Although Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age for Switch has an auto-save feature there is a way to manually save the game. Check out our How to Save Dragon Quest XI on Switch guide to find out everything you need to know.
Just like previous Dragon Quest games there is no menu option that allows you to manually save the game whenever you want. Instead you have to find specific areas as you adventure through Erdrea that you can interact with. Although having to search for these areas can be annoying doing so will ensure you can leave your game if you need to take a break for whatever reason knowing that your progression has been saved.
Scattered throughout the map of Erdrea you will find camps which can be used for multiple things, amongst others they include healing, removing poison, finding out how much experience you need to level up, and unlocking new fast travel points. Present at nearly every camp is an object called a Sacred Stone and it is these objects that allow you to manually save the data of your game. This is done by selecting the option on them labeled 'Confession'.
You can also save you your game manually by going to a church in any of the towns or other civilised areas you find in Erdea and talking to a priest which you can usually find stationed outside. Those NPC will give you the same options as those found on the Sacred Stones. You will find churches in Dragon Quest XI S are relatively easy to locate. Thankfully the auto-save feature prevents having to find these camps and churches a major issue.
Check out our Side Quest Guide to find out the location and rewards of all the side quests in Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age.