We spend less on things we don’t value so we can spend more on things we love. Travel is one of those things. But this doesn’t mean we’re not frugal travelers. We gladly spend what we need to, but save as much as we can. Our most recent trip was to the Seattle area. Some simple travel hacks saved us about half of what our trip would normally have cost. Here’s how we did it.
Airfare was free. A round trip ticket from Raleigh to Seattle on Southwest was about $450 when we booked in late May. Fortunately we have 100,000 Southwest points and….(drumroll please)...Southwest Companion Passes for the kids. The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to bring a companion on every flight for free. You get one by accumulating 125,000 Southwest points or taking 100 flights within a calendar year. We got ours by opening Southwest credit cards with welcome bonuses of around 100,000 points each. So, we paid for the adult tickets with points and the kids were free. $1800 saved.
Hotels are another huge expense that is not hard to hack. We were gone for 10 nights. Four were free. Some of you are asking “how did you get 4 free nights” others are asking “why only 4?” We got 4 nights free because I am a Hilton Honors member with a HIlton credit card and a lot of points. I stay at Hilton properties while traveling for work to accumulate points. When traveling for fun I redeem the points for free nights. On this trip we stayed in a Hampton Inn in Tacoma for 3 nights ($450) and an Embassy Suites at the airport ($250). Points saved us about $700.
Why not stay free every night? In Seattle, we wanted to stay in the Fremont neighborhood so we could spend each evening with a family member who lives there. There was not a Hilton property in Fremont so we chose a StayBridge Suites which was great. It had two-room suites (a big plus with kids), a rooftop patio overlooking the Puget sound, gas grills, and free breakfast. We could walk to breweries and a grocery store. StayBridge is part of the IHG hotel group. We did not have points to use (we do now!) but this arrangement made our trip more fun so it was worth the cost. We also spent two nights on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound at a great independent motel called The Coachman Inn. The owners care deeply about the property and each guest’s experience. I would still stay at The Coachman Inn again even if there was a Hilton.
Food is a huge expense for families on vacation. Our first stop in any new town is the grocery store. We get stuff to make lunches, snacks, and dinner along with beer, wine, and other necessities. We get hotel rooms with small kitchens whenever possible so we can prepare salads, pasta, quesadillas, eggs, grilled cheese, or most anything else we would make at home. Minimally we need a microwave and fridge for ramen, soup, and leftovers. At the StayBridge in Seattle we were grilling steaks every night on the roof. Grilled steaks with salad, an appetizer of delicious cheeses, and a great view? $30. Pasta and TV in the room for the kids? $4.
We still love going out to eat on vacation. We try local restaurants and local foods that are rare (or poorly replicated) in restaurants at home. We found some real winners on this trip like The Ruby Brink, a butcher and restaurant on Vashon Island and Crockett's Public House in Puyallup. One of our best meals was beer and tacos from a liquor store. Stay tuned for a full post about our gustatory experiences.
Family oriented hotels like Hampton Inn and Staybridge have breakfast. I know your grumpy uncle would say “It's not ‘free’! It’s built into the price! It’s a come-on!” Maybe. But we don’t have to make it. And, if a couple yogurts and bananas end up as snacks later, so-be-it. Breakfast also gets everyone out of the room from 6-10am so Sarah can sleep-in, wake-up, and shower in peace. Priceless.
It's hard to know how much money we saved with our food routines. I do know that we were away for 36 meals and our family cannot go out to eat for less than $50 and usually closer to $100. So, even if we eat out once a day we are saving a ton by shopping and preparing some meals in the room or on a park bench. And, our pants still fit when we get home so that saves money too.
Rental cars are always expensive in the US (not in Europe for some reason) but are usually necessary. This year they are extra expensive due to high demand and low supply. We went to a place where we had family with a car we could borrow. No crazy travel hack here except flexibility. There were several places we considered for vacation but seeing family, having a local to show us around, and borrowing a car tipped the scale toward Seattle.
We had a great time in Seattle. We ate great food, took hikes through ancient forests, visited Mt. Rainier National Park, and got a feel for the local culture (which we really like). We skipped pricey tourist attractions like the space needle which is $35 per person and provides the same view as the roof-top deck at StayBridge. I hate to see families limit their travel experience due to the notion that vacation has to be hyper-expensive. Planning, flexibility, and creativity provide a lot of ways to travel for less. I hope you can squeeze in another trip soon.
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