fee is about $220, which is less than the cost of one or two nights in a hotel — and with it, you can book multiple stays throughout the year.
👉 Pro tip: Even if you’re in between homes, you can list a rental or investment property you own.
Outdoorsy is like Airbnb, but for RVs. You can rent someone’s RV, pick it up, and hit the road — no storage or maintenance worries. It’s a great option for exploring scenic routes or national parks without the high cost of hotels.
We used Outdoorsy for a Colorado trip and while we had a mechanical mishap (hello, Kansas), Outdoorsy’s customer service came through and refunded us. Stuff happens — but overall, it’s still a budget-friendly and adventurous way to travel.
When our RV plan fell apart, we switched gears and rented an SUV. From there, we car camped across the country. Campsites were a lifesaver — many have clean bathrooms, showers, and even cabins you can rent for under $30 a night.
And yes, sleeping in your car at a safe site like a campground, truck stop, or even some Walmart parking lots is an option. When you’re on a budget, a good night’s sleep doesn’t have to be expensive. You just have to be smart about it.
🗺️ 4. Discover Hidden Gems with RoadTrippers
RoadTrippers is one of our favorite free travel apps. It helps you map your route while suggesting unique attractions, offbeat stops, and scenic views along the way. It’s like having a guidebook written by fellow adventurers.
We love it for planning road trips. In fact, it’s how we planned our 5-week road trip across the US. It gave us so many interesting ideas for stops along our route that we wouldn’t have found on Google Maps or Waze.
If you’re a woman who loves to travel (or travels solo often), check out Wanderful. I lead the Rochester, NY chapter, and it’s an incredible global community of travel-loving women.
With Wanderful, you can attend meetups, connect with locals when you travel, and even stay with other members. It’s like couch surfing, but safer and more empowering. The platform offers scholarships and regular membership promos, making it affordable for everyone. So, if you’re wanting to connect with other women to hang out with while you’re traveling, or find discounts and deals from local businesses, and get advice from real people – Wanderful makes it easy to find. It’s as if no matter where you travel to, you’ll know someone!
Eating out every day adds up fast, so we often cook where we stay — especially for breakfast and lunch. One of our favorite hacks is Flashfood, an app that lists soon-to-expire grocery items at major discounts.
You can snag meats, snacks, and produce for up to 50% off. It’s perfect for travel because you’re eating the food right away anyway! We even use Flashfood at home before regular grocery runs.
Traveling on a budget doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort or fun — it just means being creative. From swapping homes to cooking with discounted groceries, these tools and strategies help us explore more while spending less.
Got a favorite budget travel hack or app we should know about? Share it in the comments below!
And if you want to support us, check out the referral links in this post — many of them come with discounts or bonuses for you too!
