We all love luxury travel experiences but, unfortunately, not all of our credit cards agree! Today I’m sharing five of my top luxury travel hacks to have those once in a lifetime experiences you’ve always been dreaming about.
You don’t need to be a millionaire to be sailing around Croatia on a private yacht or to take the road trip of a lifetime in a luxury sports car. You can stay in 5* hotels without breaking the bank and you can fly business class on a budget!
Affordable luxury travel is all about balance
For me, affordable luxury travel is all about balancing the luxury experiences with the budget.
I might take £25 Ryanair flights and then stay in a luxury hotel. I might spend half my holiday in a gorgeous hotel and the other half in a budget Airbnb. I might be staying in budget accommodation but eating in fancy restaurants and treating myself to luxury adventure travel experiences.
Just because you’re in a nice hotel doesn’t mean you’ll be fine dining all week and just because you fly first class, it doesn’t mean you’re in a luxury hotel.
It’s all about balancing the budget and luxury and spending your hard earned cash on the things that matter to you.
And when you really want to try some luxury travel experiences, here’s how you can do it without blowing your whole budget!
5 luxury travel hacks
1. Private yachts and luxury boats
We’ve all seen photos of celebs bobbing about on crystal clear waters on their private yachts looking impossibly glamorous and happy!
If you fancy a slice of this then it’s entirely possible to hire a boat for the day for a reasonable price. Boat rental is actually pretty straightforward and for many smaller boats you don’t even need a boat licence. Bigger boats can come with an optional skipper and when you split the cost between a small group of people it’s actually quite an affordable way to have a luxury travel experience!
2. Road trips in luxury sports car
If you’ve ever dreamt about driving along a beautiful coastal road with the car roof down, the sea breeze in your hair and endless views across the ocean, then this one’s for you.
If you’ve over 28 it’s actually fairly affordable to rent a luxury sports car for a day. If you’re under 28 then it’s still possible, it’s just more expensive.
To make things even more affordable, you can also hire a luxury car with a driver for a few hours to give you that luxury vibe in an easier and more affordable way.
3. Staying in 5* hotels
There are a few ways to have luxury hotel experiences on a budget.
- Balance the luxury hotel with a budget hotel (3 nights in luxury and 3 nights in budget)
- Visit countries where luxury hotels are considerably cheaper, such as Bali or Morocco.
- Stay mid-week rather than over a weekend
- Sign up to hotel loyalty programs if you have a favourite hotel brand to collect points and use them for upgrades
- Be careful with sales and member’s programs
The reason I say to be careful with sales and member’s programs is because, personally, I don’t often find they actually save me much money. You might find incredibly cheap sale prices but they’re never on dates you’d actually want to travel and they’re usually for the budget, basic rooms. I’m not saying you can’t get great prices in a sale, I’m just saying to be careful and ask yourself if you’re genuinely getting a good deal.
If you’re staying in the hotel for the amenities such as the swimming pools and bars, then a basic room might be OK for you. But make sure you check if there are any restrictions because sometimes the basic rooms don’t allow access to the luxury pools and bars!
4. Business class flights on a budget
The most popular luxury travel hack is collecting points on your credit card and using your points to pay for business class flights.
The best thing about this travel hack is that you’re using your everyday spending to benefit your holidays. Don’t be tempted to spend more on your everyday purchases to collect more points because this pretty much defeats the object!
In the UK the most popular program is Avios because there are so many ways to collect and spend your points. Your Avios points are valid for 3 years, so even if you’re not a massive spender, the points can slowly add up.
I recommend signing up to a credit card with a welcome bonus and you’ll often get extra points for spending a certain amount within the first few months – so it’s great to sign up just before making a big purchase such as a new sofa or a big holiday. If you’re able to put work expenses on your credit card and then claim them back, that’s also another great way to clock up your points.
Read more in my beginner’s guide to collecting AVIOS.
5. Luxury cruises
If you’re thinking there’s no way you can get a luxury cruise on a budget then think again! Cruises can actually be a really cost effective way to see the world.
The truth is that the ‘base price’ for a cruise is actually quite affordable. We’re talking about £800 for a week of all-inclusive cruising. Cruises begin to get expensive when you start adding on all the extras like room upgrades, drinks packages, food package upgrades, excursions, wifi packages and entrance into fancier restaurants.
OK, if you want the full luxury experience then you’ll probably want some of these upgrades but there’s no reason why you can’t cruise without them!
For the cheapest cruise prices you need to depart at the beginning or end of the cruising season, when prices plummet due to the unpredictable weather. But here’s the truth, I’ve taken six cruises and I’ve only ever sailed at the very beginning or end of the season and I’ve only ever had one experience of rough seas. I’ll admit that it was very rough and I felt very sick but it was a risk worth taking and I don’t regret it at all for the huge discount.
Another trick is to opt for an interior cabin on the ship as this will dramatically cut costs!
The whole experience will still be luxurious and incredible, it will just cost a fraction of the price.
Read more: How much does a cruise cost?
Selective sharing on social media
Social media plays a massive part in influencing our travel decisions but I just want to highlight that it’s not all real.
I’m a travel influencer and I can confirm that for many influencers there’s a lot of ‘selective sharing’ on social media. It’s not necessarily lying, it’s omitting certain facts from photos! It’s taking photos on a luxury yacht and implying you’re relaxing on it all day, when you’re actually only on it for a rushed tour and a quick photo op. It’s photo shoots in 5* hotel rooms where you’ve spent one night, not the entire trip! It’s airport photos with designer suitcases before getting on a budget Ryanair flight!
If you want to join in with the selective sharing then you do you and enjoy every minute of it. But if you’re scrolling and wondering how everyone is affording these luxury travel experiences….they’re not!