Cheap Summer Travel

Now that summer's right around the corner, it's time to finalize those summer travel plans, right? Well, if you've looked at the price of airfare lately, you'll know that planning a trip this year isn't going to be cheap. While it helps to know the best time to go to your desired location, there are several more things to consider.

Given that fact, you have a couple options - you can either skip travel entirely this summer, or you can look for ways to do a summer trip on the cheap. If you're anything like most travelers out there, the first option just isn't acceptable, so here are four tips to help you find summer travel deals this year.

1. Be Spontaneous with Last Minute Deals
Those of you for whom the idea of a trip - any trip - is better than staying home will appreciate the cheap flights that are often available if you're willing to go wherever the deals take you. There are, to be sure, fewer last minute bargains during the busier summer months than at other times of the year, and you're unlikely to see the most popular summer destinations on a list of last minute deals, but a true adventurer can create fun wherever he or she goes, right?

2. Consider Package Trips
Package trips are anathema to some independent travelers who think they're (a) too expensive and (b) too restrictive. The truth is that when airfare prices skyrocket, that's when package trips become a better overall value. Do your homework to make sure you're picking a trip that won't leave you feeling trapped at an all-inclusive resort if that's not what you're interested in, but don't overlook package trips based on the name alone. They just might surprise you with how far they let you stretch your travel budget.

3. Travel Light
We may be getting used to airline fees by now, but that doesn't mean we like them any more than we used to. It's easy enough to avoid most of them, however, including the checked bags fees. Most airlines don't even let you check one bag anymore for a domestic flight, so plan to travel carry-on only to save yourself between $25-45 each way in baggage fees (more for international flights). Don't overstuff that roll-aboard, though, as there are fees for overweight bags, too - learn to pack light and you'll avoid unnecessary baggage fees.

4. Check Hotel/Resort Sites Directly
Doing research for a trip is easy enough to do online, but don't automatically assume that a travel website claiming to have the best prices on hotels or resorts can't be beat by the hotels or resorts themselves. When you think you've found the place you want to stay, go to their actual website and look around for special offers or seasonal specials - these are almost always available on a hotel's or resort's website only and not through general online booking sites. It's an extra step, but a potential money-saving one.

By Guest Blogger Jessica Spiegel of BootsnAll

photos, top to bottom, by Jared Wong and permanently scatterbrained