How to Save Money When Traveling and Our Southern California Trip Highlights (2024)

FAQs

How can I save money on vacation in California? ›

Research cultural attractions ahead of time

Save on activities like museums and scope out cultural attractions that offer free or reduced admission. In Los Angeles, the California African American Museum, The Getty Center, and the Broad are just some that offer free admission year-round.

Public transportation is reliable in cities and towns

Almost all cities and larger towns in California have reliable local bus systems (average $1.50 to $3 per ride). Buses are usually the cheapest and slowest option, but you'll typically find extensive metro-area networks around big cities.

How much does a one week, two week, or one month trip to California cost? A one week trip to California usually costs around $1,763 for one person and $3,525 for two people. This includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.

LA is a haven for nature lovers, so go explore

With great weather most of the year, a day at the beach is a wonderful way to avoid unnecessary spending when visiting LA. Bring your own food and drinks and make a day of it.

Alternatively, you can build your own vacation under 1000 dollars by clicking on hotels, car rental, things to do, or flights that work best for you. With Expedia, you can quickly compare prices, properties, and amenities on a huge choice of affordable vacations then click to book your favorite—simple.

The average vacation cost for one person in the U.S. is about $1,919 per week. Individual costs will vary based on the traveler's mode of transportation and lodging.

Off Season:

The cheapest flights to California are best found around January. Parts of California class this as the rainy season so expect the best discounts on your flight tickets here. That said, cheap flights to California aren't overly common, so plan in advance and book early to get the best savings.

Where's cheapest to fly into in California? If you're flying from United States, the cheapest city in California to fly into is San Diego. The cheapest airport serving San Diego at the moment is San Diego International Airport.

For a comfortable budget, plan around $150-300 per person per day for your California vacation. California offers plenty of options to explore the state.

How much cash should I bring to LA? ›

Everything is expensive in LA including food, transportation, and especially shopping if you plan on doing any of that. In general, for a singular person visiting for pleasure, not including a flight or gas to get there, taking around $2000 will allow you to have a place to stay and have food to eat in LA.

Deciding where to go and what to pack is stressful enough, let alone trying to determine how much money you need to bring. The general consensus is that you should have $50 to $100 in cash per day for each traveler. However, this amount could vary considerably depending on where you are vacationing.

Determine Your Budget

One rule of thumb to try would be to use a 50/30/20 budget, where 50% of take-home income goes to non discretionary expenses like rent and utility bills, 30% goes to discretionary spending, including vacations, and 20% goes to savings accounts.

A one week trip to Los Angeles usually costs around $1,807 for one person and $3,614 for two people. This includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing. A two week trip to Los Angeles on average costs around $3,614 for one person and $7,228 for two people.

You can choose a new savings account or checking account to put money away just for your trip. Set up automatic transfers from your paycheck to make the savings process easier. A high-yield savings account can earn interest on the balance, so you earn extra money just by putting your savings into one of these accounts.

California has affordable vacation spots that offer a variety of memorable experiences without breaking the bank. Joshua Tree National Park, Idyllwild, and Solvang are some of the budget-friendly destinations that visitors can enjoy.

For a comfortable budget, plan around $150-300 per person per day for your California vacation. California offers plenty of options to explore the state. You can see the best of California using our Self-Guided Driving tour of California bundle featuring 12+ fun and engaging tours.

A moderate hotel in a decent location will likely cost around $150-$200 per night. If you plan on staying in hostels or budget motels, you can probably get away with spending around $50-$100 per night. For two weeks, this means you'll need to budget between $700 and $2,800 for accommodation.

Luckily there are various tours and hop-on-hop-off busses available to tourists. Although self driving is the best way to discover California, sometimes you just want or need a private chauffeur. Californian's love their state and have many stories to tell, so you always have a complimentary guide included.