The Dos and Don'ts of Traveling on a Budget

You can take that vacation you've been longing for, even if your financial capability doesn't have much leg room. Traveling has never been looked at as an inexpensive thing to do, but if you're on a tight budget and in desperate need to get away, there are ways it can be done.

The internet is crawling with many different travel assistants willing to help you find the least expensive means of traveling. However, once you get sucked into their "vacation specials" page and realize that you'd have to leave on a Tuesday and return the next Wednesday, while only offering you a red eye flight both ways, you slowly begin to realize that there is no inexpensive way to get where you want to go without emptying your bank account. This folks, is not completely true. There are in fact ways in which you can get what you want for what you want to pay, or close to it.

Here is a list of "do's and don'ts" to ensure you are getting your trip for the least amount of money possible:

DON'T

• Book through a travel agent; they collect commission off of what you book and out of your wallet.

• Book through an online travel agent, such as Expedia or Travelocity. Even though most of these online travel agents have taken away booking fees, they aren't always necessarily getting the lowest fees possible.

• Travel on holidays, unless necessary. All travel sources raise prices during this time.

• Visit a destination during a festival. All prices are raised on all location restaurants and hotels.

• Rent a car through the hotel unless they are offering a discount lower then what you got quoted for when you called the actual rental car location at your destination.

DO'S

• Go through a few different airline websites to see what their lowest price is.

• Become frequent flyer members when you travel with any new airline, and try to stick to the same airline. You can add enough points to earn free airline tickets.

• Do travel during a low travel peak season. Prices are always a lot lower during this time.

• Do try to find hotels that are near restaurants and sightseeing areas in order to avoid a car rental.

• Do try to get a free upgrade when checking into the hotel. Often times they'll have extra rooms for a few nights and will be willing to give you a free upgrade.

• Do try and find a local supermarket and store some sandwiches and cereal in your hotel room. This will allow you to enjoy a nice dinner out without the guilt of already spending a lot of money on the other two meals of the day.

• Do make sure you book through the hotel themselves for the lowest rate and specials (booking through a 3^rd party site will not guarantee you the specials being offered).

Following these tips won't lead you to a free trip, but it will definitely save you a few hundred dollars. Making your own travel arrangements, rather than going through a travel agent or an online source requires a little more work on your part, but the extra money in your wallet will make it all worth it in the end. Bon Voyage!