Hi friend,

Spring break is right around the corner, and summer trips are coming up fast. 😎 ✈️

This means travel spending season is officially here.

I love traveling with our boys.
But I also love staying on budget. $

Over the years, we’ve built simple habits into how we travel that keep costs down without making it feel restrictive.

So today I’m sharing something simple:

Here’s how a normal mom makes travel work on a real life budget.

No extreme hacking.
No complicated systems.
Just practical decisions that add up.

🏨 Where We Save on Lodging

• We almost always choose hotels with complimentary breakfast. For six people, that can easily save $20-40 per morning. Over a few nights, that’s a big difference.

• If we’re staying at a vacation rental, we eat breakfast there.

• We prioritize suites or kitchenettes when possible so we can keep simple food on hand.

• And when we can, we stay somewhere walkable. Sometimes paying a little more upfront saves us on parking, gas, and constant driving.

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🎟 Where We Save on Attractions

• We are members at our local zoo and science center. Because of reciprocal programs, we get free or discounted admission at zoos, aquariums, and science centers across the country. Most years, it more than pays for the membership.

• I almost never buy attraction tickets at the gate. I check online prices in advance and look for promo codes. Purchasing attraction tickets online almost always saves money.

• We intentionally mix free and paid attractions. Some of our favorite memories are from parks, walking downtown, or exploring riverfront areas.

🍕 Where We Save on Food

• We stop at a grocery store when we arrive for snacks, drinks, and easy lunch items. That alone saves us from buying overpriced hotel market snacks.

• Pizza nights are almost guaranteed on our trips. It’s affordable, everyone likes it, and trying local pizza spots has become part of the fun.

• If we’re grabbing quick-service meals like Chick-fil-A or Jimmy John’s, I make sure we’re rewards members so we earn points toward free food.

• We always bring refillable water bottles.

💳 Points + Cash Back

We use a points-earning credit card (we personally use the Chase Sapphire Preferred) for most travel purchases and redeem the points later for flights or hotels. We always pay it off in full each month.

And I’ll be honest — I dabble in credit card sign-up bonuses once in a while.

Not constantly. Not aggressively. But if there’s a great offer that makes sense for us, I’ll take advantage of it.

For example, I recently opened the Allegiant Airlines credit card and used the sign-up bonus to save a significant amount on our January flight to Arizona. That one decision covered a big chunk of airfare.

It’s not about opening cards left and right.
It’s about being thoughtful when it makes sense.

I also always check Rakuten before booking anything travel-related.

Sites like VRBO, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, and even some hotel brands consistently offer cash back through Rakuten, although the percentage can fluctuate.

Sometimes it’s a smaller percentage. Other times, especially during promotions, you can earn 10–15% cash back on your booking.

Here’s how it works in simple terms:
You log into Rakuten first, search the hotel or website you’re booking through, click their link, and then book like normal. Rakuten tracks your purchase and sends you cash back later.

If you want to try Rakuten yourself click my referral link below. 👇

It doesn’t change the price you pay. It’s just an extra step that puts a little money back in your pocket.

It’s not life-changing money every time, but on hotel stays or vacation rentals, it can add up quickly.

Travel doesn’t have to be luxury-level to be worth it.

It just has to work for your family and your budget.

As we head into spring break and summer travel, I hope this encourages you that you don’t have to overspend to make memories.

Stay tuned for more packing tips, behind-the-scenes travel hacks, and inspiration to make your trips feel doable and fun. I’m all about helping you make family travel as smooth as possible, so you can create memories without the headache.

Thanks for being part of the Travel Tuesday community, and I can’t wait to connect again soon!💕

✨ Want to make planning even easier?

If packing always feels chaotic, my Travel Itinerary Planner + Packing List was created to simplify this exact part of the process. One list. One system. Reused trip after trip. Click below to grab both! 👇

Wishing you trips that feel doable, memorable, and still within budget. 💛

May you LOVE your adventure!

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