Planning your next trip and looking for a way to save some bucks? Whether you are traveling alone, with a companion, or with a group, there are plenty of ways to save! Maybe you are traveling with family? Traveling together can be a fun bonding experience and a great way to make lifelong lasting memories. However, it can also be very expensive. The cost of travel also rises with each additional child and family member that participates. This often makes it cost-prohibitive for families to travel together or it’s a hard hit to the bank account. We’ve put together a list of some of the best discount travel sites to make family travel realistic and exciting!
We will help you navigate travel websites and apps that will get you great deals on cheap flights, discount hotel bookings, vacation home rentals, car rentals and help you to save money overall!
This article has numerous websites to help you get discounts on flights, hotels, and rental cars. If you belong to any loyalty programs, check rates or perks directly through that company’s website. Many companies will not honor loyalty perks if a customer books through a third-party site (e.g. Hotels.com). With this in mind, you will need to weigh the cost of booking through a third party or booking directly with the company. Which option will save you the most money in the long run?
Here are awesome ways to save money from the best discount travel sites.
Best Discount Travel Sites for Vacation Home Rentals
Renting a vacation home has become an increasingly popular way to reduce costs when traveling. These vacation rentals can help cut costs in many ways by offering more rooms and space for prices that are often cheaper to book than a hotel stay. Groups and multi-family stays can split the cost of the stay, making it less expensive for all parties involved. Another perk of renting a vacation rental home is that many have kitchens or cooking areas which allow families to save money on meal costs by making home-cooked meals as opposed to ordering room service or dining at restaurants. It is also easier to stock up on drinks, snacks, and other necessities. Most vacation home rentals include a washer and dryer so you will save money washing your laundry there rather than washing laundry at a laundry mat.
Traveling, especially with young children, is an adjustment. Staying in a vacation home is one easy way to ease some of the jitters. Being in a house will allow you to make it feel like home much more easily than if you were in a hotel room. You don’t have to worry about your littles running around and upsetting any guests with loud noises when you are in your own vacation home. If the property is lacking any baby gear amenities such as a crib, high chair, or even a baby bathtub consider renting the necessary baby gear that you need from BabyQuip.
Here are a few great vacation home rental websites.
Airbnb
Airbnb is a great way to travel and save money! Whether you are looking to rent a house, a condo, an apartment, or even just a room, Airbnb can be less expensive than hotel stays. Choose a destination, preferred travel dates, and the number of guests, to get started finding an available Airbnb. You can also search for pet-friendly Airbnbs and Airbnbs with luxury amenities such as a swimming pool. All in all, Airbnb offers a large selection of properties to choose from!
Another option is Airbnb Plus which features a selection of the highest quality rentals (verified through an in-person inspection) offering all of the perks of a home and more! Airbnb Plus properties are verified for great comfort, design, and cleanliness as well as essential amenities like fully equipped kitchens. Airbnb Plus properties are offered by hosts with ratings of 4.8 and above, so you can find the best bang for your buck.
Check out Airbnb Experiences which provides experiential adventures around the world for small groups of people, ranging from 2 to 10 days. These experiences also include lodging, expertly curated itineraries, and logistics for as little as $99 per day. Now that’s a great deal!
VRBO and HomeAway
VRBO and HomeAway are owned by the same company so their features are quite similar. These vacation home rental sites feature unique properties in over 190 countries around the world! VRBO and HomeAway offer a variety of different properties from condos, to cabins, to beach houses and plenty more. The booking process is simple and secure and many of the properties are equipped with the comforts of home for your convenience, such as laundry rooms and fully equipped kitchens, as well as other options and amenities such as swimming pools, yards for kids to play, pet-friendly properties, and more!
Best Discount Travel Sites for Hotels
Depending on whether you are traveling with a family, a group of people, or traveling alone, online travel booking sites generally offer fairly competitive rates for hotel stays. Many websites are set up for guests to use broad search filters in order to narrow down the options and find the best-suited hotel. Consider these discount travel sites when booking your next hotel stay!
Booking.com
Booking.com is touted as the world’s #1 choice for booking accommodations (authors over at tripsavvy.com agree). It is one of the world’s leading travel companies and offers over 28 million accommodation listings and 24/7 customer support. Booking.com’s best features include offering a variety of property types and blended search results. Visitors can search for hotels by entering their destination, travel dates, and the number of guests. Filters allow visitors to choose accommodations based on many features including review score, property rating, and by proximity to desired landmarks.
Hotels.com
Hotels.com is a leading online accommodation site featuring hundreds of thousands of accommodations—more than just hotels—in over 200 countries and territories. The booking process through their site is very user-friendly and they offer innovative online tools as well as an easy-to-use mobile app. Hotels.com also has a Rewards program that allows you to collect nights for future hotel stays. For every 10 nights that you stay through hotels.com, you get a free night to redeem at a later time. Another great incentive is free cancellation and flexible booking opportunities at most hotels.
