Even during the hardest of economic times, traveling to see family, friends, or for business may become necessary. If you are on a tight budget it is important to only travel when absolutely necessary. Leisure trips should be avoided while budgeting and be replaced with fun day trips around your hometown. If you need some ideas for a fun day trip, start by searching www.fodors.com to see what is recommended in your area.

If you must travel by air, here are several tips that you can follow while booking your trip in order to best maximize your money, while still getting to where you need to go.

1) Know your home Airport- If you are aware of the airlines that fly in and out of your hometown airport, it will help you better understand where to look first for cheap rates. You will usually get the best rates from an airline that has declared your city a hub. For example Southwest considers Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, and Baltimore/Washington DC a hub. Travels between theses cities is usually the most affordable. Here’s a map that can help you determine if your airport is a national hub http://www.eskyguide.com/reference/hub.html. If your home airport is not a hub, you may need to consider making connecting flights in order to make your trip cheaper.

2) Always Check Multiple Websites for Airfare Rates- Do not settle for the first quoted airfare rate. Websites are competing for your business, so some of them are able to quote a slightly lower rate than their competition. A good rule of thumb is to check websites such as www.orbitz.com, www.expedia.com, www.travelocity.com first. These websites pull airfare rates from multiple air carriers and are usually pretty competitive with each other. These sites will give you a baseline rate for what you can expect to pay for a flight. After checking these sites, check the actual airline website to see if they have any special pricing for that exact flight. If the prices are about the same, book through the actual airline site. This will cut out the need for a middle man if you need to make changes or cancel your flight.

3) Research Hidden Fees- One of the ways that airlines are making up for lost profit during the recession is by charging you hidden fees. Examples of these fees are charging for baggage, food, drinks, and even for prime seating locations. It may be budget conscious to buy a slightly higher airfare ticket, if you can be certain that they do not charge fees a la carte. Here is a website that shows hidden fees for most major airlines http://www.kayak.com/airline-fees

4) Upgrading Your Rental Car is not Necessary- If you must rent a car to get from the airport to your destination, plan to rent the smallest car possible. The general rule of thumb is that the smaller the car, the less expensive it is to rent and fuel. Before you drop off the car at the end of your trip, you will need to pay to replenish the gas tank. By renting a fuel efficient car you can save almost $10-$20 from the end cost. Another great tip for renting cars is to resist add-ons such as a gps unit. This can add on another $12-$15 per day. Plan in advance and print out all your directions from one of the following sites. http://maps.google.com/, www.mapquest.com, http://maps.yahoo.com. The old fashioned way of asking a nice stranger for directions is still the cheapest and may be the most efficient in the end.

5) Economy Hotels can be Quite Nice- If you cannot stay at a relatives or friends house during your trip, plan to find the cheapest hotel possible. A great tip for finding an affordable and clean hotel is to find hotel properties near business parks. If you can find a hotel geared towards meeting the needs of overnight business travelers, you can usually expect to find an affordable and clean room. Another great aspect of business orientated properties is that they sometimes are able to lower their rates on the weekends. This is because their prime customer arrives anytime between Mon and Friday for business matters. Always check with online sites to read customer reviews on your hotel. This will give you quality information about previous patron’s experiences. Some great review sites are www.tripadvisor.com, www.hotels.com, www.travel.yahoo.com, www.epionions.com.

6) Eat as if you are at Home- Just because you are on the road does not mean you need to eat expensive meals at restaurants. You also do not have to compromise the quality of food you eat by frequenting all the local fast food chains. Ask the hotel staff where the nearest grocery store is and shop for premade meals that you can bring back to your room. You may be surprised that you are able to get a quality hot meal for the same price as a combo meal at a fast food location.

Take these tips into consideration when you must travel during this recession. Remember that anything you spend while traveling must fit into your preplanned budget. If you need to make changes in your future budget in order to be able to take this trip, try to do so in advance. Do not try to rationalize splurging just because you are away from home. Remember that when you arrive back home your financial concerns will still be waiting for you. If you consider some of these tips, you will find that your trip can be somewhat inexpensive and just as enjoyable.