Budget Travel Tips for Harsh Economic Times

A lot of people deprive themselves of one of life's great pleasures, traveling, because they think it takes a lot of money and they have to save several paychecks before even thinking about it. However, with a little ingenuity, research and resourcefulness, you can enjoy adventuresome travel on the smallest of budgets.

First of all, a travel budget and prior planning is necessary to ensure that you don't have to take out your 401K to enjoy the now. If you can take care of details ahead of time and take care of the discounts and savings opportunities first, you can focus on relaxation and fun and feel wiser for it.

The following are the best resources I have found for traveling cheaply:

Web sites and online providers that provide travel perks and even free vacation for participation. I've earned a number of free hotel stays for doing surveys on sites like TikTikcash.com and ECNresearch.com where you can do marketing surveys or get cash back for signing up for services such as Netflix or a Cell phone service that you might use anyways.

Travel websites brokerages and discount fare operators such as TravelWorm.com. They have the cheapest vacation prices I have ever seen and are the easiest to use and understand. You just type in your budget, when you want to go and it pretty much takes care of the rest. It's great for easy, no hassle, "all in one travel packages" that it produces for you. I use this whenever I go to Las Vegas. I can print out my ticket at home and I don't have to bother with waiting inline for my airline tickets, rental cars, or my hotel since all my information is already on their computer. I can just get on board and go.

Travel web portals like Priceline.com can save you money if you're willing to spend some time bidding online. You can save big money on overnight flights, and get empty seats from passengers that failed to show up and find other ways to save.

Some of the best budget travel magazines I've come across are Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine and Bestfares which offer insider tips and advice for traveling students and backpackers.(like Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine and Bestfares magazine. For students or occasional vagabonds and wanderers, the book "The Practical Nomad Guide to the Online Travel Marketplace" has some great advice on seeing the world on a very tight budget. It's also a humorous read as well.

One of my favorite guides that I always use is "The Travel Detective: How to Get the Best Service and the Best Deals from Airlines, Hotels, Cruise Ships, and Car Rental Agencies," by Peter Greenberg (Random House) and "The Traveler's Handbook," published by Globe Pequot Press.

If you're young or willing to get creative and like to ruff it a little, the guide book "Let's Go," is a perfect for students who are into backpacking and exploring Europe without having a pre-planned agenda. Students can also easily get financial aid to study abroad. I knew one Spanish student you got to stay in Puerto Vallarta as part of her Spanish language education. You may have to live with a host family, and of course you'll be taking your classes for about five hours a day, but it's an experience that will give you a lifetime of memories.

For artists and writers, Mexico has a number of homes where they allow someone working on their novel or artwork to stay for six month periods for free in exchange for house work. The online and print publication International Living can teach you how to do this.

Setting up an estimate through a basic cost analysis is enough to get you started and get you on the road to inexpensive, worry free travel. Remember to enjoy the journey - it's not about fancy hotels or the images you see on TV, it's about getting away from society for awhile and you don't have to have a lot of money for that.