Is Costco the Answer to Traveling the World on a Budget?

​Not interested in using credit cards to save big on travel? You’re certainly not alone. Getting a credit card with travel rewards isn’t always easy. And even after you get it, you may find it’s not worth the annual cost (it likely has).

Don’t worry! There are ways you can still save big without any credit cards. And in my opinion, one of the best ways to do so is to consider using Costco Travel.

Yeah! Apparently the company most people think of as a huge grocery-type-store-with-great-benefits does more than sell frozen meat and veggies in bulk. You can also purchase your next vacation through them, and immediately save hundreds!


What is Costco Travel?

In short, it is a subsidiary of Costco that offers travel/vacation destinations to Costco members with some potentially big savings. According to their website, they offer travel packages to the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Europe, Fiji, Florida, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Mexico, and more. You can also book a cruise through their site.


How do they make it cheap?

“We use our buying authority to negotiate the best value in the marketplace, and then pass on the savings to Costco members,” Costco Travel says. But I can’t just, ya know, believe that without doing some homework myself. So, being the skeptic that I am when someone is trying to sell me something, I decided to see if that statement is true.
​

Booking my vacation through Costco Travel

I went through the steps to book a trip to Las Vegas through Costco Travel. They offered a travel package for two (which included a flight, and a hotel) at a cost of $735.26.

The travel package details: Myself and another traveler would stay at the Venetian for three nights, and take Virgin America flights to Vegas and back. There is also an option to add a $100 resort credit for $138.54 more (not sure why many people would choose that option, but it’s there nonetheless …).


Booking my vacation on my own

I booked the exact same trip. Same days, same flights, same hotel. To book my hotel I went through one of the many online travel companies out there (Expedia, TripAdvisor, etc.). I booked my flight through Virgin America.

The details: My stay at the Venetian would cost me $675.04. This includes the $100 resort credit (I couldn’t turn it down). Two plane tickets at $167 each would cost me $334. Adding it all together, booking the trip this way would set me back at least $1,009.04.

Costco Travel saved me at least $273.74 before I even got to Vegas! Massive savings right off the bat!


Bottom line

Turns out Costco is good for more than buying groceries in bulk. If you are thinking of jet setting somewhere, it may be worth figuring out if Costco Travel will save you money. The downside (I guess): you have to be - or sign up to be - a Costco member. On the flipside, I’ve been looking for a way to buy my vacations in bulk, and this may just be the answer! All you have to do is find the right…....isle.


You may also like:
-Is Airbnb Worth the Savings?
-How to Maximize Rewards Credit Card Spending
-Cheapest places to Travel to in 2016