Traveling this summer? Here are some ways to save money

There’s no doubt we could all use a getaway this summer. But the costs involved are making it more challenging than ever.

Just look at what would-be travelers are telling us: four in 10 Americans say they will not be taking a single trip this summer, with most (52%) saying it’s because they just can’t afford it, according to a recent poll of 5,000 Americans (split evenly by state and generation) conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by Current. Instead they’re trying to achieve goals like saving cash (25%) or paying off debt (22%).

So the travel bug is still there, but the funding isn’t. The good news is that you can probably still pull off a summer trip. But you need to get creative about factors like exactly where, and when, and how you’re going to pay for it.

“Even though summer travel feels especially expensive this year, there are still ways to make it work,” says Meena Thiruvengadam, a travel expert and publisher of the site TravelWithMeena.com.

An example from the Current poll: The most prominent travel trends for this summer include ‘staycations’ (exploring your own city or state), at 32%; and taking ‘microbreaks’ like long weekends, at 30%.

In other words, many people seem to be redesigning their vacation plans to keep them modest and affordable, but not abandoning them altogether. A few ways to do that effectively:

• Be flexible about timing. Most travelers like to kick off trips on the weekend at a reasonable hour, which is perfectly understandable. But for others who are willing to do the opposite, that represents a money-saving opportunity.
  
  “Shift your travel days to depart Tuesday or Wednesday for cheaper flights, and also consider leaving early morning or late at night,” says Britton Williams, a financial planner in Raleigh, N.C. Even pushing your ‘summer’ travel out of summer altogether, even if only by a few weeks, can result in major savings. “Travel on the ‘shoulder’ months, like September, which often runs 60% less.”
  
  The findings of Expedia’s most recent Air Hacks report: Friday is the cheapest day to fly internationally, while domestically Tuesday is the most affordable, saving 14%. And here’s good news for summer travelers: August is actually the cheapest month to fly abroad.
• Be strategic with your cards. This will take some homework, but if you have a few different cards in your wallet, know which ones will lead to which benefits. For example, maybe one of them is offering discount packages at a destination you want to visit, or double miles on travel-related purchases.Also consider using a secured charge card, such as Current’s Build Card, to book your travel and make any travel-related purchases. You can only spend the amount of money available in your account, which minimizes risks of debt, and your on-time monthly payment then can help you build your credit history.
  
  Another tip: “Connect your rewards programs to maximize your benefits,” says Thiruvengadam. “Many airline reward programs offer elite status matching at certain hotel brands, something that can come with money-saving perks like late checkout and waived resort fees.
  
  Also, decline auto insurance at the car rental counter and use a credit card that provides rental car coverage as a benefit.”
• Use points smarter. You probably have rewards sitting around that you haven’t taken advantage of. In fact 23% of cardholders say they haven’t redeemed anything at all over the past year, according to a CreditCards.com survey. So make sure to “use your airline miles and hotel points,” urges Thiruvengadam. “Miles and points typically get less valuable and harder to redeem over time, so there’s no reason not to use them in this economy. And make sure you’ve used any hotel night certificates or companion fares that may be set to expire.”
• Tap savings over plastic. The one thing you want to avoid is a splashy summer trip that gives you a debt hangover for the remainder of the year. In fact 29% of those plotting summer trips were planning to take on debt to do so, according to a Bankrate survey.
  
  Instead, if you recently enjoyed a tax refund – the average this year was over $3,500, according to the IRS – that’s the kind of windfall you could keep earning on with an account paying higher yield. With Current, members can earn up to a 4.00% annual bonus on money in their Savings Pods.
  
  Every travel dollar you can pay out of savings, is a dollar that won’t cost you 20% interest on revolving balances. That sounds like the smartest way to enjoy summer.