Travel Cheap: Research, Stick to a Budget and More Tips

Traveling costs have skyrocketed in the last few years. Even the cheaper hotels are charging above $100 per night for a room. Some hotels now have a limit of 4 people per room where the limit was 5. This causes many families to have to get two rooms. If it seems that traveling with your family is out of the question then consider these tips to make it cheap.

Be proactive. You need to become the expert on your travel destination so you know what's been available in the past. Search the Internet, join a forum or buy a book about your destination. This way you can put aside the visions of unrealistic great deals and focus on what's attainable. You won't be disappointed in what you get.

Do your research. Some hotel rooms only fit 4 people. If your family is larger than that you are looking at getting two rooms. Try changing your brand of hotel to see if you can get more in each room. Also check to see about babies. Some hotels don't count them if they are under 3. You don't want to try and cheat the system by lying about the number in your party. You could end up getting kicked out for having too many in your room.

Plan in advance. A lot of times you think of last minute deals when you think of travel but there are not that many out there. The Internet makes these deals so widely advertised that they are snatched up right away. Many times if you book at least a year in advance, you can be on the look out for cheaper deals to come along. Most times you can change your reservation if you are more than 45 days out without a penalty.

Don't be afraid to ask. Sometimes you luck out and get free upgrades or you might get a rate that's even cheaper than they originally quoted you. You never know if you don't ask. Be very nice when you do it and you are more likely to get what you want. No one wants to give anything to someone who is demanding it.

Check out the restaurants in the area ahead of time on the Internet. You may have coupons in your local paper that you normally throw out. Keep them if they will be for restaurants at your vacation destination. Eating out everyday gets expensive. Also try out restaurants.com and search for restaurants in the area that participate in their program. You can get a $25 dining certificate for $10. Just make sure you read all the details before you buy it.

Chose the right car. If you have 2 cars, take the one that gets the best gas mileage. It's probably going to be the one that's smaller so there's not as much room for everyone to stretch out. Plan stops every couple of hours so everyone can walk around. It seems like it won't be much of a savings in gas but it will. My minivan will take $100 more gas in a 800 mile trip than my husband's sedan.

Go to the grocery store. Make a trip to your local store before you leave for vacation to stock up on breakfast items, snack foods and paper supplies. They are usually cheaper at home than at the vacation destination. Pack a soft sided cooler and some baggies. When you get to your vacation destination make another trip to the grocery to get the rest of your supplies. The ice at the hotel is free and you can store lunch meat and cheese in your cooler. Picnics are always fun but they are better when they are away from home.

Set a budget and stick to it. Remember that your kids will be asking for things the entire trip. You can be deter this by telling them ahead of time that there are going to be x amount of extras on this trip. Plan one special treat per day into the budget and stick with it. Your kids won't even notice they haven't gotten everything they asked for.

Don't go overboard with souvenirs. They are way overpriced and you don't really need them anyway. It is cheaper to buy some disposable cameras for the kids or use your digital camera and take pictures. Let the kids dictate poses and take some, too. That way they feel involved in the memory making. When you get home you can put them in a scrapbook. It doesn't even have to be fancy. The kids will love to look at the pictures for years to come.

Join the hotel's rewards program. You can earn points on your stay toward the next one. Make sure you are enrolled in any specials such as double point promotions. Some of the rewards programs have a shopping section where you can get credit for each dollar spent by clicking to the merchant from their site. You can earn points towards future vacations all year round.