Many of us also make sacrifices to afford our vacation plans. According to a survey by , 41 percent of Canadians are reducing their grocery spending to afford a visit FlightHub Group. Additionally, multiple in 4 (28%) Canadians who cannot afford to travel have taken on bank card debt to finance their trips, the survey found.
No one wants to return home from a calming vacation only to be faced with a big bank card bill. (Yes, I’ve been there myself, and while I’m not proud, I’m not afraid to confess it.) Instead of taking over debt to pay for the trip, try a mixture of savings strategies and clever travel hacks from the experts. Here’s the best way to start.
3 Ways Canadians Save Money When Traveling
1. Choose a reasonable destination
Where you go could make a giant difference in cost. Danica Nelson is a private finance influencer and avid traveler who has visited 25 countries. When she’s not traveling across borders, she maintains a house base in Toronto. Nelson says selecting reasonably priced destinations where she will be able to make much more use of her Canadian dollar — like Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, to call a number of — was crucial.
“In Vietnam I could stay in a five-star hotel for just $55 Canadian per night. In Da Nang you can get the freshest seafood and a beer for $5 Canadian or a banh mi sandwich for about $1 Canadian,” says Nelson. She even got a flower bath and an hour-long massage in Bali for 60 Canadian dollars. (FOMO-inducing, I do know.) For more inspiration, try 4 Canadian digital nomads who travel to or live year-round in reasonably priced destinations like Panama, Costa Rica, Greece, and more.
What savings strategy will you pursue in your next trip? ✈️
— MoneyDown (@MoneyDown) November 2, 2023
2. Use a travel bank card to get monetary savings and earn more travel points
Booking with a travel bank card could be a cheaper technique to travel because chances are you’ll get cheaper prices on flights, hotels, and rental cars through your bank card’s rewards program. For example, with my co-branded CIBC Aeroplan Visa card, I earn Aeroplan points for my purchases and get preferential fares on Air Canada flights. This means I can use fewer Aeroplan Rewards points than are normally required to book flights.
Nelson adds that with a travel card you too can avoid foreign transaction fees (typically around 2 to three%) while abroad and earn more points which you can redeem for future trips to hotels or flights.
3. Switch to carry-on luggage
Swapping your suitcase for a carry-on bag can save you time and money on the airport. “When traveling with carry-on luggage only, people have learned to save a lot of money by not having to pay checked baggage fees,” says Nelson. She recommends investing in a small suitcase that meets the airline’s carry-on size requirements and a private item corresponding to a backpack, purse or tote bag. Check prematurely in case your airline charges checked baggage fees, as in some cases you possibly can get a stowed suitcase at no cost along with your ticket.
Personally, I switched to a small carry-on suitcase, saving me the trouble and expense of checked luggage. Some other tricks I exploit to get monetary savings when traveling: I purchase groceries for lunch and breakfast. I also plan for dinner prematurely and some other expenses like coffee or treats here and there.
Flight booking hacks on your next trip
Nelson uses travel deal sites like Next Departure (which also has an app) and Flytrippers, in addition to flight search tools like Google Flights, to get alerts when airlines offer flash sales.
