How To Visit San Diego On A Budget

How To Visit San Diego On A Budget

For the purpose of this article, I’m assuming you don’t live in another country (or Alaska or Hawaii), where airfare could be insanely expensive. Also, I’m assuming you have a family or kids you’ll be traveling with. If you don’t, your trip will cost even less! 🙂

Plan in advance. If you’re visiting San Diego solo, you might be able to snag an amazing last-minute deal. And if you’re the type that can fly by the seat of their pants, visiting without a plan just might work. For us, though, planning helped us be able to save the right amount of money, and it cut down on stress – a lot! I usually start planning six months out for a trip. If I’m saving money, I start almost a year in advance. Doing things like the 52 week challenge gives me extra money to spend on vacation!

Find cheap travel. If you’re flying, check the deal sites! Priceline.com, hotwire.com, kayak.com, etc. Skyscanner.com is one of my FAVORITE new sites to find cheap travel deals, And even though I don’t care for Spirit Airlines, I have found $23 dollar tickets each way to California. Stalk those airlines like it’s your job to be doing so! If you’re driving, you need to weigh the pros and cons of taking your own vehicle versus renting a vehicle. For example, an SUV will take a lot more gas than a small car. So, if you have an SUV, see how much it would cost to rent a smaller car. Also, take into account the wear and tear to your vehicle, as those costs add up! Also when it comes to flying into San Diego, I find better rates by flying into LAX (Los Angeles), renting a car, and driving to San Diego.

Find cheap lodging. The best thing to do when traveling to the beach is to pair up with another couple or family and do group lodging. You can rent a beach house or condo for way less than a hotel room. All-Star Vacation homes have fabulous homes and condos in the San Diego area that are worth checking out. I have found that staying in a vacation home, resort, or condo that offers the full amenities saves you the most money in the long run. If you’re traveling solo, you could even camp!

Do free stuff. Posts from your favorite bloggers can be really helpful at a time like this! Slap Dash Mom wrote about 10 Free Things to do in San Diego, and San Diego’s Visitor Site has 25 Fun & Free things to Do. Make an itinerary and plan things as close to your hotel as possible, to save even more money.

Related: FREE San Diego County Attractions To See In A Mitsubishi Outlander GT

One of my favorite spots (besides the beach) is Balboa Park! You could literally stay there all day and still not cover the entire park. Pack a picnic lunch and save even more.

Enjoy the beaches. San Diego has several beaches, and everyone seems to have their favorite. La Jolla is definitely one of my favorites, especially as a family. You’re likely to see seals swimming along the cove, or perched up on the rocks!

Pack a lunch. Don’t underestimate how much you’ll be spending on food during your trip! A family of 5 can easily spend $100 each day on food if they don’t plan ahead. There is a Walgreens within walking distance of many of the hotels – and there’s always one within a few miles, if not. While their prices are higher than a grocery store’s prices will be, you’re going to spend less at Walgreens than you would at restaurants.

I like to pack a cooler full of ice, drinks, and sandwich supplies when we go to the beach. Boardwalk food is outrageous, and it’s so much easier to just walk back to your towels and eat lunch instead of heading up to the boardwalk.

Relax a bit. Instead of stressing about money (we do that enough at home!), take a chill pill, and make yourself relax. Whether this is by laying out on the beach or taking a short nap in your hotel room, do what you need to do to get a little relaxation time in. Your mind and body will thank you.

Splurge if you can. While not always possible, I know that a little splurge here and there helps me get through the ‘cheap’ parts of the vacation. I don’t want to feel like I’ve been working to save money every day – I want to enjoy my trip and I want the kids to enjoy it, too! If this means splurging a bit on ice cream, or a bicycle tour, then try to squeeze it into the budget.

Those are just a few of MANY tips and ways to save while visiting the beautiful city of San Diego. We vacationed in SoCal in 2013 and had a family budget of $4000 for 5 people. However, with many budget tricks and tips, we were able to spend just under $3000. You can read about exactly what I did to spend only that amount, which includes EVERYTHING (airfare, car rental, lodging, food, spending money, and entertainment!)

Related: How we scored free Legoland Tickets

We’re headed there again in just a few weeks, so be sure to come back and check out more tips and ways to save in San Diego.

Have you ever been to San Diego? What are some of your favorite things to do there? What do you do that’s cheap or FREE? Leave me a comment and let me know!