With the economy in the toilet you are wondering if you and your family can afford to travel ANYWHERE this year! Well the good news is, you can if you plan correctly. Here are 10 tips to help you afford a getaway this year!

1) SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST DEALS: Use the power of the Internet to keep searching out there for the best deals around. Hotels, car rental companies, airlines, etc. are all worried about whether this summer's travel season is going to be a bust or not so they are offering deals. Don't pay full rate for any travel service out there.

2) DON'T RELY ON YOUR TRAVEL AGENT FOR A GREAT DEAL: Travel agents make their money when they get a commission on your trip. The lower the price of your vacation, the less commission they make so they're not going to be bargain hunting for you.

3) LOOK FOR GAS CARD OFFERS: A number of the big hotel chains are offering FREE gas cards if you are going to stay with them. One big chain is offering a $20 gas card for each night you stay with them at participating New England hotels.

4) AVOID EUROPE. We all know the Euro is totally overvalued against the dollar so your money isn't going to go very far over there. If you MUST go to Europe this year, I suggest going with an American tour operator where you pay in guaranteed US dollars or on a cruise where nearly everything is included and once again you pay in guaranteed US dollars so the fluctuation won't bother you.

5) BOOK EARLY. Many airlines offer a greater discount if you book early. Last-minute travel isn't going to save you money and will probably cost more.

6) BEWARE OF PACKAGES: Oftentimes hotels jack up the room night rate in order to include breakfast and other freebies in a package, so before you book, compare what the regular room rate is versus what the package per night rate is to ensure you are actually getting a good deal.

7) CHECK CLOSELY ON RENTAL CAR OFFERS: I booked a rental car in New Hampshire the other day and a sub-compact car and a mid-size car were exactly the same price so why would I go for a smaller car? Clearly the company had more mid-size cars in their fleet and were offering the smaller car at a premium so you can get good deals if you look carefully.

8) TRAVEL TO PLACES WHERE IT'S NOT PEAK SEASON: While it may be hot in the Caribbean and Mexico this summer, you can get good deals there. Granted you need to worry about hurricane season too, but if you can lie on the beach this summer for half the price as opposed to visiting there in the winter when the prices are REALLY inflated, why cheat yourself out of a Caribbean vacation?

9) CHECK OUT HOME AND VILLA RENTALS: If you are going to be traveling as a family or with other couples or friends and relatives, sometimes renting a home or villa for a week proves to be more economical and you can save money by cooking some meals at home.

10) CASH-IN POINTS: You've been saving up all your hotel and airline loyalty program points and now may just be the time to use them if you are faced with having no summer vacation at all! And if you don't have a travel loyalty program, consider getting one as the things you charge every day like gas, food, etc. can add up fast!

Happy Traveling This Summer!