5 Ways to Save Money on Your Summer Vacation

With summer right around the corner, people are planning vacations. From tropical destinations to big city visits, airfare, hotels, entertainment and rental car costs really start to add up. Vacations don't have to be as expensive as you think they do! Here are five great ways to save money on everything from airfare to entertainment.

-1 Thoroughly research airfare costs. Flights tend to be cheaper midweek than on weekends. Mondays and Fridays can be the most expensive days to fly. When planning your trip, get creative with the days of departure and return. Many websites allow you to select a range of dates to search for. Try this, and you'll find that you can save upwards of $100 per ticket by flying on days you may not have considered.

Another great way to save money on airfare is by searching as many airlines as possible at once. Http://www.kayak.com searches the website of almost all of the airlines, as well as most of the wholesale websites, such as Expedia and Orbitz, all at once. You can see who is cheapest on which dates, and plan accordingly.

Finally, http://www.farecast.com uses historical airline data to tell you the best time to book your flight. Prices change as the date approaches. Sometimes the price goes down, sometimes it skyrockets. Farecast uses past data to accurately predict whether the flight price you are seeing is the best you can get. If it's not, the website will tell you when you should book your flight. It's a great money-saving tool.

2- Use online wholesalers only to research hotel rates. Many people think that the best hotel rates are found on online wholesaler websites, such as Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity. This is not true. They are a great tool for researching rates and availability, but 99% of the time, the best rates are found through the hotel directly. If you find a rate online that is higher than the rate the hotel itself offers you, let the hotel know, and ask if they can match or beat the rate. They almost always will. They make more money when they book you directly, and a 10 or 20 dollar discount is still saving them significantly, versus the 25-35% the online wholesalers charge a hotel to book the room.

In addition to saving you money, by booking through the hotel you have recourse if something goes wrong during your stay. The hotel has no way to issue you a refund if you book through a website, as you paid the website for your stay. The hotel, in turn, bills the website. Most of the sites have clauses in their terms of service absolving them from any responsibility and specifically forbidding refunds. You should always book your room through the hotel directly.

3- Use National Parks as destinations, rather than side trips. You can camp, fish, cook, hike, sleep and explore in many of our National Parks for under $20.00 per day! Some are even free. The most beautiful locations in the U.S. are within our National Parks... they were specifically selected for their beautiful views, activities and historical value. They are made for vacations, but many families don't even consider them. With over 390 areas in the National Park Service, and a park in every state except Delaware, you don't even have far to go. Visit http://www.nps.gov/ for information on all of the parks in the system, including costs and travel information.

4- Get familiar with your credit card benefits. Credit card companies are extremely competitive, and have added many benefits to their cardholder's in order to attract and keep business. If you have a card with airline miles or hotel benefits, use them! Many people don't realize how fast those miles add up, and you may have more than you think. Use those points or miles on your vacation. You earned them!

Another thing some people don't consider is rental car benefits. A large part of rental car cost is the insurance you buy when you rent the car. You may not need to buy that at all! Check with your credit card company to see if your card includes insurance on rental car costs. Many do. Many car insurance policies do as well, so if your card doesn't, you may already be covered by your regular insurance. If you're covered, you will save half the cost of the rental usually. That insurance is expensive!

5- Take advantage of the free things cities have to offer. They are often better than the expensive things. For fine arts, check local universities' summer schedules. Many performances by the fine arts departments are free. Stroll the city and soak up the culture. Ask a local where they go when they want to go out. Museums often have free admission days. Art galleries are always free, and no one says you have to buy anything. Check out the historical sites! Most are free or very inexpensive.

You don't have to break the bank on a vacation if you think creatively and do your research. The internet is at your fingertips. Use it to your advantage, and you'll save a lot more than you expect. Have a great vacation!