A Guide to Cheap Summer Travel

Planning a trip this summer? Short on cash? Here’s a quick guide to make sure you get the biggest bang for your buck.

1. Shop Around.
So-called “value” sites like Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz give you the best price for plane tickets–but have often been paid by airlines and hotels to promote their fares and rooms above all others, screwing you over in the process.

Instead, use an aggregator, like Momondo or Kayak, that searches hundreds of travel websites in order to find you the best deal. These Sites also feature flights from smaller airlines and airlines, like Southwest, that don’t actively participate in online travel booking sites. Also, aggregators won’t jack you for a fee, like most “value” travel sites.

2. Skip the Hotel.
Really, most hotels are the same. Except for rooms whose per-night price could pay for last semester, you won’t notice much of a difference, I promise. So, trade in the five-star for one of these inexpensive (but way more fun!) options:

Hostels - For international and domestic travel alike, hostels kick the crap out of everything else. They’re cheap, relaxing and extra fun–plus, you get to mingle with countless hotties from around the world. You may not have the privacy or luxury of a hotel, but it’s worth the “sacrifice.”

If you are traveling to a city like New York, also look into a vacation apartment rental. A hotel room in NYC averages at about $320 a night. Renting an apartment for a few days, however, will run you, depending on the apartment, $100-$150. The best place to find affordable vacation rentals (and everthing else you can think of) is Craigslist.org. Here is a list of agencies that can help you find the right apartment at the right price in New York, and a simple Google search can lead you to apartment rentals in bigger cities worldwide.

And if you really want to save money, try Couchsurfing. This Site introduces you to people in over 40,000 cities, all over the world, who will let you stay on their couch for free. You might have to give up your own couch in return one day, but if you enjoy meeting super-hot Brazilian chicks people, this could be a fun option.

3. Student discounts everywhere!
In almost every city that one could ever wish to travel to, there are discounts offered to students for plays, museums (many of which are free), lodging, eating, etc. Check websites like STA and Student Universe for discount cards–even discounted airfares, for students. Be sure to get the International Student Identity Card for everything from groceries to travel discounts. But not beer, so you’re on your own there.

[Any other cheap travel tips?? Let us know!]