How to Make Christmas Travel Less Expensive

Travel costs can get expensive fast. Whether you're flying or driving, take some of these tips into consideration to save money.

• If you have to fly, shop around at different websites to find the best deals, such as CheapFlights.com. When selecting an airline, make sure to find out the cost of checked luggage. Some airlines will let you check one or two pieces for free, while others charge. Also find out the weight capacity on checked luggage, as this can increase your costs if your luggage is over the weight limit.

If you plan to use a rental car after you land, go to Orbitz to shop around for the best deal. Try bundling airfare and the rental car together for even more savings.

• Go to GasBuddy.com before you leave on your trip if you're driving. Estimate how often and where you will need to stop to get gas and type in the locations on the website. GasBuddy will tell you which gas stations are the cheapest.

Accelerate slowly and try not to drive faster than 55 mph to save a little on your gas usage.

• If you've got a long road trip ahead of you, bring along some snacks and drinks. Most convenience stores charge a lot more than you would pay if you bring it along yourself. Bring a cooler full of cold drinks (if you buy a twelve pack of sodas, you'll only pay 29 cents per soda compared to 89 cents at the gas station). You can bring along stuff to make sandwiches or make them before you leave and put chips or pretzels in small baggies.

Look around online or in your newspaper for coupons that can be used at restaurants that aren't specific to one location. If you do need a break and want to sit down to eat, you can at least eat for a discount.

• Reserve your hotel room(s) as soon as possible. Don't wait until the last minute because you take a risk of the hotel you want being full and you'll most likely pay more. Go to Expedia or Priceline to find the best value on hotel rooms.

If you have several folks in your party, consider getting a suite that has more than one bedroom (and a little privacy) rather than paying for two hotel rooms.

Good luck with your Christmas travels. Hopefully these tips will save you a little money over the holidays.