Photo: caitlinator

The planners among you are already thinking about where to travel this year. You may even have some New Years resolutions about it. I bet some of you are thinking that you'd like to travel this year, if only financial circumstances didn't make other things priority.

I don't know how many miles I'll log in 2010 myself, but I know I'll get more in as a bona-fide travel penny pincher. So I thought I'd share some of the money-saving tips I've figured out along the way. If you know of other tricks for cash-strapped travelers, by all means, comment away!

1. Expand the Definition of Your Own Backyard

Few budget-conscious words make the corners of my mouth wilt like the one we heard all last year: Stay-cation. A map-loving road warrior like me knows you can take a stray-cation without breaking the bank.

Have you ever taken inventory of all the National and State Parks, Historic Sites, Roadside Attractions, National Scenic Byways, Festivals, and Unique Museums are within a 5-8 hour drive of your home? You might be surprised what you find if you expand the definition of what you consider your own backyard.




2. Compare All Costs

I used to book the most convenient direct flight to my destination city and reserve whatever the best deal was for rental car. More recently, I've had to be more flexible and creative in my trip planning. I found that it pays to do my homework.

Airfare and rental car rates change on a dime, and the best deal is not evident without careful comparison of both.

My new strategy:

• List the airports within a reasonable drive from my destination city, including smaller ones more likely to be serviced by regional discount airlines.
• Compare the total cost of airfare plus car rental plus estimated fuel for the same time period.

I'll use destination Atlanta as an example, because I just did this analysis recently: for my particular travel dates, it is nearly $300 cheaper — including fuel — to drive 250 miles from Charlotte. The last time I went, Chattanooga was the best deal, before that I drove from Louisiana. The point is this: Even if airfare is comparable, all other factors may not be. If you have the time and flexibility, it pays to compare all costs.




3. If It Fits, It Ships

Whether you've done any plane travel recently or not, you know that most every airline is digging for gold in our luggage. Not literally, of course. But here's a brilliant and helpful chart from SmarterTravel.com that outlines fees and illustrates how quickly they can add up.

With carry-on restrictions getting tighter due to recent events, it's more prudent than ever for the penny-pincher to figure out how to travel light.

Fine.

So you decide what shoes to wear in advance instead of packing six pair. What about all the stuff you pick up along the way that doesn't fit or puts your luggage over weight limit?

Consider this: Within the US, you can mail yourself up to 70lbs for under $15 with USPS Flat Rate Shipping. A quick errand to the local post office might well be convenient enough to save money and hassle at the airport.




4. Consider Alternative Lodging


Unless you're headed to a friend or family member's house, lodging is likely the most expensive part of any trip. I've written before about Camp Fabulous. If you're up for this kind of vacation, a tent is the best priced accommodation you're going to get. And hey, the scenery is much better than a room at the Holiday Inn. We have had very good luck finding the best outdoor spots with the help of Moon Camping Guides.

Not planning that kind of trip? I get it. Sometimes the accommodations are as important as the destination itself. Particularly if you are vacationing with family or a group, renting a furnished house or condo can be much cheaper than staying in a resort for a week. A google search for vacation rentals near your destination will likely produce a local management company, which is a strategy my vacation buddies and I have used with good luck. Otherwise — though I've never used these services to recommend them — you can reference consolidated listings like these:

Vacation Rentals By Owner

Home Away

Vacation Roost

5. Line Up Discounts in Advance

If you're like me, you don't like the idea of having a concrete itinerary before you even get a feel for a place, but you can strike a balance between advanced planning and go-with-the-flow.

My Aunt and Uncle visit Vegas from Canada several times a year, and they always have deals lined up before they come. My Uncle swears by a website called Sky Auction, where you can bid on deeply discounted travel deals for things all over the world. I've been the beneficiary of restaurant certificates and show tickets purchased through this site. Sometimes they even use it to book their accommodations.




6. Use Social Media to Ask A Local

How can you tell whether you've found a screaming-deal on a hotel rate or it's just cheap because it's in a screaming-scary part of town?

Ask a local.

Is "the best" restaurant in town "the best" according to anyone other than its marketing manager? Or is it just twice the price as something better because their advertising targets tourists?

Ask a local.

Through the magic of social media, we're not limited to info that's been filtered through a publicist. I see tips and tricks traded by strangers on Twitter all the time. Naturally, you still have to decide whose recommendation to trust. But the ability to ask a question to the world at large can produce surprising results.

The last trip we made, I searched blogs and flickr for a genuine preview of what we might experience. These days, I'm much more likely to reach out to real people who've been where I want to go than I am to plan solely on an ad.