Today, we’ll add a few more tips on what to do before leaving on vacation; then we’ll move on to money-saving vacation tips.

More Things to Do Before Leaving on a Vacation:

1. Have a cash account that can be accessed from any vacation locale.  This could be a special vacation bank account that includes a debit or ATM card and is held by a nationwide bank.  If you need extra cash or lose the cash you brought, you can use the debit card or make an ATM withdrawal.  In addition, if you need an emergency influx of cash, a friend or relative back home might be able to deposit something into your account for you.  The account doesn’t have to be especially for vacations, but using your normal bank account opens you up to the possibility of losing more money if your wallet or purse is stolen.
2. Secure your home before leaving.  The day you leave, make sure that proper security precautions have been put in place to reduce theft or property damage while you’re gone.  Turn off the water supply to prevent unexpected leaks from flooding your home.  Turn off the electricity to (or unplug) any electrical items that could pose a fire threat.  Set a few lights on random timers that make your home look “lived in” while you’re gone.  Don’t set out a “hidden” key because thieves know where to look.  Give a key to a trusted friend, neighbor, or relative.  Place valuables into a safety deposit box or fireproof safe, and store an encrypted backup copy of valuable data off-site.

Saving Money While on Vacation:

1. Bring your own food.  We eat food every day regardless of where we are, but on vacation, the food bill goes up due to the regular meals at restaurants.  Instead of increasing your food bill, keep it the same by buying and bringing the normal foods you would eat at home.  That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy special, location-specific foods, but consider saving the restaurant meals for just those special places.  Forget the fast food shops.  This tip alone can save you hundreds of dollars on an extended vacation.
2. Eat the free hotel breakfast.  That breakfast isn’t truly free, so you might as well eat it since you paid for it.  Besides, it will reduce your food bill that much more.  Beware that some so-called breakfasts are composed completely of junk food which should never be eaten, but we’ve stayed at some hotels (cheap ones, too) that had fresh fruit, cereal, toast, orange juice, and more.  Try to eat healthy within the bounds of what is being offered.
3. Use hotel coupons or website discounts.  There’s no reason to pay full price for a hotel room when there are many simple ways to get a discount.  In the U.S., multiple hotel guides exist that are free of charge and contain numerous discount coupons (see www.hotelcoupons.com, www.roomsaver.com, www.travelcoupons.com, and www.travelerdiscountguide.com).  Beware that some unscrupulous hotel owners will not honor their coupons even when you follow the rules and blackout dates.  Don’t do business with them.  However, most hotels will give you the discount.  You can also try travel discount websites like Priceline and Travelocity.
4. Drive a fuel-efficient car.  If you own more than one vehicle, try to take the one that gets the best gas mileage.  If you only have gas-guzzling vehicles, calculate if renting a significantly more fuel-efficient vehicle would save you money.  If the rental cost is close enough, you might still come out ahead by saving wear and tear on your own vehicles.  Remember that long road trips can put thousands of miles on a vehicle very quickly.
5. Use gas discount cards.  Regardless of what vehicle you’re driving, you can save some money by taking advantage of gas discounts.  Many big convenience store chains and membership clubs have gas discount cards that save you a few cents per gallon.  Also, you might have a favorite convenience store at home, but on vacations you might as well buy from whoever has the cheapest gas.  A few cents here and there adds up quickly when you’re burning a few dozen gallons of gas in a short time.
6. Use coupons or discounts on everything.  Many theme parks, caves, shows, roadside attractions, and shopping districts have some sort of coupon or discount that can be found online.  They may even have a free coupon book or guidebook that can be requested by calling or signing up online.  Check local chambers of commerce for further discount opportunities.
7. Find free things to do.  Tourists usually pay premium prices for going to all of those touristy things, but not everything comes with a price.  There are many free things to do throughout the world.  You just have to do your research ahead of time.  Many lesser-known local attractions are fun and free, but often only the locals know about them.  Online message boards can be a great source of local information.  Sometimes actual tourists will review the places they’ve been and let you know what is worth the time and what isn’t.
8. Use multi-day and multi-location passes.  When you’re going to spend a lot of money to get into one place, like a theme park, see if that place offers a multi-day or multi-location pass.  Multi-day passes usually get you into the attraction for two or three days in a row and cost only a bit more than a single-day pass.  Multi-location passes get you into other attractions all for one discounted price.  If you have a big family or are planning on staying somewhere many days in a row, these passes can save you considerable amounts of money.

That’s all for today’s ten vacation tips, but remember to check back tomorrow for our Vacation Week continuation!