Are you going over the river and through the woods this holiday season to travel? How about taking that trip down to Florida just to recuperate from all the Turkey and overindulgence of Thanksgiving? Just because it’s not summer anymore doesn’t mean that people stop traveling. And because a lot of people are still traveling, I’m sure that they would like to save some money doing so.

That’s why if you’re looking to travel during any time of the year you can save some money following some basic tips.

Here are some tips from Yahoo! Personal Finance.

1. Try the next generation of travel websites. By now, we’ve all used sits like Expedia and Priceline. The author of the original article recommended sites such as SideStep, Kayak and Mobissimo. I have never heard of these sites, but if they help you get the best price on your trips then why not look into them?

2. Take a train (if you have the time). Driving is getting more expensive again thanks to the price of gas increasing so much over the past few weeks. The author suggests Amtrak as a good alternative to driving. If you are traveling along the coast (because the cost of gas is higher along the coasts) it can be cheaper (and more scenic) to take the train.

3. Travel to places that are pedestrian friendly. If you can walk around at your destination, then you don’t have to worry with the price of gas. If you want to go overseas for your holidays try a European city like Paris or London. They both have great subway systems and flights to these places are still cheaper than they have traditionally been.

4. Pick a place where your dollar stretches. If you follow this rule, you aren’t going to be seeing the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben…The dollar just isn’t strong against the Euro and it would be really hard to follow a strict budget in Europe right now thanks to the exchange rate. However, places like Nicaragua are really inexpensive and it offers beautiful scenery and is just as laid back as Costa Rica, it’s neighbor.

5. (And this one is just for the holidays and on my own list) Try to have your family come to you. If you’re blessed with having a central location to your family and haven’t had the pleasure of having a holiday at your own home, try it out this year. My husband and I have family that live close (only about an hour and half away) and thought it would be interesting to have Christmas at our house this year. We will extend the invitation to our family and if they want to come over they can. Staying at home means that the holiday will be more comfortable and we don’t have to worry at all with the cost of traveling.

Source

It’s summer time and a lot of us are going to start looking at taking trips. While most of the trips we go on are taken in the car, there are so many people who don’t live close enough to “vacation locations” to drive and now that money is tight, it is more difficult to save money when traveling.

Well, I say, don’t fear airline prices. Right now trips to Europe are really cheap, especially if you live near an airport with direct flights.

It’s not only abroad where you’ll find good deals on airline tickets. You can also find good deals through the continental U.S. Something I found out recently is that Southwest flies directly to Orlando, Florida. I always check prices on Southwest’s website or JetBlue’s websites before I check the travel websites like Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz, or Travelocity. Southwest and JetBlue are typically cheaper and more friendly in my opinion than the airlines that you can find on other travel websites.

The best way to save money on travel is to book well in advance. I was checking prices on a flight that was set for a Wednesday and it jumped 50% in two days (this was on one of the travel websites I mentioned earlier and not Southwest or Jet Blue). In this case, the more “in advance” you know that you’re going the better off your wallet will be.

You can’t always rely on the travel websites either! You need to check with each individual airline. Most of the time the price is the same, so you have to ask yourself if you would rather book from a third party like Orbitz or go directly with the airline? I feel more safe booking through the airline because I feel like if something were to go wrong, it would be easier to deal with the airline then through the third party website.

When booking your flight you also need to remember which airlines charge for checked bags. I know that Southwest and JetBlue do not charge for the first checked bag in coach class, but other airlines do. This was news to me when I had to book a flight and ended up taking U.S. Airways because of the proximity to the airport I was arriving at. All airlines charge for bags that weigh over 50 lbs and they typically have bag size requirements also. So if you’re traveling with another person, you can save some money on the baggage fee, but make sure that you check your airline’s website to make sure that your bag fits in the limits!

Happy vacation!