The cost of entertainment on your trip can add up quickly if you aren’t careful. Learn how to save on activities with these eight tips!
Entertainment costs can be one of the larger expenses on a vacation. Learning some tricks to help save on activities can help to mitigate this expense. Below, we share eight ways to help cut your entertainment expenses so you can have more fun for your dollar!
1. State Travel Guides
Whenever I begin planning a trip, I request the travel guides from the states we are planning on visiting. Each state has a tourism site that you can easily find by Googling the name of the state and “travel guide” or “tourism”. From there, you can either download the information from the website, or order a travel guide sent to your home. The guides contain a lot of great information on their state’s activities.
I love that they include free as well as paid activities. For example, in our state of Wisconsin, I was able to order a general travel guide, a guide of bike trails, a Wisconsin State Parks system guide, a wineries of Wisconsin guide, and an arts and crafts fair guide. Most of these activities, such as biking, wine tasting, hiking, and arts and crafts fairs are free or cost a small fee. Be sure to order a guide to see what cheap activities are available in the states you are visiting!
2. CityPASS
CityPASS is a program that helps you save on activities in large cities.
For example, you can purchase a CityPASS for the city of Chicago for $109 for an adult and $89 for a child. This pass will then give you access to the following activities for 9 consecutive days:
Shedd Aquarium ($44.90 adult/$34.90 child)
Skydeck Chicago ($49 adult/$49 child)
Field Museum ($40 adult/$29 child)
Adler Planetarium (Closed through 2020) ($35 adult/$24 child)
Art Institute of Chicago ($35 adult/$0 child)
Museum of Science and Industry ($33.95 adult/$21.95 child)
360 CHICAGO Observation Deck ($44 adult/$44 child)
As you can see, the pass will pay for itself in two to three activities. Any more that you complete above and beyond that will save you even more money. CityPASS offers different deals in different cities. For example, the Southern California and Orlando CityPASS sites offer discounted tickets on Disney and Universal theme parks. Please note that there are limits on how many attractions you can visit in certain cities. CityPASS is available in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Southern California, Tampa Bay, and Toronto.
Save up to 50% on combined prices for admission to must-see attractions! Shop Now at CityPASS.com!3. Entertainment Book
Head to entertainment.com to grab an entertainment book and save up to 50% on activities during your trip! This is essentially a coupon book that offers a lot of 2 for 1 and 50% off coupons for local activities and eateries. The book membership is $35 for one year, but you can sign up for 25% off plus free shipping. The first month of the digital membership is free, and it is $2.99 a month after that. Purchasing a book may be worth it if you live in or plan on spending a significant amount of time in one of the participating cities.
4. Trusted Tours and Attractions
Trusted Tours and Attractions is a website that offers discounts on over 500 different attractions in a wide variety of cities. For example, the Key West Aquarium and Shipwreck Museum package is $33.30 on site, but only $28.80 on the Trusted Tours and Attractions website. Tickets for Gatorland in Orlando are $29.99 on the Gatorland website, but only $26.95 on the Trusted Tours and Attractions website. The savings aren’t huge, but they add up over the course of a vacation, especially if you are purchasing tickets for a family. Use the link below to see what attractions are available.
San Diego Tour and Attraction Discount Tickets5. Sightseeing Pass
Sightseeing Pass is somewhat similar to the CityPASS. There are two kinds of passes available–the Day Pass and the Flex Pass. With the Day Pass, you choose the number of days you want to visit, then pay a flat rate and visit an unlimited number of included attractions. For example, a one-day pass for an adult in New Orleans is $80; a five-day pass is $250. You can see a lot of attractions in five days! Many of the attractions are $20-$50 for tickets, so if you like to stay busy on your vacations, this pass is a good way to save on your attractions.
The Flex Pass works by choosing two to seven attractions you want to visit. You then purchase and download the mobile pass to scan at an attraction to enter. If you prefer a physical pass, you can print one at home and bring it to the attraction. It can be purchased up to 24 months in advance and is activated when you visit your first attraction. A pass for two attractions costs $62.10 for adults and $42.48 for children. A pass for seven attractions costs $199 for adults, and $151.20 for children. If you have your eye on higher priced activities, this pass could be the way to go.
6. Best of Vegas
Love to visit Sin City? Check out the Best of Vegas website for great deals on Las Vegas shows, tours, attractions, and hotels. We visited the Mob Museum on our honeymoon and highly recommend it. Read more about that trip here. General admission tickets to the museum on site are $29.95 for adults, but only $26.95 on the Best of Vegas web site. Those little savings can really add up over the course of a Vegas vacation!
7. Ticket City
Ticket City is a website offering discounted tickets for sports, concerts, and theater performances. What is great about the site is that if your chosen event is cancelled or rescheduled, you will receive a refund. This is especially important given the recent impact of Covid-19. To browse tickets for available events and save $5 off orders of $100 or more, use the link below.
$5 Off Orders $100+8. Groupon/Living Social
Groupon and Living Social are two other great ways to save on activities during your vacation. Change the search location to see deals on local activities in the city you will be visiting. There are discounts for everything from winery tours to mini-golf to improv shows. Be sure to check under “notifications”, as there is usually some kind of discount code for an additional 20%. Once you place your order, you will receive a voucher with a code under “My Groupons” to show at the attraction.
What are some of your favorite ways to save on activities? Feel free to share below!
Traveling with Pennies 