Even for the average working-class individual, taking a vacation is a necessity. Taking some time off to temporarily get out of the rat race can certainly recharge one’s soul. However, taking a grand (or even a not-so-grand) vacation can also take a toll on your finances if not planned well.

Fortunately, these days, there are tons of resources that can point you to the best deals on travel, hotels and vacations. An average Joe can now actually take a grand vacation fit for a king.

Planning and researching your itinerary

So, how do you take a vacation without having to file for bankruptcy afterwards? Plan your itinerary. Don’t just cover the general stuff like where to go, which hotel or motel to stay a night in, which flight to take, etc. To truly save big when vacationing, try to plan every detail.
There are online tools to get you started when planning out your vacation. The ubiquitous Google will certainly be one of your best buddies to help you get around, not just to find places with its Google Maps, but most importantly, to help you find the best deals on travel, hotel and vacation. Truth be told, planning for your next vacation trip has never been so easy, thanks to the Internet.

Online travel sites

There’s a plethora of online travel sites that offer you the best deals on flights, cruises, hotels and restaurants. Be wary, however, as you might just end up with spammy pseudo-travel sites that actually get you nowhere. You might want to Google the terms “travel deals” or “frugal travel” if you want to get specific help on how to save huge on travel. Check out the first few results on the first search results page. More often, the first few results are just what you need.

You might also want to check out CheapOAir for cheap travel deals, Hotwire for the best hotel deals, HotelsCombined and Kayak for more consolidated reports on the best deals on hotel accommodation by city and state.
Be on the lookout for coupons and rebates when looking for travel deals. And when traveling, try not to eat at fancy restaurants if your hotel offers free meals. Often, for the frugal traveler, the hotel meals are as good enough as those offered in restaurants.

The tech-savvy frugal traveler

Here’s another great tip for the frugal vacationer. Your mobile phone may just help you find the best restaurant where you can dine without having to worry too much about expenses. Twitter (don’t you just love it?) can help you navigate around town to find the best deals in restaurant or just about any great bargains out there. Thanks to Twitter’s recent evolution into a real-time search tool, finding the best place to dine is just a breeze. Simply key in the terms “restaurant deals, (location)”, and voila! Scores of conversations pointing to the best restaurant deals are returned. You might want to check each one of them to compare prices.

Of friends and books

Don’t take your good old friends and relatives for granted when pondering about your travel. They could also offer a gold mine of money-saving information and tips before you travel. They might be able to point you to everything you need to know about the best low-priced accommodations, places you might want to check out when you get to where you’re going without having to spend so much and more. Reach out to them.

Of course, there are the good old travel books for you. Planning a vacation in Dubai? Learn as much as you can from travel books dedicated to that area.

And, oh, don’t forget to check the miles on your credit card. You just might have accumulated enough points and miles to get you to your destination for free!