Tips for trimming travel bills

If it’s been some time since you’ve taken a vacation, you might find that travel has gotten more expensive.

Here are some ways to lower the cost:

Look beyond hotels. With the rise of vacation rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO, travelers can now easily forego traditional hotels and find wonderful condos, apartments, houses or even just a room to rent. Staying in a rental is sometimes cheaper.

Or consider a hostel, which aren’t just for students backpacking through Europe. Many hostels offer private rooms with a bathroom — not just shared dorm rooms — at low prices.

Land a house-sitting gig. Travelers staying in one location for a longer period can save a bundle being a house sitter. In exchange for house sitting and perhaps caring for a pet, you stay in the house for free.

Retirees are often preferred as house sitters because they’re generally experienced homeowners. “You know there are electrical breakers in the house. You know that when it gets cold, the pipes will freeze,” says Janice Waugh, founder of Solo Traveler. Housecarers.com connects travelers with house-sitting gigs.

Leverage your memberships. Your gym, alumni group or other organizations you belong to may provide you with discounts, Waugh says. For example, AAA members get discounts for hotel stays, flights, cruises and car rentals. The nonprofit also offers exclusive travel packages to members. AARP’s $16-per-year membership gets you discounts on car rentals, cruises and hotel stays.

Don’t rent a car. As tempting as it is to hop in the car rental line and peel out with your own set of wheels, that’s a costly mistake with rental cars currently in short supply. You may be better off exploring a city on foot or by bike. Many countries also have wonderful public transportation systems that are easy to navigate.

If you decide to rent a car, sign up for autoslash.com, which tracks your car rental and alerts you if a better deal is available.

Avoid unnecessary fees. Some credit cards charge foreign transactions fees, typically around 3% of every purchase made outside the United States. If your card charges such a fee, switch to one that doesn’t. For instance, Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa and the Bank of America Travel Rewards Visa have no foreign transaction fees, though the Chase card does charge $95 annually.

You could also be hit with different fees using an ATM abroad, including one from the foreign bank that owns the machine. Meanwhile, your bank back home can charge a foreign ATM withdrawal fee of up to $5 as well as a foreign ATM transaction fee, usually about 3% of the transaction, to cover any currency conversion costs. Ask your bank what it charges and if you can avoid those fees. Some financial institutions may waive or reimburse you for at least part of these costs depending on the type of account you have.

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