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Ahh, vacation. It’s a great thing to look forward to, except maybe when it comes to spending the money for it. One of the ways that we save money on our trips is by avoiding hotels. (I’m not too fond of hotels anyway unless they’re the ultra-luxury kind, and those don’t usually fall into the “saving money” category.) So what we’ve been doing instead is renting an apartment when we travel. We’ve had good luck so far with a site called Vacation Rentals by Owner. (And I hope our luck continues.)

In the past I’ve also stayed in youth hostels using a family membership, but I would only recommend that if you know what the hostels are like at your destination. They’re very nice in Germany, for instance, or at least they used to be, but I’d be leery of some other locations. If you do like hotels, you can usually save money by asking for discounts such as AAA — or even just by asking if they have a better rate after you’re given a quote. I’ve also had luck in getting better rates by calling the hotels directly instead of calling the main reservations number. You can also try a site like priceline, but I’m usually too picky for that to be very effective. Finally, there are the old standbys: staying with friends or family and camping. Both of those options can be great money savers if they appeal to you and the people involved.

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