It’s been a few months since I last introduced myself on here, so hello! I’m Ann Douglas, one of the digital editors at Lonely Planet. I live in Brooklyn – though a southerner at heart – I’m 26 years old, and I have a lot of fun in my line of work.

Perhaps the most enlightening thing you could know about me as a travel editor is that up until the age of 22, I’d not done much big travel. I’m probably the homebodiest traveler on my team, thanks to a childhood filled with family road trips, usually to much-beloved, more local destinations. My first international travel experience was a classic, all-inclusive college spring break in the Dominican Republic following the pandemic, notably after multiple failed attempts to study abroad.

All that to say, these past 4 years have been a complete 180 for me. It seems every time I’m catching up with a friend, they ask me, “Where are you headed to next?” I’m mighty spoiled in that I almost always have an answer, and even amidst all of these exciting travels, I’m still wondering about the next unknown trip to come. Occupational hazard.

But in full transparency, the vast majority of my trips cost me nothing, aside from a few days of work. It’s part of my job to visit places and cover them for Lonely Planet (I’m never quitting!). On these trips, I often need to bring myself back down to earth and put myself in a non-travel-journalist’s shoes.

Like most travelers, budget will always be my number one concern when I pay for travel out of pocket. I’m young, living in New York City on an editor’s salary and still paying back student loans. But I will still find a way to travel on my own dime, because it’s all the more rewarding and transformative.

These are my tried-and-true, cut-the-bullshit methods for affording personal travel.

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Enforcing no-spend months

I do this every January, following a typically intense period of holiday spending, only paying for the necessities: rent, utilities, food and any products that are vital and need replacing (like toothpaste, not like a new tube of mascara). I often find it bleeds into the next month, too – when you’re on any sort of diet, it’s often easier to stay on track the longer you’ve been at it. If you feel the temptation starting to creep in, try:

Unsubscribing from any emails from brands that may tempt you with sales, deals, etc. Just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean you will save money.
Deleting any shopping apps from your phone, including my biggest culprit, Amazon. The convenience is too dangerous.
Shopping for everything in person. Once you’re physically holding an item in the store, you’ll find yourself thinking, “Do I really need a new moisturizer when I have one that’s half-full at home?”
Finding a recipe you’ve been wanting to try and cooking it at home. You’ll save loads by buying groceries instead of eating out, and you’ll hopefully have some leftovers. If you’re not a leftovers person, that’s okay; you can ignore this tip. Or invite a friend over to share with you and split the groceries.

Not buying new clothes for a trip

I have a list of clothes I bring on almost every single trip, and it’s saved me so much money and time. It’s a curated base to play with and add all sorts of fun pieces to. It also puts into perspective that I’ll actually never wear the colorful, floral, $300 maxi dress until the next vacation (maybe).

One workaround I like for trips (and life) is clothing rentals. I’ve been a Nuuly girl (here is $30 off) since 2020. For $98 a month, I get to pick 6 items to complement my already impeccable wardrobe. My favorite hack is to sort the results by newest first. That way, the clothes you pick out have usually never been worn and still have the tags on. Even curating my closet for the next month’s order scratches my shopping itch. I’m headed to Spain next month and am eyeing this balloon-hem jacket for chillier days. Also, if I end up wanting to buy a piece in my Nuuly, it’s usually marked down a lot.

Playing the points and miles game

Unfortunately, it works with a little effort. I say “unfortunately” because it’s not really my brand to nerd out about credit cards. But The Points Guy’s Substack, Talking Points, follows us, and since my brand is nerding out about making travel more financially accessible, I’ll give them this: it’s worth it. I hardly spend money on flights thanks to my Amex Gold and Bilt rewards. Some basic, but more specific advice:

Find a credit card with transfer partners you like and use most. For example, there’s one direct flight from NYC to my hometown of Birmingham, and it’s flown by Delta, an Amex transfer partner, so I’ll often transfer my Amex points to Delta to cut down that cost.
Pay attention to bonus transfers and airline deals, and almost never book in your credit card’s portal (your points will more likely have less value there).
Don’t sit on your points. I’m guilty of this, but they lose value the longer you hoard them.
Don’t redeem your points for cash. They lose value this way, too.
Be flexible with your dates when booking with points to get the best deals, and book during off-peak seasons where possible.
Aim for a redemption value of at least 1 cent per point (2 cents is even better). That means compare the dollar value on the airline or hotel’s site with the points it will cost you.

Making a list of travel expenses that are out of my control

For example, you can definitely find some deals on flights if you book early enough, have a healthy bank of points, fly on off-peak days and seasons, etc. That aforementioned flight from NYC to Birmingham will almost always be upwards of US$500, so that’s a fixed cost I’ll always lock into my overall budget. That tour that’s a non-negotiable for me? Fixed cost. Accommodation, on the other hand? You’ve got way more options for all sorts of budgets. The same goes for restaurants.

Having friends who live in other cities or who have vacation homes

And by friends, I mean friends’ parents (or families). I understand this isn’t an option for everyone, but I said no bullshit, and this is just the honest truth. When I’ve been able to cut out accommodation costs, my travel budget feels a whole lot lighter, and the trip starts to sound a lot more possible.

A potential workaround here is looking into a home exchange service, or even house or pet sitting; feeding and walking someone’s dog twice a day is worth a free place to stay.

Saving on the little things

I’ve been guilty of categorizing expenses as necessary because I’m traveling. But I can pack my own snacks for the airplane, skip an Uber for public transportation, bring my own reusable water bottle and fit all my items into a carry-on (trust me, I’ve done it for a 2-week trip before). Most of these are things I wouldn’t spend money on in my day-to-day, so why do it on the road when I could reallocate those expenses to something more rewarding, like a nice hotel or a private tour?

Keeping off social media

I keep reading posts on Substack about people who don’t post during trips, “brick” their phones or have just been using social media less (Instagram and TikTok are the major culprits for me), leading to much more meaningful travel experiences. I believe this can also translate to cost-effective travel. No, you don’t need to spend a bajillion dollars to go to the hot, overwhelmed, astronomically pricey Amalfi Coast in July; the video editor has been very intentional about omitting shots with major crowds. You also don’t need that designer caftan you saw someone wearing in a reel for your next beach trip.

I think social media is great for finding recommendations here and there, but don’t let it be your only source. You’ll find that the most TikTok-ified places are the ones that will empty your wallet the fastest.

Happy savings,
Ann Douglas

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