My Family Travels Full-Time: How We Save Money on Trips

I’ve always loved traveling. During my young adulthood, I lived in Scotland and Ireland, and over the years, my wife and I have enjoyed seeing new places together.

As we planned our family, we knew we wanted to travel abroad with our kids for at least a year. In 2022, we made that dream a reality when we set out to travel together full-time.

Prior to hitting the road, we sold, donated, or otherwise got rid of about 90% of what we owned. Some of those funds got our travels going, and some we added to long-term investments.

Now, my wife and I document our travels and work as full-time content creators. We’re not rich by any means, but we’ve made this lifestyle work with a few simple travel tricks.

We prioritize long-term stays in budget-friendly accommodations

The words “budget travel” typically imply shoddy and uncomfortable accommodations. However, opting for expensive luxury travel, especially in day-to-day accommodations and dining, would’ve drained our budget long ago. Instead, we try to find places that lie in the sweet spot between budget and luxury.

We’ve also found that Airbnb rentals, such as apartments, condos, or houses, often offer price breaks around the 28 or 30-day mark. So, we typically stay at least a month in each destination to get the best value.

But the real benefit? Longer stays mean fewer flights and train tickets, which lowers our costs.

Plus, these longer stays, combined with our balance of budget and comfort, give us a slower, more sustainable pace for our travels. Instead of burning out, we stay fired up to keep exploring.

When picking a new location to explore, walkability is important to us

Instead of staying in typical tourist hubs, which can get pricey and crowded, we try to stay in neighborhoods or towns just outside them.

Most of the time, we’re far more likely to see residents tending to their plants or children coming home from school than crowds of tourists.

We like to choose locations where we can walk to grocery stores, bakeries, and cafés, and save car rentals for day trips.

Our rewards credit card has saved us money, thanks to points and miles

Unless we have to use cash, our Capital One Venture X credit card is our primary payment method. The points and miles we earn on our purchases have covered most of our air travel costs for over two years.

For example, the $300 annual travel credit we receive offsets most of the card’s $395 annual fee. We can redeem the credit for flights, hotels, or other travel booked through Capital One’s travel portal.

We save money by making some meals at home

We typically book hotel suites or rentals with kitchens so we can save money on meals by preparing them at our accommodations. After all, it can get expensive to always dine at restaurants.

We especially enjoy preparing breakfast in our own space using ingredients from local grocery stores.