Tips for travel on the cheap

Wouldn’t it be great if for once you could stick to that thing called a “travel budget”? Here are more than a dozen ways to save on your next trip and help you adhere to your preset travel allowance.

1. Pack light. As fuel prices continue to rise, airlines are more stringent than ever about overweight baggage. Some airlines will slap you with a fee even if you’re slightly over the limit (typically 50 pounds)

Savings: between $25 and $100 (depending on the airline)

2. Use the concierge. Need to find the number of a restaurant? Many forget about the hotel concierge. Instead of dialing 411, call the front desk and ask for the concierge, or call the hotel from your cellphone.

Savings: $1.50 per call

3. Book in advance. By booking your next trip at least 45 days prior to departure, you are guaranteed to get the lowest starting rate for that route. A better deal could come within one to two weeks of the travel date, but that’s only if the flight is still under-booked. If you are traveling during a holiday, try to make your reservation at least 55 days in advance. Generally, the cheapest times of year to travel are February to May, the full week before Thanksgiving, and between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15.

Savings: varies

4. Bring your own. Airlines have been struggling ever since 9/11 and as a result they have been imposing more and more fees on consumers for things such as in-flight food and entertainment. Instead of forking over $5 for the in-flight movie and up to $10 per person for food, bring your own.

Savings: $5 to $20

5. Opt for the navi. Either bring your own or opt for the built-in navigation system the next time you rent a car. They can save you time and stress, not to mention money on fuel.

Savings: varies

6. Bring an extra bag. You’re going to buy stuff on your trip, so throw an extra duffel bag in your luggage before you go so that you don’t have to buy an extra bag en route.

Savings: between $30 and $60

7. Embrace Skype. Skype is a computer-based phone system that allows you to make domestic and even international calls nearly free. So install Skype on your laptop and eliminate insane phone charges when you’re traveling abroad.

Savings: up to $3 a minute when calling internationally

8. Share a cab. Sharing a cab with a stranger can be the difference between spending $20 on a fare and $10. If you’re in line waiting for a cab at the airport or other popular local, ask around in line to see if anyone is going to the same place. This is amazingly efficient in a place like Las Vegas, where there is a relatively limited number of destinations.

Savings: half the cab fare

9. Take the subway. The subway costs $2 per ride in New York (or $24 for a one-week unlimited ticket). And no, there isn’t a lot of crime down in the subway, contrary to popular belief. Other cities have their own subway systems.

Savings: varies

10. Shun curbside check-in. Handing over your luggage at the curbside check-in will cost you $2 per bag (plus tip) and for what? Not having to haul your luggage another 100 feet to the counter inside? Savings: $2 per bag (plus tip)

11. Book direct. Discount tickets purchased through third-party travel sites are usually the cheapest, but the airlines will stick you with big penalties should you choose to change anything from your seat, your flight, or upgrade to first class. Try to book your ticket direct through the airline’s own website, especially if the price is the same as the third-party. The same idea applies to hotels. A hotel will classify its rooms based on how much you paid for it and where you bought it from. So if the price is the same, book direct; it’s almost always going to be your best bet.

Savings: varies

12. Fly, don’t drive. It may sound incredibly counterintuitive, but it’s often cheaper to fly than to drive -- especially on longer trips. Even if your car gets 30 mpg, it would cost you more than $325 in gas to drive to Dallas and back (at $3.50 per gallon). Round-trip tickets can be found in the mid-$200s.

Savings: varies

13. Buy rechargeable batteries. Instead of paying through the nose for batteries at the airport gift shop, buy a pack of four or eight AA rechargeable batteries and bring them with you the next time you travel.

Savings: $20 for eight AA batteries/each use

14. Skip the currency exchange at the airport. You’re waiting for your flight home when you realize that you’re carrying about $100 worth of foreign money. So you find the currency exchange in the airport and convert the money. This might be convenient but it’s also about twice as expensive as stopping by a foreign bank the day before your flight.

Savings: varies