SAVE MONEY ON YOUR VACATION BY PLANNING NOW

This really does not have to do with scrapbooking. Well I take that back you are going on vacation to take pictures to scrapbook. :) I love to travel a lot and am very cheap! Money is tighter than ever for everyone with these wonderful gas prices. Every dollar saved is money you can spend on a tour, excursion, dinner or souvenirs. Here are some tips friends have taught me over the years. If you have any travel tips to share please comment on this blog post.

Priceline. Start EARLY. You go to http://www.priceline.com/ and do name your own price on hotels and car rentals. I start at 20.00 on car rentals and full size car and for hotels I go from 4 star to 1 star and then start at 30.00 a night. After trying each star and each car type it will lock you out for 72 hours. Then go in and try again raising your price like $5. If you plan early you will get great deals. My last trip to California we stayed in a 4 star hotel and paid $36.00 per night. Car rental we got a mid sized for $23.00. OK so you are saying what is the catch? Here are some words of caution, you do not get to pick where you stay, you can pick the number of stars the hotel is and a general area only. They are non-refundable. You can buy trip insurance but you need a doctors note etc to get refunded. You also do not get to pick your room type except they are non-smoking which is good. If I am taking two kids I call the hotel and see if it is two double beds. If it is not I pack sleeping bags. If I have to take 3-4 kids, I pick the option on price line to get two rooms. With their prices you can afford to get two rooms usually much lower than one room would have cost you.

Southwest: Go to book your flight and then you will get to the pick our times page. On the left side there will be a place you can click that says shortcut to low fares. There it will give you a months view of flight prices. If you are flexible with your dates you can save lots.

Shipping: I always pack shipping tape and a marker in my suitcase. The maids will usually find you a box or you can find one at stores you visit. I then ship items home that will not fit in my suitcase so I do not have extra luggage when travelling home. Also if you have an alternate address to ship it to the hubby will never even know you bought things on your trip! hee hee Like the sign in the store says "My husband lets me have all the scrapbook supplies I can hide".

Packing: Ok this one may crack you up but if you shop while you are on your trip you might like it. When I pack, I pack all those clothes I was going to donate to Goodwill or toss out as they had a stain or a hole etc. Then wear them for lounging around the hotel, sleeping etc. When I leave, I leave the clothes and have more room in my suitcase to pack items I bought on the trip or for me it is usually paperwork and catalogs from trade shows.

Restaurants.com: You can buy vouchers/gift certificates through this web site for meals at bargain prices. It is a good way when you travel to try new restaurants. Also do a google search on the city you are visiting and coupons. For example do a search on "Omaha Coupon" as there may be coupons for a place you want to visit.

Travelocity: Do you have a 4 day weekend next weekend? Want to just get away? Go to http://www.travelocity.com/ and click on last minute deals. You have to be ready to go within a two week period but the prices are unbelievable! These are last minute deals from airlines and hotels that have empty seats/rooms and just need to fill them. I have done many of these and sometimes hubby and I do not get to sit together on the plane as the seats are usually individual seats. I have found that a $20.00 bill gets people to trade so you can sit together. hee hee