It seems everyone is looking for cheap travel ideas these days, and it's no wonder.
With people losing jobs and the economy in the state that it is, it makes a lot of sense to search out cheap travel deals online before you plan your vacation.
The worst thing you can do in a time like this is forego your yearly vacation.
It's important to continue your family traditions and also to get away from the stress of everyday life.
Even if you only plan a shorter vacation, don't let a lack of money keep you from your yearly trip.
Now, just how do you go about finding these cheap travel deals? First and foremost, you simply must plan early.
The only other alternative to early planning is to look for last-minute deals, and by last minute I mean literally the last day or two.
If you try looking for something within about 2 weeks of your trip you are going to pay the highest amount possible.
So do begin with your travel plans as early as possible.
You can almost always find a good deal on one of the online travel agencies such as Travelocity, Expedia, etc.
However, it may not be as straightforward as you may think.
For example, you may have the idea that you can just log in at any time of the day or night and out will pop an awesome deal for your trip.
What you need to remember is prices change constantly, and you will want to spend some time checking the prices on different travel sites at different times of the day.
A lot of times you may log in and see a price, then an hour later it may have changed (possibly for the worse).
So have in mind an idea of the amount you want to pay, and when you pull up a price that is close to your ideal, snap it up right away.
You'll lose it (most likely) if you wait and dither about.
Another tip to find a good travel deal is to check into prices one-way.
In days past, it was common practice to buy your round-trip ticket from one airline, and you would get the cheapest deal.
Nowadays, it seems you can often get a better deal by purchasing one-way tickets, sometimes from separate airlines.
For example, you may find a great one-way deal departing from your city from JetBlue, and then you may find a separate awesome price on the way back from Southwest.
If so, go ahead and snap up those deals.
Another thing that used to be true but is not anymore, is that you must travel mid week and stay over on a Saturday.
No longer is this the case.
Although you still may get cheaper flights mid week, it is just a case of checking prices and comparing.
Don't forget to use your Triple A discount if you have one.
I have this and am constantly forgetting to use it.
You can use it for car rental as well, to help you get a lower price.
Often this will be a great help and you'll find a really cheap travel deal when renting your car.