You work hard all year and now that it’s summertime you want to go on vacation. Now is the time to finally splurge, right? Wrong! You can and still should be frugal during your vacation. You can still have just as much fun as anyone else, but you’ll be doing it cheaper. Here’s how you can have a frugal vacation.

Plan ahead

Months before your vacation, start looking at prices. Sign up for those price watching services offered by the travel comparison sites. After getting updates on prices for a while, you’ll get a good idea of when is the right time to buy your tickets.

Bundle up

If you’re going to get airline tickets and a hotel, go ahead and buy those together. You’ll stand to save a few bucks doing it that way rather than getting them separately.

Car rental

During your vacation you most likely do not need a car. You always think you do, but it’s simply not necessary. There are often times free shuttles from the hotels to popular destinations. Many attractions could also be within walking distance from the hotel. If they’re not, a taxi ride may still be cheaper than a car rental.

Snacks

Pack your own snacks for your trip. This one is a problem if going through airport security, but if you’re taking other means of transportation it works well. The hotels have a microwave and fridge which makes dining frugally easy.