Priceline
Priceline is a great discount booking site for hotels (plus rental cars, flights, cruises, and experiences). If the user finds a lower-priced hotel within 24 hours of booking, Priceline will refund the user 100% of the difference. They also offer perks for members (it’s free to sign up) like extra discounts and coupons. In addition, Priceline now offers Pricebreakers, where visitors can save up to 50% on hotel stays.
TripAdvisor
Tripadvisor is a great site for booking hotels and accommodations as it features at least 800 million reviews of more than 8 million accommodations. When searching for a hotel, the onsite calendar displays the lowest-priced dates for each day of the month. This makes finding the cheapest dates a breeze at a simple glance! With Tripadvisor Plus, visitors can pay an annual fee to “save an average of $350 on your first trip” per Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor Plus members receive hotel discounts, 10% off experiences, partner benefits, and expert travel advice through text.
Related articles:
- Family Apps: The Best Apps For Family Travel
- Best Travel Snacks for Babies & Toddlers
- How to Rent Baby Gear
Best Discount Travel Sites for Flights
Flights are generally one of the more expensive aspects of travel. Unless you plan on using airline loyalty reward miles, you are most likely going to spend a pretty penny. That said, these online discount travel sites will help you navigate through all of the different airlines to find the cheapest flight for your preferred travel dates!
Google Flights
Google Flights is one of the most powerful online flight search engines. It shows you the cheapest flights to destinations all over the world and has a calendar-based view that provides the cheapest flights over the next 12 months. It also has a map-based feature that allows you to check the cheapest places to fly from your airport during your selected date range.
Kayak
Kayak is a great resource for comparing flights to find the best prices. It is a fare aggregator that pulls together all of the best deals. You can view flight options by using filters that will display your preferences based on flight class, red eyes, nonstop flights, layovers, and more. Kayak also has a handy Travel Restrictions page for easily seeing if there are any international travel restrictions before you book your flight. Customize your perfect travel plan and let Kayak show you the best flights for you!
In addition, Kayak has a great hotel search interface. It’s clean and easy to use with a color-coded calendar that highlights cheap, average, and expensive days which aids in the cost comparison.
Hopper
Hopper is a great tool to plan flights as it is an airfare forecasting app that allows you to book your travel at exactly the right time! This app predicts flight prices with 95% accuracy up to one year in advance. This can save you up to 40% on travel. The Hopper app will monitor prices for you and notify you when the price is the best. Then you can simply book with a few taps on your mobile phone.
Some other perks of Hopper include earning Carrot Cash every time you book a flight. Carrot Cash can then be used to receive discounts on future destinations. Hopper also offers $30 in vouchers to those who book with them for the first time.
Car Rental Tips
Many travel sites mentioned above such as Kayak, Priceline, TripAdvisor, and Google will offer discount pricing on car rentals as well. So we decided to put together a few travel tips to help you get even better car rental rates, in addition to using the aforementioned travel sites!
Avoid Booking at Airports
If you book a car rental at the airport, you will likely be hit with some pretty serious sticker shock! Car rental prices at airports are generally much higher than if you rent a car from the airport premises. Consider taking a taxi, Uber, Lyft, or shuttle to an off-site car rental location and save money in the long run! Another rental car option is to book through Turo—a car-sharing marketplace. Customers can rent vehicles that are owned by individuals and sometimes at a better price compared to renting through a standard car rental company.
Book Your Rental Using a Discount Brand
Discount car rental brands such as Thrifty, Payless, and Dollar Rental offer very competitive pricing and are generally cheaper than the typical bigger names such as Enterprise and Hertz. Don’t hesitate to use one of these discount brands. You will still get to your destination but with more money leftover in your pocket!
Take Advantage of Memberships
If you have an AAA or Costco membership you will definitely reap the benefits and perks that they offer! Costco often beats the prices on other full-priced car rentals and if you are a Costco Executive Member, you can receive an annual 2% reward. AAA offers up to 10% discount on cars rented through Hertz, Dollar, or Thrifty car rentals.
Book an Economy Car
If you’re not traveling with a ton of luggage or a large number of passengers, consider booking the least expensive economy car. Not only will it be cheaper than larger models, but it will also probably save you a ton of gas as well. Plus, if the car happens to be unavailable once you arrive to pick it up, you could be upgraded to a larger car anyway!
Use Your Own Car Insurance
Car rental companies generally try to pressure renters to buy additional insurance. It’s always at an additional cost and you may in fact be covered on the rental vehicle under your own insurance. Check your policy before you book and see if you are covered! Some credit card companies also offer car rental insurance. Check to see if your credit card is one that offers this coverage and save yourself the extra money!
Consider Purchasing Travel Insurance
With Covid restrictions seemingly in the rearview mirror, family travel has seen an uptick in recent years. However, more families are considering purchasing travel insurance as a way to protect their trip. With the unpredictability of travel interruptions and illness, travel insurance can help recoup many trip costs if it were to be canceled. Depending on who you buy travel insurance through, there is a multitude of benefits.
