a few tried tips 4 stretching ur summer vacation dollar....

amazing how fast the calendar flipped forward to august!

we still have a few more weeks off b4 school starts up
altho i'm planning a last minute trip in our very fine state....
we haven't decide between Pictured Rocks or Spring Green and would love to hear from anyone who has been to either area recently!

if you are looking to hit the skies or road to the four corners
here are some of the places we recommend from our recent trips:

for flights we check kayak first usually tues-tues are the cheapest
however lat minute bargins can be had on other days of the week too
nwa has been running many trips from the midwest for under $200 bucks
of course u have to add on for luggage fees or pack lightly in a carry on starting this month ughhhh!

one of our frugal tips is to save a target 10% pharmacy cards to catch a great deal on bulky items or groceries when we reach our destination
we haven't found a rental place for family tent camping equipment but we have been know to ship bulky light stuff like sleeping bags, pillows, jackets, sweats and beach towels so our baggage can handle the heavy junk like cots and cooking gear

of course if there's a big city in your travel plans and ther's no big convention in town chances r very good you can score a great deal like $25-$55 per night on a very nice (3 or 4 star level) hotels
start at biddingfortravel for recent bid reports from other travelers...i always say look at your own or a familiar city first because priceline is like an auction and you can over bid or end up in the armpit of a city so be careful ad do ur research b4 bidding

when we aren't camping we look for places that have grills or kitchens
when a week at a condo won't do start with a few library books we love these:
Let's Go
Lonely Planet
Rough Guide

then hit this frugal Frommer site

here are some of the places we discovered and highly recommend from r travels this summer:
Sante Fe Suites
The Jolly Rancher
Morris' Last Resort

we plan r trips with loads of options and look ahead to city calendars and museum free nights
look for reciprocity for admissions to zoos or science museums and get year round fees waved at home
we have these memberships that really take us places see each site for the links to 1000's of waived entrances:
Chicago Botanic Garden
Discovery World
http://www.aza.org/ForEveryone/SpecAdmissions/index.html
Milwaukee County Zoo

we also stretch our national park annual pass so it can give us two summer's worth of travel
buy in august of one summer and use in june and july of the next

i could write a book about frugal family travel
but these links should help anyone who still has some
wanderlust time n energy but is low on cash

my mantra has always been i have more time than money
and i have 2 confess planning a trip can be as much fun as taking it!

oh n take loads of pix...upload to flickr and add wimomz as a contact!

happy travels!