We all have to travel. We all have a budget now-a-days. We all want the most for our money!

Off-Peak Chic. There is a way to go on vacation and not pay an arm and a leg for your flights in the process. The trick is to know when to go! Every vacation spot has it's "off-peak seasons". Like for instance last year I went to Vegas for my birthday which is in August. Summer is considered an "off-peak" time to go to Vegas because it gets so hot during the summer. I personally love the hot weather, so I, in-turn, got a great deal on a vacation I was happy with just because of the time of year I chose.

FLY ON A WEEKDAY. Along with off peak seasons, a lot of air lines will run specials like if you fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday with Southwest Airlines, you automatically save about a hundred bucks per one-way trip...So instead of leaving for somewhere on a Friday, try going at the beginning of the week like Tuesday to Tuesday, or Wednesday to Wednesday. *Some hotels will run corresponding incentives with this type of planning as well. You just have to be willing to put in your own time to look and see what's out there.

BE FLEXIBLE. When you go to book your flight, don't just type in one date and take the first price you see. Play around with the dates you leave and come back on, checking atleast one day before your original date, and one day after, you'd be surprised how big of a savings you can get with just a days' difference!

BUY DIRECT. Don't fall prey to those seemingly great "package deals". Sites like Hotwire and Expedia will claim to get you the BEST deal on hotel and airfare together, but 99% of the time, you will save more money by going directly to an airline and buying tickets. Same goes with hotels and resorts. Going directly to thier website and finding the deals they offer themselves. Most resorts (Vegas for sure) have a mailing list you can sign up for for free on thier main website even if you've never stayed there, and they will start sending you "special deals" that can sometimes be waaaay below the standard prices! Another really important thing to consider when planning a vacation is the possibilty that something may come up and you may need to postpone or cancel your trip. Most of the Package Dealers have a "NO cancellation" policy which means you are out all of that money! But when you buy direct, most airlines (with atleast 24 hours notice) will let you cancel a flight and give you a credit to use towards a different flight at another time. And if you book a hotel through the actual hotel, you can call and explain the situation and most resorts have a 48 or 72 hour cancellation policy. Even if you don't get all of your money back, you will probably only be out your deposit, which is typically your first night's stay with tax. That's alot better than being out a week's worth of money!

CUSTOMER PERKS. And when you do stay somewhere, ask at check-in about a "frequent customer program"...Vegas hotels RUN on these! When you sign up they will send you special deals and savings in the mail that are available to "loyal customers"! This can save you a lot of money in the future, and a lot of places offer some version of this if you just ask! (For example: the place I stay in Vegas offers a free night during the month of my birthday...it's pretty cool!)

SHOP AROUND! Don't take my word for it, you actually have to see for yourself. Go type in dates for a trip you are thinking about taking into one of those package deal sites and then go to your favorite airline site and a hotel site and see which way ends up being cheaper! I think you will be pleasantly surprised!