If you aren’t sure where to find the best travel insurance price, or who to buy from, Travelinsurance.com is one of the best options. This company provides quotes from top-rated companies and helps you compare plans, benefits, and prices. Some of the benefits may include helping with emergency medical coverage, trip cancelation or interruption, lost or delayed luggage, and more.
Thankfully, there are many ways to save money when traveling! By utilizing travel resources like the best discount travel sites, you can keep more money in the bank. Then, you will have more money to spend on experiences and meals on your actual trip! You can also feel more confident knowing your trip is protected if you purchase travel insurance. The best part? All of this can be done virtually in the convenience of your own home!
Jennifer O’Neill is an Independent Quality Provider with BabyQuip, helping families travel lighter and happier. She is a mother of two boys and enjoys working out, spending time with family and friends and of course, traveling.
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Hey there! With 4 kids, I’m always looking for a deal! Thanks for this.
Thank you, very great article. Always looking to save a buck on travel.
Thanks for the tips!
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Thanks for this! There are so many new companies I was beginning to wonder if there was something I didn’t know and it takes so long to go through several sites and compare. Right before I actually book I like to check the actual site of the hotel or airline I am planning on booking through a discount site just to make sure I am getting a good deal. Sometimes I can get it cheaper direct!
Thank you so much for these great tips! I love that instead of putting together an exhaustive list, you focused on legitimate websites that have been around a while and proven to be useful.
I love google flights! Just keep in mind when checking with them and most of the other sites for flights will not include Southwest Air, so always check their site directly for comparison. Thanks for the article!
I use Airbnb and HomeAway for all vacations! I love that they have kitchens since my daughters have good allergies and it’s simpler if I can prepare things for them myself. For flights, my favorite site is SkyScanner – especially if dates/locations are somewhat flexible.
Wonderful tips! We’ve also used the hopper app for flights and found it super helpful.
We are currently planning a trip to Yellowstone this summer. In the past we have had good luck with Airbnb and VRBO. This time around the cleaning free might just put us over budget. Since we are traveling around WY some we won’t be staying for a long period of time at one place and I think we may need to look into booking hotel instead. Anyone had better luck with Hotels/Cabins on their Yellowstone trip?
I also find it helpful to follow local “cheap flights” instagramers
VRBO and AirBnB are my top choices for booking accommodations, especially when traveling with my little. Great info on plane tickets and car rental discounts. I definitely will use my Costco membership when booking a car next time.
Great tips!! We use VRBO/HomeAway often as well as AIrBnb. Great info because traveling as a family of 5 adds up quick
I didn’t realize the array of websites to choose from for discounts. Thank you!
We use google flights all the time. I have never heard of Hopper so I will have to check it out when we book our next trip. We are a family of 5 so we are always looking for way to safe on airlines.
All great tips – we just realized that we haven’t flown on an airplane with both of our kids, because it can be SO pricey, before you even get anywhere! Would love some tips on getting discounted tickets to attractions, as well! I know AAA offers, but not sure if any other sites that don’t require a membership….?
I love Airbnb and I earn 10% back when I book using my Mastercard. Yay!
Why does travel have to be so expensive?
awesome!
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! :)
great post, I like it
This is so great!
I had never heard of a lot of these sites/tips. Thank you so much.
Great tips! Definitely going to check out Hopper. I also use Skyscanner to search for flight deals.
I really like using TripAdvisor as well, even in my own city. I feel like people take more time on their reviews, and they can give you a better insight beyond a general description of what something is actually like.
Tripadvisor is always my go-to when looking up accommodations.
Good deals always make me want to book ALL THE TRIPS. I’ll save this for when my kids are a little easier to travel with.
with all this in mind, I’m looking forward to planning my next trip
I will have to try Hopper. A good way to save on hotels: use Ibotta app to access hotels.com (and many other sites) and make a purchase to earn a % cash back. I earned 5% in past.
Great info! I definitely will go off airport premises for renting a car again!
VRBO has been our go to for family travel the last several years. Being able to spread out in a condo or home works much better for us.
Excellent information. I didn’t know about VRBO and HomeAway so I will look for information because I’m host on Airbnb and Booking and I think it would be a good option. I am in the state of Florida and I can recommend Turo for car rental. It is a service like Uber or Lyft but for car rental directly from the owners.
I’m planning a trip to BC, Canada early spring and will be sure to make use of the car rental and Airbnb tips! Thanks for putting this together!
Great info. We rented a car a year ago while visiting San Antonio and we’re surprised to receive a free upgraded model and size. You never know!
I love using Airbnb’s or vrbo rentals when travelling with my little ones. Some hotels will have separate rooms that you can put the babies in to sleep but most do not. If you can get a house or apartment rental then you can put your little to bed In a separate room and still be able to hang out in a living space without waking them.
All great tips, thank you! I will definitely check out some of these when planning my next trip.
Great article never heard about VRBO will look into that being that our family travels a lot having another option besides airbnb is great!
Kayak is my go to.
Mine too! I like the price alerts that get forwarded to my email.
Do you know how much on average using these sites saves people?