Group Travel Hacks: The Ultimate List

What’s better than going on vacation? Going with a bunch of your friends and family! My husband and I have gone to Phoenix, AZ six times for spring training. And we’ve made it into quite the group trip, with 11 people joining us last time! Along the way we’ve developed a few tips and tricks to maximize the experience while minimizing costs, specifically in the areas of transportation, food, entertainment and lodging. 

Transportation: Rental Car

While Uber and Lyft are great options if you are traveling alone or as a couple, a larger group often necessitates a rental car. This is especially true when traveling with golfers (speaking from experience) or children who need car seats. But a week long rental can easily cost over $1,000 – until now.

#1: – Do NOT rent at the airport!

I cannot stress this one enough! Most major cities have rental locations within 20 minutes of the airport (aka a $15 Uber ride) that don’t charge the crazy airport fees.

See the example below. All of the details are exactly the same (car type, dates, mileage, etc.) – the only difference is one car is being picked up at the airport and the other is being picked up 17 minutes away.

That’s a difference of $126.50! You can see even the base and “vehicle licensing fee recovery” rates are different. Let alone the additional fees (privilege fee recover charge and customer facility charge) that appear only on the airport rental. And if you’ve ever rented a car from the airport, you know it easily takes 20 minutes from terminal to rental counter anyway – might as well spend that time in an Uber versus a shuttle bus to save over $100.

There is, however, a catch to all of this. Most off-site locations have restrictions based on their open hours, including restricted Saturday hours and being closed on Sundays. But this is generally only an issue for picking up a car. You are often able to return the car at any time on any day and simply drop the keys in a drop box.

#2 Refill the gas tank yourself

You might say “it’s so easy to skip that stop at the gas station” but you pay A LOT for that convenience. For example, we rented a car last time and if we hadn’t refilled the tank it would have cost $9.99 per gallon or $.526 per mile driven. Which, in our case, would have meant either $155.84 ($9.99/gallon) or $155.91 ($.526 per mile). Instead, we spent $39 and about 7 minutes filling it up ourselves. So a savings of $116.91!

#3 Pay in Advance

Paying as you make the reservation online is a great way to save money as well. For example, using the same reservation as above where I rent the car from the airport, Hertz reduces the rental cost by $71.78 (or 25%) for paying immediately.

#4 Sign-up for the Membership/Rewards Program

For example, I’m a Gold member for Hertz which is completely free. This very much expedites the pick -up and return process and should you have a question or issue (or request an upgrade), you can generally get it addressed faster and more easily than if you weren’t a member.

Total Savings From Rental Car: $126.50 + $116.91 + $71.78 = $315.19

Food & Drink

No vacation is complete without bottomless food and drinks – but dining out or getting takeout for every meal can really add up (both in costs and calorie) and can take forever if you have a large group. So below are some pointers on making healthier, cheaper and more convenient food options.

#1 Shop Warehouse

Odds are someone in the group has a warehouse (Sam’s Club or Costco) membership. If not, it’s pretty easy to sign up for a free trial. But getting in the door is just the beginning. What should you buy?

Food

• Ground beef – think tacos, burgers, sloppy joes
• Chicken breasts – the most versatile meat source
• Eggs – cheap and easy breakfast
• Sandwich fixings – bread, lunchmeat, cheese slices help for midday lunches by the pool or between activities
• Sweet peppers – the great thing about these is you can eat them raw, roast them, grill them, put them on kabobs, in fajitas-they’re almost as versatile as chicken breasts!
• Chips and/or crackers – the ultimate snacks.

Drink

• Beer – cases of beer are much cheaper and you can get 16 oz. cans versus the normal 12 oz.
• Liquor – Assuming you’re in a state where you can buy this at a grocery store, they’ll have a great selection at a great price. Which means cocktail for a fraction of the price you’d pay at a bar or restaurant.
• Wine/champagne – Feel free to indulge, each cheap too.
• Orange juice – let’s be honest, you probably won’t pour yourself a tall glass every morning with breakfast – this is just the ultimate mixer. Screwdrivers? Mimosas? Beermosa? You’re ready.
• Water – You will need to rehydrate at some point
• Coffee – Alcohol also lends itself to late nights, so having some caffeine readily available is going to be vital

#2 Create versatile dishes

We love to make a few pounds of taco meat every year for a few reasons:

• Put it in a tortilla for tacos
• Cover tortilla chips with it for nachos
• Add it to a bed of lettuce for taco salad
• Include eggs in the tortilla for a breakfast burrito

We also always grill some chicken for the following:

• Eating as is
• Kabobs
• Chicken sandwiches
• Chicken salad
• To add to salads

 Entertainment

 There are two key ways to save on entertainment when traveling with a group.

Group Rates. Whether it’s a show, sporting event or tour, parties of 10 or more can usually get a discount and/or special perks. 

Free or discounted tickets. Museums, zoos and other local attractions likely have reduced or free admission during the week, especially if you aren’t there during peak season. 

Another example from our trip is my husband and his buddies playing “twilight golf”. They look up golf courses they’d really like to play and by selecting a tee time after 3:30 or so, they can save between 20-30% to play until they can’t see the golf ball anymore. It’s also pretty scenic, being on a beautifully manicured golf course during sunset.

Lodging: Rent a House

Finally, one of the most significant costs to traveling is where you rest your head at night. And in the age of HomeAway and AirBnB, it’s almost ridiculous to stay at a hotel. A few perks of renting a house:

• You can be loud/up late without really bothering anyone
• You can save SO much money. For example, hotels in Phoenix tax 30% on room rates! Outrageous!
• Your own food, drinks and bedroom
• More space inside and out to do whatever it is you do – we tend to play a lot of cards
• Amenities and games – We always make it a priority to have a house with a pool and hot tub. Sure, hotels have those too but you’re sharing them with a ton of other guests and they usually close at night (is there anything better than a glass of wine in a hot tub at midnight?!). And if you have a day where your plans get derailed, board games, cards and pool tables are great backups.

In conclusion, when you are renting a car, make sure to pay immediately, get it offsite, refill the gas tank and sign up for the rewards program.  Buy your food and drinks at a warehouse and cook staples that can be used in a variety of dishes. When looking for things to do, be aware of how group rates, time of day and day of the week can impacts the costs. And, finally, when booking a house, keep amenities and location in mind. Safe travels!

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