28% of travelers plan to take fewer trips in 2026 due to rising prices.
Airfare is up. Fuel is skyrocketing. Hotels are increasing their rates.
So it makes sense to dial it back and hold off on adding new stamps to your passport.
…Right?
Well, not in my books.
I don’t think the right move is to not travel, but rather to change how you travel.
After spending years planning trips for my clients, I’ve found that the best trips aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets. It’s knowing how to travel well that makes a trip memorable.
The Concierge Hierarchy of Value
No matter how you slice it, you’re always going to have the same handful of costs each trip:
- Flights
- Accommodation
- Activities
- Food
To get the most value for your dollar, the trick is knowing which expenses are non-negotiable and which you can cut without affecting the quality of your trip.
Don’t Cut These Corners
Your Flight
Your flights aren’t about glasses of champagne vs slugging it out in economy. It’s about your condition on arrival.
A red-eye in a middle seat and two connections will save you a few hundred dollars, but you’re going to land exhausted and lose the first full day of your trip recovering.
If you can find a direct flight or a route with only one short connection, the extra money is always worth it.
Where You Sleep
Thin walls. A bad location. An unpleasant vibe.
It’s going to ruin your trip, even if it means you’re saving a few hundred dollars.
Sure, it’s only a place to sleep, but if you’re not getting quality sleep, what’s the point? You’re going to wake up every day exhausted with little energy to enjoy your vacation.
I’d rather see someone book a smaller room in a great hotel in the right neighborhood than a big room in a mediocre one with a thirty-minute taxi ride from everything.
One Bucketlist Meal
You don’t need a Michelin-rated dining experience every day, but you deserve at least one meal you’ll always remember.
Do your research (it doesn’t have to be fine dining either) and add it to your itinerary.
As for the rest? Let your taste buds be spontaneous!
Where You Can Pull Back
Now here’s where you can pull back.
Hotel Extras You Don’t Need
You’ve got a decent room in the right neighborhood, but that doesn’t mean you need to add all the optional extras to your bill.
Leave the minibar and room service alone. Find a nearby restaurant, or some street food, or grab a snack from a grocery store.
If you’re staying at a resort, weigh up the all-inclusive vs. breakfast-and-dinner package.
Which one is really worth your money? Are you going to use everything that’s included? Or does it make more sense to DIY everything yourself?
Airport Food
It’s no secret.
Airport food is overpriced and, for the most part, underwhelming.
To resist temptation and keep your money in your wallet, eat before you go or pack a snack you can munch on at your terminal gate.
I keep a few protein bars in my bag for this very purpose!
Souvenir Shopping
It does depend on the souvenir, but as a rule of thumb, most souvenirs are overpriced and poorly made.
My best advice?
Be intentional about your spending. Choose one thing that’ll remind you of your trip but isn’t something you’ll throw into a drawer and forget about in two weeks.
Your Hotel’s Breakfast
Unless the breakfast is exceptional or already included, skip it.
You’ll find better quality food at a cafe two blocks away, for half the price and twice the experience.
The key to all these tips is to spend on the things you’ll feel every day and stop spending on things you won’t remember next week.
How to Make Your Points Work Harder Than Your Cash
Now is the time to take advantage!
Stop Sitting on Your Points
Using your points is the single biggest lever you have right now.
When the cash prices are high, your points are worth more because you’re offsetting an expensive ticket or room.
Hoarding your points “for the right trip” means you lose value to devaluations and inflation.
Consider a Travel Credit Card
Don’t think of yourself as a “points person”?
Well, there’s never a bad time to dip your toe in and see what all the fuss is about with travel credit cards.
A well-chosen one can offset a portion of a trip’s cost. You can save on flights, accommodations, and gain access to airport lounges that make a long layover more tolerable.
Timing is Always Your Best Discount
Even in a high-cost environment, a few timing decisions move the needle more than almost anything else.
Plan a Shoulder Season Trip
September and October are sweet spots, especially if you have your eye on a European vacation. The summer crowds head back home at the end of August, the weather is warm, and most properties lower their rates.
If you’re flexible, shifting your trip past (or before) the high-season peak is one of my favorite ways to find unexpected deals.
Choose Your Travel Days Wisely
Head on over to Google Flights and experiment with your arrival and departure dates.
You might notice flying back on a Monday or Tuesday is cheaper than on other days of the week, whereas leaving on Saturday or Sunday adds a few hundred dollars to your airfare.
Book Your Flights Early
With how volatile fuel and airfare costs are this year, my best advice to all my clients is to book early.
Much earlier than you normally would.
Holding out for a last-minute deal is a losing game right now, as most prices continue to climb as the departure date approaches. You’ll have much better luck locking in a good fare now than waiting for an unlikely drop.
Use The One-Splurge Framework to Travel Well
Pick one bucket-list item per trip, and build everything else around it.
Maybe it’s the restaurant you’ve wanted to try for years, a single night in a viral Moroccan riad, or a hot air balloon ride over Sossusvlei in Namibia.
The reason?
We remember our trips by the peaks. One unforgettable moment anchors everything else in your memory, and the parts where you saved (like a packed lunch here and there) disappear into the background.
What you’re left with is a trip that still feels expensive and indulgent on a budget.
Remember, Value Doesn’t Come From Spending Less
Value is never about spending less. It’s about spending right.
When you’re investing your money in the places that matter the most for a trip, you can still have a great trip without it feeling cheap.
If you need help building a trip, I’d love to help! Contact me about my travel planning services.